WHIT’S TRACK TIPS
Words of wisdom from the past British champion and present trackday expert
Worry about yourself, not everyone else
When it’s busy on track, resist the urge to look in your mirrors and feel the pressure of bikes coming up behind. Don’t worry about them. Concentrate instead on looking forward and on your line. It’s not always easy but it’s the best way.
Check your bike over, especially the tyres
So many people don’t even check their tyre pressures before a trackday. In fact, plenty turn up with a rear tyre that’s done 20,000 miles and a European holiday and is totally flat in the middle. “Oh, will that make a difference?”
Beware of buying a ‘track bike’
Dedicated track bikes are popular these days. It’s all very nice, they come with spare wheels and stands, but basically you’ve inherited a bike that was once raced by Glen Richards in BSB Supersport then sold to a bloke doing Thundersport then to a trackday enthusiast. Now you’ve got it and you are riding it in the intermediate group at 20 seconds a lap slower than Glen, who also happened to weigh six stone less. And the bike’s probably been set-up incorrectly by every owner it’s had since. No wonder it feels awful. Sometimes it might be better to buy a five-year-old Fireblade that is standard or at least can be easily put back to standard. That’ll be there abouts.
Avoid the nutter!
I can tell ’em a mile off. Use your common sense to spot the crasher (we’ve had people crash in the pitlane at our track days before). Look out for the bloke that’s slightly agitated in the briefing or has a bike that’s held together with cable ties. Out on track he’ll be aggressive on both the throttle and brakes, quick – while still upright – and won’t have a clue about where he’s going. Keep well away.