TRACKDAY FEATURE
GET ON TRACK
If you’re wanting to get the most out of your track experience, and maybe save a few quid while you’re at it, Joe’s got a few pointers…
WORDS> JOE AKROYD
PICS> P ETE W ILEMAN/MOR-TONS ARCHIVE
Do your bike prep before you get to the track.
If you’re hammering your bike on track, make sure to do regular oil changes.
Trackdays are brilliant for motorcycle enthusiasts to experience their own bikes to their full potential, ride the circuits they’ve watched their heroes race on and, for many, have become a hobby that fills much of the summer months. But can it be made any more affordable?
We went to Donington the other week, one of my personal favourites and the home of British motorcycle racing... thankfully, a place that was saved by the UK’s largest circuit owner, MSV. A few years ago, a trackday at Donington Park would have cost about £130 to £150 during the height of the summer months; that same experience is now £220 – and that’s before you even leave the front door. Now, I’m not saying that MSV is over-charging, because it’s just as much of a victim of the huge increase in costs we’ve seen in all areas of life. The insurance, electricity bills, circuit maintenance, advertising, safety regulations that must be adhered to, staffing... it all adds up and unfortunately, for us as the customer, we have to shoulder these cost increases. So, I wanted to see if there is a way of making things any more cost-effective for us as the trackday users – and to be fair, I think I’ve found a few tricks that will make your pounds go a little bit further.
You’ll save a fortune (and a few kilos) if you bring your own food.
Bring your own grub
Little things can all add up and I know this one sounds daft, but… food and drink. I don’t think the circuits over-charge for a feed at lunchtime – £10 will get you a hot meal and a small bottle of pop – but why not make your own pack-up and hydration that’ll cost you about £2? That’s a session’s worth of fuel saved before you even load up the van.
Prep your bike
One of the things that really niggles at me is when I see folk on trackdays with poorly prepared motorbikes. A simple wash and clean can save you a lot of wasted track time when you arrive for your trackday and find that you have a mechanical issue in the first session. From being a kid, when I started racing minibikes, I’ve had it drilled into me the importance of cleaning my bikes. You find so many little things when you’re cleaning... missing fairing fasteners, loose bolts, cracks in rear sets... the list goes on, so nip down to Halfords, grab yourself a bucket and a sponge, and get scrubbing!
While you’re at it, grab your front brake and bounce the front forks. Is there oil on the fork legs? Have the fork seals started to fail? –a common and overlooked area of the bike where people just expect them to be in full working order because “it was fine when I put it away after the last ride.” Fork seals perish, crack, and then leak. It can be a dangerous failure and easily avoided if you catch it in time and get the seal replaced.