First Track Day, Here’s What To Expect

So your first track day’s booked, bikes prepped, and the day has finally arrived! Different track day organisers and circuits may do a few things a little differently, but overall, all days will follow a similar pattern…  If you have planned and prepped properly, (which you can do by reading our blogs!), you will get the most from your day and you’ll definitely be back for more track days!

Preparation

The day before your track day, make sure everything is organised and in order. Your bike should be prepped and in good working order, if your not sure how to prep your bike, click through and read our bike preparation guide. Make sure transport for your bike is sorted (if necessary) and you should have plenty of fuel for both you and the bike. 

Plenty of snacks, fruit and water will keep you going throughout the day, replacing energy and keeping you hydrated – avoid the energy drinks and pie dinners at lunch!

On The Day

Firstly, it is important to observe the track day organisers timings – the less delays and problems throughout the day, the more you’ll enjoy the circuit! Make sure you get to the circuit as early as you can. Some circuits have pit garages (most are on a first come, first served basis), and unless you’re there by around 7am, chances are they will be gone… but there will always be space in the paddock. A garage is not essential, but it just adds to the atmosphere of the day, plus, if there are any showers throughout the day, you have some protection from the elements. 

Once you’ve unloaded your bike and got your space, you can use the time before signing on to give your bike a quick once over, get it up on its stands, fuelled up and ready for noise testing. If you’ve ridden to the event, you can use this time to remove any mirrors etc and tape up / remove any lights.

Sign-On

Sign-On usually starts at 7.30am and this is when the organisers put you “on the list” of riders – and just as when you arrive at the circuit, it’s always best to get there as soon as you can. When signing on, you will need your driving licence (or ACU racing licence), plus completed indemnity forms from the track day organisers and the circuit. Once you’ve signed on, you will be given a sticker for your bike, plus a wristband to show what group you are in (do not forget to wear these or put them on your bike, as you won’t be allowed on track).

Noise Testing

Once you’ve signed on, the noise testing opens pretty much straight after… You will be told where this takes place when you sign on, but most of the time it’s hard to miss, thanks to the queue of bikes waiting to get tested.  

The noise limit can vary from track day to track day, but you will have seen the noise limit when booking the track day, so hopefully you should fly through this and be another step closer to the track!

Briefing

Once you are all signed on and have had your bike noise tested, the riders briefing (again, you will be told where and when this is when you signed on).  

This is one of the most important parts of the day, so it is important to pay attention and listen carefully, as you will be given a lot of information regarding the circuit, the order of the groups, what all the circuit flags mean and what to do if you are unlucky enough for your bike to stop on the circuit etc… Don’t be afraid to ask questions, as it can be a lot of information to take in. If you are a track day novice, some organisers hold a separate novice mini briefing after the main briefing, and it’s well worth staying for this.

Your First Track Session

Finally, this is it! The part of the day when all that organisation and preparation pays off – time to get out on track! The first session usually starts at 9am and you would have been told in the riders briefing the running order of the groups.  

The nerves may get to you at this point, but don’t worry, there are plenty of other people in your group feeling exactly the same, so just use this first session to ease yourself in, learn where the circuit goes and relax.

Before your first session starts properly, you will have to complete your sighting laps – the instructor will lead you around for 3 slow laps with no overtaking, allowing you to familiarise yourself with the track.  Once your sighting laps are over, you will be either called into the pit lane to start your session, or the instructor will peel off into the pits and your session is a go!

The first session will be over before you know it! Then it’s back to the pits to take in what you’ve learnt, hydrate and wait for your next session to come around. There will be no more sighting laps for the day, so remember to take it easy for 2 or 3 laps every session to get your tyres warm and your eye back in.

After 3 or 4 morning sessions, there will be a lunch break, allowing you to relax, take the morning in and to get some food and fluids (remember, stay away from the pies – a big meal is just going to make you feel lethargic in the afternoon!)

The lunch break is also a good time to reflect on your mornings riding, give your bike a quick check over and make sure you’re all set for the afternoon.

As the morning’s adrenaline has died down over lunch, it’s always worth taking the first afternoon session easy and build your speed back up again.  Once you’re happy and your concentration levels are back up, it’s all systems go to enjoy the rest of your afternoon.

Home Time

We always find it amazing how quickly the sessions fly by and before you know it, the track day is over!

With the buzz of the day still ringing in your head – it’s easy to get caught up in the moment when you’re packing away or getting your bike ready to ride home…  (we’ve had guys here complete their first race meeting, pack up, drive 3 hours home and unload their bike only to find the transponder they hired and was supposed to return still attached to their bike!!)

If you are riding your bike home, take a few moments to make sure any road trim you took off or taped up is back to original, your tyre pressures are correct for the road and that you have fuel! If your bike is going in a van, or on a trailer, make sure it’s strapped down well and that you have picked up all of your tools, stands and fuel cans etc…. It’s amazing what gets left behind on some track days!

Hopefully this has given you some insight into what to expect from a track day and a brief overview of how a track day may run?  If you are looking at doing a track day soon but dont know which track to choose, have a look at our circuit guide. If you are in need of some spares for your next track day, we stock products from all of the top brands on our website, with huge stocks for fast delivery, or you can visit us in our store in Wrexham, Wales.


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