THRYLLZ
Thrills we thrive on
Thrills we thrive on
Want to start riding on track? Have you finally plucked up the courage to take the plunge and will you start booking track days? Then let us tell you why you should book your track days in winter.
It actually has nothing to do with winter. But what we really want to say is that booking track days is something you want to do as early as possible. For most European countries, the track season ends in October. In Spain, Portugal and perhaps even Italy, you can still find a track day in November. But certainly in November, that’s it for track days on this side of the ocean.
When the season comes to an end in November, most racing organisations contact the various circuits to reserve days for the new season. If an organisation is really on top of things, they will communicate their provisional calendar with circuit days at the end of November. But most will communicate their calendar with circuit days for the new season with some certainty in December.
Now you might think, ‘I’ll wait and see and hold off on booking track days until I know what the rest of my plans are.’ And that, my friend, is not a smart choice.
Don’t wait until summer arrives and you feel like riding your motorbike again. Don’t wait until you know what all your other plans for the new year are. Or what your partner, friends or family’s plans are. Just. Don’t. Do it.
Because before you know it, they’ll be fully booked. That happens faster than you think. More and more people are taking up riding on track. There are now more amateur track day riders and fanatic racers than there are places available on all track days. Especially now that riding on the road is being increasingly discouraged with road closures, stricter rules, etc., speed demons are seeking refuge on the circuit. And so they book track days. In other words, it’s a matter of supply and demand.
Would you like to ride on everyone’s favourite circuit, preferably in mid-August? Then it’s best to book that circuit day in December. Basically, every motorcyclist wants sunshine during their circuit day. So registrations for circuit days in the middle of summer go fast. But the days that extend the season also often go fast at the beginning of the year.
If you really want to wait to book your first track days, you should be prepared for the fact that you may not be able to ride on your preferred track on that day. Or that the track is still available, but there are only spots left in April or October. In the UK, that means 9 times out of 10 that you’ll have to bring your rain tyres.
What we really want to say is: give riding on track some priority. We know we don’t have to say that twice to some people. Especially those who have already ridden on track, or who, like us, can regularly be found on the track. But if it’s your first time, really give it some priority. And be one of those early birds. You will definitely not regret it.
And best of all, once your track day arrives, you’ll have long forgotten how much it cost you. And you can just enjoy your track day.
Did you decide to ignore our valuable advice? And are you now too late with booking track days? And is everything already fully booked? You can always go with some friends who were smart enough to book on time. Bring your motorbike and all your gear. There’s always a chance that someone won’t show up. Or that someone will crash early in the day. And cause enough damage to their motorbike that they can no longer ride. You can then take their place.
We know that’s far from classy. In fact, you’re a bit of a “corpse picker”. But admit it… it’s a shame to let a place like that go to waste.
The conclusion is quite simple. Just book your track days in good time. Book them as early as possible. That way, you can be sure of riding on your favourite circuit in the best weather. Have you waited too long with booking track days? And is everything fully booked? That’s exactly why you should book your track days in winter. But don’t panic. You can always just take your gear with you and go on the off chance. With a bit of luck – or rather, bad luck for someone else – you can take someone else’s place. But it’s better to be smart and friendly; book your track days in advance.
