ATTACK THE TRACK 36 Tips to Confident, Consistent, Knee Scratching Track Riding
DISCLAIMER & COPYRIGHT NOTICE The information contained in this guide is for informational purposes only. Any advice that I give is my opinion based on my own experience. You should always seek the advice of a professional before acting on something that I have published or recommended. By reading this guide, you agree that Bike Track Days Hub is not responsible for any accidents resulting in bodily harm or property damage that might occur due to how you interpreted the information presented in this guide. Please also understand that there are some links contained in this guide that I may benefit from financially. The material in this guide may include information, products or services by third parties. Third Party Materials comprise of the products and opinions expressed by their owners. As such, I do not assume responsibility or liability for any Third Party material or opinions. The publication of such Third Party Materials does not constitute my guarantee of any information, instruction, opinion, products or services contained within the Third Party Material. Publication of such Third Party Material is simply a recommendation and an expression of my own opinion of that material. No part of this publication shall be reproduced, transmitted, or sold in whole or in part in any form, without the prior written consent of the author. All trademarks and registered trademarks appearing in this guide are the property of their respective owners. 2017 LifeAtLean.com. All Rights Reserved. 1
FOREWORD Hey! Thanks for picking up a copy of my ATTACK THE TRACK ebook. It s great to have you! What you ll find here is 36 things that I ve learned over my time riding motorcycles on track. It s stuff that I ve found out on my own, through experience and through my own attempts to learn what is expected of us on track. While some of the things here will only see you making small gains out there, the tips on braking structure, correct steering, throttle control and vision are where you will see big gains if you put them into practice. They re the things that saw me making big progress as I started to get to grips with them, and I m confident you too will see progress if you discipline yourself and actually try putting them into practice. With that, go ahead and enjoy the ebook. If something in here doesn t quite make sense and you d just like to clarify it, then by all means you can get in touch with me at dan@lifeatlean.com. Talk to you soon! 2
TABLE OF CONTENTS (clickable) SETTING UP AND BRAKING... 4 CORNER ENTRY... 6 MID TURN AND EXIT... 8 VISION... 9 BODY POSITION... 10 LINES... 11 RAISING ENTRY SPEED... 12 OVERTAKING... 13 RIDING IN THE WET... 14 GENERAL TIPS AND ADVICE... 15 THANK YOU... 16 3
SETTING UP AND BRAKING 1. Get into position early Getting your lower body into position (moving your bum off the seat) well before you start braking will mean one less thing you have to worry about in the braking zone and at the turn point. A common trait among newer riders is that they try to get their lower body into position right on top of the turn point. This only adds unnecessary input into the bike and it s something else to think about right when you need to concentrate on getting the bike turned into the corner. Get the lower body into position early so at your turn entry all you have to do is move your head and upper body into the corner. 2. Minimise the time between throttle off and full brakes Something that a lot of riders are guilty of (myself included in days passed) is not being immediate enough when going from full throttle to full brakes. Riders will often roll off and coast for a considerable distance before starting to apply any brakes. This is simply time lost where you could have either carried on accelerating or started braking earlier (probably the former). Time between throttle off and initial brake application should be almost instant, and ideally the time between full throttle and full brakes should be less than a second for maximum efficiency. 3. Get the bulk of the braking done early The primary goal of braking is to accurately set our speed ready for turn entry. The best way to achieve this is to get the bulk of the braking done early in the braking zone and trailing it off as you get closer to the turn point. The time when most panic buttons are pushed is during high speed braking, and trying to scrub off all your speed right on top of your turn point will only have you feeling rushed and increase the potential for you to make mistakes. Get the bulk of the braking done early to ensure efficient corner speed setting and a cool head at the turn point. 4
4. Don t snap on the brakes The time between first application of the brakes and maximum effort should be very short (between a quarter and half a second), but you should not snap the brakes on as quickly as you can. By snapping the brakes on you are risking the suspension bottoming out which will increase the chances of the front wheel locking up - though it should be said that if your suspension is set up properly and is working correctly it shouldn't bottom out. Your brake application should be quick, but it should not be instant. 5
CORNER ENTRY 5. Use controlled counter steering for accurate turning actions While there are other methods to change a motorcycle s direction, such as body steering and weighting the pegs, counter-steering should be your main focus when trying to change the direction of your bike. It is the only way to effectively and accurately steer a motorcycle, and once you become aware of how your inputs into the bars effect how the bike behaves, you take a big step toward confident and consistent turn-ins. 6. Turn as quick as possible (for a given turn s demands) If a rider has a slow steering action you will notice that they tend to take a shallow entry line into corners as a kind of compensation and to make sure they can get to the inside of the turn and hit their apex. This is all well and good you might think, they ve hit their apex, what s the problem? Well, as I said, their lazy steering action forced them to turn in earlier and take a shallow entry line. Yes they hit their apex but on the exit they are now running a lot wider than they d like and are heading for the edge of the track. This can have two downsides. The first is that they ll have to turn (stay leaned over) for much longer to get the bike pointed up the track so they can get on the power, and the second is the potential risk for them to end up off the track altogether because maybe they took in too much speed, or they saw themselves heading off the track and panicked. By turning as quick as possible (for a given turns demands) you can run deeper into the corner before you steer the bike, square it off more (see tip 22), and in turn have the bike pointed further up the track so you can get on the power earlier and harder. 7. Get your body into a position to make turning easier On sports bikes in particular, the straighter your arms are when you come to turn the bike, the more effort you ll be using to put in the necessary inputs to get the bike turned. This is because in the straight arm position (sitting bolt upright) you are pushing down on top of the bars a lot more, meaning a lot of wasted energy. By bringing your head and upper body closer to the tank and in turn making your forearms more parallel with the road, when you come to push on the bars to turn the bike it will feel a lot easier because you are now pushing on the bars in the direction of least resistance, making your efforts a lot more efficient and effective. 6
8. Go with the bike, don t push it under you You see a lot of riders doing this and it generally comes from sitting quite upright on the bike. A lot of inexperienced riders have the tendency to press on the inside bar but also push the bike away from them as it starts to lean, straightening the arm doing the pushing in the process (much like a motocross rider would). This sees the bike start to lean but the rider staying where they are. For road racing bikes, this isn't best practice. Instead, you should get your upper body closer to the tank and hang off to the inside of the bike - in the direction you are about to travel - to stop you pushing the bike underneath you. This will mean your turning will become easier and you won t be using as much of the bike s lean angle to get round a turn. 7
MID TURN AND EXIT 9. Using mid turn roll on As soon as you have finished your steering input and your bike is on line you want to crack the throttle and start a slow roll-on (not to be mistaken with your exit drive). This stops any unwanted slowing down mid turn and also settles the bike and puts both the front and rear suspension in their sweet spot for optimum traction. Gently (emphasis on gently) rolling on the throttle will keep the bike s speed up and mean a stable bike mid corner that stays on line. Avoid getting too greedy with your roll-on though as this will make the bike run wide. 10. Use a line that lets you maximise exit drive If you are using a shallow entry line (turning in too early and too slowly) this will only see you run wide on the exit, which will then prevent you from getting on the power sooner because you will be turning for much longer to get the bike pointed up the track. By turning the bike quicker and deeper into the turn you will allow yourself to get on the power harder, much earlier because you will be pointed much further up the road. 11. Pick the bike up quickly so you can get the power down sooner If you have your entry line right then you will be well poised to pick the bike up earlier and, in turn, more progressively apply your exit throttle. By picking the bike up you can get it onto the meatier part of the tyre and in turn allow yourself to be more aggressive with the throttle. The sooner you get the bike stood up, the sooner you can pin it! 12. Pick the bike up using counter steering To get the bike picked up, we use our old friend counter-steering. Tipping the bike into the turn requires you to push on the inside bar. To pick it up you just need to do the opposite. Pulling on the inside bar will simply counter-steer the bike in the other direction and it will stand up. Being conscious of this will mean you are more in control of when and how quickly you get the bike stood up. 8
VISION 13. Use reference markers Picking out reference markers for your braking, turning, apex and exit points will give you a full dot to dot map to follow around the track, so you ll know exactly where you need to be heading - and if your visual skills are up to scratch - where you will be going after that. Having these markers set will help your consistency no end. 14. Move your eyes forward With your reference markers set, it s time to move your eyes forward and farther up the track. A lot of riders tend not to look far enough ahead which effectively has them riding blind as they can t see where they re headed and what s coming next. This means the decisions about what they need to do next and where they need to position themselves are made right at the last minute, so they end up almost feeling their way around the track. Bring your eyes up and move your vision forward (to your next marker if you can) to show your brain the physical space you ve got and give it the processing time it needs to be as effective as it can be on the track. 15. Widen your vision to become more aware Even with reference markers set, riders can still ride with a kind of tunnel vision. While you can t physically change what your eyes see, when you are so focused on one thing to the point where you become unaware of everything else going on, you might as well be looking through toilet paper tubes. To combat this, we need to use our peripheral vision to track our surroundings, markers and other riders. Once you learn to do this (it just takes practice) you will really take your ability to look ahead and see space to the next level. 9
BODY POSITION 16. Feet stable on the pegs Put your feet in a position to give the rest of your body a stable base. To do this, position the pegs on the balls of your feet whenever you re not changing gear or using the back brake (if you do use it). Doing this will make moving around on the bike much easier. 17. Lower body frees up your arms Use your lower body to hold yourself onto the bike to free up the front end to do its job of tracking the road, and free up your arms to operating the controls. By weighting the pegs and using your outside leg to hold on to the tank when cornering, you ll achieve both of these things meaning a happy bike and a happy body. 18. Slide your bum off the seat Different riders will move differing amounts of their bums off the seats when hanging off which is absolutely fine. It's as simple as, move off as much as you wish while still being stable and anchored on the bike without the need to hang on the bars with your arms. 19. Don t sit too close to the tank This one is up for debate but personally I feel it s best to sit a little way off the tank. This enables me to more easily slide off the seat sideways as opposed to swivelling around the tank which often happens when you sit too close to it. There is an argument that sitting up against the tank will aid you in the braking zones, so it s really down to personal preference on this one. Just go with what you feel most comfortable with. 20. Bring your head and upper body down Your head and upper body is one considerable lump, and by bringing it down and to the inside of the bike it will mean you won t have to lean the bike as far at a given speed. This is because hanging off lowers the bike and rider s centre of gravity, so the bike doesn t need to be leaned as far to compensate for speed. If you re talking about two bikes at max lean (decking part of the bike), a rider hanging off will be able to achieve a higher corner speed over a rider not hanging off. 10
LINES 21. Use a racing line to maximise your potential speed around a corner A traditional racing line is one that sees you start the corner out wide towards the edge of the track, turning in and running across the track to apex at the inside of the turn (about the middle of the turn for a bog standard 90 degree corner for example), then drifting back over to the outer edge of the track again on the exit. By using this racing line you are effectively straightening out the corner and creating a flatter arc to follow around the turn, allowing for higher achievable speeds as a result. 22. You can also use a squaring off line to improve speed and safety If you run the bike deeper into the corner and turn it quicker with the aim of hitting a later apex (one that s further around the inside of the turn) you will be creating a squaring off line. This line is beneficial for a number of reasons, such as smaller lean angles (the quicker you turn, the less lean you need at a given speed), it allows you to get on the gas harder and earlier, and in many cases it is actually the quickest way through a corner/section of track. It isn t going to be the best line in every single corner, and it is more beneficial before a corner preceding a straight, but as it adds a layer of speed and safety to your riding it is well worth adding to your riding repertoire. 11
RAISING ENTRY SPEED 23. Use the correct structure of braking As mentioned in Tip 3, by using the correct braking structure and getting the bulk of your braking efforts completed earlier, you will be in the best position to carry your maximum speed into the turn. Trying to brake as late and as hard as possible is only going to have you charging into turns (thinking more speed going in can only be a good thing), meaning you will often have a tendency to over brake and/or cause all sorts of rushing and panic related problems, all of which will adversely affect your entry speed. 24. Instead of braking later, try letting off the brakes earlier Having set a sensible braking marker, a great way to work at carrying more speed into the bend is to note where you let the brakes off. Can you find a solid marker? Now on the next lap, try and consciously let the brakes off just a moment before you reach that marker. This is a great way to gauge that you are taking more speed in, without charging the turn and causing yourself problems. 25. Follow faster riders in While you should take the level of rider and the capability of their machine into account, following faster riders into turns and using them as a gauge for your speed is a great way to build confidence that you too can go in at that same speed. A couple of side notes; it s best to find someone that is only marginally faster than you as not to step too far outside of your comfort zone. Also don t fixate on the rider in front, but rather track them while being fully aware of your own markers, where you are and where you need to be. 26. Your vision will show you the space Bringing your eyes up and forward of your current position, as well as widening your field of view will give your brain a good grasp of the actual time and space you have to play with. If your brain isn t getting the information of where it s going and what s coming next in good time, it will no doubt inhibit its ability to let you take more speed into the turn. Looking ahead to your next marker as soon as you feel you can will be a sure fire way to build confidence to carry more speed into corners. 12
OVERTAKING 27. Be patient You don t need to pass the rider on the very next corner! Take a few corners or even a whole lap to study them and devise a plan of attack. If your only goal is to overtake them as soon as you possibly can then this will more than likely lead to a rushed pass with little forethought, resulting in a potentially unsafe one. 28. Make a plan Look at what strengths you have over the rider in front. See where you're quicker. Do you get out of some corners better? Are you stronger on the brakes? Are there less dicey corners than others? Can you pass in such a way that won't tempt them to attack straight back? If they do attack straight back, what will you do? These are the types of things you need to consider and look out for when planning your pass. Your strength could simply be that you have a faster bike. How can you best use that to your advantage? If you're on a less powerful bike and it's clear you're faster in the corners, it will be in the twisty sections where you'll have to make your move. If possible, pass on a corner that doesn't lead onto another straight that ll allow them to power straight back through. You need to recognize any advantage you have and make use of them as best you can. 29. Accept the challenge Instead of getting frustrated with the rider in front you can t get passed, think of them as a challenge. You ve been faced with a problem, which is you re being held up by the rider in front and can t get by. Now you need to use your brain to solve this problem and formulate a plan of attack to get passed the rider in front quickly and safely. 13
RIDING IN THE WET 30. Keep everything smooth Throttle application should be gentle and rolled on smoothly. Pressure on the brakes should be built up slowly and a little more gentle too. Don t chop the throttle off while leaned over as it ll only send weight to the front tyre suddenly and potentially overload it. Instead, if you have to roll off then do it gradually. Keep body movements calm and controlled. They don t necessarily have to be super slow, but keeping them smooth and less sudden is the best way to move yourself around on the bike. 31. Stay Relaxed Being rigid on the bike isn t good full stop, but when grip is less plentiful like it is in the wet then your tyres need all the help they can get, and being rigid and restricting the front end is only going to give it a harder time of finding the grip it needs. Also a rigid body is going to cause more harsh weight transference when getting on the throttle and using the brakes. Stay relaxed to give your whole bike an easier time. 32. Do your hard accelerating and braking upright All of your hard accelerating and braking should be done in a straight line while upright. That way you are putting the biggest strains on the tyres during the time when they have zero cornering forces being applied against them. This gives your tyres a lot easier time by not asking them to deal with too much at once. 33. Soften the suspension if necessary If you are one for fettling with your suspension, it wouldn't be a terrible thing to take a few clicks off everything (compression, rebound and preload) to soften it up and help it better deal with the conditions. I wouldn't worry too much though if this isn't your game, if your bike isn't specifically set up for the dry, i.e. everything made harder, and you don't run a pace on the higher side, then your stock settings should cope just fine in the wet. 14
GENERAL TIPS AND ADVICE 34. Get fit Fitness is an important part of track day riding and helps improve both fun and safety. Fatigue has some bad effects on your riding, the first being the physical effect of not being able to control yourself on the bike and the bike itself. You start to struggle to cope with the braking and acceleration forces, and your movement becomes sloppy too. The second is more psychological. Loss of judgement and slower reaction times are two major effects caused by fatigue, which basically translates into a higher chance of you making a silly decision, but also taking longer to recognise and correct a mistake once it's made, ultimately meaning a higher risk of crashing. Improving your fitness is the only way to stave off the above effects and ensure you get more out of your track time in the way of sustained technique and mental focus, in the end meaning more enjoyment. 35. Invest in track rubber You don t necessarily need to go out and buy the stickiest stuff available as this could actually work out as being false economy, especially for newcomers to track days. However, investing in more track biased rubber is going to do wonders for your confidence and give you all the grip you need as you explore both your own limits on track, and your bike s. There is a fantastic range of road and track tyres available today that ll see you through thousands of miles on the road, but also have you knee scratching on the weekend at your favourite track. 36. Look at getting suspension set up Having your suspension set up for your weight and riding style is one of the most beneficial changes you can make to your machine. A common change that many riders make themselves is to set the correct laden sag for their weight. Laden sag is the amount the suspension compresses when you sit on the bike, and having it correctly set up is what opens the door to more complex changes in the future, such as adjusting rebound and/or compression damping. When it s correctly adjusted for your weight it ensures that the suspension operates in its most compliant range, meaning it can better deal with whatever the road throws at it. It will also have less chance of topping or bottoming out. Alternatively you can use the suspension services which you can find at many track days for a reasonable fee. They will make sure the suspension is set up correctly for you personally and make changes throughout the day based on your feedback. 15
THANK YOU Thanks for getting involved and downloading my free ebook! I really hope you enjoyed it. As you begin to implement some of the above tips you will definitely start to see progress out there on track. Things like correct braking structure (tip 3), learning how to steer for a corner (tips 5 and 6), correct throttle control (tip 9) and better lines (tip 22) are the things that will bring the biggest gains for you. However, each of them add a certain amount of value to your riding, and if you can perform them all to a reasonable degree you ll slowly grow into one competent track rider. WHAT NEXT? Luckily for you this isn t the end of what I have to offer you. If you re reading this it s because you signed up for my video training series. Stick with that series! In it you ll find a bunch of great advice to help you move in the right direction with how you approach rider development moving forward. At the end of that series you ll also get a very special opportunity too. If you re a rider who s serious about improving and becoming a complete rider of the track, you won t want to miss it. If you ve come across this guide by other means, sign up for your free rider development video training series here: https://lifeatlean.com/free-rider-training-series/ In any case, I ll talk to you soon in some capacity. All the best.. Dan Netting LIFE at LEAN 16