| Author |
Message |
    
Boney95
| | Posted on Thursday, June 03, 2010 - 11:36 pm: | 
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Crash n burn is the only way to learn  |
Sidepipe79
| | Posted on Thursday, June 03, 2010 - 11:51 pm: |
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Crash n burn is the only way to learn
That has got to be the dumbest thing i have heard in a while.
I have done a plenty of track days but will be riding the novice group at the trackday. Take my time to learn the track and enjoy myself. } |
Boney95
| | Posted on Friday, June 04, 2010 - 12:35 am: |
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I guess you didn't get the sarcasm...you don't know me. |
Rick_a
| | Posted on Friday, June 04, 2010 - 12:58 am: |
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At the track days I've been to everyone's first time out is usually a bit tentative. One guy at our shop was fast almost right off, but he's a bit mental and had several moments along with a few off-track excursions. Near the end of the day I was actually fearful for him.
The novice group generally plays nice and bikes are pretty spread out around the track as most ride at their own (varied) pace. There's always one or two guys slow as snails acting as mobile chicanes.
The intermediates are a mix of slow people that think they're fast and fast guys that like to run circles around the slow guys. The closing speeds can be pretty dangerous and the first and second laps of the first intermediate session of the day are usually when the crashes happen.
The expert group is fairly professional with a lot of fast, smooth riders with a lot of track time and knowledge. There's generally a lot of friendly competition with an A-hole or two mixed in for good measure.
It's a combination of natural talent, learned skill, experience, track knowledge, and having a well set-up and appropriate machine.
Last time out we were kinda chuckling at a kid with a battle-worn CBR600F2 that was push start only. He was doing pretty well with that old warhorse.
My first track day was a bit of a disaster. An instructor ran into me as I turned into my pit. I killed some shift dogs as my race boots were not broken in and I was not used to using the entire leg instead of ankle. It made for some hairy false-neutral 100+mph corner entries. My street tires were chunking rubber and got oily when hot. My rear suspension was set up all wrong upsetting the chassis under throttle on corner exits. The wife was even disappointed at my performance. It was a humbling experience.
The last time everything felt right. I was hanging off, dragging knee, and still grinding hard parts. An instructor followed me and told me that I was really "gettin' it" and said that I was at the maximum lean angle of my machine. He gave me some tips to shave off tens of seconds. I went out overconfident and over exuberant, ending my day in a nice high-side. Now it's a great shop story I hope not to repeat any time soon.
Go at your own pace, learn from more experienced riders, and don't bother talking to Ducati guys that don't have race numbers 'cause they're always snobs  |
Patrickmitchell
| | Posted on Friday, June 04, 2010 - 07:25 am: |
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I think you might get a serious education. Please be careful, ride with in your limits, and ramp up the speed slowly. I'm on my 4th season of track days (15-20 per season). It is RARE for someone to come off of the street and be quick on a race track. Its just not the same.
Even in novice, there are lots of opportunities to pass. If you can be late on the brakes, you'll be able to get tons of guys going into most corners, of any track. If you can't pass safely and often, you are not as fast as you think you are. My biggest complaint with novice groups is unpredictable behavior. Do everyone a favor; learn the race line, be smooth, and predictable. Remember that the faster/over taking rider has ALL the responsibility for executing a safe pass. If you do not think that a pass is 100% safe, don't do it. It is a track day; the only way to win is to go home in one piece.
Good luck, enjoy, and welcome to the addiction.
(Message edited by PatrickMitchell on June 04, 2010) |
Whatever
| | Posted on Friday, June 04, 2010 - 09:59 am: |
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I wish I had a video of my "off track excursion"... at least when I looked down and saw the OUTSIDE line of the track... I said to myself "this is gonna hurt" and I completely and totally relaxed... headed in a straight line with feet forward and both hands on the handlebars...
THAT alone really saved my bacon... if I had slammed on the brakes and stood the bike up I would have gone straight over the top and done some damage...
Straight off and relaxed like that I just went into the gravel and the gravel got me to stop before I hit the tire wall...
Probably the worst part was getting the bike out of there... and getting back on the track too...
More un-nerving were the people passing me on BOTH sides on the straight aways, which made me nervous moving to the outside of the track to choose my line...
ALSO, if you look at your insurance policy, it will most likely NOT cover any damage done during a track day... fortunately all I got were scratches on the tail section...
Gotta hand it to people (like my friend Toni) who crash and get right back up... that girl has some nerves of steel... me... I am just a chicken sh*t!  |
Sifo
| | Posted on Friday, June 04, 2010 - 10:54 am: |
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A friend of mine used to wear a shirt that said "I'm faster than you think you are". Kind of gets right to the point that most folks aren't nearly as fast as they might think.
The way to move up to intermediate is to earn it in the eyes of those in charge. Show them you can do it safely and play by their rules. The last thing they want is to have people get hurt because they put someone into a group they aren't ready for. A big part of running on a track is experience running on a track. There's only one way to get that experience. Until then you are a novice.
Go have fun and be safe. Talk to the pace riders and learn everything you can from them. The will bump you when you are ready. |
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