Track riding tips for new riders... | GTAMotorcycle.com

Track riding tips for new riders...

R1Guy

R1Guy

Well-known member
June 2nd was a fun track night hosted by Turn2 but it was open track and there was what seemed to be a lot of newer riders on the course... So for those that are not really up to speed on track going's on... a few tips:

1) Don't be slowing down and looking around waiting for your buddy to catch up or you'll have a faster riders bike up your arse!
2) If you must slow down or would like some faster guys to pass safely please pull off the main lines through the corners and straights. A hand or foot signal well in advance would be great as well so we all know what your up to (so you don't get a bike up your arse!)
3) When someone goes down hard on the track we don't keep racing around like nothing has happened... listening to what is being said at the riders meeting is key here... or someone might manually shove a bike up your arse!

Just sayin'...
 
R1Guy said:
June 2nd was a fun track night hosted by Turn2 but it was open track and there was what seemed to be a lot of newer riders on the course... So for those that are not really up to speed on track going's on... a few tips:

1) Don't be slowing down and looking around waiting for your buddy to catch up or you'll have a faster riders bike up your arse!
2) If you must slow down or would like some faster guys to pass safely please pull off the main lines through the corners and straights. A hand or foot signal well in advance would be great as well so we all know what your up to (so you don't get a bike up your arse!)
3) When someone goes down hard on the track we don't keep racing around like nothing has happened... listening to what is being said at the riders meeting is key here... or someone might manually shove a bike up your arse!

Just sayin'...
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That one irks me.

How long till you paint your bike green and get orange wheels???
 
To be fair it wasn't that bad last night. Apart from one guy who signalled to pit in on the right side of the track then proceeded to cut across the track (and line) to pit in with his arm still raised, it was relatively uneventful. Apart from my (so called) buddy shoulder barging me coming out the hairpin.

It's quite good fun having way faster riders whizzing past you in and out of turns. Helps build confidence and focus.
 
caboose483 said:
That one irks me.

How long till you paint your bike green and get orange wheels???
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Sounds a horrible combination. Who'd paint their bike that col........................
 
In fairness to them (and me as I had an X on my back as well) the differential in lap times might have been a bit overwelming. In my case, I'd been away from bikes for a couple of years and was stepping up from an SV to a 600 with literally a couple of spins around the block on the new bike. Blue GSXR600 #41 with a red suit. Let me know if I had a lapse out there.

But you also have to remember as was stated at rider's meeting to only pass X riders on the straights. I got buzzed around the outside and on entry a few times, but no biggie.

I'll note one instance though, someone with an X waved me by on the front straight cause he looked back, then proceede to drift over to the line he waved me through on.
 
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The guys (and gals) with X's on their backs did fine... we all knew (from the riders meeting) to watch out for you and give you plenty of room which I think everyone did a fair job of doing.
I've been to both track nights by Turn2 which are a lot of fun as open tracks but from a safety stand point maybe the next one should be two classes, intermediate and advanced.
 
R1Guy said:
The guys (and gals) with X's on their backs did fine... we all knew (from the riders meeting) to watch out for you and give you plenty of room which I think everyone did a fair job of doing.
I've been to both track nights by Turn2 which are a lot of fun as open tracks but from a safety stand point maybe the next one should be two classes, intermediate and advanced.
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I think they'd be good with 2 classes. Beginner & Expert together and Intermediate in a group of their own.
 
Am I the only one who thinks slower riders should NEVER move off the racing line? In my view it's just a disaster waiting to happen if one of them doesn't give nough notice, or no notice at all, or a bunch of guys are trying to get around him and one of them doesn't see him signal, or don't see him move over. Even if he is 3 meters from the racing line, the faster guys shouldn't use that space to go around him, they should act as if he is right on the line (because in his mind he is!) and drive around him the long way if needed.

My 2c.
 
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fastar1 said:
Am I the only one who thinks slower riders should NEVER move off the racing line? In my view it's just a disaster waiting to happen if one of them doesn't give nough notice, or no notice at all, or a bunch of guys are trying to get around him and one of them doesn't see him signal, or don't see him move over.
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This should be common knowledge to ANYONE that rides anything that resembles a racetrack, it is one of the oldest codes of track etiquette.

Advising otherwise is foolish and very dangerous.
 
Hrrrrm, someone needs to tell that to some of the trackday organisers then. I would if I could show them some kind of authoritative source about track riding etiquette, otherwise they'll just dismiss me as a whiner at the rider's meeting.
 
This sort of thing should be covered in every riders meeting.

Moving over, looking back and any other similar activity are LARGE no-no's in a track environment of any type and are all very dangerous.
 
R1Guy said:
June 2nd was a fun track night hosted by Turn2 but it was open track and there was what seemed to be a lot of newer riders on the course... So for those that are not really up to speed on track going's on... a few tips:

1) Don't be slowing down and looking around waiting for your buddy to catch up or you'll have a faster riders bike up your arse!
2) If you must slow down or would like some faster guys to pass safely please pull off the main lines through the corners and straights. A hand or foot signal well in advance would be great as well so we all know what your up to (so you don't get a bike up your arse!)
3) When someone goes down hard on the track we don't keep racing around like nothing has happened... listening to what is being said at the riders meeting is key here... or someone might manually shove a bike up your arse!

Just sayin'...
Click to expand...

4) When you are on a straightaway approaching a corner, after you have gotten to the point where you are slowing down, take note of the distance from you, to the outside edge of the track. DO NOT GO CLOSER TO THAT OUTSIDE EDGE, FROM THAT POINT, ALL THE WAY INTO THE CORNER.

Reason: A faster rider may have seen that you were rather far from the edge of the track, and may be approaching from behind at a vastly higher speed, planning to go around the outside of you, because you are so far from the outside edge of the track that there is not enough room to do it on the inside. If you now wander towards the outside of the track, suddenly that planned line is vanishing, and meanwhile the rider behind can't brake any harder because they're already braking hard, and it's too late to change course and go to the inside (or maybe there is *another* bike there).

I've been that faster rider ... didn't crash, but the slower rider came very close to getting a bike up their buttocks ... in fact, I seldom do track days any more because this crap happens even in the red group. (In roadracing, the speeds are higher but there is a lot less difference between them, and the riders are generally more experienced.)

Plan your line into a corner as you come out of the *previous* corner so that other riders around you can plainly see what you are going to do, and don't unpredictably change your plan.
 
fastar1 said:
Am I the only one who thinks slower riders should NEVER move off the racing line? In my view it's just a disaster waiting to happen if one of them doesn't give nough notice, or no notice at all, or a bunch of guys are trying to get around him and one of them doesn't see him signal, or don't see him move over. Even if he is 3 meters from the racing line, the faster guys shouldn't use that space to go around him, they should act as if he is right on the line (because in his mind he is!) and drive around him the long way if needed.

My 2c.
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I agree, always hold your line and give plenty of advance warnings if your going to do something different other than that... that was not the case on Thursday, a few riders ( not all ) where constantly looking back (for what I don't know) than pulling off to one side or the other, maybe these riders were waiting for someone or just got spooked when someone got in behind.
 
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Brian P said:
4) When you are on a straightaway approaching a corner, after you have gotten to the point where you are slowing down, take note of the distance from you, to the outside edge of the track. DO NOT GO CLOSER TO THAT OUTSIDE EDGE, FROM THAT POINT, ALL THE WAY INTO THE CORNER.
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That's another reason why riders who are passing should act as though the guy in front is on the racing line even if he is miles away. As long as the guy in front is clearly trying to stay on the racing line and not moving back and forth to let people through, then it is up to the passer to get by safely even if that means going the 'long way around' the other guy.
 
Here's an example;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHZnXU5FKYY

At the very end around 9:40 coming out of turn 1 the guy in front slows down and looks behind him, but he stayed "on the line" as far as he was concerned. Even though there was room to get by the outside at first I checked up and went inside because I treat that part of the track as belonging to the guy in front, as long as it's clear that he's not pulled aside to let people by. So I went the long way 'round and it worked out best as he slowly closed that gap to the edge of the road as I passed him.
 
So....Mike, Where is the Movie I have been waiting for...? Popcorn and beer is ready for the show....
 
reciprocity said:
This should be common knowledge to ANYONE that rides anything that resembles a racetrack, it is one of the oldest codes of track etiquette.

Advising otherwise is foolish and very dangerous.
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I'm with Fastar1 actually. This may be etiquette for an actual race, where everyone is proffessional, but for a track day staying predictable keeps everyone safe. Its always the job of the person behind to make the pass. Haveing a predictable racer in front of you on the racing line, allows you to pass him safely and at your own time. This is definately my prefered method and the one taught at the fast course.

Mind you thats my personal preference. If the racers meeting says otherwise, thats the bible.
 
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