THRYLLZ
Thrills we thrive on
Thrills we thrive on
Riding on track may sound exciting if you’ve never done it before. That wide circuit, the fast riders and even faster motorbikes. Many men feel like lords and masters of the track. And a few women feel like true queens. It’s intimidating. Yet you take the plunge. You sign up for your first time riding on track.
You set off for your first track day with a completely blank slate. There is a lot you don’t know before you start riding on track. Not only how it all works, but also what else is involved besides the actual track riding. We give you 10 things you didn’t know before you started riding on track.
At first glance, riding on track seems quite scary. Fast lads and lasses racing on their even faster motorbikes. It’s all about speed. That can be quite intimidating. ‘Am I fast enough? Can my motorbike handle it? Can I do it?! Isn’t it terrifying?’ These are all questions that come to mind.
And when you arrive at the circuit, it’s all quite impressive. You share your first day at the circuit with beginners and advanced riders. The experienced riders park their motorhomes, caravans and tents and set up their fast machines. Paddock stands here, tyre warmers there. And above all, a whole lot of cables. There you are, probably with your well-behaved road bike, resting on its side stand.
Once all those stimuli have sunk in, things start to calm down a bit. You make your way to the organisation’s pit box and sign in. The cheerful ladies and gentlemen from the organisation put you at ease. You might even have a chat with your instructor. And then it turns out that it’s not so bad after all. That threshold isn’t actually that high. Riding on track is for everyone, not just for speed demons.
And then your first track day begins. Your first session, your first time on track. Then the nerves start racing through your body again. Maybe you give your motorbike a little pat on the tank for encouragement, just like we still do. There you go, entering the track as a super team. The first few laps are always awkward. Getting used to the track, getting used to the lines and getting used to the speed and technique. But with every lap, it starts to feel more logical. You naturally get into your flow. And then it’s not so scary anymore.
Before you know it, your first track day is over. There you are. With a sweaty forehead, clammy from all the adrenaline, hard work and excitement. And with a huge smile. That was awesome. You can’t get enough of it. You spontaneously book your next three track days.
And then it dawns on you. Riding on track isn’t just fantastic, it’s also extremely expensive. A track day often starts at a €200 to €250 registration fee per day. In the beginning, you keep those tyres intact and use them for several days. Then you start riding faster. And even faster. And faster still. Before you know it, you’re wearing out a set of tyres every two days. And then suddenly a set a day. It’s intense enjoyment and very hard crying.
Because they don’t give those tyres away for free. And they don’t keep themselves warm off the track either. So you need a good set of tyre warmers. And to be able to put them on at all, the motorbike has to be on a set of sturdy paddock stands. The cost of the cable reel is a pittance. And it’s nice to have the motorbike dry in the rain and in the shade on a sunny day. So you might as well buy your own tent.
Racing fairings are also nice. After all, street fairings are expensive and difficult to obtain. You also want to shift gears more efficiently and brake better. So you get a proper racing rear set and a better brake pump. Add a few fancy brake pads, nice discs, and off you go. And then that monster is basically just standing still. Because don’t forget the petrol… You’ll burn through that faster than a pack of toilet paper after an evening at an Indonesian buffet.
Then it’s your turn. That two-piece suit isn’t that comfortable when you want to really go for it on the track. And it’s actually had its day. Your new mates from the circuit are raving about their decadent airbag motorcycle suits, so you have to have one too. And before you know it, it’s hanging in your wardrobe.
We probably don’t need to do the maths for you. Riding on track is expensive and leaves you completely broke. It all costs more than you’d like. Still, we’d rather work through the weekend than give it up. Because we just love riding on track that much.
Fortunately, there is another side to riding on track. What you lose in money, you gain in friends. When you start riding on track, you will immediately notice that you fit right in with your group. They are all novice riders with the same questions, the same excitement and the same enthusiasm.
You’ll come back more often and see the same faces again. You’ll recognise riders you’ve met before and strike up a conversation. Slowly, a friendship develops. Not just one, but a whole family.
Whether it’s your first track day or your umpteenth, you’ll feel at home. If you need anything when you have bad luck, dozens of others are there to help you. All you have to do is take a walk around the paddock. People lend each other everything or let you buy it from them at a bargain price. Are you there alone? Then your neighbours will offer you a cup of coffee in the morning and you can join them for dinner in the evening.
The brotherly feeling in the paddock makes up for a lot of the financial misery. You forget that you almost had to sell a kidney to get your motorbike race-ready. And you become part of the big, warm family. Because that conviviality is worth its weight in gold.
The more often you ride on the track, the more you realise that riding a motorbike on the road suddenly becomes a lot less exciting. Whereas speeding over the dyke used to send adrenaline rushing through your body, it is no longer a huge thrill but rather a slight vibration. You no longer get the same pleasure from riding fast on the road as you used to.
After all, you can’t take that turn quite as nicely as you can on the track, thanks to that one strip of tarmac or that pile of gravel. And the road surface doesn’t give you the same confidence to dive into that bend at full speed. Opening up the throttle fully on your exit is also less fun when Rosie on her electric bike suddenly flies off to the side to take a photo of the sheep.
Riding a motorbike on the road is becoming less enjoyable. At the very least, you start to approach it differently. I still love going for a ride with the lads. Or a good session of speeding in Germany. But I have started to ride differently. I ride slower more often and leave more margin. It’s not worth it to me to wreck my motorbike on the road when I could use that money for other things (remember point 2?!).
Chances are you will start riding 0n track on your street bike. You carefully complete your first laps. You ride somewhat cautiously, because you don’t want to damage your beautiful street bike. That makes sense. If you want to ride the track more often and take up this hobby seriously, you are faced with the following choice: keep converting your bike or buy a track bike.
Many ultimately opt for the latter. So begins the search for a reliable and preferably not too expensive track bike. You are bursting with enthusiasm, while your wallet would rather hide in a dark corner. Unfortunately, one bike is often no longer enough. That track bike has to be bought.
Is two too many? Then the choice becomes more difficult. Should you convert after all? If you ask many fanatical circuit riders, you will quickly discover the most common answer: get rid of that road bike and trade it in for a track bike. Is your road bike already an older model, or do you quite enjoy riding it on the track? Then just convert it.
Number six on the list of 10 things you didn’t know before you started riding on track: a track never really gets boring. No matter how many times you’ve driven a particular circuit, it’s still fun every time. A track that you initially found quite impressive and exciting starts to suit you better. And it gets more and more fun. And that one track that you immediately felt comfortable on is still great. It feels like coming home, where you can try out your new setup to perfection.
No matter how often you ride on a circuit, it never gets boring. Sometimes there’s a track that makes you think, ‘Meh, this one’s not for me.’ And then you might never go back. But really boring? That’s not something a circuit does easily.
We sometimes joke, ‘What are we actually doing all this for?’ The answer is: ‘Everything for that one fast lap.’ I always told myself that riding on track wasn’t about lap times. It was about the adrenaline rush, the shared passion, the huge smiles and the wealth of experience you gain. And for a while, that was true. Until that moment arrived.
I came off track, secretly checked the lap times and there it was. Just like that, all of a sudden. Bam. The disappointment. I hadn’t ride any faster than I already did. And even though I had a great session, I didn’t feel the same pleasure I had experienced before. After some grumbling and complaining, I got over it. But at that moment, I realised that despite my resistance, I had fallen victim to the lap time bug. That bug that bites you and then makes you addicted to shaving seconds off your time.
Some people are bitten by that beast right away and start looking at lap times after their very first session on track. For others, it takes a little longer. But in the end, we all fall for it, whether we want to or not. Whether we admit it or not. We all do it. Anything for that one fast lap.
Number 2 already indicates this, and number 5 takes it a step further: you need money. To finance this expensive hobby, you have to change your lifestyle. Other hobbies are put on hold, shopping is done more carefully and you try to get smart deals. With your talent as a web designer, you redesign the website of the local motorbike shop in exchange for parts. Or you repave that side street in exchange for a set of new tyres.
Anyone who has been involved in riding on track for a while knows that it’s not just about the riding. The magic off the track is what makes this hobby even more enjoyable. And it definitely contributes to the highly addictive nature of the sport.
The camaraderie off track is sometimes difficult to put into words. It’s celebrating your new lap record when everyone thought you couldn’t go any faster. It’s the love and care that comes with that thoughtful cup of coffee to calm you down after your first crash. And the concern when one of your pit box mates doesn’t come back after the session. It’s almost a push and pull to see who gets to the medics first to check if the rider is okay. It’s the hug from a fellow rider when your friend has crashed – and nothing is really wrong – but you’re still quite shaken.
And it’s toasting with cold beers after a successful day on the track where everyone has come out unscathed. Laughing at the mistakes, the friendly handshake that settles a minor incident on the track and admiringly drooling over your neighbour’s motorbike.
Riding on track is magical in so many ways.
It’s clear that we’re hooked. We conclude the list of 10 things you didn’t know before you started riding on track with ‘you can never get enough of riding on track’. Not everyone will immediately become a true track junkie. There are also riders who don’t immediately book another track day after their first time.
But the itch remains. They may not want to take the risk, invest the time and money (which we understand) or have other priorities at the moment. But you’ll never forget the experience of your first track day. And you’ll never get enough of it.
When you start riding on track, it’s all very intimidating. But you soon realise that this world of aggressive-looking motorcyclists is actually a world full of fun. It’s not just about speed, even though we do everything we can for that one fast lap. Riding on track is addictive. It’s a financial disaster, but also a fantastic hobby and a wonderful sport. Would you like to book your first track day soon? Think carefully about what you’re getting into and then go for it. Book that ride!
