Tuitional Trackdays: Safer, Faster, the Future?

Preconception: cops hate bikers
Reality: this cop doesn't, he's trying to help
What I learned: we need more people like Andy

AS A GENERAL rule British bikers love sports bikes. Buying any litre sports bike is no bad thing. Creeping over the national speed limit is no real biggy either. Getting a corner wrong and stuffing yourself into someone's fence, wall or dining room, however, is becoming an all too common and unwanted extra that bikers and unwitting homeowners could do without.

Andy McManus feels the same. As a keen biker he has made it his mission to educate riders on his patch. Rather than going on a one-man crusade, he has enlisted the help of qualified and experienced road and track instructors. He has also claimed Cadwell Park as his private training ground.

This doesn't sound particularly radical, but Andy is no ordinary do-gooder. He is a real live police inspector (gasp!), and has taken the brave step of choosing to educate riders how to do things properly rather than just dishing out points and fines. Radical man!

Andy developed a fairly easy way to pinpoint exactly who he wanted to attend his events. By turning up at local bike meets in plain clothes and chatting to real actual bikers it quickly became apparent who thought they were the fastest thing since the last fast bloke that thought he was fast. Andy offered them a track day with the chance to learn skills they could practice and apply on the road, all for just £30. The fee is subsidised by Lincolnshire's road safety partnership. Yep, the council paid for our track day fun. Result.

Using instructors from the Hopp rider training school this first event focused on braking control, specifically getting a feel for when the front or rear would lock up. Many people present on the day hadn't ever done this on purpose, and it seemed to really help people's confidence.

Once the instructors were happy with everyone's progress the track sessions became open, and as long as you used the correct etiquette you could ride round at whatever pace you wanted and practice the techniques taught earlier.

Track fever still infected a few people, who decided they would much rather practice their new found braking skills on the grass rather than on the track. Andy's case in point: do this on the road and you could be another of his investigations. But essentially the message came across and people got the chance to learn new skills and practice them within the confines of a safe environment.

The safe environment being the key element, as Andy explained: "Tragically, the past few months have seen nine riders die on Lincolnshire roads, predominantly sports bike riders. On investigation, seven of these have been classified as 'rider error'. In my language, these are fellow bikers who at that time were riding beyond their ability, and lost control at that unexpected moment. I have been fortunate through my work to receive additional training. Had I not, I would probably have been reading this article thinking, 'this doesn't apply to me'. It does, it still does, and I'm still actively looking for opportunities to improve."

Fair point. Andy's course is a constructive step forward.

HERO NO.8 - Andy McManus

ANDY IS AN inspector with the Lincolnshire Police, having spent 22 years with the Met Police as an armed motorcycle cop in the Diplomatic Protection Group. He's now the head of casualty reduction for the county and as senior investigating officer has to oversee the investigaton of the county's fatal crashes. Grim work.

His own biking background includes having started riding at the age of 13 on a Suzuki AP50. He enjoys off-road riding and track days. He now rides a Fireblade and as well as being an IAM observer claims to be a loyal Visordown reader.