Trackdays and the lost art of having fun
Discussion
This year two strange things seem to have happened, firstly a lot of people have started doing trackdays off here; secondly there is a hell of a lot of implicit and explicit competition going on
To address the first bit. I started doing trackdays about six years ago for fun. I started in a Novice and slowly worked through the groups and even had a go at a couple of races. I enjoyed all of them and had a laugh doing them. I took instruction, I learned different things and I still get instruction now when I feel something isn't quite right. I listened to those more experienced and I soaked it up. However, more than anything else I had a laugh. I made some friends for life and was even taught some basic mechanic skills by a few of them
However, the guys who've started this year all seem hell bent on seeing who can do the quickest time. This has led to two outcomes as far as I can see, firstly there have been a ridiculous amount of crashes. I'm not claiming to be perfect, as we all have moments, but there is clearly a connection here. The other outcome is that people are now going to miss a lot of the season, or give up completely, as the cost of repairs are cleaning them out and that is leading to a lack of enjoyment.
I really can't understand this. Did you all kick a football in the street as kids for the first time amd then expect to be signed up by a top Premier League club by teatime? Or have a go at crazy golf and expect Tiger Woods agent to sign you up?
So here's the rub. Try to have some fun people and stop taking it so seriously.
To address the first bit. I started doing trackdays about six years ago for fun. I started in a Novice and slowly worked through the groups and even had a go at a couple of races. I enjoyed all of them and had a laugh doing them. I took instruction, I learned different things and I still get instruction now when I feel something isn't quite right. I listened to those more experienced and I soaked it up. However, more than anything else I had a laugh. I made some friends for life and was even taught some basic mechanic skills by a few of them
However, the guys who've started this year all seem hell bent on seeing who can do the quickest time. This has led to two outcomes as far as I can see, firstly there have been a ridiculous amount of crashes. I'm not claiming to be perfect, as we all have moments, but there is clearly a connection here. The other outcome is that people are now going to miss a lot of the season, or give up completely, as the cost of repairs are cleaning them out and that is leading to a lack of enjoyment.
I really can't understand this. Did you all kick a football in the street as kids for the first time amd then expect to be signed up by a top Premier League club by teatime? Or have a go at crazy golf and expect Tiger Woods agent to sign you up?
So here's the rub. Try to have some fun people and stop taking it so seriously.
First track day I ever did nearly put me off for life. It was at Lydden Hill and it was like Death Race 2000 out there. Never seen so much twisted metal and so many broken limbs in one place before or since. It wasn't fun at all. I felt lucky to have got away in one piece and didn't go back for a good while.
My last outing to Rockingham by contrast, was a complete hoot, with very little crashing.
Your best bet is to avoid the pack, so at the start of the session I hang back for a while to let all the supermen go on ahead and try to go round in my own little pocket of twunt free space. That way if I bin it, it's my own fault, and I'm not being taken down by a crashing, trackday meagre-star.
My last outing to Rockingham by contrast, was a complete hoot, with very little crashing.
Your best bet is to avoid the pack, so at the start of the session I hang back for a while to let all the supermen go on ahead and try to go round in my own little pocket of twunt free space. That way if I bin it, it's my own fault, and I'm not being taken down by a crashing, trackday meagre-star.
I applaud Loon's sentiment in that post - it really does appear that Biker Banter has become a rather watered down version of TDR , and is the worse for it ....hopefully Trackday business will stay in the one Trackday thread , and the "eagerness" to aspire to "running before walking briskly "alluded to may be encouraged to be developed rather than grasped at , ending in turmoil.
I don't care what other people do, talk times , crash , ( obviously not wishing that but it will happen and more so when too big chunks are being bitten regularly..),enjoy , whatever, nobody is riding anybody else's bike for them nor living their lives for them - I do know that I go out each time to try to progress, marginally ,and learn something from each day BUT ,first and foremost to enjoy it . When it starts to feel like a personal challenge - hard work , as opposed to a fruitful endeavour, I cease to be interested ... It has to be fun and the biggest part of it is the back-slapping, piss -taking and general camaraderie ... not petty competitiveness amongst ALL of us mediocre riders in the grand scheme of anybody actually any GOOD.
Ride on - enjoy
I don't care what other people do, talk times , crash , ( obviously not wishing that but it will happen and more so when too big chunks are being bitten regularly..),enjoy , whatever, nobody is riding anybody else's bike for them nor living their lives for them - I do know that I go out each time to try to progress, marginally ,and learn something from each day BUT ,first and foremost to enjoy it . When it starts to feel like a personal challenge - hard work , as opposed to a fruitful endeavour, I cease to be interested ... It has to be fun and the biggest part of it is the back-slapping, piss -taking and general camaraderie ... not petty competitiveness amongst ALL of us mediocre riders in the grand scheme of anybody actually any GOOD.
Ride on - enjoy
sc0tt said:
LoonR1 said:
No, I don't. It's an opinion
Opinions are like aholes, your posts come across as nothing but patronising for the most part.Do you honestly believe people go out with the intention of setting PB's?
Had you read the TD thread, you'd see its littered with people doing exactly that. Few come on and do write ups about how much fun they had, it's all serious times and explaining crashes away.
LoonR1 said:
sc0tt said:
LoonR1 said:
No, I don't. It's an opinion
Opinions are like aholes, your posts come across as nothing but patronising for the most part.Do you honestly believe people go out with the intention of setting PB's?
Had you read the TD thread, you'd see its littered with people doing exactly that. Few come on and do write ups about how much fun they had, it's all serious times and explaining crashes away.
You are deluding yourselves if you cannot admit to the competitive element and it's just for fun thrashing a bike on a comparatively safer environment, blah, blah, blah. People new to it might enjoy an empty track but after you've done it for a bit....
Bit like sex - okay on your own at the beginning but later on involving others is more fun / adds complications.
Bit like sex - okay on your own at the beginning but later on involving others is more fun / adds complications.
srob said:
To me Mitzy's the true trackday hero of this place. Never seen her at a track without a huge grin on her chops
Some of the other stuff people write about trackways makes me cringe sometimes, it's like you're reading a transcript of Marquez in a de-brief after a qualifying session
Agree with you there, the TD thread turned into such an ego massage I cringe most of the time I read it.Some of the other stuff people write about trackways makes me cringe sometimes, it's like you're reading a transcript of Marquez in a de-brief after a qualifying session
Oh you are so awesome...
Look at my data logger...
Look how I knocked off two second after straightening my handlebars
Etc...
Glass houses, pot kettle loon.
sc0tt said:
Agree with you there, the TD thread turned into such an ego massage I cringe most of the time I read it.
Oh you are so awesome...
Look at my data logger...
Look how I knocked off two second after straightening my handlebars
Etc...
Glass houses, pot kettle loon.
Now you're just acting like a . I had wonky clip ons, I fixed them. I should've spotted it, but didn't. That makes me an idiot for being such a mechanical incompetent. Oh you are so awesome...
Look at my data logger...
Look how I knocked off two second after straightening my handlebars
Etc...
Glass houses, pot kettle loon.
Last thing I'm saying on here to you. Next thing will be at a trackday no doubt.
I enjoy doing t/ds but I also like to keep the part of riding to the track and using my road bike aswell if that means I ride slower as a subconscious part preservation for me and the bike so what I'm having fun I'm not chasing lap times (although I do admit to keeping a eye on them) I have seen to many people with track bikes get red mist by being overtaken by a road bike and not only that a upright naked bike aswell only mess up by trying to overtake and run the next corner wide or even off!
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