Ridiculefr35 Posted April 11, 2011 Report Share Posted April 11, 2011 Hi folks, What would be your ideal way to use 5 track days about a month apart from each? These are my first track days ever, at the Bugatti circuit (Le Mans 24hrs?) Each day is limited to 3 x 25 minute sessions pre-reserved.....with possibility to add one or two more depending on places available on the day. I was hoping to use these as constructively as possibly.....I want to have fun.....but I don't want to find myself 'circulating'....? Day 1 session1: ? session2: ? session3: ? Day 2? up to Day 5: Any advice to plan and take maximum benefit from these experiences will be appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Rutter Posted April 11, 2011 Report Share Posted April 11, 2011 Last one I did, I booked an instructor for the day, got feedback from him about where I needed to improve and the times dropped throughout the day. Perhaps after the first session, work out which corners you're not so hot on and work on one or two at a time? I think more than anything though you should just enjoy yourself, don't be too strict with what you need to be doing, just have fun and you'll improve anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ridiculefr35 Posted April 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 12, 2011 Thanks Steve! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasonzilla Posted April 12, 2011 Report Share Posted April 12, 2011 I'd say read TOTW 2 and take some notes to take with you to the track. Find information that intrigues you and try it at the track. 3-4 things a trackday. Come up with your plan. Throttle control, how much weight to put on the bars, steering input, vision, etc. Those things will make you a better rider. Trying to improve one corner of the actual track at a time won't make you a better rider or teach you how to ride better, so the overall improvements will come way too slow if at all. During the trackday, get to know some of the other riders if you don't know anyone now. They can follow you, and whether you know what you're working on or not, can tell you what they see and even video tape you in some instances. If you need advice on what to start with, I'd say: Throttle control Turn points Rider input Two-step turning Learn the survival responses and what triggers them. During level 1, quick turning is in there, but having someone explain this to you is important. Still, wouldn't hurt to read the chapters in the book. You can work on those/revise those through your first couple to few trackdays. They are tools you need to get better. If you start with those, you'll see improvement, even if you just work on those every one of your 5 days. This is all stuff that is taught at the school and the best way for you to learn it is to actually attend the school if you can. You can have trained coaches review this information with you, who watch you to make sure you get it, and review your progress, so when you do go try it at the track you know what you're looking for. But you've also bought the book and have all the information right there. If you don't have the video, that's good also because you can get visual demonstration. Most of all: HAVE FUN doing it!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ridiculefr35 Posted April 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 12, 2011 Thanks Jason. Watched the video twice. Probably do so a few times more. Currently reading TOTW2. Very very informative but also the stuff needs a few reads because each time I do read it, I pick out something I didn't realise or understand previously. I'm also using other peoples on track video to get a feel of the Bugatti circuit. I've about 50% of it committed to memory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasonzilla Posted April 12, 2011 Report Share Posted April 12, 2011 Thanks Jason. Watched the video twice. Probably do so a few times more. Currently reading TOTW2. Very very informative but also the stuff needs a few reads because each time I do read it, I pick out something I didn't realise or understand previously. I'm also using other peoples on track video to get a feel of the Bugatti circuit. I've about 50% of it committed to memory. I have an old copy that I'm wearing out, and it's the first one I bought (just found it while packing so I'll use it as to not destroy my new copy) and am amazed at how little I took notes and highlighted certain parts of the book that didn't mean anything or seem important at the time. Now some of it is revelatory. I've even just started one of my own traction/rider input theories because of the ideas and new knowledge that were sparked from the book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ridiculefr35 Posted April 28, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 28, 2011 Hi Folks, So I did my first track day at the Le Mans Bugatti circuit yesterday. Three sessions of 30min each. Loads of fun but frankly, being my first day on a track, I used the first session to take it all in, to learn the track, the braking zones and the gearing for the different corners. I also got passed by about 10 people out of 20 or 30 runners.( I say 20 but my friend that came riding as well said it was more like 30). Two guys passed me real close one exterior and one interior but I was at first slightly surprised. However, the surprise was anticipated from the reading I'd done, so I knew it would happen I just had to get used to the "closeness" of it. I took my pleasure and confidence in the 2nd session. However the more I exploited the bike, the more I lost my focus on body position, on holding the bars too tight and the faster I went, I ran into problems with the final hair pin, which is really a "u" before the straight. I was either too deep or too much brake. That washed the speed off and I lost the drive going onto the main straight. So I'm accelerating in 2nd reaching 3rd on exit and the other guys in front were probably 50 meters ahead in 3rd reaching for 4th! Still I had fun! The 3rd session was a bit more challenging. The heat, it was very hot here, left a dryness in the mouth. After 15 minutes, well I went back to session 1 type performance, tried to re-focus on body position, on not holding or pressing down on the bars too tightly. Looking at my tyres, new set of Dunlop SportSmarts, I ran them 2,3 kpa front and 2,0 kpa rear (instead of 2,1 front and 1.9 rear....I tried to compensate for weight and to not make too drastic a change from road riding, so the bike would not be too different and I could sense or see the transition from road riding to track riding. Cheers/Ridiculefr35 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Rutter Posted April 28, 2011 Report Share Posted April 28, 2011 I'm not sure about the measurements you've got down for the tyres there, I'm only used to PSI myself, but it looks like you've actually raised the pressure for the track? (correct me if I'm wrong). At least you've identified some areas that you can work on now for your remaining sessions. Did you manage to get any pictures on the day? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ridiculefr35 Posted April 28, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 28, 2011 Hi Steve, One 1 kpa = 1 'bar' = 14.50378 psi ........I wish everbody would some day use the same unit's of measure for all things. Road use on Dunlop Sportsmart(cold): Front = 2,5 bar = 36 psi Rear = 2,9 bar = 42 psi Track use Dunlop Sportsmart (cold): Front: 2.1 bar = 30 psi .......................................................for which I used 2,3 (33.4 psi) instead Rear: 1.9 bar = 27,6 psi.....................................................for which I used 2,0 (29 psi ) instead The dunlops use NTEC technology which allows very low cold pressures on track. Loads of pic's but none of me "on track", nobody to do that. Otherwise: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Rutter Posted April 28, 2011 Report Share Posted April 28, 2011 Got you, don't seem like bad pressures to go with and your tyre certainly looks to be in good shape to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ridiculefr35 Posted April 28, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 28, 2011 Further images of the track: surface: asphalt length: 4,273 km or 2,655 miles turns right: 7 turns left: 4 a little video to hear what it sounds like from the grand stand(excuse the poor quality...just a cell phone that I used) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasonzilla Posted April 28, 2011 Report Share Posted April 28, 2011 Awesome. I can still remember my first trackday. It was such a blast. As for your getting sloppy the faster you go, that's the way the cookie crumbles, I'm afraid. You'll find that if you bring it back just a hair so you're on top of your form and everything else and increase very slowly, from there you'll lock in the habit and soon not have to think about it. You should see me on the street. When I'm working on locking something in I'll do it while I'm commuting. Looks retarded most of the time, but when I'm riding to work I'm not worried about how I look. Just yesterday I noticed I was locking in my outside leg to pivot steer without thinking about it, I worked so hard to install that into my "hard-drive." And that was like 2 years ago. The more you do it, the less effort it takes to think about when the time comes to do it. The $10 worth of attention you read about in TOTW includes the other stuff as well. When it initially takes $7 to blip the throttle (for example), after a while you're not even paying attention to it except when you screw up and get lunged forward. You're still doing it, so it takes some of your cash, but after some point you'll be paying $ 0.10. You won't consciously be thinking about it at all until you blow it, then it's back up to $5 instantly for a brief second. Glad you decided to "take it all in" on your first session. Let us know about your progress next time. We can live vicariously. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ridiculefr35 Posted May 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 8, 2011 I spent the last week on a family vacation in Spain. Inbetween holiday fun and touring, I used my evenings to re-read TOTW2 again. Then reflecting back to my first track day, I think that when I did follow the book to the letter(or tried to), everything more or less worked except that I was not able to quick steer/quick turn the bike. Whille I kept the correct lines through the corners, my corner entries were substantially slow in order to ensure that I turned the bike/leaned the bike such that it didn't force me into incorrect lines or chopping the throttle mid-corner. SO I slowed it down to my level of 'comfort steer'. Now my next track day is 22 June. I think I want to focus this day on the quick turn and quick steering the bike. My usual fear, is that I'm heading into turn 6 for example: - In 4th gear midway from turn 5 to turn 6. - I get the braking done. - I get the body position set up - If I enter turn 6 in 3rd, I find I'm too slow after turning in and I can literally accelerate before I've gotten to the apex(2nd apex) - If I enter turn 6 in 2nd, I find that I've got more drive out of the corner(given the gear ratio) but I'm still not fast enough. I think I should be in 3rd but perhaps I need to push the right hand grip forward a bit faster (or with more force?) so I make the steer action at a higher entry speed and I don't lose too much drive out of the corner. I reckon I need to keep it in 3rd going in, and push faster/harder on the right hand grip with each lap to see what it does....of course this is also my treasured road bike so all words of wisdom are welcome. I will attend the school next year and when I do, I think quick turn and quick steer will be my principal need. For now I use my personal experience, the book and your comments Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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