Learning the circuits

[Scott221]

Ok, as I have said on here many times before, I really really want to start racing in some kind of 400 class. This year im looking to get on as many trackdays as possible and also get my ACU license done.

My question is how do you guys learn the tracks? I know you get practice sessions on the day of a race, but surley its not enough to learn the circuit to a decent standard if you have never ridden on it before... Do you simply to a trackday their beforehand?

[zimm]

trackdays mate ..

practice session on race weekend is like 10 minutes lol ..

having said that i went and raced at both oulton park and anglesey without ever having seen the circuits before, so it can be done but I was there "for the craic" rather than to try and win.. Ive now raced at oulton park twice (7 races), and still dont really know my way round !

I will be trying to do things a bit more thoroughly this year, and intend doing the trackday thing.

there's acu test days at mallory every wednesday i think.. ? like a trackday, but different.

[Scott221]

Yep i'm going down to mallory with hottrax to take my test and get my acu license away with emra. But i'll only be doing trackdays this year as A i'm not fast enough for racing and B I need abit more cash. If i'm gonna do it, I wana do it properly which means either selling my bike and buying a trackbike or making the one i've got now into a trackbike. Which I really don't want to do.

I'll be going to rockingham, anglesey and cadewell this year, gonna try and get donny, mallory or silverstone in there aswell!

[cargo]

If you were a new comer at say Dundrod one of our longer road races you get 5 laps to learn a curcuit that is 7.5 miles round.

Of course for 51 weeks every year its a road and you do as many laps as you like LOL................. trouble is it's different when it's oneway and no traffic LOL

[will#224]

I raced supermoto for last 3 years and most the circuits were only available at race weekends, sometimes they changed them during the race weekend adding jumps etc...

I'm gonna do a few trackdays but most of the time i'll just close my eyes and hope for the best.

[zimm]

most of the time i'll just close my eyes and hope for the best.

good man !

what club you racing with ?

[jake]

i would'nt worry about it to much scott. You can do a million trackday all over the country and you will still get to your first race and think, i wish i just went ahead and did it. Racing will make you faster, trackdays wont like for like.
Wedsday afternoons at mallory, ive never been tbh. If you want cheap trackday, come down to oulton park on the 17th of feb, there will be a few of us there

[simmo]

there's acu test days at mallory every wednesday i think.. ? like a trackday, but different.

yes they are mate.
£49 for 3, 20 mins sessions

i live right next to mallory, so if ya ever down there, just say.

[zimm]

yes they are mate.
£49 for 3, 20 mins sessions

funky ! i havent been to mallory in a couple of years.. has the gerards chicane crap been dropped yet ?

i live right next to mallory, so if ya ever down there, just say.

will do ! i'll be needing someone to show me how to get under a minute.. my best was about a 1:10 (but it was wet, and on a stock L4)

[simmo]

yes they are mate.
£49 for 3, 20 mins sessions

funky ! i havent been to mallory in a couple of years.. has the gerards chicane crap been dropped yet ?

its still there, but its never been used while ive been on the track, thats been a year.

i live right next to mallory, so if ya ever down there, just say.

will do ! i'll be needing someone to show me how to get under a minute.. my best was about a 1:10 (but it was wet, and on a stock L4)

im not quite under a minute. best me dads timed me at was 1.00.85, so not far off the minute mark. will deffo be under it soon tho

[-GQ-]

i would'nt worry about it to much scott. You can do a million trackday all over the country and you will still get to your first race and think, i wish i just went ahead and did it. Racing will make you faster, trackdays wont like for like.

What he said.
I had my first racing season last year and couldn't believe the improvement in my times from one weekend to the next. You're being pulled along by fast blokes, you get to walk the track (ask an experienced racer in your class to walk the track with you - an hour on a Fri night well spent), and you get to see other (fast) peoples' lines. You just don't get that at trackdays.

With Bemsee you also normally have a Friday test day, which is basically a trackday, but only for ACU licence holders who are entered for that weekend's racing (unless they have extra space - still only ACU racers though).

[will#224]

most of the time i'll just close my eyes and hope for the best.

good man !

what club you racing with ?

Bemsee and the Darley moor series for definate plus maybe some other races. Bemsee cause there is 100k in sponsorship to celebrate its 100th year and EDI Asia sponsor the series which means more spondoolies and not just for the winners then Darley moor cause its reasonably close, loads of my mates race in other classes and it one circuit where i can race a number of times to gauge any improvement and changes in the bike.

I cant wait!!!!

The closing of my eyes thing does work but i average 3 big crashes a year and my scaphiod is still broken from last year, still if stacey moaner can do it so can i.