THRYLLZ
Thrills we thrive on
Thrills we thrive on
Why should everyone ride on track at least once? Because you learn more in one track day than you do in months of riding on the road. Are we exaggerating? Perhaps a little. But only just a little. Let us tell you why everyone should ride on track at least once.
As we said, you learn more during one track day than you do during months of riding on the road. Because where can you ride on the road like you can on a circuit? Some of us may do it here and there. But you can’t really ride carefree anywhere on the road. There are always other road users, potholes, bumps, lines or crash barriers to take into account. Or you have to swerve around the most random rubbish that people lose while driving. So do you not have to take anything into account while riding on track? Not exactly. But you will worry less.
After all, there are more people riding on track. But you can assume that the asphalt is almost flawless. You will hardly encounter any cracks or potholes. There may be a bump here and there, but that’s about it. In addition to riding calmly on track, you also have to be able to race. And the asphalt on a circuit provides much more grip than the asphalt used for road construction. You also all ride in the same direction. So there is no inattentive oncoming traffic or surprises from side streets. You do need to pay attention at the pit lane entry and exit, although that responsibility lies mainly with riders leaving pit lane. And with you as a rider if you want to enter the pit lane. But otherwise, you just go with the flow. Quite pleasant!
If you are just starting out with riding on track, you will take lessons or instruction. Don’t worry that you will suddenly be overtaken on all sides on the track. That’s not how it works. You will be placed in a group with riders of approximately the same level.
Of course, the first session is a bit of a feeler. Was the grouping done correctly, or is there a significant difference in skill level within the group? If the latter is the case, riders are often moved around a bit, creating groups that can ride together in a flow. You not only take each other into account within your group, but also between groups.
Faster groups catch up with slower groups. They do this in formation and only at the signal of an instructor. The group being overtaken also receives a signal that they will be passed, so they too remain in formation and maintain or reduce their speed. In other words, there are few surprises. While we normally love surprises in life, we actually find it quite pleasant to keep them to a minimum on the track.
Okay, the risks are much smaller than you probably thought beforehand. After all, riding on track does not mean that you suddenly have to ride fast. You can just ride at your own pace. Are you a little unsure about your speed? Then don’t let that stop you. No one will force you to ride faster than you feel comfortable with.
This also means that you don’t need a very sporty motorbike. In principle, you can take any motorbike onto the track. Only electric motorbikes are often excluded. Do you ride a custom chopper? A beast of an all-road motorbike or a lightweight naked bike? All motorbikes are welcome. Does your motorbike have two wheels? Does it ride, shift gears and brake? Then your motorbike qualifies for track riding.
Is there something wrong with your motorbike? Then repair it in advance. You don’t want to endanger yourself or others. But actually, that’s only logical. A motorbike that has been thoroughly checked should be the norm, not the exception.
Please note that many circuits have a noise limit for your exhaust. An open exhaust that makes a lot of noise (yes, we love that too) is generally not appreciated. Do you have a dB killer? Give up that pleasure of noise for a day filled with even more riding pleasure. Just put it in, even if it’s only for that one day. It’s 100% worth it.
Right, we’ve dismissed those excuses. But all joking aside, the threshold for signing up is actually not that high. But then the question remains: why would you ride on track? Because it’s not only incredibly cool, very exciting and, above all, totally awesome, but also because you learn a lot. Not only about riding on a circuit, but also about your own riding skills and your motorbike.
You learn more about cornering and anticipating a turn. And about looking. You start looking so much further ahead. ‘I already do that on the road!’ We believe you. But here you learn to look through a turn even better. Because there are no distractions from oncoming or sideways traffic, you don’t have to look at that. So you can focus entirely on the corner as you approach it and on the next part of the circuit as you enter it. Because you are less distracted, you can also focus more on your riding technique.
You’re less likely to lean into the turn with such abandon on the road, especially if you’re just starting to improve your riding posture. On track, you have more room to do so in a much safer situation.
And what about that motorbike? It gets a good workout. That’s not necessarily a must, of course, as we said; you can also cruise calmly around the track. But do you want to make that sporty riding style even sportier? Then the track gives you the opportunity to really open up the throttle.
Besides the obvious thrill, it also tells you a lot about your motorbike’s throttle response. And how quickly (or perhaps, contrary to expectations, slowly) you can actually accelerate. How much such a machine can actually withstand. But also how hard your motorcycle can brake.
Are you approaching a short turn after a long, straight stretch? Then you have the opportunity to slam on the brakes. Don’t cross your limit, but try to find that edge. You’ll probably be amazed at how hard your motorbike can actually brake.
This information and experience is very valuable for riding on the road. We don’t want to encourage you to ride like a madman after your track day. But it does give you much more confidence in your machine. If you ever do have to make that emergency stop, your motorbike can do much more than you thought.
Not all of us are born racers. And you don’t have to be one either. You don’t have to be or want to be a racer to hit the track. A day on track is very controlled. You will be supervised by experienced instructors and highly passionate motorcyclists. You don’t have to have been riding a motorbike for years. Even if you haven’t been riding for very long, you can still ride on track. Do you feel safe on your motorbike at your own pace? And do you have your motorbike under control at your own pace? Then you’re good to go. And that’s exactly why everyone should ride on track at least once.
You will feel even safer on your motorbike. Not just at your own pace. You will take that confidence in your own riding and in your motorbike with you at any speed. Your control over your motorbike will improve, and often your riding posture as well. You will sit more relaxed on your motorcycle. You will be confronted with your own riding skills in a different way. Is that a bad thing? Absolutely not! In 9 out of 10 cases, you will see that you can actually ride much better than you often think. So be sure to give riding on track a try. Will it be just that one time? Then that’s fine, of course. You were brave enough to give it a try and learned a lot in that one day. But we warn you in advance: riding on track is addictive. In the best way possible.
