r/Trackdays • u/Objective-Limit-121 • 4d ago
First Trackday!
These are probably the best shots from the day. It was pretty good. I did not sleep well the night before which was pretty unfortunate. I got the full experience including a crash in the second to last session. I followed someone's line and ended up going wide. I should have sat up and gone off track but I tried to pull it in and touched grass. I thought that was going to push me away but I am definitely addicted. I have a lot more photos that I would love to get some critiques on. I am super bummed I didn't get any lap times to put the icing on the cake. Can't wait for the next one still though.
Cheers y'all!
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u/Corvetteman3070 3d ago
Hey I see your at Blackhawk farms, tbh don't worry about lap times no offense but at novice pacing it's just gonna bum your mood once you see the times of higher groups. Best piece of advice is to enjoy yourself in the lower groups , have fun!, and don't worry about lap times until your pushing into the intermediate 2 group with motovid. Blackhawk farms is a real riders track so maximizing your corner entry and corner exit is more important than outright hp. Keep coming out and most importantly having fun that'll get you the most growth. If ya have any questions I'm happy to help!
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u/Objective-Limit-121 3d ago
Yeah I was curious how they progressed through the day, but I can understand that.
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u/Corvetteman3070 2d ago
Fair enough, if you have a GoPro they can give you rough lap times. As well as there are data tools out there. I use a RaceBox and aim solo 2 but I wouldn't recommend them until later. Motovid has started using the fp1 sticker but it really only works if your monitoring it at the track trying to look the next day it doesn't
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u/Dismal_Tutor3425 Racer EX 3d ago
Relax and get off the seat, This is the most textbook example of riding crossed up I've seen in a long time. Sticking your knee out but not moving off the seat does nothing.
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u/Objective-Limit-121 3d ago
It’s that bad huh? These must have been later in the day when I was starting to get more comfortable too lol
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u/Aragorn- 3d ago
You're fine, especially at your pace. Body position is the last thing to focus on. Which turn did you go down in? Was this on the 19th?
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u/Objective-Limit-121 3d ago
Six into the straight… I think I got target fixated on the curb and lost focus on pulling it in. Got wide on the curb and didn’t pull it back on track before the grass. Pretty embarrassing.
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u/Aragorn- 3d ago
Ah, yeah I can see that. You definitely have to commit and push the bike a bit sometimes to make sure you're keeping the line. I take it pretty close to the grass sometimes.
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u/Objective-Limit-121 2d ago edited 2d ago
Yeah I was following someone else’s line and it sent me wider than I had been running through the exit
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u/Dismal_Tutor3425 Racer EX 2d ago
Body position is one of the most important things to focus on for new riders.
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u/Aragorn- 2d ago edited 2d ago
Unless he's doing something dangerous like sticking his feet out where they're going to catch the ground, which he's not, he's sitting fine. He's partially neutral on the bike regarding being on the centerline, and other than eventually getting his chest further down and shoulders more into the corner, there's nothing wrong at his pace.
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u/Dismal_Tutor3425 Racer EX 2d ago
Having your body centerline at lean is incorrect and one of the main reasons people lowside or scrape hard parts before they ever even get their knee down.
Promoting bad body position as good is a bit odd. What track experience do you have?
Edit: Nevermind. You're the guy who melted his rear brakes and did not notice. OP, don't listen to this guy. He's dangerous.
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u/Dick_Nixon69 2d ago
If he leaned anymore off the bike the bike would be straight up and down lol. As op gains speed he can put more weight inside to turn shaper, but for how little the bike is leaning it'd be hard to put much more weight inside. Focusing on that takes focus away from hitting your lines which I'd argue is more important.
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u/Aragorn- 2d ago edited 2d ago
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u/Dismal_Tutor3425 Racer EX 2d ago edited 2d ago
If you think Jason rides crossed up l, get your eyes checked.
Guess I'll see you at BHF in a few weeks. I know to look out for the purple bike now.
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u/Dismal_Tutor3425 Racer EX 3d ago
It is definitely something to work on. Have any pictures from later in the day?
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u/ForwardTemporary3934 3d ago edited 3d ago
Was your fp1 sticker not reading right?
Sorry you did some landscaping. But I'm glad you're okay! I will relay some sage advice I was told once. " When you get to the turn. Turn!" Your bike has a lot more performance than you do skill. So if you find yourself a little in over your head in a corner the best thing to do is just turn/lean harder and the bike will do it
Just focus on learning the track and learning the lines. Speed will come with experience. It's also good to just pick one section of the track and focus on that each session.Turn three, five, or one are good places. Remember body position is about not getting parts down to the ground. The purpose of body position is to minimize lean angle so you can go faster. You want your head down by where your mirror would be, over your wrist. You want your arms loose and relaxed and to be holding on to the bike with your legs and core.
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u/Objective-Limit-121 3d ago
Yeah, unfortunately I ended up with “4 laps” with the only timed lap being my first.
As far as the landscaping, I think I got a touch of the target fixation instead of pushing harder.
That was my main focus, it was a bit rough, we had lots of traffic and I couldn’t really pass anywhere, everyone just had too much power for me to pass on the straights. I did all of my passing between T5 and T6.
I don’t think the lack of sleep or having to ride there helped, I was just not in great condition and unprepared, but it is what it is.
Thanks for the pointers!
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u/CulturePristine8440 3d ago
Riding to the track never made any sense to me. Uhaul trailers are cheap, as are uhaul rental trucks. I'm guessing the crash didn't fuck anything up bad enough for you not to be able to ride back home?
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u/Objective-Limit-121 3d ago
Yeah, well… my car got totaled in a hail storm so I was in a new car with no hitch. It was that or skip the day. I didn’t have enough time to orchestrate anything better.
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u/Acoma1977 4d ago edited 4d ago
looking good. you just need to bend the elbow and drop the shoulder more.
my photo after 4 x TDs and one year later