First track day

[BarryG]

I did my first track day last Sunday, up at a little track north of me, Moroso Motorsports Park, and I'm still buzzing.
Took the Speed Triple up, taped up the headlights and indicators, put on a new Metzeler M3 on the back, and had at it.

Does everyone wake up the day after and start scouring the ads for a track bike?!

It was a complete blast, and I can't recommend Sportsbike Tracktime highly enough - the instructors were brill, the instruction clear, and they brought something new into each session, and the last couple of track sessions were spent riding around working on what had been taught and the instructors observing.
I was last to come in - they gave the novices an extra 20 minutes, and about 6-7 of us were out there thrashing around, and I did an extra lap when the flag came out.
I'm very proud of what my tyres look like now!

The photos came through today from the photog. (www.quickturnphoto.com) and all they bloody show is everything I thought I was working on doing right, I really wasn't! Maybe he just caught me at a bad moment (or twelve).

http://www.quickturnphoto.com/galleries/proofs/stt/071202/n/071202-31624.htm
http://www.quickturnphoto.com/galleries/proofs/stt/071202/n/071202-2387.htm

What I noticed:
1. I need to concentrate on keeping the balls of my feet on the pegs
2. I need to hang off way more
3. I don't need my finger on the clutch lever (it's those damn old two strokes!)
4. I do look through the turn
5. My shoulder and hip are lined up with the lean of the bike and I'm over the front to some extent
6. My girlfriend thinks I look cool in leathers

Cheers
Barry

[Nicksta]

lol.. awesome stuff Dude!!

and yes... once you try it, your usually hooked!

look forward to many more reports :)

[Toast]

How tall are you, mate? You seem to dwarf that bike.

As for hanging off...there's no one way to ride. Some don't hang off much at all and are really fast. Just do whatever's comfortable until you start dragging pegs and toes.

[BarryG]

I'm 6'3" so I tend to look like a Praying Mantis on most bikes!
I think I just revert back to my 'style' of the late 60's when I'm going round corners - none of this 'knee out' stuff for me, they didn't do it in my day, hhrrrmphh, hrrmmpphhh..... (old fart noises).
It is funny tho', I did feel as if I was waaayy over on the edge of the tyres, but the pics don't show it. The problem with the first track day is that the next one doesn't come soon enough! I'm sure I KNOW what to do better now, but will probably have forgotten when the next one rolls around. I'll still be bog slow tho' compared to most of the other novices, but what the heck - my sense of self preservation is still pretty strong, which is a good thing, I think :laugh:
Cheers
Barry

[Ivan]

Well for your height, ( I know race a 125 and am 6"1)
Your not looking to bad.

Youl find most likely when you use balls of your feet youl find it hard to tuck your leg into the tank, I find this with the 125 I cant get my outside knee to lock into tank,

Yeah If you try shifting your body weight off the seat and trying to push your head down lower thus lowering your centre of gravity making you and the bike feel more stable and also helping the suspension out,


But keep at it,

Simple things are try one thing at a time work on these dont go out in your first session and say alright i wanna do this this and this at this corner just do one thing at a time and youl find it comes with easeand your times will drop your speed will increase and youl remember more not come in and say woah what happened there

GO for it cant wait to hear your next report

Ivan

[scracha]

4. I do look through the turn

6. My girlfriend thinks I look cool in leathers

Barry

The only 2 points that matter. :headbang:

[BarryG]

Thanks, Ivan.
I have a few more pictures now, and I don't look quite as stiff and bad as I thought, but nowhere near what I need to look like!
Good point about the outside leg, I think hooking my heel on the outside peg will give me a little more stability leaning off, and the foot doesn't need to be back on the peg 'cos it's nowhere near the ground, right?
Cheers
Barry