First Track Day

[Fraz.K]

Hi all,

Got my first track day on Tuesday at Donnington Park, I’ll be using my mates ZX6R 636, it’ll also be a first proper ride on a big bike, ridden a GSXR 1000 before but only a trundle around a car park and previous to this I have had an Aprilia RS 125 and few crossers which I also did a few races on.
Just wanted any tips or advice or to see if anyone else will be going along?

Many Thanks.

[John Laverick]

First track day AND first balls out ride on a 600??!!

Doesn't sound like a good idea to me tbh!!

Is it a begineers day??

[robstvr]

Erm, good luck, pilgrim. Ballsy, give you that.

[Rach81]

Sounds like a good mate! Can I have a go too?

Good luck!

[Fraz.K]

Yeah, well im in the novice group anyway.

[Fraz.K]

Yeah he's defo a good mate! Everyone doesn’t sound very optimistic lol, but I cant wait!

[Busa_Rush]

Fraz.K said:

Hi all,

Got my first track day on Tuesday at Donnington Park, I’ll be using my mates ZX6R 636, it’ll also be a first proper ride on a big bike, ridden a GSXR 1000 before but only a trundle around a car park and previous to this I have had an Aprilia RS 125 and few crossers which I also did a few races on.
Just wanted any tips or advice or to see if anyone else will be going along?

Many Thanks.

Sorry but that's not a good idea, can you not get to ride the 600 on the road first ? It's not just the speed but the braking, handling, all of it is different. How do you know how fast you can brake for a corner, turn in etc ?

Sorry, I'd not do this myself.

[Fraz.K]

So you think trying it out on the road with other bikes car and people is better than on a big open track with other novices and instructors there to help?

[steven182]

Fraz.K said:

So you think trying it out on the road with other bikes car and people is better than on a big open track with other novices and instructors there to help?

But are the other novices like yourself and have not experienced a big bike before? or are they on their own bikes that they have been riding for years but just novices on the track?

[John Laverick]

Fraz.K said:

So you think trying it out on the road with other bikes car and people is better than on a big open track with other novices and instructors there to help?

Yes definitely!!

When you say other novices you're talking about people that have probably been riding at least a couple of years and are used to there own bikes .... not like yourself that hasn't ridden anything other than a 125 in anger!

Edited by John Laverick on Friday 15th August 13:09

[Fraz.K]

I have no idea of the extent of experience the other novices in the group will have (how would I know) but like Busa_Rush said riding on the track is completely different therefore irrelevant how much experience they have got on the road thus why they’re also in the novice group.
As for the big bike experience everybody at some point has jumped rather a large gap i.e 125cc to 600cc. Realistically no one is going to go 125, 250, 400, 600, 750, 1000 ect

[John Laverick]

Fraz.K said:

I have no idea of the extent of experience the other novices in the group will have (how would I know) but like Busa_Rush said riding on the track is completely different therefore irrelevant how much experience they have got on the road thus why they’re also in the novice group.
As for the big bike experience everybody at some point has jumped rather a large gap i.e 125cc to 600cc. Realistically no one is going to go 125, 250, 400, 600, 750, 1000 ect

Riding on track is very different to riding on the road ... but definitely NOT completely different. You are after all still riding the bike along a piece of tarmac! The experience I'm talking about isn't track specific experience its general powerful bike riding experience.

I can tell you the likely extent of the experience of the other novices on a typical track day.... they'll probably all have at least 1 years road riding under their belt on the bikes they're doing the day on.

Yes you’re correct everyone has had a big jump in CC at some point [my first bike was a 600], but I [and generally others] didn't jump on there first ‘big’ bike and attempt to ride it flat out around Donnington for the day!

I'm not saying don't do it ... but you'll probably be pretty slow in comparison to the other 'novices'. You'll have to build up speed very very slowly as you'll spend the first 0.5 of the day just getting used to the acceleration and braking of the 600! Be very careful ... what happens if you bin it?

[C8PPO]

Don't want to scare you but unless it's one of the specialist "never been on a track before" days, then the organisers generally exert very little control over who's in what group. It's up to the individual rider. In the same way that you *could* put yourself in the fast group, a club racer *could* put themselves in the novices. The organisers *occasionally* move people up and down during the day if they spot a significant issue, but not very often at all.

I did Silverstone on Monday in the fast group, watched the novice group and there were a couple of guys in that group, including one on a 1098R, who were absolutely flying.

I've even done it myself - the first outing on my current track bike, just after I bought it and when it was still an unknown quantity to me, I had a session in the novices at Brands just in case the bike played up. Don't recall lapping at novice speed, though......

Just enjoy, don't break the rules, take it steady, observe flags, etc and you should be fine. I presume "big boys' rules" apply to the loan of the 636?

[Fraz.K]

Thanks C8PPO for some good advice rather than a lecture from the fun police. I will take it steady and work my way up. As for the loan of the bike – you bend it you mend it!

[black-k1]

As long as you take it easy and ride well within your own limits there shouldn't be any problems. Do not get drawn into any "races" with anyone else out there and work on getting to know how the bike feels and how it works. Don't try to get your knee or pegs down and don't try to out brake or out accelerate anyone else. If you do all of that you should be fine and have a great, fun day.

[jon-]

If it's a trakzone day the marshalling is usually of a lower standard compared to a dedicated TDO.

Again, not trying to spoil the fun, if you're a good rider you'll be fine. If you've only wobbled around on a moped before this you will be a rolling road block, even in the novice group and will spend the entire day watching your mirrors.

Watch out if it rains, Donny is notorious for being slippy after a shower.

[Busa_Rush]

Fraz.K said:

Thanks C8PPO for some good advice rather than a lecture from the fun police. I will take it steady and work my way up. As for the loan of the bike – you bend it you mend it!

Strewth, don't take advice then, it's nothing to do with not having fun and everything to do with not binning the bike and potentially hurting yourself. Do you know how many experienced riders bin it on track days ?

If you've only ridden a 125 and you jump on a 636 and open it up you'll think somebody's set fire to your arse ! Your brain needs to discover how late or early to brake, what the weight of the bike feels like, the acceleration will be completely different, it's not like going from a Focus 1.6 to a Focus ST, it's one world to another.

Anyway, good luck to you, just remember that for others to be considerate to you you need to have the same for them

[John Laverick]

Fraz.K said:

Thanks C8PPO for some good advice rather than a lecture from the fun police.

[scoobster999]

C8PPO said:

Don't want to scare you but unless it's one of the specialist "never been on a track before" days, then the organisers generally exert very little control over who's in what group. It's up to the individual rider. In the same way that you *could* put yourself in the fast group, a club racer *could* put themselves in the novices. The organisers *occasionally* move people up and down during the day if they spot a significant issue, but not very often at all.

I did Silverstone on Monday in the fast group, watched the novice group and there were a couple of guys in that group, including one on a 1098R, who were absolutely flying.

I've even done it myself - the first outing on my current track bike, just after I bought it and when it was still an unknown quantity to me, I had a session in the novices at Brands just in case the bike played up. Don't recall lapping at novice speed, though......

Just enjoy, don't break the rules, take it steady, observe flags, etc and you should be fine. I presume "big boys' rules" apply to the loan of the 636?

I did my first track day last Tuesday at Donington with Focused events and was in the novice group (although been riding sportsbikes 20 odd years), most of the time it was absolutely fine, occasionally there were quick guys in the novice group hooning round but ride in YOUR limits and let them ride round you. It is down to them to focus on overtaking you, your job is to do your own thing and all will be fine. Its a superb track and the most fun on a bike I can remember (so since last week then), it pissed it down with rain but I had a hire bike on full wets and the grip was incredible - I would fully recommend full wets if it rains, MUCH more grip than road tyres. Have fun....how about a BB track day???

[mitzy]

Fraz.K said:

Realistically no one is going to go 125, 250, 400, 600, 750, 1000 ect

I prob will do.