Best way to get started riding track?

[Amazon]

OK, that's it. I'm going to take a course somewhere TBD. I'm also going to follow what seems to be the consensus here and rent bike and, probably, gear (*unless* a deal pops up on either that I can't say no to, I missed on two just last week). If there are deals this year, there will be deals next year at the same time.

Racer5 should have their intro course dates out in the next couple weeks. I took FAST years ago and wasn't super impressed with it, but as I said, it was years ago so stuff likely has changed. Any course/instruction is better than none.

Racer5 is nice because you can work on learning the lines, body position and track fundamentals without worrying about handling too much power. Crashes still happen, but usually way less dramatic than they'd be on a 600cc+ bike.

Racer5 doesn't offer insurance, but there is a price list of the parts break down and a monetary cap. You sign off on the list in the morning and square up the bill if you go down. If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask

 

[NuggyBuggy]

Racer5 should have their intro course dates out in the next couple weeks. I took FAST years ago and wasn't super impressed with it, but as I said, it was years ago so stuff likely has changed. Any course/instruction is better than none.

Took a look at the Racer5 site and it seems to be under construction or renovation or something. I'll be checking there periodically - I have read that these programs there and elsewhere can fill up quickly.

 

[Fuzzbuster]

Levels of ad-dic-tion.

•Initial use (you are here)

•Abuse

•Tolerance

•Dependence

•Addiction

•Relapse

I have provided a link below that might help;

Get help with substance use - Canada.ca

Providing help for people struggling with drug use. Includes national help resources and help resources in your province or territory

www.canada.ca

 

[Lightcycle]

They don't call 'em Crack Days for nothing.

 

[NuggyBuggy]

Levels of ad-dic-tion.

•Initial use (you are here)

•Abuse

•Tolerance

•Dependence

•Addiction

•Relapse

I have provided a link below that might help;

Get help with substance use - Canada.ca

Providing help for people struggling with drug use. Includes national help resources and help resources in your province or territory

www.canada.ca

ha!

 

[Amazon]

Took a look at the Racer5 site and it seems to be under construction or renovation or something. I'll be checking there periodically - I have read that these programs there and elsewhere can fill up quickly.

Looks like the site and dates should be up December 1st.

 

[NuggyBuggy]

Looks like the site and dates should be up December 1st.

Yeah. I would have thought they’d leave the old content up though so interested parties could see what they’re about. Dates aren’t important to me right now, but what their programs are and how they run, what they cost, where they are located - most of that stuff will probably be similar to the next season and that’s going to drive my interest.

 

[Ash]

Yeah. I would have thought they’d leave the old content up though so interested parties could see what they’re about. Dates aren’t important to me right now, but what their programs are and how they run, what they cost, where they are located - most of that stuff will probably be similar to the next season and that’s going to drive my interest.

You must have caught them while they were updating the site today. It's back to normal, and has most of the 2025 dates listed now. You'll want the stage 1: introductory program, which is a 3-day weekend course at Grand Bend.

 

[Jayv]

OK, that's it. I'm going to take a course somewhere TBD. I'm also going to follow what seems to be the consensus here and rent bike and, probably, gear (*unless* a deal pops up on either that I can't say no to, I missed on two just last week). If there are deals this year, there will be deals next year at the same time.

I think more deals will be had with the economy still in the toilets and the covid bloated prices for track bikes finally coming down to earth.

What is your goal with doing the bucket list for trackday? Is it to improve your riding skills for the street, posing for the gram, or is it a competitive thing like chasing lap times? For me i always kind of knew after doing a few trackdays i wanted some more and went racing, and it really killed my desire to ride like an idiot on the street.

With that said, don't buy anything until you've done a course with Fast or Racer5.

 

[NuggyBuggy]

Goals? I just think it will be a blast riding on a track and learning to go as fast as you possibly can. Even as a kid on dirt bikes I loved to really wring my little bike out.

Longer term, I feel like I would love to race recreationally, but not sure if I would be good enough to do so at even the lowest level. If that ended up being the case, that would be fine. I’m not sure I have the commitment - timewise or financially - to do so anyways.

I’m a responsible rider on the road and will only go really fast (probably, not really that fast compared to some people) when there’s nobody around, the road is visibly clear and I’m the only one who stands to be hurt. Otherwise I’m very conscious of how easy it is to get seriously hurt or seriously ruin someone else’s life. I don’t want to die and I don’t want to be a cripple or a vegetable. I’ve met a few of those.

And I recognize that if I got any significant tickets, that I would probably not care to pay for insurance ever gain.

So basically, I just want to go fast - faster than I can go on the road.