HOW TO LEARN A NEW TRACK
New tracks can be pretty damn challenging to master, so what’s the best way to get to grips with them quickly and safely? The best bit of advice is to ask for help, taking advantage of the free tuition from a No Limits Trackday riding coach. But assuming you can’t get your mucky hands on one, there’s a system you can work to. First off, get familiar with the track’s layout. You can find any track’s map online, giving you a general idea for the flow of a circuit. What it won’t give you is a perception for undulations or gear changes, which is where YouTube videos come into play. But choose your video carefully, as anyone can post a video, so look for a credible, ideally professional and experienced rider’s video if you’re going to take in lines and gear changes. Consider this part of the process foundation work, with the real graft starting when you get to a track.
When it comes time to take in your first lap, don’t rush your riding. It pays to slow things down and feel the general flow of the circuit in real time, thinking of nothing more than how corners follow each other and what references you can feast your eyes on; look for signage, painted marks or scores in the tarmac. Don’t stray your eyes too far from the circuit! A shed half a mile away might prove tricky to spot when you’re up to speed, so keep your references close and easy on the eye. Get your references sorted early and your life will be made so much easier, trust me. What’s next? Have a breather. If you try and cram too much info into that first session, it’ll get dangerous.
You’re better off coming in, chilling out and maybe looking back over a track map before getting back to business. When you do return to track, you’ll be looking to reinforce those reference, but to also apply more thought to your lines that lead you in, through and out of a corner. In most cases, you’ll want to use all of the track’s width, where in others, such as fast transitioning bends, it’s better to only use a percentage of the tarmac – like the flow between Abbey and Farm at Silverstone. Once you’ve got a feel of your lines, making sure you’re meeting apexes and driving out nicely, you can start to build in later braking into bends and harder exits out of them – that’s where establishing apexes is really important, and being in the best gear to drive out of them.
All this talk of references might sound a bit overkill but it can help no end. If you know you can definitely brake in time from a certain marker board it will give you the confidence to marginally push past one the next time… and the next. It’s a question of feel and confidence, but know that in most cases the secret to fast lap times comes with getting out of corners, rather than rushing into them. As for exiting, it’s a question of knowing how soon you can get on the gas and how hard. A lot of that is subjective, according to the bike you’re riding, the tyres you’ve got fitted and how capable you’re feeling. Trackdays are there to be enjoyed fundamentally, so don’t get too hung up on lap times – it’s all about having a top time and staying safe, and if you use your head, there’s no track you won’t be able to master.