Ok I've been watching a lot of amateur videos of track days lately and I have a question for you guys. How do you not crash into other people? I mean there are no mirrors or anything so how do you know who is behind you or next to you or any of that? I'm suprised I don't see more people getting cut off when someone who is faster is coming up behind them. Do they teach you anything about how to not crash into eachother? lol What if you are on the outside of someone in a corner and they start to run wide? I guess I would just always have to stay in last place so I didn't take everyone out.

 

I just did my first track day at Jennings GP in N. Florida. You've got some very valid questions. I had the same thoughts. This was my first time ever being on a track. Here are some of the things they did to help prevent the types of things you're talking about. They split into groups, Advanced, Intermediate, and my group the Novice group. The novice group was for people who had never been at Jennings before, or never on any track. For the group I was in, there were only a dozen or so riders. Not bad at all considering the track was about 2 miles in length. Plenty of room to spread out. They started the session with a slow (about 40mph) lead follow ride around the course. It's single file, no passing. The purpose is to show you "The Race Line". This is the path they want you to try to follow around the track. It's the most predictible path for you to try to follow. That way others know what you're trying to do. If the course safety riders see you all over, they'll step in and work with you to help you follow the path. Otherwise they may take you off the track if you're too wreckless. In the novice group they don't let you pass on the inside, only the outside. They're less likely to take you out if they're outside.

I will admit it's a little un-nerving not knowing what's behind you. It made me feel like I was always in last place (I was, and that's ok). The thing I tried to remember is that I wanted to go home after having a great time (I did), with no damage to the bike, or me. There weren't any races, so there are no trophies. Nobody wins. We did have some low sides, but nothing serious. All in all it was a great time. On the second day it rained quite a bit, so got a little wet track time. Just a little, I didn't want to risk damaging the bike. First time on a track is enough to deal with without worrying about the track getting slippery in the rain. I must admit that I was surprised at how much traction there was in the rain though.

If you're thinking about doing a track day, do it. It's a lot of fun. I probably won't get to do it again until next year, but I will do it again.

 

What he said +
As you build experience you develop a bit of situational awareness. You can hear and almost feel another bike in your space. Believe it or not, as you improve your attention span gets wider and you are then able to see other things and the world around you slows down enough for your to even watch things (ie spectators) off the racetrack. It does cost some attention though, so concentrate on your lines for your first few times out, then work on your markers, then entry speeds, then begin to put it together by breaking the track into sections.

Hope I didn't give you too much. Peace out.

 

Man I want to go to a track so bad. What all do you have to do to your bike to make it track worthy? I was thinking of going to Summit Point Motorsports Park in WV. Anyone go there?

 

Each track is different. Usually, if they've got a web site (most all do) there will be a page that lists what things need to be done to your bike before you can take it on the track. In my mind I was imagining something like what you see at actual races. You know, several guys with clipboards walking around your vehicle closely inspecting every inch. It didn't exactly happen that way. Jennings listed the requirements, and you're expected to meet them. They didn't exactly have someone come around and look the bike over. There were certainly plenty of track personell around, so they could have been give the bikes a quick look as you came out of the pits, but I couldn't tell. Now, if the track is rented to some organization like a club or school, then they will have their own requirements, which will more than likely be more stringent. It all depends. For Jennings GP there were minimal requirements. Tape up all the glass, tape or remove turn signals, remove the license plate. Tape up rear lights (I removed the bulbs and taped). Zip tie the rear pegs in the up position or remove them. No antifreeze in your cooling system, I'm using water and a product called Water Wetter. No oil leaks on the bike. Other than that, I was good to go. I didn't have to "wire up" anything like the drain plug, or the oil filter. Hope this helps.

 

Just went last month. New surface on the Main Circuit.

 

lead bike has the line.....period. I ride intermediate, so most of the people in that group have prior experience and its not a big deal. I just did 2 days at barber, and I think one guy passed under me like with like 2 ft of space, nothing too unnerving.

In the novice class, the speed is fairly slow, and everyone is learning at the same time so there is no major aggresiveness.

if you are behind someone, it is your responsiblity to not hit them. My first trackday I was very nervous about getting hit. I kept looking over my shoulder before diving into a turn, and one of the control riders pulled me off and yelled at me. basically, you just ride your ride and dont hit the guy infront of you.

 

+1 on what krash said. If you are behind someone, it is up to you to pass them safely, likewise, don't worry about what is behind you. Concentrate on what is ahead of you...it is up to the person behind you to pass you safely, you have the line. If they want to pass you and can't, they might show you their front wheel, just slow down a bit, they'll pass. Whatever you do, don't turnaround..big NO NO.

 

Krash- Are you a Nesbian?

 

Awesome thanks for all the info guys!!!! I'm really excited to try to do it this year. I've got my SS lines coming to me tomorrow after work and then in two weeks I'm ordering new springs and valves from Dan Kyle (the only one to get in contact with me after emailing a few people twice each) so I hope by the end of summer my bike will be ready for a track day and hopefully I don't crash. =( I still owe $4k on the thing! lol

Mike