track school

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Scarver

14/02/2005 at 08:37

Just in case people have been on track schools since that last time they were mentioned.

Recommendations? I'm getting a track school day or days for my bd. I'd like to use their bikes, not mine and I'd like to have a little whizzy round the track, but more importantly learn for life, not for racing.

Where shall I go, bearing in mind that I'm in the SW of England and, seeing as I'm not paying for it, I could go abroad, if there's good uns in say Jerez or somewhere.

Any suggestions, experiences to be shared?

Cheers

Green Lantern

14/02/2005 at 09:04

Scarver wrote

Just in case people have been on track schools since that last time they were mentioned.

Recommendations? I'm getting a track school day or days for my bd. I'd like to use their bikes, not mine and I'd like to have a little whizzy round the track, but more importantly learn for life, not for racing.

Where shall I go, bearing in mind that I'm in the SW of England and, seeing as I'm not paying for it, I could go abroad, if there's good uns in say Jerez or somewhere.

Any suggestions, experiences to be shared?

Cheers

It's a fair way from you but if you're prepared to ride to the continent as well......

Hopp Rider Training @ Cadwell. First class, emphasis on safety. You use your own bike (they rent as well I think) but it's so safe you need not have any worries. Excellent training......Do a google, you'll easy find it.

I did my first trackday with them last September. I've never done one with "Fast as F*ck Trackdays Ltd" but from what I hear, Hopp is quite different.

I'd go again with them, no hesitation, having said that, distance is an issue for me, so I'll be talking to Yorick soon about Focused Events @ Oulton...............

Aka Hal Jordan

Mid-corner, I ran out of talent.........

In brightest day, in blackest night....no evil shall escape my sight

www.glcorps.org

MikesG7

14/02/2005 at 09:37

I have done the Ron Haslam school really just in case I ever get enough time / money / enough brain cells die to race as you need to have done a track school to get your ACU licence nowadays.

I didn't really learn anything TBH, the instructor was Paul Iddon - an ex WSB racer and father of Christian Iddon the super moose turd racer but he wasn't very chatty, showed us the lines and stuff but I know Donington anyway.

Good fun but I wouldn't recommend it based on my experience unless you want to just want to mess about on someone elses bikes on a racetrack.

ESS is supposed to be very good but it's a 4 session job at several hundred quid a session.

The Spin Doctor

14/02/2005 at 09:59

Trackday for your birthday? Money no object?

www.classrides.com

Reg Pridmore - highly regarded in the States...

Willow is supposed to be a nice circuit... and Road America I've seen on AMA Superbikes and looks a cracking circuit... and of course, there's always Laguna Seca and the Corkscrew!

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"Force has no place where there is need of skill" Herodotus 450BC :burnout:

Scarver

14/02/2005 at 12:48

Thanks for that Spin.

However. Taking into account my method of risk assessment vs advantage gained.

Contrary to popular belief and statisics, flying is not the safest mode of transport. Me in control is the safest mode of transport. As I don't fly aeroplanes, flight = added risk. Longer flight = more risk. You might convince my brain otherwise, but my stomach won't believe you.

Hence slightly enhanced risk, flying to Europe, advantage gained = more chance of good weather and something else to do if the weather is inclement. Advantage gained > risk incurred.

However, flying to US? Advantage gained < risk incurred, especially if you take into account that I could be riding a bike when jet-lagged.

I don't care if flying is the safest mode of transport statistically and the danger is only increased on take-off and landing, so 1 hour flight is no less risky than 9 hour flight.

Therefore Europe is about as far as I'll go for a trackday.

If I don't ride my own bike, I don't need to take it, so distance isn't the main consideration, but it is if I'm flying.

The Spin Doctor

14/02/2005 at 13:01

Quote

However. Taking into account my method of risk assessment vs advantage gained.

LOL
I'm sure youll have fun wherever you end up...

"Force has no place where there is need of skill" Herodotus 450BC :burnout:

Green Lantern

14/02/2005 at 13:18

The Spin Doctor wrote

and of course, there's always Laguna Seca and the Corkscrew!

At Cadwell, this is called Gooseneck and Mansfield.

OK, not quite the same......

I'll get my coat.........

Aka Hal Jordan

Mid-corner, I ran out of talent.........

In brightest day, in blackest night....no evil shall escape my sight

www.glcorps.org

rainmaker

14/02/2005 at 13:40

As a word of warning, check out ACTUAL tracktime before booking a school. I've heard quite a few dissappointed people come back saying they only got 40 mins on track, or some such.

Most track days have instructors who are happy to show you round a track and have a chat afterwards. I found that doing a Trackday Virgins day as my 1st day very good, cos there was no pressure, and no fast group loons. I worked it all out meself, pretty much. Which i think most people can do if they let themselves, or are that kind of confident person in the first place.

Normal trackdays are cheaper too!

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Green Lantern

14/02/2005 at 13:48

Good point, Rainy.

Hopp is 4 x 20 minutes in the morning, each session with an instructor, about 1:6.

Afternoon is "free expression" (

), again 4 x 20 minutes.

Plenty of time to completely sh*g my tyres..........

Aka Hal Jordan

Mid-corner, I ran out of talent.........

In brightest day, in blackest night....no evil shall escape my sight

www.glcorps.org

Able Blade

14/02/2005 at 14:57

Scarver wrote

Just in case people have been on track schools since that last time they were mentioned.

I've been on a few; Ron Haslam, Honda at (Mallory), Yamaha Race School (Cadwell), Mick Boddice/Dave Luscombe - specially arranged for our club(Darley Moor), California Super bike school.

Firstly I'd advise to use your own bike. I cant see any point in using another bike - the idea would surely be to develop your skills on your bike.

YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BIN IT!! There's no opposing traffic, no road surface hazards, no cars to pull out in front of you...

I've prolly been to about 36 track days in my life and NEVER even got close to falling off (even in the fast group).

To many schools have either very little instruction or very little track time, but my favourites by far were:

California Superbike School - no contest with any other attended.
Dave Luscombe Day - a specially formulated day for our club with braking, cornering and accelleration sense drills. Excellent!!!

The Yamaha, Honda and Ron Haslem days all lacked tuition and track time.

Slow, look, lean, roll!

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rainmaker

14/02/2005 at 15:14

Able Blade wrote

no road surface hazards, no cars to pull out in front of you...

OK, I agree that pretty much in this country (Ingerland) you'll get no bad surfaces, although if you are going quite quickly that definition changes quite quickly - for example at 'road' pace the bumps at Sunny In at Croft are nothing.

At fast track pace, they suddenly become a little scarier. It's all relative

Take your track-day to Northern Ireland (they're all bad, apparently, but I only have experience of Bishopscourt), and you've got another kettle of fish. Most A-roads have better surfaces. Certainly most A-roads over here don't have weeds growing out of the cracks.....

And cars don't need to be moving to be a hazard - I only say this as a lad I know managed to crash into a stupidly parked jeep at Croft a couple of years ago at Jim Clarke Esses - concrete run off, and she'd parked the jeep at the end of the run-off. So he hit it.

Scarver, chances of falling off are incredibly low - I agree that using your own bike is also a good idea - you know the bike and how it behaves, I think is more important than developing skills on your bike, IYSWIM (I think it gives you the confidence to try getting new skills, something you might not be comfortable of with someone elses bike).

All depends though on what you ride - I've got a fairly sporty bike (by 5-yr-old standards

) and I almost binned it in my first ever track session because of lack of ground clearance. If you ride something with low slung exhausts, it might be a good idea to get a hire bike. If you've got something sporty-ish, jack up the rear and get it on the track!

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Scarver

14/02/2005 at 16:00

Quote

Scarver, chances of falling off are incredibly low - I agree that using your own bike is also a good idea

and similar quoted by others including Able.

That's not why I wanted to use their bike.

I've got a BMW and I'd like to ride a sports bike. Just the once, before I get too old.

Even if not a sports bike though, using their bike would probably mean I could go further afield without knackering myself out getting there anyway, so it seems like a good idea.

rainmaker

14/02/2005 at 16:06

There's your answer then....

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tfd

15/02/2005 at 11:20

mostly what Able said.
UK - Mick Boddice at Darley Moor - good day, definately a School, not a thinly-disguised track day - good instructors, progressive including cornering, hanging off, e-stops from 40mph up to [as fast as you like]. One 'free' session at the end. Their bikes (and lids, leathers, everything) if you're going to worry about binning it. Been twice now, recommended.

Europe - ESS, without a doubt. Two day full-time school at 1:2 and then (if you want) a track day on the 3rd day. Much more track-biassed skills than the above, usually on your own bike - it will cost if you want bike hire as well, but they can (help?) arrange it. & you'll have to wait till September for Nogaro, but if you want abroad... or they do 'SPORTS' instruction days, at Brands or Silverstone I think - check out www.europeansuperbikeschool.com .

California Superbilke School also have a pretty good rep, but a bit less flexible about "start here, do session 1 which covers this" - also track-biased & less track time. Their bikes all the time though.

Or for something completely different check out Yamaha off Road Experience - their bikes, fields, mud, excellent instruction, all you provide is the falling off & the grins

AND it's in another country

You could also post this on 'trackdays' if you haven't already ?

tfd

ps let us know how you get on

Rubber Side Down
TFD
VFR750, CBR400
We've seen it all - Bonfires of trust, flashfloods of pain...

"you only get away with it
... until you don't"

Able Blade

15/02/2005 at 13:09

tfd wrote

California Superbilke School also have a pretty good rep, but a bit less flexible about "start here, do session 1 which covers this" - also track-biased & less track time. Their bikes all the time though.

CSS do allow you to use your own bikes. You have the choice.

Agreed! - Offroad days are excellent. I did the Geoff Mayes Try Out on a fantastic circuit just off the M1.

Slow, look, lean, roll!

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2wheeler

15/02/2005 at 13:19

Able Blade wrote

...[snip]...
I've prolly been to about 36 track days in my life and NEVER even got close to falling off (even in the fast group).
...[snip]...

That's interesting for me - but how many crashes have you seen? I am vaguely interested in doing another track day but at the one and only track day I have attended:

I saw someone drop a green Kawasakin Ninja (750?)
I saw someone roll up to a corner way off the braking line on his CB500 and go grass-tracking (still can't believe he didn't drop it - he was slow but still scary!)
One of the tutors fell off whilst "wearing in" a tutee's sliders, of all things - he went to hospital with suspected broken collar bone
Four (approx.) closures to clean the track - they never did work out who's bike was leaking

It was RiDE better at Cadwell Park. I'd rather not give the date here. In the debrief we were told that this had been a tightly supervised, tame track day and that others could be a bit more rough and ready

Well I was scared enough (to be fair I wasn't very well that day either) and I'm in no rush to do another track day. I didn't feel that I was going to crash all by myself but I didn't feel much inclination to push on because I was worried about the other riders. So I didn't feel I got much benefit from being on a closed circuit.

But if I can scrape together the money I'll try Martin's suggestion of Hopp Rider Training - not least because Cadwell is handy.

I think, therefore I ride a motorbike

rainmaker

15/02/2005 at 13:41

Track days.....you always get crashers. Usually the first bike to go is a Duke or a tripple - ime. Don't know why.

Usually within the first 3 free laps of the 1st session.

You'll then usually get another 2-3 crashers throughout the day. Sometimes more, rarely less.

And it tends to be the people on fast bikes who think they can ride. Sometimes it's trying to catch someone who's blatantly more skilful.

I've never seen a a non-sports in the gravel (I think it's a rare occurrence).

If YOU ride how you want to ride, and don't get unduly influenced by someone else, there is absolutely no reason to bin it, except for the (tiny possibility of) aforementioned oil leak - but even then you didn't crash did you?

Don't worry about it - just go and enjoy yourself!!!

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Able Blade

15/02/2005 at 14:00

2wheeler wrote

That's interesting for me - but how many crashes have you seen? I am vaguely interested in doing another track day but at the one and only track day I have attended:

Maybe I'm not the best person to ask as I've been riding for 10 years and never come off.

But, there really IS no reason to fall off. You can pick out the guys that are going to bin it (us girls are usually more sensible). I even make a point of finding them and jokingly giving them a few tips like; "if you carry on scraping your pegs like that, something spectacular is gonna happen." - It did! He wrote off his Blackbird.

If you're sensible and ride within your limitations, you ARE NOT going to fall off.

Slow, look, lean, roll!

www.tvam.org.uk VDTD31Int Funky#00

Able Blade

15/02/2005 at 15:34

rainmaker wrote

Track days.....you always get crashers. Usually the first bike to go is a Duke or a tripple - ime. Don't know why.

You're right! The twin's torque and heavy wrist action don't mix. It's the Aprila's, I find.

You'll find them littered around Edwiner's at Mallory. Just keep a wide berth. The damn things fall off their stands too - so park with caution.

Slow, look, lean, roll!

www.tvam.org.uk VDTD31Int Funky#00