BirotarUK: Mallory Park track day

We recently did our first track day on our ZXR 400 and GSXR 600 at Mallory Park with NoLimits. It was our first ‘proper’ full day on track on our own bikes, and it was absolutely awesome. We were very lucky to have dry weather and little wind, someone must have been looking over us because the forecast for the day was supposed to be poor. As you can see from the video, we have got some practicing to do. Our position on the bike needs improving, the braking points and racing line also needs to be improved - but hey, that's what a track day is all about! (Please excuse the shaky footage!)

If you’re thinking about doing a track day yourself, here are a few things that are worth considering.

Gear - what you need

You need a ‘double-d-ring’ helmet
You need a full (2pc/1pc) leather suit
You need a good set of boots and gloves
We recommend a back protector

Tracks are very strict and will NOT let you on the track if you do not have this equipment.

Bike - things to bare in mind

Photograph by Wil Collins Photography

You can take your own road/track bike to most track days, but if you are taking your road bike on track, there are a few things that will be recommended for you to do to your bike before you start the session:

Remove mirrors
Tape over the speedo

Your bike will have to be noise tested before you go out on track; noise limits range from track to track but our session was limited to 103dB. If you are worried that your exhaust might not pass, buy, borrow or steal a standard exhaust for your bike (okay, maybe don’t steal it!). It’s not worth you making the effort of booking the day, getting there and not being able to ride!

Photograph by Wil Collins Photography

Tyre pressures are important

Photograph by Wil Collins Photography

Most tracks have a tyre specialist on site so make sure that you visit them before you go out on track. Road pressures and track pressures are different – DO NOT RIDE ON TRACK WITH ROAD PRESSURES IN YOUR TYRES. You can buy a pressure gauge from an online store or your local automotive shop so that you can check them yourself.

Tyre condition is also very important

Photograph by Wil Collins Photography

Check the condition of tyres by looking for splits, tears, nails, screws, tread depth, uneven tyre wear at least a week before you go on track, so that you have enough time to replace them if necessary. Your road tyres will be able to lean further than you think, but ideally you want a decent set of branded tyres on your bike. Remember that the only thing between you and the track are you tyres. Some track day hoonigans have multiple sets of wheels for their bike with slicks and wets. If you’re a track day virgin (like us) and you want to do an evening session or a full day, you don’t need to go to that extent. But bare in mind that you will be working your tyres hard on a track day!

Fluids: check them all, and top them up if necessary

We changed the oil before our track day – if you have the ability to do this yourself, we would recommend it as you will be working the engine hard. We also changed the coolant and brake fluid. If you are riding to the track, fill up your fuel tank to the top before you enter the circuit grounds. If you are towing or taking your bike to the track in a van, fill up a few jerry cans with fuel. We used 15-20 litres of between the two of us but even if you don’t use it all on track, you’ll have some spare for another day. Most tracks have a fuel pump but expect to pay more for the convenience.

Brakes will help you stop

Photograph by track side photographer

If you ride your bike on the road, and you know the brakes aren’t great, upgrade the pads to something more abrasive (we recommend ‘HH Sintered’). If you have an older bike and you can afford it, upgraded the lines too. And if that doesn’t help, upgrade the master cylinder (MC). We changed the calliper seals, upgraded the brake lines, changed the pads to HH sintered, and fitted a GSXR K6 MC to our SRAD because, frankly the brakes were sh*t. You have run off areas on most tracks, but you don’t want to go into the gravel at 130mph after the main straight!

Set up

We had our suspension set up and had a power run at Race Engineering in Essex. Find out more about this here.

Spares

Take spare fluids with you, tools, and anything else you believe you and your bike might need. Spare pair of pants?

You

Photograph by track side photographer

Prepare yourself for some serious fun but be aware of your ability and don’t push yourself past your comfort zone unless you feel ready to. The first few sessions on the track are for you to learn the track and for you get an idea of where the braking/turning/acceleration points are. Take it easy! Someone at Mallory crashed on the first lap of the first session and damaged his bike. We felt bad for him because unfortunately he rode the bike there. So we suggest to warm up your tyres and your mind-set before you ride hard, it won’t hurt. Keep hydrated, and make sure you eat properly through the day. You will need all the energy you can get.

Insurance? Well this is up to you…

Novice, intermediate or fast?

When you book your track day you will need to choose a group to ride in. If you have any doubts, choose novice. If you’ve done track days before and you felt like other riders were holding you up, choose intermediate. If you’re fast, then you will know it and your choice will be easy. We’re not sure if you can swap once you have made your decision, but its worth asking if you feel like you’re in the wrong group.

Photograph by Wil Collins Photography

Costs – expect to pay anything between £79 - £300 for a full track day.

It depends who you go with, what track it is and if tuition is included. The photography service is pretty cool, so set aside £20 - £45 for some cool pictures of you trying to get your knee down! Consider van rental, fuel, overnight stay, meals etc…

Photograph by track side photographer

This is what we paid for our track day at Mallory:

Track day £198 (£99x2)
Van £49
Fuel for van £50
Fuel for bikes £25
Hotel £40
Dinner £20
Lunch, snacks and water £10
Photography £25
Total: £417

So you’ve got an idea of what you have to think about before your track day. But let us stress one more thing you shouldn’t forget: it is so much fun! It’s one of the most exciting things to do on a motorcycle. We would recommend it to anyone who enjoys riding. You learn your limits, the bike’s limits, and you are improving your riding skills, whilst having a good time.

Photograph by track side photographer

It’s okay to be nervous, it is a risky sport. But where is it safer to ride fast and hard but in a controlled environment that is purpose built? There will be no ‘unaware’ road users pulling out on you, everyone is going in the same direction (we hope), there will be a perfect road surface, and most importantly no police or speed cameras to try and trip you up! Just book your track day and have some fun, you will be hooked. Let us know if you have any questions, we will do what we can to help.

Photograph by track side photographer

P.S. share the photos of your track with us!

We look forward to hearing about your track day and hopefully you found our tips useful. Please remember that this is advice only, track day companies have different rules and we recommend that you check them before you book your track day. We can't be held liable if you make any bad judgments.