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I had never been to a
track day before and wasn’t sure what to expect when I arrived at the track
in Llandow near Cardiff. However after signing on, meeting organiser Gordon
Kemp and chatting with some of the other riders I soon felt at ease and was
looking forward to going out on the track.
Soon it was time for the
pre-ride briefing, which covered the layout of the track and safety issues.
We were then divided into groups based on our level of experience. At the
start of the day, there were four groups, meaning that we each got 15
minutes of track time per hour, but after the first two hours two of the
groups were combined, meaning that we got each got 20 minutes per hour. This
meant that over the day’s six sessions we each got almost two hours of track
time.
The first time out I felt
a little frustrated as I had difficulty judging the best lines to take and
how to carry speed through the corners. However for the second session, I
went out with Gordon following and giving advice and encouragement via
helmet to helmet radio.
This was an invaluable
learning experience and led to a dramatic improvement. With Gordon’s
instructions I was able to learn the fastest lines and how to use the gears
and throttle to maximum effect to carry safe speed and as a result my
confidence started to grow immeasurably.
During the next few
sessions I was able to consolidate what I had learned and was really
starting to enjoy the experience.
During the lunch break,
Gordon had some helpful advice about how to set up my bike to enhance
braking, clutch and gears. Subtle adjustments in the position of the gear,
clutch and front brake levers led to further improvements in the next two
sessions and I started to find myself getting closer to the more experienced
track-day riders.
Then it was time for
another session with the radio. I started to gain more confidence in the
bike’s capabilities. I learned that, with the correct use of gears and
throttle, I could lean the bike over further and still retain plenty of grip
in the tyres, even with the footrests scraping down from time to time.
All too soon it was time
for the last session of the day. By this time many of the riders had left,
but fellow SAM member Mark Livingstone and I were enjoying ourselves so much
that we kept going right to the end and had the whole track to ourselves.
As I started out on the
100 mile trip home, I reflected on the lessons learned and also put into
practice clutch-less gear changes, something else that Gordon had taught me
that day.
The track day was a very
enjoyable experience, but also one which taught me things that will improve
my road riding. In particular, what I learned about the use of gears and
throttle to achieve smoothness and stability in cornering should make me a
better and safer road rider.
I would thoroughly
recommend a track day to all SAM members. It is the ideal environment to
learn about your bike’s capabilities and to practice techniques that improve
your day to day riding ability.
By Patrick Jordan
Second opinion by Mark Livingstone
I have been riding bikes continuously for 17 years now. I was quite nervous
about taking my pride and joy onto the track and perhaps letting it slide
down the tarmac! However, I shouldn’t have worried. The self control
mechanism of our mind/body will not let yourself go too far (well in most
mortals anyway!) I feel now that I should have done it years ago.
The whole day was well organised from the signing on, briefing and actually
getting on to the track, there was no pressure from anyone to try and go
harder than one wanted (my only pressure was from myself). There was also
plenty of advice going around for those who needed/wanted it.
Apart from blasting around the track, I feel clearer on how much harder I
can brake if the situation arises and how much earlier/harder one can
accelerate out of turns (if it’s safe to do so for the road!). I would
recommend this day to anyone, especially those who maybe new to biking and
want to find out more about their machine’s capabilities in relative safety. |
