Perhaps you’ve already had your first track day and have you been riding around your local home circuit for a while. You see photos of track days abroad posted by fellow track day riders and think, “I want that too”. Riding track days abroad. We’ll tell you why you should just go for it.
And of course, we will help you figure out how to do that. Because the idea can be exciting or intimidating. How does riding track days abroad work? What do you need to take into account? And how do you book a track day abroad?
Riding your “home circuit” is wonderful. Which track that is depends, of course, on where you come from. But riding that home circuit feels safe. You’re fast there because you know it like the back of your hand. After all, that’s where you spend most of your time. We often see people spending countless hours at TT Assen, Circuit Zolder or Zandvoort. Or at smaller tracks such as Mettet in Belgium. And if you’re from the UK, we often hear our English friends talk about their hours spent on Donington and Cadwell. But let’s leave that home circuit behind for now…
As a novice track day rider – or even a more experienced rider who always rides the same circuit – it can be exciting to ride a new track. One you’ve never been to before and is therefore completely new to you.
Actually, it’s not that exciting at all. Think back to your very first track day. Combine that excitement with the experience you’ve gained in the meantime… Suddenly it’s a lot less scary, don’t you think?
Riding track days abroad sounds exotic. But you don’t actually have to go that far. As a Dutch or Belgian citizen, you can easily travel to France or Germany. That’s quite easy to prepare for. Perhaps Spa-Francorchamps already feels like “abroad” to you as a true Dutchman. And TT Assen is already a trip across the border for a Flemish person.
Circuits in Germany and France, such as Hockenheim and Ecuyers, are actually not that far away too. You could easily drive there yourself with your car and trailer or with your van. Put your motorbike on the back or in the back and off you go.
But you can also go further afield. We highly recommend booking a track day in Spain, Portugal or Italy. The weather (much more sun and warmth!), the food, the people, and above all: the tracks… that’s what makes it so worthwhile. And because it feels like a mini holiday – even though you may only be away for four days in total – you enjoy it just that little bit more. What’s more, riding track days itself costs less abroad than it does in the Netherlands and Belgium. However, the entire trip often costs a little more in total because you still have to get there, of course.
Our tip: Are you travelling with a group of six people? Have two people drive there in a van with a spacious trailer carrying all the motorbikes and equipment. The costs involved are often comparable to those of motorbike transport. Motorbike transport costs easily between €250 and €300 per person.
You can still drive to Spain or Italy if you want. Portugal is a bit too far for most people. So you will need to transport your motorbike. This is almost always well organised by the organisation you book with.
Booking a track day abroad is the same as booking a track day in the Netherlands or Belgium. Whether you base your choice on the organisation, the track or the date is up to you.
Sometimes, “established Dutch or Belgian organisations” also offer track trips abroad. Think of 2TheExperience, Racecracks and Eybis.
The nice thing about this is that you often see the same faces during the trips abroad. That familiar feeling and the ability to communicate in your native language can be a huge added value.
However, you are often limited to circuits that they do business with. Would you like to ride a circuit such as the Slovakia Ring? Or Mugello or the Red Bull Ring? Then you will often end up with a foreign organisation.
Don’t hesitate to give it a go. Almost all organisations speak a decent level of English. And the processes are pretty much the same everywhere. You register, transport your motorbike if necessary, and head to the circuit.
There you report to the organisation, pick up your stickers, attend the briefing and then on the bike and off you go. Whether the organisation is Dutch, Belgian, English, Polish, German or Italian… it works the same everywhere.
Sometimes it’s difficult to estimate how things will work out with groups and lap times. Are you worried about that? Are you afraid that people will ride too fast or too slow? You can always email or call the organisation. Otherwise, just like in the Netherlands and Belgium, you will automatically be placed in the right group based on your lap time.
Foreign organisations also work with lap timers and look at lap times to divide the groups correctly.
A few of our favourite foreign organisations with which we have had very good experiences:
Motorcycle transport from the Netherlands or Belgium is an option, e.g. with No Limits & Promo Racing.
Riding track days abroad is less scary than it seems or sounds. Riding track days with a foreign organisation can certainly be intimidating for some people. But in reality, it’s really not that bad. Almost every organisation works according to the same principles that you are used to from organisations in the UK, Netherlands and Belgium. And most of them also speak good English. So you’ll definitely be able to communicate.
The enjoyment of the weather, the beautiful surroundings, the people, the food… it often makes riding track days abroad so much more enjoyable than your days in the Netherlands and Belgium. But also than the UK. Not that those days aren’t wonderful. But riding track days abroad – even if the trip often only lasts a day or four – feels like a mini holiday. And that makes it just that little bit more magical.
