Track day crashes!

[Grubber]

I was attending a track day with Playday on the track on Friday and was witness to some rather horrid skills that led to a rather major crash.
One rider, that was obviously riding beyond his skills and got things well out of control in the medium fast group managed to take out 2 other bikes heading up the front straight.
He was riding over the yellow lines at pit entrance and then decided to keep some pace on and bring himself out onto the race line again banging side ways into another bike. He not only took him out, but the one that was also at a good pace, but in a safe ish area, was taken out also. the bikes all headed for the thin grass verge to the left hand side of the track before turn 1 and consequently slid along the tarmac before coming to a halt.
There was extensive damage to all 3 bikes and some minor damage to the 2 riders that were taken out.
From what i have heard the offending rider was told nicely not to return to the track again for some time (he was clearly in the wrong) and for the 2 guys with the innocent damage, they went home with hefty bills to pay.

I've been racing and i have done many rack days. Racing i would expect some issues such as this from time to time. You take your chance out there is what i say.
Track days are a little different in my view, it's where people like to have a hoon so to speak and ride home again comparatively safe. It is nailed home at the briefing that they will not tolerate any idiots so to speak and anyone who does do anything stupid will be pulled off the track.

Question for you guys is, where do we draw the line between having a good safe day and law of averages we gonna crash. Just to add to this, how much should a rider expect to be punished as such when he bends the rules a tad too much.
I'm sitting on the fence probably due to the racing side of my riding but i would be interested to know how others view it. Just curious really.

I have no agenda here so just post your own opinions based on how you see it would be great.

[nzspokes]

The 2 track days ive done there were told if you go over the yellow lines heading into the pits expect to be black flagged and sent home.

They were all very lucky they survived that crash by the sounds. Im slow but was still at 160 past there. Scary.

[malcy25]

I help out at track days in medium speed groups as well as doing eaily 6-8 race meetings per year. I've 25 seasons out of the last 29 years to my credit.

1) I find the riding at race meetings to be generally a lot safer.....despite all wanting to grind the other riders into the dust.
2) I do find the top of the hill at HD to be one of the worst places for large variability in line bringing riders together.

[Katman]

Fucking cagers.

[rustys]

Oh Shit more TRACK DAY HORROR STORIES, seen and heard it all before!!!!, feel very sorry about the innocent 2 riders, and the amount of money its going to take to fix there bikes, they will never be back, and it goes for others that have been involved with simalar situations, all caused by FUCK wits. I have seen so many nice bikes wrecked at Track Days its not funny, unfortunatley once someones out on the track you can't control them.
I feel far more safer RACING in a large field of riders, that know what they are doing, than TRACK DAYS, not nice.

[bluninja]

I've done a few track days and found that the medium group was always the worst for crashes. You get the "I'm not a noob and I've got a race rep sports bike", along with the "I want to be fastest in the group, but I think I'll be shown up in the fast group" so the standard of riders and their attitudes is pretty variable.

The slow group keep themselves safe and the faster ones just circulate ahead of the rest. The fast group are mostly capable fast riders, track day enthusiasts and racers. It's often safer to do your own thing on a clear track behind them than in amongst the medium peeps.

It also depends on the track and how many are on track at once. I've done track days where you all peel out at the start of the session, and others where you go out in pairs with a 5-10 second stagger. I prefer the staggered start myself.

Good robust marshalling is key to having the best track time (unless you are an offender )

The best instruction I had at briefing was "This is not a race, some people have to ride their bikes home after this. Pass on the way out of corners, if you are having to pass on the brakes into a corner you're not as good as you think you are."

[quickbuck]

It is the Muppets out the that have put me off Track days completely. Not worth taking the race bike as I will be relegated to medium class with all the people identified above..... If I take my road bike I run the risk of someone doing something like the issue the OP has identified.

Obviously HD has it's own issues. It was built as a pure race track... I don't think it is actually the safest for road bike riders to go for a blast around. We must remember we have lost someone very near the spot that this incident happened.... That wall will not move!

I am happy to sit on the side line and help out, police, and offer advise to those that ask (sadly very few, as most are too good to need advice).

Realistically it is safer racing. You just have to get a smaller bike than you ride on the road and come along to a controlled environment... Of course if you ride a 250, there is no need for a smaller bike for the track.

As for TRAINING days at a track, these are different. Very different. You can't beat the courses offered by www.rideforever.co.nz

Sent from my Nokia using Tapa talk.

[Grubber]

The 2 track days ive done there were told if you go over the yellow lines heading into the pits expect to be black flagged and sent home.

They were all very lucky they survived that crash by the sounds. Im slow but was still at 160 past there. Scary.

Yellows are out of bounds for sure. these 2 were at around 210kph when it all went pear shaped.

I help out at track days in medium speed groups as well as doing eaily 6-8 race meetings per year. I've 25 seasons out of the last 29 years to my credit.

1) I find the riding at race meetings to be generally a lot safer.....despite all wanting to grind the other riders into the dust.
2) I do find the top of the hill at HD to be one of the worst places for large variability in line bringing riders together.

Appreciate your help on those days by the way. Not enough volunteers i say.
Race meetings are better as you say. Most have a clue when racing.
Top of the hill is only as bad as the rider allows it to be i reckon.
Just don't outride your bike is what you do!

[Grubber]

Oh Shit more TRACK DAY HORROR STORIES, seen and heard it all before!!!!, feel very sorry about the innocent 2 riders, and the amount of money its going to take to fix there bikes, they will never be back, and it goes for others that have been involved with simalar situations, all caused by FUCK wits. I have seen so many nice bikes wrecked at Track Days its not funny, unfortunatley once someones out on the track you can't control them.
I feel far more safer RACING in a large field of riders, that know what they are doing, than TRACK DAYS, not nice.

Tends to be the case unfortunately.
The 2 riders have said they will be back and good on them. Just hope they have better luck next time.
I run in the fast groups and find they are usually more consistent and well behaved as such than the slower wannabes that can be tucked in amongst the medium groups.

Some good feedback so far. Interesting to see where people are on this.

[Katman]

I remember a thread from some time back about someone who got cleaned up at a trackday by a dickhead overtaking them on the inside at the Pukekohe hairpin.

If anyone can be bothered searching for it, it might make for an interesting comparison with this thread.

[sil3nt]

I was in that same group. Didn't see the crash but saw the aftermath. That lovely rizla livery bike was destroyed

I was tempted to drop down to novice (should have been there anyway) as the medium-slow group was quite large and there were people in there that should have been in the in the medium-fast and even the fast group.

There were quite a few crashes that day. I saw one fireblade go down in front of me. He passed me as I braked for turn one. I was wondering when he would hit the brakes but all I saw was a quick flash of the brake light just before he tipped it in. He carried massive speed around the turn before he caught up to two slower bikes just as the turn tightens up. I didn't think he would make it and sure enough he lost the front and ended up in the gravel. Not sure if he panicked and hit the brakes but it looked rather silly from my point of view. Seeing this kind of put me off for a session but the trackday bug has hit and I will be back again

[sil3nt]

I remember a thread from some time back about someone who got cleaned up at a trackday by a dickhead overtaking them on the inside at the Pukekohe hairpin.

If anyone can be bothered searching for it, it might make for an interesting comparison with this thread.

I believe it was the fast right hander over the hill (last corner). What annoyed me about that incident is that tried to sneak up the inside was breaking the rules of the day but the organisers didn't seem to care. (all this from memory though - could be entirely wrong)

[nosebleed]

I remember a thread from some time back about someone who got cleaned up at a trackday by a dickhead overtaking them on the inside at the Pukekohe hairpin.

If anyone can be bothered searching for it, it might make for an interesting comparison with this thread.

IIRC the incident in that example was during a Training Day, which is where the conversation started to get muddy.
There was another where Scott got cleaned out by a racer during a Trackday.

In both examples the consensus on here seemed to be; "It's a track, fuck your luck"

[vinducati]

I think that Play Day need to tighten up the passing rules in all classes at HD, excluding the fast group.
You should only be passing around the outside, not anywhere.
The two metre passing rule is not enforced.
Also they need to have more marshalls as a lot of marshall posts are empty.
Also need marshalls on track to keep an eye on the aggressive twits.
I have done about 40 trackdays at HD and the only issue I have had is people charging in underneath at corners, and yes if I see anyone who may be an issue on the hill I wait and pass somewhere else.

Racing is generally safer, but not always.
I have seen a horrible accident when a rider with little race time was allowed into a top race field.
The ART days are better policed which I think is important.

Also be aware that is you are a rider who has insurance at a trackday, it may be void if you are in the fast group.
I agree that the medium group can be a bit dodgy but my brother rides in the fast and it has it's fair share of odd riding.
I have also seen an MV Agusta in the slow group cutting people up.
Like I said it needs proper marshalling.

[tigertim20]

Tis a risk of trackdays unfortunately, that you have zero guarantee of the skill level of the other riders you share the space with at speed. Anyone can turn up, and, wanting to be the big man, say oh yeah, Ive been here and done that, chuck me in xxx group. when in reality, they have fuckall idea what they are doing and are a giant hazard. I love trackdays, but always try to find myself a little space on track, but observing the first session, to see who, out of my group, are a little quicker than me, and who are a little slower than me, then slot in between them at the pit gate before going out on the track. usually means i have lots of space for most of the session.