SA Dealers News and opinions about topics in general

So the wifey went to got fetch her mom for a visit and I had to do something to keep the little one entertained. I looked on Zwartkops website and saw they had a trackday. Whoohoo free entertainment!!

The wifey packed a bag for the kiddie the night before and on Sunday after the obligatory McDonalds breakfast we were on our way.

Thankfully Zwartkops has a nice layout and as a spectator you can choose a number of different places to sit and watch the action.

We first stopped off at the kart track where a few guys were throwing their karts around the track and global warming or not you have got to love the smell of two-stroke in the morning!

We made our way to the seats above the pits, where the next photo was taken,

As you can see he was more interested in the sweets his mom packed in than the bikes! Below is the best result from a number of attempts to photograph bikes in motion, guess you can’t really hope for much with a point and click camera.

The Suzuki GSX passed us as we were walking in, it looked so good I thought I should take a photo, it’s really good to see bikes of this age in such a good condition, give me hope that one day my son could appreciate (hopefully) the more classical bikes.

Another interesting bike we saw was the Suzuki RGV VJ 23, if I remember correctly this came out just before major legislation clamping down on emissions, this is probably the second one I have ever seen, don’t think many made it to South Africa.

Also interesting was a GSXR in Rizla colours, it even got my sons attention.

We walked around a bit an come upon a workshop with this Tazz rally car parked outside, seems quite well done,

outside the same workshop was a Triumph (Stag I think, not too sure),

and a Porsche that looks like it’s not going anywhere soon.

Last thing we did was pay a visit to the play area that Zwartkops has for kids, even though it was quite hot he had some fun playing on the slide and in the sand pit

I am surprised by how many bike seemed to be dedicated track bikes, I went on a track day years ago and almost all of those bikes were road bikes.

Posted under Uncategorized

Many motorcyclists want to take their bikes onto the track and trackdays are the ideal environment. If you have never been on a track before the experience can feel daunting so here are a number of tips to help make your trackday enjoyable. Use a van or a trailer to get your bike to the track

This has a number of advantages. If the worst happens and the bike gets damaged you can get it home without waiting for a recovery service. You can prepare the bike the night before by removing anything that can be damaged in a spill. Removal is far better than taping something up. If cost is an issue hire a van with a friend or two. One advantage that is often overlooked is what happens after a trackday. You’ve been out on the track for 8 sessions, you’re tired (trust me, you will be!!), your leathers are soaked with sweat, your tyres are way past their best, you have to ride home and your perception of speed is screwed up. It’s a recipe for disaster. With a van or trailer you can get changed into fresh clothes load the bike up and unwind with some good sounds. If it’s a hot track day you can change out of your leathers between sessions.

Food

Don’t eat junk food and drink Coke or other fizzy drinks: the sugar levels dull your concentration. If you don’t believe me have a look at the first session after lunch at your next trackday. Drink bottled water and eat fruit or pasta.

The 3 Sessions to be aware of!!

There are 3 sessions you have to take extra care in. I would advise you to run at 75% in these sessions for various reasons:

1. The first session of the day

You are new to the track. Even if you have been around it before and it’s dry, the grip levels will be different from last time and heavy rain might have washed some of the rubber deposits away. The track will be colder than before and other riders may not have ridden the track before. If you have done any work on your bike you will surely discover that you failed to tighten a caliper bolt in the first few laps.

2. The first session after lunch

Tyres have cooled, concentration levels are lower. Use this session to get back into the groove and gradually build your speed up again.

3. The last session of the day

Simple bit of advice here, don’t go out in the last session: confidence is up and will invariably exceed ability, tiredness will start to play a part and tyres wil be nearing the end of their life. It’s just not worth it. Pack up when you are ahead.

Find someone slightly faster than you

Once you have settled into a rhythm, know the track and are confident with your bike’s handling and braking, find someone who is about 5-10 % quicker than you. Follow their lines, use their braking points and soon you will find that extra bit of speed.

Pick your group wisely

Fast Group: lots of fast road riders and racers, this is probably the safest group of the lot as fast riders know what they are doing. If you aren’t sure whether you should go intermediate or fast, pick the fast group: you can always ask to go down a group later.

Intermediate Group: Try to avoid this group like the plague, its got fast guys who don’t like to finish mid pack, slow guys who don’t want to go in the slow group. The broad spread of riders is a recipe for disaster.

Slow Group: this is the ideal group for Novices and people who want to build their confidence. You won’t be the slowest rider here, you are not expected to ride like a GP god and apart form a few intermediate riders who like to lap people and so choose this group you will be given lots of room. Once you have lapped 3/4 of the field and are confident of your ability then its time to move up. Take some lap time of riders in the other groups from the front, middle and back of the group, compare them with your lap times and if you can make it in the fast group, do it!

Mark Thompson has spent the past 20 years racing motorcycles and managing race teams and riders. He now runs the Trackbikes website.

Posted under Motorcycle news