The day draws closer

OK, the track day you've booked is looming and your nerves are in shreds. Sleep is hard to come by. You awake to the sound of scraping metal and tearing flesh. Sweat on your brow. Oh my gawd! Bollocks to it you think, I'll cancel it, while desperately trying to thing of a believable excuse to tell your mates down the pub. Relax, it's all normal, honest. Cancel it and you'll be depriving yourself of an experience you'll definitely never forget.


Be prepared!

Take a good, hard, honest look at your bike. What are the tyres like? Bit worn, squared off, never been the same since that burn-out that seemed such a laugh in the pub car park! Change em. Period. Tyres are the only things that hold you on the tarmac (apart from gravity of course) and should not be messed with. You have been warned!! Nowadays your can't really buy a bad tyre. Don't think that you need soft as shit road legal slicks either. Most sports compound tyres are more than up to the job. This is also the most bullshitted topic I know of in the biking work.

When was the last time you checked the brakes? Pad wear, condition, calipers cleaned? Take if from me, the dread you feel when you suffer brake failure on the track is a true botty clencher, plus the consequences you really don't want to experience.

These two are pretty much at the top of the list but absolutely all the components of your bike need to be looked at, checked or replaced. If you can't do it, get a trusted friend or good mechanic to do it for you. Also, a lot of track day companies will inspect your bike before letting you out. Oh dear, long ride home with your tail between your legs muttering away to the inside of your helmet feeling like a right knob.


Who me?

Prepare yourself. No, I don't mean go to the gym and start pumping iron and banging steroids down your neck. I mean the night before the big day. The bike will already be sorted (won't it??) so relax. Chill man. When you get there the stress levels will skyrocket so make the most of this free time. Everyone's got there own way or relaxing. So do it. Don't get pissed as a rat the night before though. This will not help things, you will not be on the ball and will hurt yourself and/or someone else. If the organizers smell your breath the next day, it'll be a one way ticket outta there. Try to get a decent nights kip, as hard as it'll be.

Make sure all your gear's ready, packed, cleaned and generally sorted. Don't forget any paperwork you need on the day. Remember, no license, no ride.

The more things that you have prepared the night before, the less you'll be panicking and running round like a blue arsed fly in the morning. You've got enough to think about.............


You're there (almost)

Make sure you leave plenty of time for the journey. You don't want to be late. At a circuit like Mallory Park where the pits are in the middle of the track, you'll be sitting there like a lemon watching everybody else get valuable track time.

When you sign on, there may be an awkward moment when they ask you which group you want to go in. Basically, there is fast, medium and slow (or touring). Be honest. If it's your first time out, go with the slow group. You won't feel out of place and you will be riding with people of roughly the same ability. Watch out for the suspiciously fast "first timers" in this group. These are people who cannot be honest with themselves and like to massage their own small ego's. After you've signed on and sorted out any paperwork ("wot? I've got to show my license??") there will generally be a talk to all and sundry about the do's and don'ts and maybe a bit of track info.

LISTEN! This is not the time to go for a dump or to start messing with your bike! Remember, you're there all day! This information is important and will help your day go smoother.


Touch the track

At last! Time to show the world what's what eh! WRONG! The first session is to show you the way round the track. This means it'll be fairly slow, no overtaking and most probably following an instructor. You would not believe the amount of people I've seen run off the track, into the back of the rider in front etc etc. Don't be one of these dicks. Stay calm, be smooth and don't worry if all seems a bit too much. There is no way you will take it all in. Not in a few short laps anyway. Once again, remember, you're there all day!


You're on your own now

First thing is, don't panic! I know it sounds easy, but when you're there, your mind will be racing round at a million miles an hour. Believe me, I know. Wait 'til it's your first race! Oops, getting ahead of myself there. Get your bike warmed up before your group is about to go out. Let it warm up properly. Don't stand there revving the tits off it. This will only damage the engine and get you unnecessarily hyped up. Get into the queue for your group but don't barge your way to the front. This will only piss people off and set you up to try to beat the other eager types into the gravel traps. LET YOUR TYRES WARM UP!! Do a FEW reasonably paced laps. This will warm the tyres, the bike and most importantly, you. I really could sit here for ages telling you of horror stories of first lap incidents. Take it easy. There is plenty of time during the day to get your speed up. Don't try to do it in the first few laps, or even the first session. Ignore this and you will have a short and probably painful day.


God, I'm slow

Let's get one thing straight, very few people fly on their first track outing. In my first (wet) race meeting, I was last, last but one and 18th. Within 8 months, I was beating people who had been racing for 5 years or more. People, who at first seemed mega quick, became easy meat and it wasn't long before I was regular top 3 in the EMRA and New Era races. What I'm trying to say is that riding and racing is a LEARNED thing. You won't pick it up straight away, some may, but these are the lucky few. Keep at it, learn from your mistakes, constantly analyse your riding and most of all, enjoy it.

CONGRATULATIONS, you've just found out what your bike is really for.


One last thing

Try to remember, better to come away from a Track thinking;-

"Shit, I wish I'd have gone quicker" rather than
"Shit, how much is this gonna cost" or
"Ow, my leg, arm, foot, head hurts"


All the best

Tone