The Oulton Assassin

[Taff]

I've been knocked off once on a trackday and had to go to hospital, the guy who did it came and apologised, loaded my van and offered to pay for the damage and luckily I had no broken bones.

This video is me on the SV and the footage was sent to me after, the CBR600 t-boned me in the middle of craner curves, I stayed on somehow and as you can see he didn't and wrote his bike off. Didn't come and apologise either. TBH had I come off and got hurt I'd have gone to see a solicitor for advice. There's a lot of dickhead riding on trackdays, lots of bravado and 'rubbing is racing' comments. But it's not racing and those making the comments don't race. On the whole they're still relatively safe but the dickhead element is more than it was years ago

On my first trackday I had an instructor come past me on the inside as I was tipping into the left hander of craner curves, followed by the punter that he was leading, but by the time the punter came past I had moved right over to the LHS of the track and there was not a lot of room left for him to squeeze through. That was feckin close and I went straight to complain after the session to just get shrugged shoulders and a big Meh. No interest, No action.

other trackdays that I've done have had racers practicing for a meet the following weekend at Castle Comb, although to be fair they gave plenty of room but the speed difference was

and at Snett, riders on TD bikes and slicks running in novice, big speed difference and generally having fun with sod all consideration for others around them that are in Novice for a reason.

None of these events were as bad as the off road racing where someone punted me off and I landed on their bike burning my arse on his header pipe
or the time where I crashed all by myself and someone rode right over my leg

[Yorick]

If a punter pulled a dodgy pass on me or my pupil, I just pulled them straight off track. If they held their hands up, I let them go.
If not, I told the boss and he'd deal with it. Often sending them home.

I was a strict fucker.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

As has been said, in off road racing (and practice) none of these events would get a comment, all considered very normal, but the speeds are much lower and the bikes pretty much crash proof. I remember when I started being annoyed by the general being nerfed out the way mid corner, but it's only a matter of time and you're the one doing the nerfing (and still getting nerfed), my memory of it was that it never felt dangerous or nasty, it was just part of off road racing.

But there's a big difference between the general contact in MX and the videos in this thread, which are shit riding.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

If a punter pulled a dodgy pass on me or my pupil, I just pulled them straight off track. If they held their hands up, I let them go.
If not, I told the boss and he'd deal with it. Often sending them home.

I was a strict fucker.

What about if someone felt your pass was dodgy, I think the majority of iffy passes I've had on track days were when an instructor was teaching a pupil and the instructor would pass with plenty of room, but his pupil left it a bit late for the pass, and I've been out with a session full of CB500 racers, so I know what close passing is like.

[Yorick]

If a punter pulled a dodgy pass on me or my pupil, I just pulled them straight off track. If they held their hands up, I let them go.
If not, I told the boss and he'd deal with it. Often sending them home.

I was a strict fucker.

What about if someone felt your pass was dodgy, I think the majority of iffy passes I've had on track days were when an instructor was teaching a pupil and the instructor would pass with plenty of room, but his pupil left it a bit late for the pass, and I've been out with a session full of CB500 racers, so I know what close passing is like.

I never got into that situation.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

If a punter pulled a dodgy pass on me or my pupil, I just pulled them straight off track. If they held their hands up, I let them go.
If not, I told the boss and he'd deal with it. Often sending them home.

I was a strict fucker.

What about if someone felt your pass was dodgy, I think the majority of iffy passes I've had on track days were when an instructor was teaching a pupil and the instructor would pass with plenty of room, but his pupil left it a bit late for the pass, and I've been out with a session full of CB500 racers, so I know what close passing is like.

I never got into that situation.

Please could you start a teaching class for track day instructors, some of them could do with a good kick up the arse.

[Horse]

What about if someone felt your pass was dodgy, I think the majority of iffy passes I've had on track days were when an instructor was teaching a pupil and the instructor would pass with plenty of room, but his pupil left it a bit late for the pass, and I've been out with a session full of CB500 racers, so I know what close passing is like.

I never got into that situation.

Please could you start a teaching class for track day instructors, some of them could do with a good kick up the arse.

A couple of colleagues did a session at Donnington. Briefing: "No overtaking during corner entry". Instructor went up the inside on the entry to the Old Hairpin. One rider was distracted for a moment. That was enough for him to go rag doll.


Re disclaimers, I had a journo watch a training session as part of an article he was preparing. "I've seen so many training course, I could start my own - just have a really good disclaimer saying I wouldn't be liable for anything." Trainee was a solicitor, put him straight.

[Yorick]

What about if someone felt your pass was dodgy, I think the majority of iffy passes I've had on track days were when an instructor was teaching a pupil and the instructor would pass with plenty of room, but his pupil left it a bit late for the pass, and I've been out with a session full of CB500 racers, so I know what close passing is like.

I never got into that situation.

Please could you start a teaching class for track day instructors, some of them could do with a good kick up the arse.

I saw many Instructors get the boot. I was one of the better ones. Hence eventually working for MSV

[Noddie1]

This was my older brother on his 05 R6 .. first track day, a gift from his wife the assassin was in the same pit garage as him no apology after the incident whatsoever, R6 totally wrecked damage to his wrist pretty lucky to be fair, I now own the R6 for use on the track .... by way of an apology to my brother MSV gave him tickets to an event at oulton park .... small change for the costly day out he had.....

[The Spin Doctor]

other trackdays that I've done have had racers practicing for a meet the following weekend at Castle Comb, although to be fair they gave plenty of room but the speed difference was

I did a track session at the Paul Rock-hard and thought I was going quick mid-corner dragging a knee. Then a guy came past me on a race bike on slicks. I thought I'd accidentally selected reverse!

[KungFooBob]

The original post is over three years old

[Horse]

The original clip is missing.

There's an animated recreation!

[Scootabout]

I've never done a track day, and had no intention to do so before I saw this thread. Nothing in it has prompted me to change my mind

[Yorick]

I've never done a track day, and had no intention to do so before I saw this thread. Nothing in it has prompted me to change my mind

I've done hundreds of races and hundreds of trackdays.
Never been knocked off.

[Scootabout]

I've never done a track day, and had no intention to do so before I saw this thread. Nothing in it has prompted me to change my mind

I've done hundreds of races and hundreds of trackdays.
Never been knocked off.

That puts the risk into perspective a fair bit. I guess a thread like this prompts everyone to bring out their, or others', war stories, giving the impression the activity is a lot more dangerous than it is. A bit like if you read the newspaper you can get the impression it's impossible to step outside without being attacked by a terrorist, psychopath or invading army, whereas the reality is that in most parts of the world, most of the time, people are going peacefully about their business.

[The Spin Doctor]

I've done hundreds of races and hundreds of trackdays.
Never been knocked off.

...but there have been loads of crashes behind you

[The Spin Doctor]

That puts the risk into perspective a fair bit. I guess a thread like this prompts everyone to bring out their, or others', war stories, giving the impression the activity is a lot more dangerous than it is. A bit like if you read the newspaper you can get the impression it's impossible to step outside without being attacked by a terrorist, psychopath or invading army, whereas the reality is that in most parts of the world, most of the time, people are going peacefully about their business.

I've done a few 'free for all' style track sessions and survived. A mate of mine who did shed-loads of them for many years had the following advice: sit out the first session - all the nutters will go flat out from the first lap and will often crash, and don't bother with the last session either - people will be tired as well as trying just that little bit harder to get on the brakes later, lean further, get on the gas earlier. Seemed sensible to me.

But to be honest I preferred the 'track coaching' sessions I've done at Castle Coombe and Cadwell.

Our old Ride Skills track sessions on the Brands Indy were good fun even if there was a no overtaking round bends rule. There were some very inexperienced riders out there getting an experience of riding on a track, but the fact we had some rules did make everyone very polite. In the five or six years they ran, there was only one guy I felt took the P by treating it as a full-on track day with some leerie passes around the slower riders, so I reported him to the team leader who had a word with him, and he left early - had a bit of a sulk I think.

[Bigjawa]

The no overtaking on corners is a bit crap if you're on a slower bike, last one I did you got stuck behind Barry R1 and his ilk because you couldn't carry speed into the corner and he left you for dead on the straights.

I'm no Doohan but the amount of people teetering round bends that you couldn't get past because of the rules was the deal breaker for me.

[Yorick]

The no overtaking on corners is a bit crap if you're on a slower bike, last one I did you got stuck behind Barry R1 and his ilk because you couldn't carry speed into the corner and he left you for dead on the straights.

I'm no Doohan but the amount of people teetering round bends that you couldn't get past because of the rules was the deal breaker for me.

The rule is that once the rider in front has started to turn in, then it's his corner. No going up the inside.
But OK to go around.

I told folk just to slow down for 15 seconds to let the straight jockeys get away.

[Noggin]

The no overtaking on corners is a bit crap if you're on a slower bike, last one I did you got stuck behind Barry R1 and his ilk because you couldn't carry speed into the corner and he left you for dead on the straights.

I'm no Doohan but the amount of people teetering round bends that you couldn't get past because of the rules was the deal breaker for me.

The rule is that once the rider in front has started to turn in, then it's his corner. No going up the inside.
But OK to go around.

I told folk just to slow down for 15 seconds to let the straight jockeys get away.

I used to go around the outside!!

Not always cos I wasn't 'that' fast, but I was quick in corners (and dog slow on straights sadly!) so that caused issues for some that expected me to be equally slow in corners!!

But on the occasions i did follow a speed freak/50p-er into corners, I'd wait for a big corner and go around the outside!!

Did a TD at Mallory with an old friend (ex racer who'd taught me how to ride on the road a bit too quick) - he agreed to come and do the TD to 'help' me a bit before I did the endurance race. After a couple of laps (inters) I went around the outside of two bikes on Gerrards - when we got back to the pits (a couple of other mates were there too) they all looked at me and said "WTF was that?"!! I just explained that I couldn't pass on the straight, so I passed on the corner!

(Got a bollocking from a 'teammate' at Cadwell for going around the outside of her on Charlie's because I couldn't pass her on the straight but she was holding me up on the corners - even before the first race I knew that a women only team was not the place for me if they were going to have go at a perfectly safe pass on the outside!! )