Disrepectful Trackday Riders- Don't Bother Coming Anymore! | GTAMotorcycle.com

Disrepectful Trackday Riders- Don't Bother Coming Anymore!

omnivore

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As we tech each bike, a visual of the bike and some questions posed to the rider to help us determine the bike's adherance to the safety rules of the event, which also includes asking the rider if the bike has any antifreeze in it. Of course, antifreeze or any coolant containing ethelyene glycol isn't allowed, as it cannot be cleaned up off the track surface and remains very slippery for many days, sometimes weeks.
We could of course force every rider to strip off all of their bodywork, and insist the riders bring the bikes to tech with engines cold, so that we can pull everyone's radiator cap to be sure, and this would end up delaying everyone's day, and I guess that riding might commence between 10-11 am.....so a little of it is done on the honour system, and when we ask if their is antifreeze in the bike, I expect co-operation and honesty. If you can't do that, stay home. Period.

There is another thread on here describing a bunch of riders who fell down this summer in antifreeze that their own fellow rider had denied was in their bike, had crashed at TMP, and subsequently spilled antifreeze on the track that caused the other riders to fall in her spilled coolant in her aftermath.

In that thread, I read anger from the fallen riders aimed towards the track, and their officials and tech. As I said, to find the one bike in the whole mess that may have antifreeze, they ALL have to be checked, and this can cost all of the riders and tech officials hours. If the witch hunt ends at the tech officials, then I see that as the only solution-either tech goes from 5 to 7 am, or riding begins at 11 am. However, I propose another guilty party that the witch hunt needs to end at: the rider who lies about having the antifreeze in their bike to begin with!

If you bring your bike to a trackday, and you know the rules are "NO ANTIFREEZE", and lie to the tech offical's face when asked about it, and proceed to ride onto the track surface, what you are saying is this:

"I AM MORE IMPORTANT THAN ANY OTHER RIDER HERE. MY WANTS OUTWEIGH THE SAFETY OF EVERY OTHER RIDER HERE. ALL OF THE RIDERS WHO COMPLIED, AND TOOK THE TIME AND MADE THE EFFORTS AND EXPENSE AND COMMITTMENT TO THE TRACKDAY, AND THE SAFETY OF THEIR FELLOW PARTICIPANTS DON'T MATTER. I AM ABOVE THE RULES, I DON'T CARE ABOUT ANYONE ELSE BUT ME. I HAVE NO RESPECT FOR MY FELLOW TRACK RIDERS, THE TECH OFFICIALS, GTAM AND IT'S ADMINISTRATORS, AND THE RACING FACILITY ITSELF (GBM, TMP, etc).

Now this attitude is what should have all of you honest and safe trackdays riders in an uproar- 99% of you are doing what it takes, prepping the bike, paying the $, investing the time, asking for help, trying to improve your skills in the safest environment possible, and there are a few amongst you who take your $, your hard work, and your safety all for granted.....and they are KNOWINGLY risking your life This should enrage you!!

GTAM Trackday, late August 2013:

Along with 3 other members of this board who are my fellow SOAR racers, I was doing tech and control riding at the GTAM Trackday at Grand Bend. I found a black and red GSXR 1000, shared by a young couple-her signed up in green, him signed up in yellow. When the bike was teched, they were asked about the antifreeze and replied that it just had water in it-great. Until I checked and the bike had green coolant in the overflow reservoir. I told her it needed to be flushed and she insisted that her boyfriend/husband had done it, he must have just forgot the overflow. I replied that I wanted the entire system flushed or the bike wasn't going anywhere but on their trailer. Reluctantly, with snotty attitude and eye rolling they complied and the day resumed normally.

Fast forward one whole year, to this past weekend-same location, same GTAM day, same tech and control riders, and many of the same participants signed up....including the young couple I just described above (however I didn't know this until a little while later as I wasn't the one who got to tech their bike).

The 4 of us proceeded to tech bikes before the rider's meeting, and afterwards, one of my fellow control riders approached me and said that when he asked a dark haired guy with the red and black GSXR about antifreeze, the guy said it contained water only, but wouldn't make eye contact. So the control rider asked again, and got the same reply-again no eye contact. Once he pointed down the paddock to the bike and guy in question, I immediately recognized who it was from the year prior. We went down to their pit area to poke a little deeper and more closely , only to find green antifreeze. The exact same story as the year before unfolded- He claimed it was just the overflow and not the rest of the system, and he then drained the overflow into a water bottle....but of course a running bike will mix the overflow's contents into the whole cooling system, so again we insisted on pulling a clamp off the water pump hose to see what was inside, and he said why bother.......because it would be clear water because he swore he had changed it at home before coming- of course once the hose was undone it flowed pure green 50/50 coolant.......2 lies to the tech, then a couple more to Paul and the Admin makes at least 4 straight faced outright lies, a second year in a row, by the same 2 offenders, on the same bike, who obviously think they are above the rules, and that everyone else's efforts to abide by the rules don't matter. Furthermore, they have no repsect for the safety of their fellow riders, or the continuation of the other rider's trackday should a crash occur. You can only plead ignorance once- the next time it's intentional. It would be different the first time....but again the very next time, byt the same people? Really? Why? Why not just put water in the bike? What are you saving yourself by lying? If you got burned for it last time, don't you know better for next time?

A couple of the Admin were angry enough that they wanted us to tell them to put the bike on the trailer and go, however, we voted to give them the opportunity to flush the entire system. When the guy was asked to drain the antifreeze into a container , flush and refill with clean water from one of the many hoses provided at Grand Bend Motorplex, he proceeded to drain all of his antifreeze onto the ground, even after he was told that was dangerous and deadly to the many pet dogs that are always in attendance, as well as illegal and environmentally hazardous......to which he shrugged and said "So".

Had this couple just spent a half hr at home prepping their bike properly, we could have saved alot of time and aggravation for us, and some hopeful embarassment for themselves. A public shaming is what needs to happen when grown adults act like children, and their immediate wants outweigh the safety of others.

It's this type of behaviour that should have the rest of the riders up in arms. We need peer pressure from within the fold of trackday riders to weed out these types of people, and sooner or later, they will realize that they either have to play by the rules, or they will be unwelcome and will be black-balled by the facilty, the trackday providers, the tech and control riders, and most importantly, their fellow participants.
 
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Ahh... I think I know exactly who this "couple on a gsxr 1000" is. If they were the ones tootin around two-up back and forth in the pits at cayuga a few weeks ago then I'm inclined to believe every word of this story.
 
We don't need peer pressure, we need the people in charge to send individuals home. The admins that wanted to send them home had the right idea, forget this second chance bs.

And after they dumped the coolant on the grass you guys should have thrown them out head first :lmao:

BTW why don't organizers add in a small paragraph about obeying the rules into the waiver stating that if you do something as dumb as leave coolant in your bike and crash you're responsible for the cleanup, banned from the track and paying for anyone else who has gone down. Perhaps then some people would wake up...
 
As we tech each bike, a visual of the bike and some questions posed to the rider to help us determine the bike's adherance to the safety rules of the event, which also includes asking the rider if the bike has any antifreeze in it. Of course, antifreeze or any coolant containing ethelyene glycol isn't allowed, as it cannot be cleaned up off the track surface and remains very slippery for many days, sometimes weeks.
We could of course force every rider to strip off all of their bodywork, and insist the riders bring the bikes to tech with engines cold, so that we can pull everyone's radiator cap to be sure, and this would end up delaying everyone's day, and I guess that riding might commence between 10-11 am.....so a little of it is done on the honour system, and when we ask if their is antifreeze in the bike, I expect co-operation and honesty. If you can't do that, stay home. Period.

There is another thread on here describing a bunch of riders who fell down this summer in antifreeze that their own fellow rider had denied was in their bike, had crashed at TMP, and subsequently spilled antifreeze on the track that caused the other riders to fall in her spilled coolant in her aftermath.

In that thread, I read anger from the fallen riders aimed towards the track, and their officials and tech. As I said, to find the one bike in the whole mess that may have antifreeze, they ALL have to be checked, and this can cost all of the riders and tech officials hours. If the witch hunt ends at the tech officials, then I see that as the only solution-either tech goes from 5 to 7 am, or riding begins at 11 am. However, I propose another guilty party that the witch hunt needs to end at: the rider who lies about having the antifreeze in their bike to begin with!

If you bring your bike to a trackday, and you know the rules are "NO ANTIFREEZE", and lie to the tech offical's face when asked about it, and proceed to ride onto the track surface, what you are saying is this:

"I AM MORE IMPORTANT THAN ANY OTHER RIDER HERE. MY WANTS OUTWEIGH THE SAFETY OF EVERY OTHER RIDER HERE. ALL OF THE RIDERS WHO COMPLIED, AND TOOK THE TIME AND MADE THE EFFORTS AND EXPENSE AND COMMITTMENT TO THE TRACKDAY, AND THE SAFETY OF THEIR FELLOW PARTICIPANTS DON'T MATTER. I AM ABOVE THE RULES, I DON'T CARE ABOUT ANYONE ELSE BUT ME. I HAVE NO RESPECT FOR MY FELLOW TRACK RIDERS, THE TECH OFFICIALS, GTAM AND IT'S ADMINISTRATORS, AND THE RACING FACILITY ITSELF (GBM, TMP, etc).

Now this attitude is what should have all of you honest and safe trackdays riders in an uproar- 99% of you are doing what it takes, prepping the bike, paying the $, investing the time, asking for help, trying to improve your skills in the safest environment possible, and there are a few amongst you who take your $, your hard work, and your safety all for granted.....and they are KNOWINGLY risking your life This should enrage you!!

GTAM Trackday, late August 2013:

Along with 3 other members of this board who are my fellow SOAR racers, I was doing tech and control riding at the GTAM Trackday at Grand Bend. I found a black and red GSXR 1000, shared by a young couple-her signed up in green, him signed up in yellow. When the bike was teched, they were asked about the antifreeze and replied that it just had water in it-great. Until I checked and the bike had green coolant in the overflow reservoir. I told her it needed to be flushed and she insisted that her boyfriend/husband had done it, he must have just forgot the overflow. I replied that I wanted the entire system flushed or the bike wasn't going anywhere but on their trailer. Reluctantly, with snotty attitude and eye rolling they complied and the day resumed normally.

Fast forward one whole year, to this past weekend-same location, same GTAM day, same tech and control riders, and many of the same participants signed up....including the young couple I just described above (however I didn't know this until a little while later as I wasn't the one who got to tech their bike).

The 4 of us proceeded to tech bikes before the rider's meeting, and afterwards, one of my fellow control riders approached me and said that when he asked a dark haired guy with the red and black GSXR about antifreeze, the guy said it contained water only, but wouldn't make eye contact. So the control rider asked again, and got the same reply-again no eye contact. Once he pointed down the paddock to the bike and guy in question, I immediately recognized who it was from the year prior. We went down to their pit area to poke a little deeper and more closely , only to find green antifreeze. The exact same story as the year before unfolded- He claimed it was just the overflow and not the rest of the system, and he then drained the overflow into a water bottle....but of course a running bike will mix the overflow's contents into the whole cooling system, so again we insisted on pulling a clamp off the water pump hose to see what was inside, and he said why bother.......because it would be clear water because he swore he had changed it at home before coming- of course once the hose was undone it flowed pure green 50/50 coolant.......2 lies to the tech, then a couple more to Paul and the Admin makes at least 4 straight faced outright lies, a second year in a row, by the same 2 offenders, on the same bike, who obviously think they are above the rules, and that everyone else's efforts to abide by the rules don't matter. Furthermore, they have no repsect for the safety of their fellow riders, or the continuation of the other rider's trackday should a crash occur. You can only plead ignorance once- the next time it's intentional. It would be different the first time....but again the very next time, byt the same people? Really? Why? Why not just put water in the bike? What are you saving yourself by lying? If you got burned for it last time, don't you know better for next time?

A couple of the Admin were angry enough that they wanted us to tell them to put the bike on the trailer and go, however, we voted to give them the opportunity to flush the entire system. When the guy was asked to drain the antifreeze into a container , flush and refill with clean water from one of the many hoses provided at Grand Bend Motorplex, he proceeded to drain all of his antifreeze onto the ground, even after he was told that was dangerous and deadly to the many pet dogs that are always in attendance, as well as illegal and environmentally hazardous......to which he shrugged and said "So".

Had this couple just spent a half hr at home prepping their bike properly, we could have saved alot of time and aggravation for us, and some hopeful embarassment for themselves. A public shaming is what needs to happen when grown adults act like children, and their immediate wants outweigh the safety of others.

It's this type of behaviour that should have the rest of the riders up in arms. We need peer pressure from within the fold of trackday riders to weed out these types of people, and sooner or later, they will realize that they either have to play by the rules, or they will be unwelcome and will be black-balled by the facilty, the trackday providers, the tech and control riders, and most importantly, their fellow participants.



And after dumping it on the ground... you still let them ride the day, didn't you?
If yes, it's a total fail on your part...
peer pressure? How about some admins that will do the job...
 
And after dumping it on the ground... you still let them ride the day, didn't you?
If yes, it's a total fail on your part...
peer pressure? How about some admins that will do the job...

Oh, so it was you riding the Gixxer?
:p


No, I do not think it is a "total fail" but a problem with policy. Maybe the policy is not crystal clear so there is confusion, you highlighted part of the problem, there was voting and some of the people in charge were of the opinion to let them stay.

Part of the solution was posted above, there is the need now to modify the fine print and make a new set of rules to deal with liars.

It was nice to take people at their word, but maybe it is time to change the system because a*****es like them. Maybe it is time to ask for a deposit of $300 for "coolant cleanup fee", if you crash and your bike has coolant, you lose your deposit.... if you are caught with coolant in your bike during tech, you lose your deposit... and you get the money back at the end if neither of these two things happen.

If safety is the first concern at a track day, then it is time to reinforce or modify the policy to deal with people like this.

Just my 2 cents
 
Oh, so it was you riding the Gixxer?
:p


No, I do not think it is a "total fail" but a problem with policy. Maybe the policy is not crystal clear so there is confusion, you highlighted part of the problem, there was voting and some of the people in charge were of the opinion to let them stay.

Part of the solution was posted above, there is the need now to modify the fine print and make a new set of rules to deal with liars.

It was nice to take people at their word, but maybe it is time to change the system because a*****es like them. Maybe it is time to ask for a deposit of $300 for "coolant cleanup fee", if you crash and your bike has coolant, you lose your deposit.... if you are caught with coolant in your bike during tech, you lose your deposit... and you get the money back at the end if neither of these two things happen.

If safety is the first concern at a track day, then it is time to reinforce or modify the policy to deal with people like this.

Just my 2 cents



The fail.. is not enforcing the rules that are in place. Caught twice... and there's a vote? Then... dumps it on the ground and basically tells tech guy to f'off as he does... and is still allowed to ride.
 
Proceeded to dump the anti-freeze on the ground? What a d-bag.

omnivore - you guys were far too nice to allow them the privilege to ride. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice....

Please black list them from future events. They do not deserve to participate at events that value safety of all riders.
 
That was the couple/brother-sister beside us....(couldn't really tell at times):lmao:

I wasn't sure if someone told him before he tried getting back on the track but he was staring at his bike for about 5 minutes (everyone around him knew he was running coolant at that point) then proceeded to suit up... He got stopped at the track entrance thankfully. Then he proceeded to ride back... circle around through the grass a couple of times....

He could have flushed his coolant in half the time he spent wandering around.

After that the couple/brother-sister/mom spent the rest of the time arguing...was annoying. :mad:

And yes, I saw him dump the coolant on the gravel. Very disrespectful as their were many pets walking around.
 
Pretty disrespectful the first time, and should be unacceptable the second time...

I'm curious, how were his riding skills btw?
 
A couple of the Admin were angry enough that they wanted us to tell them to put the bike on the trailer and go, however, we voted to give them the opportunity to flush the entire system. When the guy was asked to drain the antifreeze into a container , flush and refill with clean water from one of the many hoses provided at Grand Bend Motorplex, he proceeded to drain all of his antifreeze onto the ground, even after he was told that was dangerous and deadly to the many pet dogs that are always in attendance, as well as illegal and environmentally hazardous......to which he shrugged and said "So".

hey there.
I've never done a track day. Thinking about it one day. Now, the thing is, as a newb, I would follow all the rules and also expect everyone else to as well. Its OUR LIVES at stake here. It was interesting to read this story. I cant believe people have the arrogance as the two riders you described. You should have told them to leave after dumping the coolant. Its obvious these people have no respect for other people. What a couple of wankers.
 
That is just disrespectful of us fellow riders. It take 30 mins to change your coolent at home. I dont understand the mentality. Even if you forgot to change it, do it at the track and then tech a little later.
 
Him and his wife should be placed on a permanent ban on the track. Hate inconsiderate ********** like this.
 
Oily creek at deals gap, now replaced by green seas of grand bend.
 
How about taking a picture of the bike and post them online or at a minimum keep these pictures trackside to help police these idiots. We all want to know who these riders are as we will feel the pain if they cause us to go down.
Better yet have a shame board trackside with pictures of the offenders posted like at stores with shoplifters and check bouncers.
 

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