A track day is fun. A track day is exciting. A track day teaches you. All the words that you hear from people who have previously done it but as per normal, we as humans know best and think its a race rather than a learning curve. Turns out, it was a bit different to what I was expecting.
This first track day of mine took place before my 8 hour which will lead to understandably second thoughts and worries. Nerves are heightened even before you’ve left the house, even before you have got out of bed. Your heart is racing a little bit faster because now you have paid for it and cannot back out of it. Whoops. As an avid biker, I thought “let’s just do it, it will be fun”. Riding leathers, check. Racing helmet, check. Boots, check. Fresh pair of underwear, check.
I decided to ride with a Honda Grom to the track (that blog is coming up next!). Not exactly the easiest machine to use when you are riding in full leathers, I must say, but its a good laugh! I rock at the track with weird looks. Wait… Was I meant to arrive without leathers on? I didn’t get the memo!
Finding my spot and meeting up with the gentleman who was lending me a bike, he told me to not worry and have fun. Just listen to what they have to say and enjoy. Right… Listen to who now? As I was walking around talking to people I knew, a big meeting is a called. All slow riders (the track day is split into fast, medium and slow) to a room. Upon arriving I see very few fully suited riders. One or two beginner riders and one or two couples. We are briefed as to how we will run the first 2 laps of the track. Told to have fun, enjoy and keep it on the black stuff. Surely it can’t be that difficult right?
I’m ready! The bike is ready but let me explain the machine first. Its a RC390, race machine. Quickshifter, full system, sticky tyres, upgraded suspension to name a few, oh baby this is going to be fun now! Back to the action. We are waiting for the last person to get ready and before we know it, we are off. The track is a lot wider than what it seems, so how can you not stay on the black stuff? Easy. Over confident. The 2 laps are slow, very slow. They just want us to get use to how it feels and then before you know it, you can go and have fun by yourself! Eventually we are all let loose but I am a bit stuck. My bike corners well, probably better than most machines in the slower class on that day, but I have got no top end. I am currently stuck in a continual cycle of being passed by these 2 superbikes on the straight but sitting on their tails in the corners. Eventually after a lot of thinking, I got passed both of them around the outside of turn 2. Brave but it had to be done. Let’s give it the horns…Wait…The sessions is done? 20 minutes seemed like 5 minutes.
We all come in and back to the classroom. The classroom is quite fun as it taught you how to brake on the track, all about tyre pressures, suspension and turning of a motorcycle and how to position your head in the corner. I thought I was doing it right all along, turns out I was actually very, very wrong. Push on the left side of the handlebar to go left and push on the right side to go right. I learnt a new trick, counter steering!
The 2nd and 3rd sessions were good, much needed practice but the 4th and final session was the cake. Coming down to turn 5 and braking late, running in deep into the corner and exiting to get as much top end as possible with a superbike hot on your tail is quite fun and exciting. Turn 2 through 3 into 4, I had the gent who lent me the RC on his own RC (championship winning one) hot on my tail. Felt like a race. I felt like I was on fire, enjoying the last little bit of the session but then coming out of turn 1, I have no drive. Maybe the chain is broken? Look, nothing. I look, fuel is out. Ah oh. Okay, let’s try and start and ride back slowly. It nearly worked, nearly! Got to turn 5 and it completely died. Somehow made it back to the new pits and was assisted by my umbrella girl, my dad. Thanks dad.
All in all, it was a fun, educational, exciting and something I would do over and over again. Any person who is wanting to enhance their skills on a motorcycle, I would without a doubt, recommended to go and try out the track schools. It helps you not only get better at riding a motorcycle but also enhances your awareness on the road.