Racing Safe??

[Super Dave]

As a racer with lots of road racing licenses, I find track days to be dangerous.

Why, you ask, Eric?

Various reasons.  Experience at speed can be one.  Some novice/amateur riders have had a unique opportunity to practice in expert groups.  In most situations, you'd have to liken this to a practice that is not normally combined, like a Middleweight/Heavyweight/Unlimited practice session.  The comment is usually that there is just less drama.  

Amateur riders and some track day riders can loose sight of where they want to be.  Rather than maintaining the point that they are at, they can move over four feet to a place that they think they should be without warning.  It's not a generalization on all amateur or track day riders, but you're going to have more of that danger in those groups, period.

Why does one crash?  

Traction.

If you ride not smooth, you'll force the bike to do something that it can't and you loose traction.

If you don't have a clue about set up, you can loose traction.

If you ride as hard as you can on cold tires, you loose traction.

More importantly, if you ride on cold suspension, you won't have a bike that functions like it will when it's warm, and you loose traction.

Yes, some riders have the ability to decifer information at a different rate than the rest of us.  In their world, they have the ability to just save it more than the rest of us that don't have that faster rate of seeing and reacting.  They will push the envelope more than most of us.  The trick for those riders is to learn how to recognize those feelings of potential crashes, and work on the set up of the motorcycle rather than just riding around and over the saving it from another crash.

Street riding and traction.

Consistency.  Very simple.  You can go from fair to none in a matter of moments on the street.  How can one ride with a 20% safety margin when traction could go from 80% of optimum to 20% after a truck carrying mason sand goes by with a mild transmission leak.  You could do the route over and over, but the roads are traveled by all with no real clean spills and dumps.

[spyderchick]

Is racing safe? No.

Are track days safe? No.

Is street riding "safe"? No. Neither is driving a car, it carries risk, and therefore you ought to have insurance.

Let's face it, much of what we do today is not "safe". You have to develop your skills and choose your risks.

Riding on the street isn't only for guys on sport bikes going fast, doing stunts or looking cool. It's also a means of conveyance to and from work, an enjoyable activity to do with your friends, as well as an adventure, if you load up and take a journey. How safe it is not only depends on outside factors (inattentive grannies, errant critters, and various debris in the road), along with the skill of the rider the prep of the machine, and the weather conditions.

Same goes for track days and racing. The cool thing about track days is that you can learn at your own pace to pick up speed. When I started racing, track days were few and far between, so it was out of the frying pan and into the fire if you wanted a track experience. Racing was the most available game. The abundnace of track day organizers is a good thing, as you can pick your level of comfort and develop your skills.

Racing is a different adrenaline rush. If you want the thrill of competition, even if you're not setting track records, this is where you belong.You can go out there and set yourself up to compete against yourself, the clock, your buddies, or the fastest guy out there. You can do it once a year or as often as your wallet allows you to.

Each activity carries it's own level of risk, you have to decide if any or all of these are right for you.


BTW, inattentive grannies can hit you if you're on a bike, in a car or just crossing the road on foot. Watch out for grannies!

[Super Dave]

Life - no one gets out alive

 8)

[Suzy]

Racing can also be safer if the rider is listening to the corner worker.  I had Mr. Hansen crash in my corner at T8 at the Autobahn in the catcher's mit on driver's left.  When I ran to him I was not yet across the track and about to call in for a hole, he saw me, and without waiting until I said it was safe, he pushed his bike across the track without finding out where the traffic was on the track.  That's unsafe.  I know he raced well this weekend, but when you crash in a corner, the corner worker is in control and they are the ones keeping you safe.  :)

Also, yellow waving flag means NO PASSING.  I heard alot of calls about riders passing each other when an ambulance was on track.  :-/

[r1owner]

I heard alot of calls about riders passing each other when an ambulance was on track.  :-/

Isn't that legal?  I seem to recall from the riders class  that you can indeed pass when the ambulance is on the track.

[Suzy]

No you can not pass.  If the corner worker is presenting a stationary yellow, then you may pass.  ;)  When the ambulance is on track wherever corner he is at, the flag will be waving yellow, and there will be a stationary yellow at the corner before with the ambulance flag waving too.

That's why I think it is a good idea for all riders to take at least 2 days of corner working to learn from our side.  ;)

[KBOlsen]

Point of clarification:

When an ambulance flag is being displayed by itself, the rider may pass.

The waving yellow indicates a "no-passing zone".

[Suzy]

Most of the time when ambulance is out, we have red flagged the race.  But if it is continued due to time factor, your right, you can pass on only ambulance flag.  Thanks for adding that in.   :)

[r1owner]

Most of the time when ambulance is out, we have red flagged the race.  But if it is continued due to time factor, your right, you can pass on only ambulance flag.  Thanks for adding that in.   :)

Well you said you heard of riders passing when the ambulance on the track.  That is not an infraction, so I was confused as to what you were saying.

[Super Dave]

And the point of no passing is from a line perpendicular the route of the track from that waving yellow flag until after the incident.

Cornerworkers also need to recognize that too.  A pass executed prior to that perpendicular line is fair game.  Calling in something that is not that can ruin a lot of work. Yeah, not much money to be made, but it IS racing.  Not a track day.  I understand the safety concern, but rules need to be enforced fairly and consistently.

[tstruyk]

aPPARantly... some of you ARR not sure if you ARR or ARR not allowed to pass under an ambulance flag...ARR we clear?  Do we need to go over the flags?"   ;D

it sounds so much better when I say it outloud  ::)

[mike_rbm]

Street riding and traction.

Consistency.  Very simple.  You can go from fair to none in a matter of moments on the street.  How can one ride with a 20% safety margin when traction could go from 80% of optimum to 20% after a truck carrying mason sand goes by with a mild transmission leak.  You could do the route over and over, but the roads are traveled by all with no real clean spills and dumps.

Spoken like a man who may have turned a lap or 2!  ;D  Very true.

Motorcycles are dangerous by nature. Alot less variables on the track and you have full gear, no curbs or massive spills and you usually have to really try and hit a tree - even at Blackhawk!  :D

For the street always watch out for inattentive spyderchick's. There usually to busy sewing to pay attention to the road!  :o  

Both have their dangers but the track is usually more predictable and the nice safety crew is always watching.