where to do 1st track day
 

hello

i want to do a track day some time next year where do you think will be the best to do a track for beginers?

Re: where to do 1st track day
 

Where abouts are you? I'd say a smaller track with less corners, something like brands hatch indy (although paddock hill bend I imagine to be daunting for the inexperianced!) or lydden?

Re: where to do 1st track day
 

im in luton
brands is bout a hour or 2 from me

Re: where to do 1st track day
 

i think it depends on how confident you are. if you are pretty confident overall on your bike then i don't think it really matters which track you do as long as you take it fairly easy. my first was at lydden, which is short and easy to learn. my second was at silverstone gp, which is pretty much the oppoiste being long and very fast (which my 33bhp at the time struggled with a little). i loved both despite an off at lydden and went back this october (this time with full power :smt003) and still had great fun and i can't wait to do silverstone gp again, but with full power :smt077.

where ever you go for your first one make use of the free instructors and ask one of them if they'll go out on track with you. i did this at silverstone and it improved me a huge amount and by the end of the day was getting my knee down regularly :D

Re: where to do 1st track day
 

Rockingham. Completely flat and every corner you can see all the way round. All you have to do is concentrate on what you are doing rather than trying to remember what each corner is like from the previous.

Re: where to do 1st track day
 

Any with people you know or with people that are friendly.

If the .org do another trackday in the newyear where lots of people will be in atendance then I recommend that as your first trackday.

Re: where to do 1st track day
 

How experienced do you have to be to do a track day? Ive only had my licence a month but really want to learn more and push myself

Re: where to do 1st track day
 

I did my first one after about 10 mths of riding, but was more like a school as we were all new to it in groups behind instructors.

How long you should wait depends on lots of things, how many miles you do on the road, how natural a rider you are, how well you'll control the red mist etc when out on track etc. For some people I'd imagine they'd be fine on track a few weeks after passing their test, others wouldn't be ready after a few years.

Personally I'd at least wait until late spring/early summer before giving it serious consideration, I wouldn't fancy doing my first track day at this time of year!

Re: where to do 1st track day
 

Awesome....ok i will try and rein in my enthusiasm then

:D

Re: where to do 1st track day
 

Rockingham national cicuit.Its not far from Luton and is ideal for learning.Its mainly corners so is good for a lower powered bike.

Re: where to do 1st track day
 

I'd have to say Rockingham too. Lovely little track without too much gear changing, and it goes left AND right!

Re: where to do 1st track day
 

+1 for Rockingham national. Local & cheap

Re: where to do 1st track day
 

I did Nurburgring in the p*ssing rain for my 1st trackday. Not as mad as it sounds, was bloody good fun!

Re: where to do 1st track day
 

Brave man.

Only ever been round there in the wet as a passenger in a friends cage.

Re: where to do 1st track day
 

I done Cadwell in the rain for my first. Fell off too (Nobody told me the grass would be slippery!).

Re: where to do 1st track day
 

Not brave, just daft but learnt alot about wet riding that day. Shame I forgot it all!! :)

Re: where to do 1st track day
 

Dont you just hate it when they dont give you all the details. :mad:

Re: where to do 1st track day
 

1st was valle de vienne near poitiers.

was awesome. flat wide with lots of technical corners. loved it.

bout 6 months riding experience, met some random bloke on a ferry going to france to do some touring after losing my job who invited me along.

theres me hooning around on 59k hornet making people on italian exotica very green.

top fun!

Re: where to do 1st track day
 

For a first trackday either Rockingham national circuit or Mallory Park. Given that you're in Luton, The Rock is closer. Don't bother with the international circuit there, it makes an otherwise decent track farily boring.

Mallory, between Leicester and Hinckley, has a decent selection of bends and a bit of a straight. Gerards goes on forever and is great fun if you like long sweeping fast corners... which I do.

Re: where to do 1st track day
 

Gerards, if Carlsberg made corners....

Re: where to do 1st track day
 

I popped my cherry at Rockingham. Great fun.

Re: where to do 1st track day
 

But what about your first trackday Ed, c'mon stop derailing! :p

Re: where to do 1st track day
 

The rock. It's a short lap so you do the same corners more times. Also, the speed is slower so less intimidating if you are used to road riding.

It's probably a good idea to go with friends who are more experienced. Most people are very friendly though so you can usually just introduce yourself and people will look after you.

Also, if there are instructors there, use them! They are great.

Just take it steady!

Re: where to do 1st track day
 

If you're willing to travel and make a weekend of it (or a couple of days during the week), then Anglesey is the place to go. The facilities are pretty basic at the moment but the circuit is stunning.

Re: where to do 1st track day
 

Llandow is the only other one I can think of that could be good - less than a mile long and all of about four corners (ok, so maybe not four, they lob a couple more in to make it interesting). One of those v.easy to learn, bit trickier to master courses. But it's miles away from Luton so the Rock is definitely the place.

Re: where to do 1st track day
 

make sure it's a proper novice day for your first one - i went on one where it was split novice/pro, except the pro group was full so all the pro's just went in the novice group = I was literally the only novice on track, they were all ripping past me through the bends with knees down & a ducati nearly had me off. If it had been a proper novice group I reckon I'd have been in the middle because I'm not exactly slow... these guys were all on dedicated track bikes too. The ******s really spoiled it for me and I reckon it could have put me off if I was more easily intimidated.

Oh and it was at cadwell with massive elevations & the mountain - prolly not the best first track day for me.

Re: where to do 1st track day
 

Yeah, Cadwell's not the eeasiest for your first TD, some interesting cambers, narrow, mountains, damp under the trees etc. But it's an awesome place once you get into it.

Re: where to do 1st track day
 

Gerards, if the goverment made chicanes.......

Re: where to do 1st track day
 

Llandow is also the cheapest track in the country. :cool:

Re: where to do 1st track day
 

pmsl!

Re: where to do 1st track day
 

No chicanes on Gerards during trackdays :)

Re: where to do 1st track day
 

Some have been known to use it on occasions. At least twice, until there was a string of accidents and people complained.

Re: where to do 1st track day
 

No limits are running one at Anglesey on the 7th December. I'm going there for the 1st time. I always seem to end up at Oulton Park, so it will make a nice change. My son has said that Anglesey is awesome, so I'm looking forward to it. It's only £49 as well, just hope the weather is good :)

Re: where to do 1st track day
 

Dosn't this also apply to that horrific chicane at the end of the silverstone lap?

Re: where to do 1st track day
 

The first gear 25mph one just before the main straight?

Its not brilliant, but was great for outbreaking people on and getting away early on the SV lol

I liked silverstone GP, but it is SO big and SO wide for the little SV.......wouldnt mind going back on the RR

Re: where to do 1st track day
 

I'd already seen that and I will only be about 2 miles away in Rhosneiger on a weekend away with friends. Unfortunately though, no bike allowed :(. I may pop down for a look though before we head home.

Re: where to do 1st track day
 

I'd do Silverstone. Loads of space and big run off. Good facilities too