‘World Superbike’ champion James Toseland will be there along with a host of biking stars plus of course some gorgeous new bikes.
Track days allow mere mortals to take to the racetrack under expert instruction in order to improve their riding skills without fear of penalty points or other traffic!
BMW provided a range of new machines for the press to try out on the refurbished Kildare circuit including the brand new ‘RT1200’. On the track the new lighter RT1200 is stunning. It has shed five stone in weight and gained 50ccs. The old RT1150, which I took around the National circuit for comparison was solid, predictable and relatively slow next to the new machine.
The RT1200 is much more eager to please, ‘chuckable’ and pretty quick. I’ll review it fully soon.
Excellent track day instruction was provided by specialist track day organisers www.bikestore.ie who told us what to expect and how to get the most out of the track sessions (their website has loads of useful tips and information).
The day began at 9 in the morning with coffee and a briefing on the day, the current track conditions, racing lines and the range of flags that would be used to signal riders.
The morning was divided up into ‘on track’ sessions, these lasted between ten to twelve minutes. This may seem quite short but the time passes very quickly when you’re concentrating.
On the track you are so focused that you need frequent breaks to reassess your riding and seek instruction. A successful track day is one where your lap times come down gradually and more importantly you stay on the bike. The worst thing that can happen is becoming over confident, this can lead to spills especially late in the day. With this fact in mind I came in mid way through the last session and parked up.
Anybody with a licence can do a track day. Riders have to dress correctly with a full face helmet, gloves, boots and of course one piece ‘leathers’ or race suit (two piece suits must be zipped together).
My eighteen stone frame looked very fetching in my ‘Akita’ one piece leathers but seriously the suit provided excellent protection with built in armour on the elbows, knees, back and shoulders should the worst happen. Speaking of the worst, at a track day safety is paramount and there is always an ambulance and emergency medical technicians on standby.
Also, unlike the public roads, all the vehicles on the track travel in the same direction, plus there are plenty of run-off areas should you part company with your machine.
I had a ball and learned a lot about my ability and the various machines I tested. Being able to break harder than I would on the road and lean in corners to a greater degree than before gave me a better understanding of my own limits and that of the tyres, machine and track surface.
There is a myth that people speed home from track days as they’re still fired up from the experience, in fact the opposite happens. I took it handy going home having satisfied my need for speed. I think the fact I was jaded from the morning helped too!
My legs felt the effects of hanging off the bikes on the track and for a couple of days felt like they’d run a marathon. For more info on the bike show check the website www.irishmotorbikeshow.com and for track day info checkout www.bikestore.ie/trackdays.html
Michael Sheridan
