hi all, not sure how to start this really but basically iv been road riding for 5 years now and to be fair iv started using the road at my glorified track! so i gave up for a year before i ended up in a box or hurting someone els! early this year i got a 999s as i just missed it to much. And it wasn't too long before the red mist was returning, so a few of my mates and i decided to do a track day, i wasn't to overly bothered to be fair, how could going round in circles be as much fun as passing volvo drivers on one wheel!? ,,, how wrong was i! did my first day at Donny and loved it! now i just want to race! i found a guy who has a ducati race team and after a few cups of tea and sharing photos he told me to come along and see what you got! im going to do a track day with him very soon, to say the least im very stoked to have the opportunity to even do this, but its just dawned on me i have no track experience! and worried im going to make a total fool of my self!? the bikes all set up, slicks, warmers, suspension, got all the gear but no idea lol, iv done a few k on my ducati so im not going in totally blind. my thinking for this thread is that there is going to be guys/girls, with some hours or racing under there belts here, reading this so some pointers in the right direction would be very helpful also for those of you who are interested, keep you informed on my progression i look forward to hearing back all comments welcome
When I was a lad I thought I was pretty quick, none of my mates could touch me on the road. So I went racing thinking I'd clear up. My first practice session was at Lydden Hill. My bike was a Honda RS250 chassis, with a tuned 600 single motor. Imagine my shock when old blokes in baggy black leathers riding old heaps of British bikes were riding around the outside of me! Lesson 1: Riding fast on the road is nothing like riding fast on the track. The levels of grip and consistent corners are a world apart from the Queens Highway. Once you find that level of grip it's awesome. I soon found out that I could ride as fast on the track in the rain on wet tyres than I did on the road on a nice dry summer’s day! Good luck with your first track day, but don't worry if people who shouldn't be faster than you leave you for dead until you're up to speed!
There's a world of difference from road riding to trackdays, then a bigger leap from trackdays to racing! You have to race with the mindset of passing the next person whatever it takes. I would soak up the experience and learn as much as you can, unless you're the next Rossi don't expect too much too soon. Hopefully they'll give you some pointers or get some instruction on the day from the TDO and go from there, I can see from your photo that your body position isn't too good (I would say typical road rider) so that's something you'll need to work on, have you thought about CSS?
What bike will you be testing on? You didn't mention how you were getting along and what group you were in on ur first td. This will be interesting.
Should an interesting day for you. So have you been offered a ride on someone elses bike or are you using your own? Thats not quite clear in your post.The is what Freak and NuttyNick day. Enjoy..........maybe even share a starting grid next season.
Should an interesting day for you. So have you been offered a ride on someone elses bike or are you using your own? Thats not quite clear in your post.The rest is as Freak and NuttyNick say. Enjoy..........maybe even share a starting grid next season.
i will be using my own bike, duc 999s, i was only aloud in the beginner group as i had never done a track day, i did 1 sight lap, then spent all day lapping people,, they wouldn't let me move up because they had over book inters group, but on my last session i followed a guy into the pits by mistake thinking our time was up, and i asked if i could go out again, they said no because time was almost up anyway but he did say "tell you what il let you out in inters as its the last session of the day". so i lined up in the pits with them and did a session in inters, strait away the pace was much quicker and i held my own okay, then as i started to settle down one by one started picking them off,, then some loon passed me so i tagged on, that lasted 2 laps till i lost sight, but i was pleased as it was my first track day, please note im self tort never had any lessons, this style of riding is new to me,,
I raced for 5 seasons on Yamaha TZ250's in the 1980's and it's hard work being really quick. I did win occasionally but there are other things to consider when you are taking part in a championship or racing all the time and that is where money and racecraft comes in, there are plenty of quick people out there but stringing together a whole season takes a lot of money and dedication. Is this a serious team try out or just a type of blat? You also need to understand how to give feedback to others on what the bike is doing and what you want altered or changed. In all the years that I raced no one that I raced with did more than win a championship or two except for one person who became European 250 champion once and never repeated it. It really is very hard to get to the top of the game in racing.
Sounds like you had a ball, trackdays are a bit weird though I think most people book inters as they don't want to be classed as a novice (and some of the novices are really that, I instructed for a while I sometimes I wonder how they passed a bike test if I honest) thus why inters was oversubscribed, then a lot of people fear the fast group also so stay in inters. I recall doing a TD at Donny a few years ago on my little 620 DD bike (64HP at best) now I would only go in inters on that around Donny as the closing speeds on the back straight would be crazy but I was surprised how many R1's/Blades I could stay with or overtake given I was down at least 100Hp, I'm no racing god but it shows that it may have been a slow trackday. I guess what I am saying is some days the groups feel faster or slower but that depends on who's there on the day, I've been in the fast group and some people should be in the novice, and likewise I've seen the likes of Shakey in inters testing as that's the only group available.
I'm not sure what you're saying? Are you doing another trackday on your bike with this guy, doing a trackday on his bike, or going racing?
My advice would be top do a couple more track days in inters / fast and see how you get on, if you're overtaking everyone in the fast group then you are a riding god and should do well. Going racing against a load of experienced racers on R1s, ZX10s and Gixxer thous should give you a bit of a surprise, I'll put money on that you won't even see which way half the field went and you won't be able to understand how the front runners can possibly be lapping you in five laps when you're riding as hard as you can and passing you like you're stood still, racecraft takes time to learn and you won't be fast straight off. Personally I'd try racing at a "novice" level for a year first on something low powered and cheap. If you're set on racing your 999, good luck and don't be discouraged when you find you're not nearly as quick as you thought you were, it takes time to learn as well as talent and money!
I'm glad you had a great day and happy with your progression. However, a string of caution is that despite the label of novice, inters, fast, don't gauge how well you are doing by whether you pass people or etc on a track day. There have been days in the fast group where I overtake everyone, and days where i am getting battered. Another thing on the groups is as some have mentioned, many view riding in the novice group as "embarrassing" and because they have fast bikes, insist on booking in the inters or fast group. One example is silverstone. 80 peeps on track in the fast group and times range from 2:2x to nearly 3mins. And that range will be skewed in favor of the 2.50 range. Since you are serious, have someone time you and see what times you are doing. This will give you a gauge and compare to the race club rookie times on the same circuit. And do more td. When someone passes you close enough to take your nose cone off, with more experience, you won't panic and t-bone them.
Reminds me of trackday I did years ago, it was a Friday and Thundersport was racing that weekend. The Thundersport boys were using the trackday as practice. Talk about an eye opener, any trackday etiquette was completely gone.
A dealer was going on a trackday and asked if you wanted to come along too you mean................................
Whats to stop you going along. Who knows you may have a natural aptitude for going quick. As said plenty road and track are so different. I've been pretty quick on road for years but only recently clicked with track and got a little quicker
