Why I hate the word "Trackday"

Yorkee

Yorkee

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Find this from redlinesuperbike.com. I think its a good read.

Why I hate the word “trackday”: it conjures up the wrong things and makes the people who could benefit the most from going to one not go.



In simplest terms:
What is a track-day: A place to ride your motorcycle in a safe, controlled, monitored, environment with safety personnel on stand by .
What a track day is NOT: a race and / or a place to explore the absolute limits of your riding.




But what does that really mean and why am I even writing this? Because of the following conversation that happens a lot here at the shop:
Me: “You should come to our track day!”
Guy / gal with nice street bike: “I can’t go to the track! I’m not a racer!” or “I’ll crash!” or “I don’t have a track bike. “Or “I don’t have race plastic.”
Me: “Ughhh…. Aren’t you about to head up to the mountains right now?!”




What if I phrased it like this:
Me: “Hey wanna go ride with me this weekend? I know this awesome road about an hour from here. It’s super twisty! You can follow me around and we’ll ride well within our limits. Get this too: It’s one-way so there’s never any oncoming traffic; they actually clean and maintain this section of road (never oil on it or dust); for some weird reason they’ve moved back all the mail boxes, telephone poles, guard rails and trees back. Also this road doubles back on itself fairly quickly so you’ll get used to hitting the same curves over and over again and will find a favorite one fast! PLUS I’ve never seen a cop on it AND for some weird reason there’s the people that stand about every 200 yards with radios waiting to call an ambulance that hangs out at the beginning of the road just in case something happens!”


Tell me you wouldn’t want to go ride that road with me all day long! And at the end of that day you’ll know your limits and the limits of that bike inside and out! You’ll be prepared for nearly anything! THATS WHAT A TRACK DAY IS!




Here’s a few of my personal thoughts on trackdays for street riders:
You should ride the bike at the that you ride everyday. You should learn the limitations of that bike and what you can and can’t do on that bike. When you come around the corner to a school bus full of nuns doing a u-turn you’re not going to be in the Ferrari you rented for the track. You’re going to be in the 1972 Buick LeMans you drive back and forth to work! Maybe you should learn how it works in all types of situations. And if you find out that ol Buick can’t do what you need it to do then it’s time to upgrade it or swap it out.


If you’re going to start racing then certainly get you a track bike. But if not then you need to be out there on your cruiser, your touring bike, your dual-sport! Remember it’s just a safe, nice road!




Track days should only be ridden at 80%. No harder. That will leave 20% in reserve for holy-crapedness, oops, “well that was too deep”, “was that brake marker 4 or 5?”, front end slideys, etc.
However after a day of riding that hard your new 80% will be where your old 120% was. But yet you’ll still only be riding at 80%! I’ll give you a second to do that math. What I’m saying is if you chill out and don’t try and ride as hard as you can you’ll learn more and you’ll progress quicker and end up at a level past the hardest you could have ever ridden. Plus you’ll have a lot more fun.




Don’t get suckered into a race. You’ll get passed. It will take a little bit of self control to not think “why just who do they think they are?” It’s not a race. When someone in front of you is holding you up in the turns then motors away on the straight-aways then parks it in the entry to the next turn: its not a race. In situations like this just take a quick cool down pass through hot-pit, lift your visor, take a breath then head back out!


**** happens: Even after me saying all this someone will ride over their head, someone will get taken out, someone will get suckered into a race, someone will… the possibilities are limitless. But wouldn’t you rather it happen at a track with corner workers and an ambulance than in the mountains with guardrails? Quick side note: theres an "unwritten" rule at the track: everyone takes care of their own stuff. That way there's no arguing blame.


But the biggest thing I like about track days is a word we used to use in the military all the time: camaraderie defined as a spirit of familiarity and trust existing between friends. Few things in the world are cooler than zinging into a turn with half a dozen of your friends and then hanging out in the pits afterwards exchanging tips about body positioning, lines and helping work on one another’s bikes.


So next time we have a track day, I'd like to see you out there!
Watch that video one of our friends made and tell me that doesn't look like fun,
Huey
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nice read
 
I wonder if some will try to push their bike further on a track than on the street and that's why they don't want to go? Is there more peer pressure on a track? I've only ever been on a track for cars.
 
the stigma around the word 'track' is that it's usually associated with Racing, because that's where racing happens, at a track.
 
I disagree with bringing your shiny new bike to a track day. It's a costly repair bill if something goes wrong.

A $150 day can turn into a negative $10,000 day.
 
This more toward the street/first time track rider. I don't think he is focusing on experienced track junkies...

Jayv said:
I disagree with bringing your shiny new bike to a track day. It's a costly repair bill if something goes wrong.

A $150 day can turn into a negative $10,000 day.
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The same with taking a sprint ride on twisties. I think if one ride a shiny new bike to the track and keep up with the 80% rule, chances of crashing are far better than canyon / mountain / twisty road. Might not be as exciting as hotshoe rider with full out track bike testing the limit, but still better then street riding.
 
That's how I look at track days:) Lots of fun and much safer than the street.
 
If you ever explained a trackday like this:

“Hey wanna go ride with me this weekend? I know this awesome road about an hour from here. It’s super twisty! You can follow me around and we’ll ride well within our limits. Get this too: It’s one-way so there’s never any oncoming traffic; they actually clean and maintain this section of road (never oil on it or dust); for some weird reason they’ve moved back all the mail boxes, telephone poles, guard rails and trees back. Also this road doubles back on itself fairly quickly so you’ll get used to hitting the same curves over and over again and will find a favorite one fast! PLUS I’ve never seen a cop on it AND for some weird reason there’s the people that stand about every 200 yards with radios waiting to call an ambulance that hangs out at the beginning of the road just in case something happens!”


You'd have a lot of ****** of people because their gear and bikes didn't pass tech. OH... and that he failed to mention it cost $125 + tax as well.

The author of that forum post needs to unbunch those panties.
 
Anyone who rides track like they ride the street is either a public menace, or they are wasting a track day. The two are not equivalent at all.
 
Insurance on the street, no insurance on the track.
You have to be able to afford to bin a bike and walk away at the track.
You also start out in a green group with people that may or may not have the skills/attitudes necessary to play well on the track.
You also need to be able to transport and prepare your bike for track (or afford to pay someone to do it).
It's big dollars for people that just barely afforded to get on the street in the first place.
Nice in theory but not a reality.

I'd be all over trackdays if I could be guaranteed several hours of unimpeded and unpressured lapping. Until then, I'll just wait until I can afford to do it the way it is.
 
eljay said:
I'd be all over trackdays if I could be guaranteed several hours of unimpeded and unpressured lapping. Until then, I'll just wait until I can afford to do it the way it is.
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I always wonder what people mean by saying they don't wanna feel pressured at the track, I never felt that and don't know who ever did. Secondly, you want to be guaranteed several hours of lapping, but you don't realize that even 15 minutes will drain you completely and you'll need at least a 20-30 minute break in order to rest and feel comfortable to continue. Before I used to ride many hours at a time on the street, but I can barely survive 10-15 minutes at the track. Yes, it's THAT exhausting, especially for newer track riders.
 
^ +1. I'd go...if there was noone else around (sorry, not big on trust).....and I didn't have to **** about with my bike to prep it...and it cost $20 for an hour.
 
I don't mean consecutive hours of course. I know how it works, I've been before. But the time on the track is spent dealing with traffic (or being traffic maybe) and it's not a good feeling when you are trying to learn.

Corsara said:
I always wonder what people mean by saying they don't wanna feel pressured at the track, I never felt that and don't know who ever did. Secondly, you want to be guaranteed several hours of lapping, but you don't realize that even 15 minutes will drain you completely and you'll need at least a 20-30 minute break in order to rest and feel comfortable to continue. Before I used to ride many hours at a time on the street, but I can barely survive 10-15 minutes at the track. Yes, it's THAT exhausting, especially for newer track riders.
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eljay said:
I don't mean consecutive hours of course. I know how it works, I've been before. But the time on the track is spent dealing with traffic (or being traffic maybe) and it's not a good feeling when you are trying to learn.
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"Dealing with traffic" = trying to take different line and drive out to pass is fun.
"Being traffic" = can't see how something you don't see could be stressful.
 
Mr.Azim said:
The author of that forum post needs to unbunch those panties.
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lol - I was going to say that person probably got very emotional and excited about the birth of the royal baby :)
 
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