First Track Day Advice?

Yea my last track day I was running 26 rear and 29 front and was at snetterton

32/30 was on my old bike, my current one the reccomended pressures for the road are 33/30!, I've got my first trackday on it next month, Brands GP , no idea what pressures to go for though.

Yea my last track day I was running 26 rear and 29 front and was at snetterton

 

32/30 was on my old bike, my current one the reccomended pressures for the road are 33/30!, I've got my first trackday on it next month, Brands GP , no idea what pressures to go for though.

What bike is it your tracking?

Yea my last track day I was running 26 rear and 29 front and was at snetterton

 

32/30 was on my old bike, my current one the reccomended pressures for the road are 33/30!, I've got my first trackday on it next month, Brands GP , no idea what pressures to go for though.

 

What bike is it your tracking?

A Panigale V4, not going to be going all out as really don't want to drop it .

I can believe that it sounds expensive, might be better off with an old cbr 6

Aye heard your rear should be lower then ye front, sure they will tell me when I get there anyway when they do the bike check hopefully they have a fueling station on site!

a lot of race bikes run on avgas

32/30 was on my old bike, my current one the reccomended pressures for the road are 33/30!, I've got my first trackday on it next month, Brands GP , no idea what pressures to go for though.

 

What bike is it your tracking?

 

A Panigale V4, not going to be going all out as really don't want to drop it .

Bloody hell mate I wouldn't risk the v4 wouldn't it be cheaper to get a track bike? Wouldn't really matter too much if you dropped it

a lot of race bikes run on avgas

Really?? Kerosene?

a lot of race bikes run on avgas

 

Really?? Kerosene?

they might be jet bikes , planes use kerosene aka aviation fuel

What bike is it your tracking?

 

A Panigale V4, not going to be going all out as really don't want to drop it .

 

Bloody hell mate I wouldn't risk the v4 wouldn't it be cheaper to get a track bike? Wouldn't really matter too much if you dropped it

Yeah I have thought about getting a K6/K7 GSXR 600 track bike, I’ve ridden them before on track when I hired one and really liked it, the thing is, the V4 is built for it really it feels like it’s bored and not nearly using its potential on the road so I just have to see what it’s like even if it’s only once, I just need to be really careful!.

A Panigale V4, not going to be going all out as really don't want to drop it .

 

Bloody hell mate I wouldn't risk the v4 wouldn't it be cheaper to get a track bike? Wouldn't really matter too much if you dropped it

 

Yeah I have thought about getting a K6/K7 GSXR 600 track bike, I’ve ridden them before on track when I hired one and really liked it, the thing is, the V4 is built for it really it feels like it’s bored and not nearly using its potential on the road so I just have to see what it’s like even if it’s only once, I just need to be really careful!.

You are definitely braver than I

Oulton park usually has fuel on site but don’t expect it to be cheap!

Ye I was thinking that, will fill up just before enter and hope for best, shouldnt use a tank of fuel tbh but soon see

There’s a shell garage on the A556/A49 cross road it’s only a few minutes drive away, you’ll probably pass it depending on which direction your coming from

The petrol at Cadwell was £1.60/l and not sold at a profit. Still, glad it was there because it is in the sticks, quite a captive audience

Ye I was thinking that, will fill up just before enter and hope for best, shouldnt use a tank of fuel tbh but soon see

When I did my last trackday I got 75miles from completely full to completely empty so don't underestimate the fuel usage

Oh bloody hell, best take cash with me then unless just card is fine haha

Oh bloody hell, best take cash with me then unless just card is fine haha

Yea, I would say it would work out either the same price or cheaper if you took a few jerry cans full of fuel with you

Bloody hell mate I wouldn't risk the v4 wouldn't it be cheaper to get a track bike? Wouldn't really matter too much if you dropped it

 

Yeah I have thought about getting a K6/K7 GSXR 600 track bike, I’ve ridden them before on track when I hired one and really liked it, the thing is, the V4 is built for it really it feels like it’s bored and not nearly using its potential on the road so I just have to see what it’s like even if it’s only once, I just need to be really careful!.

 

You are definitely braver than I

Either that or far stupider! .

Yeah I have thought about getting a K6/K7 GSXR 600 track bike, I’ve ridden them before on track when I hired one and really liked it, the thing is, the V4 is built for it really it feels like it’s bored and not nearly using its potential on the road so I just have to see what it’s like even if it’s only once, I just need to be really careful!.

 

You are definitely braver than I

 

Either that or far stupider! .

Well I didn't want to just assume

I take/ do the following:

A seat is a definite as nothing worse than sitting on the floor.

20ltr of super unleaded fuel + filling funnel

Halfords toolkit that has most things in - I don't take anything special as I feel if it falls outside the Halfords kit then I'm not qualified to do it

Rear paddock stand just to make lubing the chain easier on the lunch break

Tyre pressure gauge and foot pump

Food + Water

2+liters water - keep drinking between sessions (you will pee a lot)

Couple of cans of coke

Sandwich - you don't want anything heavy for lunch as you'll be a little sluggish in the afternoon trying to digest it

Fruit

Haribo snacks

Some chocolate

On the bike:

Brim the tank before going

Check you have a good amount of tread left as tracks are a little more abrasive than roads - pressures for most "road" tyres I'd drop to 32F 30R as a starting point, I started with Roadsmarts 3s and those pressures worked very well

Check you have a good amount of break pads as you will be using them quite a bit

Check oil + fluids the day before

Take your mirrors off if you can, if not tape them up

Make sure everything is tight on the bike

Check the bike isn't leaking oil

Put in the baffle if you have one or the stock can if you have it - nothing worse than being black flagged for pinging the db meter and sitting out the rest of the day

On track:

It is not a race!

It's a novice sessions so you will get people like yourself on their first days, its amazing fun but take it easy

Don't be a d*ck

Don't stuff it up the inside on corners - generally in novice if they are about to tip in its their line and you let them complete the corner

Don't blast past closely on the straights - give at least 6ft

If you do something that is a little "close" apologise

Use the sighting laps to warm up your tyres - don't bother weaving its hard acceleration on the straights and hardish breaking on the straights if you want to get heat in them quickly

There will be some people who are on the cusp of moving up to inters who will be "fast" compared to you, this is perfectly normal

You will get people who should be in inters in novice as the inter group may have filled up before they could book - this is perfectly normal

Use the instructors on the day and ask if they can follow you or you follow them for a few laps for feedback

Be prepared to be blasted on the straights by big cc bikes

Be prepared to have bikes on both sides going past you

Be predictable in your movements (racing line) where possible as it makes it easier for followers to guess roughly what you will do

As the day progresses the speeds will go up as people are more comfortable on the track and have their eye in

If someone does something dangerous around you, let it go and tell the instructors/ marshals - do not go and confront them, if you need to sit out the next session to relax and go grab a coffee

Have a look at YouTube videos of the track you are going to to get an idea on where you are going - honestly this is a massive help!

Use your front brake and forget the rear one to start with

Everything is like a dimmer switch - braking, accelerating, leaning - do not do anything snappy or harsh as it will unsettle the bike and your concentration

Focus on your lines not your speed

Focus on your body position - head and upper body low and looking through the corner first then worry about dragging your knee later, make sure you have a gap between your groin and the tank, loads of videos online, lifeatlearn is very informative or motojujitsu

Focus on points on the circuit for breaking and tip in

If the instructors are running information sessions through the day then go and watch

Use all the track - it doesn't matter that you aren't setting lap records as when your speed increases it will already be in your mind where you are going (and then you will need all the track)

Consistency is the key

You think a 40 minute gap between sessions is long but they fly by

Personally I always found the very last session of the day the silly session as people throw caution to the wind - I nearly always sit this out now and just pack up the van and get ready to leave.

That's my limited opinion on track days, best fun I've ever had on a bike and worth all the money it costs, as a rough guide we estimated £250 a day for all costs excluding bike insurance (track day, hotel night before, fluids, tyres, pads etc, diesel for the van). Additional track day insurance is about £100 for the day, I personally use BeMoto.

Biggest difference was turning my road riding in to easy/ fun rides as all the fast riding was done on the track and not on the road.

Have fun!

Thanks for that post! A lot of good advice there. I'm still a novice rider in general, but I want to do a track day in the near future, but I need to save up as I'm not taking my own bike!

So how it went

Did you get rid of chicken strips

Late reply but ye was amazing defo a new hobby for meself! Shame its £175 a pop or would go more often! Only managed from 0900-1300 then left due to heavy heavy rain, apart from that first part of day was amazing! Confidence on road has improved due to it so if ever a dicky situation happens im more comfortable useing heavier braking and cornering now

What track did you do? Glad you enjoyed it