Riding lines on track. For some, it comes naturally. For others, it does not. If you are starting with riding on track and doing so sensibly – i.e. starting in the instruction group – then riding lines is the first thing you will do.
And this is hammered upon. ‘Ride the lines, ride the lines and ride the lines again’. That’s where track riding begins. Finding the ideal line for you, your motorbike and your riding style. And then learning where you can deviate from it to overtake slower riders.
Every track day enthusiast encounters it at some point. The atmosphere in the paddock is good, the circuit is in fantastic condition. And yet you come home frustrated because of what happened on track. Thanks to stunt riders. Situations like this prompt us to write about it. Hence this “rant” about riding lines and the ultimate goal: explaining why riding lines on track is so important.
Let’s provide some context. Frustration about riding lines often arises in the slower free-riding groups. These are the groups that many of us go through in the process of learning to ride faster. These are the free riding groups where people are still learning. Where you also encounter many pilots who dare to rev their bikes to high speeds, but have no knowledge of riding technique. Usually because they skip the instruction period, ‘because they can ride anyway’.
The slowest free riding group is a difficult group. Why? Because it is a mixed group of
A) Semi-beginner track day riders who have completed the necessary hours in instruction groups and are now riding freely and increasing their speed. These riders know that riding lines is important and do so properly.
B) Slow beginner free riders who have also had instruction and know how to ride lines, but whose pace is a lot slower.
C) Track day riders who ride faster than semi-beginner track day riders and therefore have to ride around everything and everyone, but know what they are doing. These riders are usually transferred to a faster group halfway through the day.
And finally…
D) Faster novice track day riders who have never had instruction, but want to ride on track. And so they immediately register in the slowest free riding group. They are not afraid to open the throttle, but have no idea what the principle of “riding lines” entails or means.
That D-type… in our not-so-modest opinion, they are the stunt pilots who make such a mess of this group. And so they are also the source of frustration on track.
Why do type D riders cause such a mess on the track? Because they ride fast, but they don’t ride proper lines. There are two, maybe even three disadvantages to this.
1. Faster riders who know what they’re doing find it difficult to overtake. Think of riders who are just a little bit faster, without there being a huge difference between them. You have to build up your overtaking manoeuvre, because you can’t just cut in front of them when there’s a significant speed difference.
Normally, you do this by riding behind someone for a while, gauging which lines they are taking and then building up your momentum to overtake them. Whether that happens going into a corner, coming out of a corner or on the straight by braking.
However, type D riders are unpredictable. Because they don’t ride lines. So it’s a surprise where they’re going. They often dive into a corner too early, or much too late. Or they choose a line without being sure of themselves. Then they put the bike upright in the corner and choose a new line.
This makes them extremely unpredictable, which means it can take a long time before a faster rider who does know how to ride lines and pass someone neatly can actually pass them.
2. For semi-fast riders, it is also quite chaotic to have such a rider in front of you.
Sometimes you can just about keep up, but then that type of D rider flutters around the track like a lost butterfly. One moment he or she takes turn 5 from the outside to the inside, then he or she takes it tight again, and the next lap he or she swings through that turn.
There is no rhythm or consistency, which is extremely distracting. If he or she happens to be going at the same speed as you, it is almost impossible to pass. Unless you just put your motorbike right next to them with balls and slight kamikaze vibes. But as a semi-novice track day rider, that can be quite nerve-wracking.
3. Type D riders overtake dangerously.
And this is what frustrates us the most.
Type D riders have never received instruction on track driving. So they have not been taught how to overtake someone. Which line to choose when you want to overtake someone. There are unwritten rules to the principle of “overtaking someone”.
Because people are unaware of these rules, they just do whatever they want. It is also annoying to be stuck behind a slightly or much slower rider for a long time. We understand that. But you pass them with respect.
And that is where the problem lies. Overtaking with respect for each other. Sometimes it is ignorance, other times it is a genuine lack of respect or realisation of how dangerous such a reckless overtaking manoeuvre can be.
For example, people overtake on the outside. This is possible on a long bend if the difference in speed is such that you can pass well in advance of the slower rider drifting outwards. However, in 9 out of 10 situations, the difference in speed is not that great in this group. And so you quickly get tangled up with each other. In that case, overtaking on the outside is always a bad idea.
Overtaking on the outside of a tight turn followed by a straight stretch is always a bad idea. You are giving the slower rider only one option: to slam on the brakes. This creates two risks.
Risk 1: the slower rider does not brake enough and knocks the type D rider who wanted to overtake on the outside off his or her motorbike.
Risk 2: both riders end up on the tarmac because the slower rider brakes too hard and then knocks the faster rider who wanted to overtake on the outside off as well.
No, no bueno. That’s why you don’t pass on the outside in such cases. The slower rider will – if he or she is riding neatly – always be on the outside before the turn. That means there are many metres of asphalt free on the inside. And that is exactly where the type D rider should be. On the inside. Put your motorbike next to them, show them your front wheel and then take the turn. In this case, the slower rider has two options instead of one:
Option 1: let the motorbike run wide and then steer in. You may need to brake a little to avoid the gravel trap.
Option 2: slam on the brakes and then return to his or her original line after deviating from it for a moment.
As the slower rider, you have at least two options, which means that overtaking does not have to be a problem. And the risks remain limited.
Riding lines not only gives flow to a session, it also ensures that all riders can find their own pace and increase it. If we all fly around the track like crazy monkeys, you can’t find that pace without taking risks.
And let’s agree that this sport already involves enough risks as it is. Let’s not add unnecessary risks to that.
By riding lines, overtaking each other becomes safer and easier. Because you can build up your overtaking manoeuvre based on the information provided by the rider in front of you. You know where he or she is going, so you can execute your manoeuvre in a calculated manner.
Of course, there will always be some risk involved, but this way we can keep those risks to a minimum. And we can all do our thing on the track, instead of literally being run over.
What we really want to say… Book instruction, even if you ride fast. Have you never ridden on a circuit before, or was it a long time ago? Or have you only ridden on small circuits? Then book instruction before you start riding freely on a large track. Learn how to ride lines and how to pass someone with respect. Accelerating early and hard is one thing. Braking late is another. And high cornering speed is a third. But it all starts with something else. And that is riding lines.
