McPint: ‘Take it easy on track’
McGuinness urges us to take it easy and remember it’s not a race
‘I’D HATE TO SEE PEOPLE UPSIDE DOWN ON THE FIRST LAP’
For me the news that trackdays are getting going again is a real double-edged sword. It’s a win, win for people like us who want to get out on their bikes and it’s a lose, lose for anyone that is not interested, because we have to accept that as motorcyclists we are the minority. For us, racing is everything, for others it’s a case of ‘what are they doing?’
The last thing anyone wants is for people to get hurt. The NHS do a fantastic job for us, they have a duty of care and to them it doesn’t matter if you’ve fallen off your bike or fallen off a ladder. That’s what has always happened to me, the only exception being in 2014 when I broke my scaphoid I was told by the nurse it served me right! Anyway, I’m hoping to get on track soon. I’ve got the Ducatis I’ve built for the Tri-Options Cup and I was also chatting to my Kawasaki TT boss, Pete Extance and we’ve spoken about him bringing the stocker up so I can have a run on that which would be great to have a go on.
My only advice to anyone thinking of doing a trackday is walk before you can run. We’re all competitive, but go there to blow out the cobwebs, don’t go there and try and be Jack the lad. There’s no magic wand to going fast, so take it easy. You need to be patient because the tracks won’t have been used so they could be slippery. Dip your toe in – what I’d hate to see is people flying out the traps and ending up upside down in the first session. And if it gets to 3pm and you’re blowing out your hole and haven’t hit an apex for a while, go home because there’ll be another time. It’s a good thing to be able to know when you’ve had enough – I know I do.