THREE THINGS I LEARNED…
What colour is the track? 1
Although this is a school for novice riders, Gary is keen to share some racing insights with the group. One of these is the colour shades of the track surface, which indicate differing levels of grip. At some tracks, racers don’t even get a sighting lap, so spotting these colourations before competition is imperative. On our day, the darker patches of clay were avoided as they were wetter and more slippery. On hot dry days, a grippy strip of rubber can be laid down on the racing line, which is faster.
Take your time 2
This almost sounds like a bit of a cop-out, but flat-track is unlike any other riding discipline and you’re unlikely to be sliding the rear tyre like Marquez on your first attempt. There are many things to remember — far more than you’re likely to take in across one day of teaching — and you shouldn’t feel pressured into running before you can walk if your mate is going faster than you. I learned this the hard way when passing someone round the outside — forgetting there was no front brake and running on into a slippery outer pool of mud in a bout of target fixation. My ego took some damage. Thankfully, nothing else did.
There are four corners on an oval 3
An oval track means two straights and two bends, right? Wrong. Gary explained that racers break the track into four turns, allowing them to dissect their performance and improve lap times during their next stint. The idea is to ride in an almost-diamond shape, coming in wide from the straight, before making a quick change of direction in the middle of the banking, as the two smaller corners meet. Now you’ve lined yourself up for maximum time on the gas before the end of the next straight.