So i've been riding for 20 years, i'm pretty confident on a bike and have always covered 10K plus miles a year on bikes, i've recently passed IAM which has helped improve my road skills but I would like to improve my bike handling, nothing major just want to get better in the corners, so thinking about track days/superbike school. Just wondered if anyone has any recommendations, what track is best for a newbie, what are the dos and don'ts, is it worth going though a training provider/bike school?
Depends where you are. Mallory is a great track as it’s short, easy to remember and has every corner you can think of: chicane, hairpin, long slow and medium speed corners.
Try one of MSV’s road bike only trackdays. There’s one at Snetterton on the 17th August. Nice and cheap way of trying out track riding. I don’t think you need to worry about whether a particular track is beginner friendly. Just ride at your own pace - the road bike days don’t attract the hardcore track riders for obvious reasons so the novice group tends to be nice and steady. For starters, make sure the bike in good fettle. No well worn brake pads, loose bolts, leaking fluids - take the kind of time to prep your bike as if you were going touring. Check your tyres for nails and look up recommended track pressures - you are going to want to drop them from road pressures. If you don’t have them - I would recommend fitting some tank grips - without them you will be sliding forwards under braking and putting all of your weight on the bars - not good from the point of view of getting tired or for the handling of the bike. Learn the track before you go - lot’s of circuit maps and guides out there, onboard footage on youtube. It’s very tiring - especially in hot weather - stay hydrated - my last day at Cadwell I drank 3.5 litres and hardly went the loo! I made the below notes for myself to try and remember all of the things I should be doing - sometimes you have to just pick one aspect to work on for the day until it becomes 2nd nature. More advanced track riders might pull this list to pieces but this is basically the kind of thing California Superbike School would teach you. Look where you want to go. Keep the bike stable: Position body before braking - and balance the bike through the turn with positive throttle rolling on all the way through the turn. Keep your grip loose - don’t tense up - let the front wheel keep the line it wants to. Let the bike do the work. Grip should be on the tank not the bars - as your weight gets thrown forwards having to lean on the bars causes instability. Stay low - grip the tank with forearm and knee - resting weight on them keeps it off the bars Drop your shoulder and try to get your head inline where the mirrors would be. Use your pegs - stay loose Later - faster turning is generally a better line - keep the bike as upright as you can for any given turn - allows you to get on the throttle earlier as you have a straighter line out of the corner Control your survival reactions - panic braking and chopping the throttle will always stand the bike up and make the bike unstable. Look where you want to go and roll off and on the throttle. Don’t focus on going fast - focus on taking the correct lines and doing things ‘right’. The beauty of the track is you get to do the same corners over and over again on predictable, smooth, grippy, unbroken tarmac. There’s no traffic coming the other way, no speed limits. I don’t believe it’s possible to explore the handling capabilities of a modern sports bike on the road. They are simply too good, too focused, too fast. On the track they come to life - the only caveat being the following DISCLAIMER. WARNING, TRACK RIDING IS HIGHLY ADDICTIVE, IF YOU BECOME HOOKED THEN YOU MAY FIND IT WOULD HAVE BEEN CHEAPER TO CULTIVATE A COCAINE HABIT. YOU COULD LOSE YOUR FAMILY, YOUR HOME, AND BE CRIPPLED BY SPIRALLING DEBT. IN EXTREME CASES YOU MAY EVEN BUY A GSX-R1000R……… Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
thanks, a lot of useful information there. I live closest to Donington, it looks like MSV do road bike days there, i'll need to sort out insurance and also looks like i'll have to fit break leaver guard.
I can highly recommend these people, https://www.rapidtraining.co.uk/. Not cheap but worth it IMO. Andy
@LiveFast...... Advice is pretty good (especially the crippling debt bit ). Main thing is go to enjoy it and don't overthink it you'll relax more. The idea of a road only day is a good idea and Leon Haslam sometimes attends those days at Donington. Also, once the 19th has passed and assuming they'll allow some spectators again, go and watch, talk to a few people etc if you are close.
As someone who is starting again as a beginner, after smashing myself up doing track days 10+ years ago, I think it depends on what you think are your limitations. For me more recently, showing up at a track day and getting the free or 20 quid instruction for 1 session was almost useless. Brake later and more throttle, thanks. Didn't help my issues related to variation in entry speeds leading to mistakes through the rest of the corner. Wasn't comfortable slowing myself down (a lot) in a normal track day setting to practice techniques, and had no feedback. I've recently decided to pay for instruction (superbike school at donington last week and Haslam before), and found it takes a lot of pressure off. You won't learn anything you couldn't read in a book, but it's helps me to be critiqued in real time. Also, everyone is working on the same curriculum so there's less risk of holding people up or getting someone divebombing you. Most people don't go that route and end up fine, as I did long ago, but if it isn't working then consider instruction.
I passed my test at 21, I rode for nearly 10 years, then had a break of nearly 10 years. I decided to get back in to bikes in the knoweldge that I had a lot of bad habits. I did the Ron Haslem day which was ground breaking for me. They don't do it anymore but the format was go around donnington as fast you could bottle following an instructor. For me it transformed my riding as I was far more confident in moving around on the bike and had much more trust in the front end grip. Overall, the gain in confidence made me a safer and more relaxed rider on the road. Six months later I started the California Superbike course. First two levels cover a lot of what I did at the Ron Haslem day in half a day. However, it's at a much slower pace, focuing on building blocks that you consistently apply. Again, whilst increasin my confidence on track (which I've started doing now), it again may be more realxed and safer on the road. Things like quick turn and hook turns as they call them really do help on the road to be able to react to siutations in a relaxed and controlled manner. Add to that track days are fun! I've only done MSVT track day only sessions in the novice group but it's a great way to practice what you learn in a sensible environment. If you book early enough MSV will also do 20 mins instructior sessions which I think are helpful. In summary, all the tution is different and all of it has improved my riding.
I hadn't ridden on track for 8 or 9 years, started my mid-life crisis (still living it), bought @Advikaz trackbike, first trackday and i crashed !! Reason it happened is that I got all excited and made a silly mistake and I was rusty. For me it's about being in the right mindset, if it's your first time take it steady, there's no rush to go fast, that will come. I've done 6 or 7 trackdays this year and i'm improving each time out. It is and will always be the best fun you have on a bike.
As he’s close to you, I highly recommend a day at flat track you may not learn a new skill but it’s top fun all the same. Once you’ve done his level 1 course you can do his practice days, £30 with your own 100/125 or £60 to hire a bike and as it’s undercover you won’t have to keep your eye on the weather. http://www.flattrackschool.co.uk/main/
