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Old 24th March 2019, 00:04   #1
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RACR's Two-Day Motorcycle Race Training - My 1st experience on a race track

From the time I started watching MotoGP or F1, there are two memories I remember with utmost clarity - and both came in 2006. In his last year in F1 (then), Michael Schumacher's engine blowing up in the Japanese Grand Prix handing Fernando Alonso a 10-point lead in the championship:

RACR's Two-Day Motorcycle Race Training - My 1st experience on a race track-f1japanesegp2006michaelschumacherstoppedontrackwithenginefailure.jpg

Valentino Rossi crashing out the last race at Valencia and Nicky Hayden winning the MotoGP World Championship:

RACR's Two-Day Motorcycle Race Training - My 1st experience on a race track-46valencia2006crash.jpg

I was 14 at the time. Right then, I knew there was something in me that liked racing. Couple that with a very high inclination towards video games like Need For Speed, Roadrash, MotoGP - the inclination started becoming a passion. A few years later, I watched Rossi taking on Lorenzo in Catalunya and coming up top - again and again and again. Then I learnt of a certain pocket-rocket by the name of Marc Marquez and followed him closely as he lit up the world of motorcycle racing before setting foot in the big stage - MotoGP. By this time, I had my own motorcyle as well. Of course, I used to do all sorts of reading to understand how to improve handling, speed, braking, etc. leading to some embarrassing posts on this very forum.

By 2014, I used to watch every MotoGP race and every F1 race. I knew I wanted to try what those superhumans did on TV - but the closest I got to doing anything of the sort was go karting. It was when I tried go karting the first time is when I realized what this might actually mean to me. Outside of the go kart, I was this very accommodating, cheerful lad who didn't really think too much about losing. But while karting, second best was not an option. I felt like a different person while karting. There was no room for niceties there. The karting experience gave my racing aspirations further impetus, but again, there was no one in my circle who knew who I could channel this interest of mine. So it lay low but continued to rear its head occasionally to check if something came up.

Come 2017 and my (late) adoption of Instagram. I was introduced to the world of popular Indian bikers like Neharika Yadav, BikeWithGirl, Sagar Sheldekar - all of whom seemed to be doing exactly what I wanted to do. Ride a bike around a circuit. Now, all I needed to know was how do I get on a similar path.Eventually, I found out about Apex Racing Academy, CSS, RACR, Atomic Motorsports - all of whom offered motorcycle racing training in India.

Great! All I had to do was to pack my bags and hit the track. Oops. One problem. It costed enough for me to be reluctant to part with that sum for a 2-day shenanigan.

Come 2019, I decided I would do the things I want to do regardless of how much it cost. Hello Instagram, my old friend. I've come to talk with you again! Not so surprisingly, it looked like Instagram already knew what I was thinking. I saw a post by RACR that said 2 days racing training for Rs.17,499 (+GST). Bike rental, gear rental, all of it would cost extra.

RACR's Two-Day Motorcycle Race Training - My 1st experience on a race track-49933480_2612390032119617_3617584632172512834_n.jpg

I deliberated over it just a bit. Then decided I would do it. E-mailed them for details of the rental cost and this is what I got.

Bike rental - Rs. 8,500
Leathers rental - Rs. 3,500
Boots Rental - Rs. 1,000
Gloves - Rs. 750

Yikes! It would end up costing me close to Rs.33,400 since I already had the boots. But I felt it would be worth it - we work so hard and earn money only to do the things that make us happy. And I knew this would make me happy. I contacted them and made an advance payment of Rs. 11,800 online and was asked to pay the balance Rs.20,249 at the venue by cash.

And so the wait began - a month to what would be a dream I have chased for a good 3 years now.

Last edited by SmartCat : 24th March 2019 at 14:07. Reason: Formatting
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Old 24th March 2019, 00:27   #2
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re: RACR's Two-Day Motorcycle Race Training - My 1st experience on a race track

Once the payment was made, we were added to a WhatsApp group that included others who had signed up for the training sessions. There were people from Pune, Bangalore, Mumbai - even Assam! Questions were asked and all of them were answered by the RACR personnel on the group. On this group, EVERYONE seemed to have some fancy bike. Daytona, RC390, R3, etc. My colleague and I often wondered if were in way over our heads thinking of heading to the track with extensive experience on frugal, commuter motorcycles - Hero Honda Hunk and a Pulsar 135LS.

From the time I spent watching MotoGP and Formula 1, I realized how important it was to learn the race track. Max Verstappen was able to do a mental lap and clocked a time within 2 seconds of his actual lap time!



So, I did my own homework to whatever extent I could.

I used to watch videos of people doing laps at Kari Motor Speedway so I could understand the lines they took. I liked this one in particular because the PoV is of following another rider, which is far more helpful than the PoV of the leading rider.



I would then cross-reference the video with the track layout to understand exactly what was happening and to visualize the track better in my head.

RACR's Two-Day Motorcycle Race Training - My 1st experience on a race track-ind-kari-motor-speedway.jpg

In the mean time, a colleague (who would be joining me at the training), suggested we try our hand at dirt biking. Since it would also give us some useful insights into what we should expect at Kari Motor Speedway. We headed over to Slideways (a wonderful review - https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motor...lat-track.html (Slideways Motoranch, Bangalore: Ride dirt bikes on a flat-track))

Long story short, our bodies were not cut out for it. It was extremely draining and our bodies ached all over the next day. That is when I realized that I would need to exercise harder if I wanted to make sure I make the best of the 2 days I get on the track.

I started to work on shoulder strength, core strength and lower body strength. It was also important to work on stamina since it was more to do with maintaining that strength for long periods of time. I worked my way up as far as I could in terms of stamina before the day arrived.

For accommodation, we booked an AC Room at Sri Nandhana Residency for Rs.1500/day. Booked a train from Bangalore to Coimbatore for the 15th of March. That way, we'd get a much needed good night's rest before the physical toil at the track. We booked a bus back from Coimbatore to Bangalore to ensure we were back in time for work on Monday.

I also ensured we picked up some dri-fit clothing to wear inside the leathers. You see, 36 degrees and wearing leathers was not going to be comfortable. I wanted to make sure I was prepped for any scenario.

This is the checklist we prepared before leaving for Coimbatore:

1) Helmet
2) Boots
3) A pair of shorts
4) Innerwear
5) Dri-Fit Shirt
6) Dri-Fit Pant
7) Two T Shirts
8) Balaclava/Bandanna
9) Toiletries (Brush/Paste/Facewash/Mouthwash)
10) Documents(Print From/License/)
11) Monies
12) Laptop + Power Bank
13) Go Pro
14) Gloves
15) Hand Towels
16) Juices

Last edited by ashwin.terminat : 24th March 2019 at 00:44.
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Old 24th March 2019, 01:29   #3
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re: RACR's Two-Day Motorcycle Race Training - My 1st experience on a race track

The course was spread across 2 days and 2 levels. Day one would be Level 1 and day two would be Level 2.

Day 1:

We were supposed to reach the track by 7am. We borrowed a Honda Activa from my aunt the previous night to ensure we were not dependent on anyone else for travel. We were up by 5:30am and headed over to Hotel Vignesh next door for breakfast. That is where were meet four others who were also headed to the same event. We got to talking and got to know they had a Daytona 675, RC390, Duke 390 and a Ducati Multistrada. All of which will be used on the track today.

Gulp.

But not once did they make us feel belittled. It was our own insecurities that led to the ill-feelings we had. We had our breakfast and headed out. A 18km long ride to the track. The convoy was pretty fascinating - a Honda Activa leading the Daytona, the KTM twins and the Ducati. We were asked to line up and pay the balance amount. We were given our lunch passes and a token to collect the rental gear. The rental bikes were race prepped Apache RTR 180s. I collected my BBG Racing Suit, BBG Racing Gloves and suited up for the first time.

RACR's Two-Day Motorcycle Race Training - My 1st experience on a race track-whatsapp-image-20190316-23.09.05.jpeg

The helmet is a KYT RC-7. Helmets with only ISI certification and without a DD ring fastening mechanism were not allowed. They eventually called us into a pandal and told us that there will be short classroom sessions followed by track activity to practise what was taught in those class room sessions.

Day 1 basically ensured each session allowed us to focus on one aspect oft he entire setup to ensure we get it right rather than trying to get multiple things right at the same time from the get go. Each track session was around 4-5 laps. Day 1 included the following:

Classroom 1: Learning about the basic flags - red, green, yellow
Track: Follow the on-track instructor around the circuit. To get a feel of the bike and riding with gear

Classroom 2: Roll-on and roll-off throttle to try and control the speed of the bike using just the throttle
Track: A no-brake drill. Pick one gear and ride around the circuit using just your throttle for speed modulation. No brakes allowed.

Classroom 3: Basic body position. Keeping the balls of the feet on the footpeg. Holding the fuel tank with the knees and keep the arms loose.
Track: Go around the track while still following the no-brake drill. Except this time, you would also maitain the correct body position.

Classroom 4: Entry, Apex, Exit - Finally some racing terms! He taught us how to take certain corners at Kari and asked us to follow the X marks on the track as reference points for the entry, apex and exit points.
Track: Go out on track - still no brakes, no gear changes + body positioning and this time, try to hit the reference points and get better at it with every lap.

Classroom 5: Advanced Body Position. Getting your knees, butt and elbows out while braking and getting into a corner. Admittedly, the one thing I wanted to learn the most. It looks so cool when the MotoGP guys do it! It's like they are sleeping and riding.
Track: Use light brakes if necessary. But still no gear changes. They asked us to choose one or two corners that were not right after one another to practise body position in. Reason being, if we choose Turn 4 and Turn 5 and we messed up the exit of turn 4 while practising, turn 5 would inevitably go badly as well. I must admit, after the track session for the Classroom 4 session, I felt I messed up really badly. But this session was super fun. I could feel myself going around corners quicker and I absolutely loved doing the quick switch around chicanes.

Note: During all this time, the bikes had no speedo. Nor did they do a lap time. Their rationale was that this will get people to push their limits unnecessarily and crashes will happen.

They ended the day with this little tidbit. If you get your basics right - entry, apex, exit + throtttle control + basic body position, you can get a 1:21 time at Kari. The advanced body position can make a differene of around 3 seconds. That's all it is really worth. So they asked us to focus on those three aspects over advaned body position though it looks really fancy and photogenic.

During they day, they provided lunch and kept a huge stack of water and glucose for us to gulp down whenever we wanted. It was a hot day and the leathers only added to it. But I guess all of us were too fuelled by adrenaline to really care about the weather.

Some pictures:

RACR's Two-Day Motorcycle Race Training - My 1st experience on a race track-whatsapp-image-20190316-23.09.04.jpeg

RACR's Two-Day Motorcycle Race Training - My 1st experience on a race track-whatsapp-image-20190316-23.09.061.jpeg

RACR's Two-Day Motorcycle Race Training - My 1st experience on a race track-whatsapp-image-20190316-23.09.06.jpeg

RACR's Two-Day Motorcycle Race Training - My 1st experience on a race track-whatsapp-image-20190316-23.09.08.jpeg

RACR's Two-Day Motorcycle Race Training - My 1st experience on a race track-whatsapp-image-20190316-23.09.10.jpeg

RACR's Two-Day Motorcycle Race Training - My 1st experience on a race track-whatsapp-image-20190317-13.56.18.jpeg

Last edited by SmartCat : 24th March 2019 at 14:09. Reason: Formatting
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Old 24th March 2019, 08:35   #4
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re: RACR's Two-Day Motorcycle Race Training - My 1st experience on a race track

Nice write up. Track days are an absolute hoot to be part of. And they do show how bad one is on the road in terms of technique. Day to day city riding/driving makes people lose out on a lot of basics and develop wrong habits.
The sooner and frequent you unlearn, the better.

I'm sure you, in your city commutes have incorporated everything you learnt at Kari.
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Old 24th March 2019, 13:10   #5
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re: RACR's Two-Day Motorcycle Race Training - My 1st experience on a race track

Day 2:

We wrapped up day 1 at around 4:45pm. This gave us ample time to rest our bodies which were revealing how tired they were since the adrenaline rush was wearing out.

Day 2 also required us to report at Kari at 7am. So again, we were up by 5:30am, got ready. Met the same people and reached the track by around 7:15am. Day 2 was initially a little lull since a lot of the participants came in a little late. But there were no hurried sessions later. So it wasn't really an issue.

At around 9am, the classroom sessions began again.

Classroom 1: The two-step braking technique. It involved holding the front brakes just enough to allow the suspension to compress a little (called the load), thus allowing the rear suspension to also settle down a little before you got on the brakes completely (the squeeze). They said this improved the stability of the bike as we tipped into a corner and would allow us to take the turn a little faster while still avoiding a crash.

Track 1:They split us into groups of three. There was a cone placed around 70m from us. That was the "load" point. A little away from the load point would be our instructor. We would have to load the brakes and the squeeze the right amount at the right time to stop next to him. For each trial, he would step a little closer or away from the load point. This forced us to think where and how much we would have to brake.

Using the light from the Dominar to teach us how the suspension changes as we brake.

RACR's Two-Day Motorcycle Race Training - My 1st experience on a race track-suspensionclass.jpg

Classroom 2: Peripheral vision. Very useful on the track but even more useful on the streets. Though we have a very wide field of view, we only focus on a fraction of what we see. This leads to all sorts of things whizzing by our eyes without really catching our attention.

RACR's Two-Day Motorcycle Race Training - My 1st experience on a race track-peripheralvisionboundry.jpg

On the track, it could be a braking point or any other reference point. On the highway, it could be a speeding Fortuner on a mission to annihilate anything in its path. This is a far more useful skill for the street considering the sheer number of variables that exist in the Indian road equation.

Track 2: We were asked to do whatever we were doing at the end of Day 1. The only change being, this time we were expected to not explicitly focus on the reference markers but use peripheral vision to spot the braking, entry, apex and exit points.

Classroom 3: Counter Steering.

I will digress a tad to tell you about my first experience with a quad bike. When I wanted to turn left, the damn thing always felt like it was turning right! For the life of me, I could not understand why that was happening. It was only after I learnt about counter steering years later did I understand. Since it had motorcycle like handlebars, I used to use the same mechanics to turn the quad bike - which subsconsciously involved counter steering. The logic is simple, if you want to take a left hander, push your left hand while ensuring your right hand didn't offer any resistance. Once you're satistied you're going to make the apex, you stop applying any inputs and the bike will straighten itself up.

RACR's Two-Day Motorcycle Race Training - My 1st experience on a race track-ivmtgew.png

Track 3a: We were again split into groups of three. Around 8 cones were placed one behind another in close proximity. We were asked to slalom through them. Good fun!

RACR's Two-Day Motorcycle Race Training - My 1st experience on a race track-slalom.jpg

Track 3b: We were asked to try counter steering consciously around one half of the chicanes and around the last corner which was a sweeping left hander. The objective was to get a feel for a quick direction change and the other was to get a feel for adding more lean angle if required during a turn.

RACR's Two-Day Motorcycle Race Training - My 1st experience on a race track-ducatidoing.jpg

RACR's Two-Day Motorcycle Race Training - My 1st experience on a race track-agileducati.jpg

Classroom 4: Putting it all together. This involved telling us to put everything we had learnt in the last 2 days together for a few laps on the track. Right from the throttle countrol to the counter steering we had just learnt.

Track 4: Don't try to speed up but try to get the techniques right. As I had read many times earlier, "you go slow to go fast".

RACR's Two-Day Motorcycle Race Training - My 1st experience on a race track-lining-up.jpg

RACR's Two-Day Motorcycle Race Training - My 1st experience on a race track-rc7.jpg

RACR's Two-Day Motorcycle Race Training - My 1st experience on a race track-rr310.jpg

Classroom 5: The race start drill. Contrary to popular belief, a wheelie while starting means it was a terrible start. The front end needs to be grounded as much as possible. We were taught to hold revs, keep the clutch at a point where we can prevent the bike from moving forward using our legs and sitting close to the fuel tank while applying pressure on the handlebars from the top. The left leg will be in a position to pull up the lever to shift to second gear.

Track 5: Our on track instructor stood next to us to guide us how to get the race start right. He would tell us what went wrong in the previous trial and what we can to fix it in this one.

RACR's Two-Day Motorcycle Race Training - My 1st experience on a race track-racestart.jpg


RACR's Two-Day Motorcycle Race Training - My 1st experience on a race track-3o4a2295-copy.jpg


RACR's Two-Day Motorcycle Race Training - My 1st experience on a race track-3o4a2488-copy.jpg

That marked the end of our training.

Before they gave us the certificates, they took around 30 minutes to teach us all the flags since it is the most basic knowledge one is expected to have when they hit the race track. They also made it clear that if we intend to race hereon, we can always approach RACR for guidance.

Then, we had our Level 2 certificates handed to us.

This is Prince Sirohi getting his certificate from Rajini Krishnan and our On-Track Instructor, Abhishek.

RACR's Two-Day Motorcycle Race Training - My 1st experience on a race track-humbleguy.jpg

A picture of Rajini's Ninja ZX-10R. Chicken strip-ped to the bone (bad pun, eh?)!

RACR's Two-Day Motorcycle Race Training - My 1st experience on a race track-rk67.jpg

I had heard a lot about how humble Rajini Krishnan was before I got to RACR's academy this year. And it was true. Guy is extremely hands-on. Heard stories of how he fastened one participants boots when they were undone during his race start drills. Was always approachable and had no airs about him. Truly a champion for he sport in India.

They were also very happy to answer any questions we had during the time. The organizers even gave us the phone number of our instructor so we can ask him questions if we had them!

RACR's Two-Day Motorcycle Race Training - My 1st experience on a race track-answeringqueries.jpg

And yes, there were crashes. From my memory, the rental Apaches were dropped a few times. A Z800 was dropped once and so was a Triumph Street Triple.

Highlights:
- Lot of track time
- Very humble + approachable instructors
- Super affordable compared to the others out there
- No Go Pros allowed on the track. Since there is a chance it will shatter and ruin time for everyone involved.
- I would have preferred it if the on-track instructor got behind us occasionally to tell us what we were doing wrong
- Letting much faster bikes (Triumphs, Ducatis) on the track at the same time as Apaches led to some hairy situations where they came whizzing past you. It is a little unsettling
- Would have liked to know why one should hang off the bike and the Physics behind it. Then again, I figure not everyone wants to know. So makes sense to optimize for the larger population.
- Provides an avenue for you to unleash the inner-Rossi (or Marquez?) in a safe environment


Would I want to do Level 3 and 4? Definitely. But I think it is better to get your own bike (as long as it is capable) for such things. Since the bikes alloted to you keep changing, you keep recalibrating the brakes each time you get on the bike. And since Bangalore now has two tracks (Meco Kartopia and Aruani Grand), one can expect better track days in and around the city as well.

Some random pictures:

Such a beautiful sounding bike as it blasted down the start-finish straight.

RACR's Two-Day Motorcycle Race Training - My 1st experience on a race track-daytona.jpg

7-time INMRC Champion, Jagan.

RACR's Two-Day Motorcycle Race Training - My 1st experience on a race track-3o4a3892-copy.jpg

A Triumph Stripped Triple

RACR's Two-Day Motorcycle Race Training - My 1st experience on a race track-triumphst.jpg

A wild Z800 appears!

RACR's Two-Day Motorcycle Race Training - My 1st experience on a race track-z800.jpg

Our trainer, Navneeth (facing the camera). Also KTM and Kawasaki's Track Day instructor.

RACR's Two-Day Motorcycle Race Training - My 1st experience on a race track-3o4a2193.jpg


Mr. Naresh Nitro :P


RACR's Two-Day Motorcycle Race Training - My 1st experience on a race track-jagan.jpg

More pictures are due. Will add them as I get them.

Last edited by ashwin.terminat : 24th March 2019 at 13:24.
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Old 24th March 2019, 14:37   #6
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re: RACR's Two-Day Motorcycle Race Training - My 1st experience on a race track

A track removes a lot of the variables that we accommodate for during daily rides. Idiots riding on the wrong side of the road, potholes, high-beam, stranded vehicles - unpredictability basically. On a track, you know exactly where everyone is going and when they will turn. So it helps you focus on your riding alone and correct some of the things you have been doing wrong.

What aspects of my learnings have I tried applying to my daily commute:

What you SHOULD do on the road:

1) Throttle On & Off: It is the smoothest way to ride. Use the throttle to control speed and don't depend on brakes too much. Results in a smoother ride while also decreasing wear and tear of the braking and transmission components. It also helps increase fuel efficiency. Personal experience: When my front brake caliper was pulled off for repairs, I rode around using only my rear brake and depended solely on throttle control for speed regulation - my fuel efficiency improved by around 18%.

2) Basic Body Position: An absolute must. When I had rented the RC390 last year, I ended up with pain of all kinds because I didn't know the right body position. My legs weren't holding onto the bike. The extreme rider's triangle meant all my weight rested on my wrists. Resulted in an aching shoulder, neck, wrist and a numb hand for two weeks! Get a tank grip if you have to and use it to lock your knees to the tank and free up your hands. Also, your elbows must be bent at an angle at not stretched out. This gives you more room for maneuverability

3) Two Step Braking: Given the sheer number of variables on our roads, it helps to keep your bike as stable as possible for as long as possible. If you must use the brakes, use the two step braking technique. Brake only when the bike is upright. When you are already leaned over, your tyres are already searching for traction. Asking them for more traction by braking will lead them to give up and send you on an unceremonious slide.

4) Peripheral Vision: An absolute must given the sheer lack of civic sense most Indians demonstrating while handling a vehicle. Think of it as your inbuilt version of Tesla's accident detection system. It will help you see the kid dashing across the road and give you the crucial few extra seconds you need to take preventive action.

5) Counter Steering: You're already doing it. You can try and get better at it slowly. It is also massively helpful in emergency situations when you must steer sharply to prevent a disaster.

6) Match revs and gears: If you are slipping your clutch, you're in too high a gear. This is especially true in uphill climps. Use the tallest gear that lets you take the turn while neither slipping the clutch nor shifting gears in the middle. It is okay if your vehicle sounds a little harsh or feels buzzy. Shifting mid-corner is a disaster. If you end up losing torque, you will drop like a potato.

7) All jerky actions are to be completed BEFORE the start of the turn: Braking, gear shifting and body movements are to be completed before you enter the turn. While you're in the turn, smoothly turn on the throttle to ensure the bike's suspension stays stable. Too much throttle or too little throttle will result in upsetting your suspension and could affect your tyre's contact with the road (which is the only thing keeping you upright)

8) Scan the road as far as you can: Scanning the road helps you prepare for that speed breaker or anything else that seemingly appeared out of nowhere when you were travelling at 100kmph. On the road, all you have is a few seconds to respond to the situation. Giving yourself as much as time as you can gives you the best chances of getting out the situation unscathed.

What you should NOT do on the road:

1) Advanced body position: Our seats are not conducive to let us hang off comfortably. Our pants do not provide enough grip to let us grip the tank with the outer leg and to let our weight rest on it. So refrain from doing it while on public roads. More so because staying upright puts your body in a safe position to deal with the random animal running in your path.

2) Target Fixation: "Where you look is where you go". And it is true. When I was learning to ride, there was a guy on the side of the road looking like he wanted to cross the road. If I just continued with how I was going, he would have been 10-15 feet away from me - easy. But my eyes were continuously looking to see if he would start moving, and he didn't. What ended up happening was, my bike changed trajectory subconsciously and I ended up panic braking and crashing because I was on a direct collision course with him. In the real world, if there is an obstacle, don't fixate on the obstactle. Look at the ways around it and you will be much safer.

3) Use only rear brakes: Yes, our mummies and daddies told us to use rear brakes while riding a bicycle. But the truth is, majority of your braking comes from your front brake. When you brake, the weight of the bike shifts forward and the rear tyre is already losing grip. Using only your rear brake at this time results in you a) Not using all the braking available b) Risking a lock up of the rear wheel. A combination of 80% front brake and 20% rear bake is considered ideal.

Compiled with invaluable inputs from Divya Sharan.

Last edited by ashwin.terminat : 24th March 2019 at 15:15.
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Old 24th March 2019, 17:17   #7
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re: RACR's Two-Day Motorcycle Race Training - My 1st experience on a race track

Moving thread from Assembly Line to Motorbikes forum. Thanks for sharing, Ashwin!

Last edited by GTO : 25th March 2019 at 08:18.
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Old 24th March 2019, 18:34   #8
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re: RACR's Two-Day Motorcycle Race Training - My 1st experience on a race track

Thanks for sharing your experience and for sharing in a great granularity.

A noob question- Why are the headlights for all bikes masked with tape?
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Old 24th March 2019, 18:39   #9
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re: RACR's Two-Day Motorcycle Race Training - My 1st experience on a race track

Quote:
Originally Posted by daretodream View Post
Thanks for sharing your experience and for sharing in a great granularity.

A noob question- Why are the headlights for all bikes masked with tape?

Hope you liked the post!

Anything that can "shatter" is taped off. In the event of a crash, headlight domes will shatter, as will mirrors and tail light sections.

When it shatters, it takes a lot of time to clean up and risks inflicting a puncture on bikes on the track. This is also why the GoPro was not allowed.
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Old 25th March 2019, 08:14   #10
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Re: RACR's Two-Day Motorcycle Race Training - My 1st experience on a race track

Amazing thread - thanks for sharing!

I would love to participate, but in the cooler months. How does one check their event calendar?
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Old 25th March 2019, 09:41   #11
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Re: RACR's Two-Day Motorcycle Race Training - My 1st experience on a race track

Thanks a lot for comprehensive notes from track day training, makes it lot easier for those looking forward to such an experience.
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Old 25th March 2019, 10:26   #12
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Re: RACR's Two-Day Motorcycle Race Training - My 1st experience on a race track

Wow, this is a great thread Ashwin.terminat! Your experience largely mirrors that I have had with the IndiMotard team and their TWO classes. The advantage that RACR has is that they provide you the option of renting riding gear which is very sensible. While track day riding, as you pointed out, is very appealing to enthusiasts, especially those who follow MotoGP and WSBK, it is rather expensive as well in India. A decent set of entry level leathers will cost you Rs 35,000 to 45,000 and you will use it for 4 - 6 days a year. A pair of full length riding boots will cost you upward of Rs 15,000 onwards. From that perspective, renting out the gear makes sense until you are sure you want to pursue this more seriously. The Rs 8,500 for the bike rental might seem a little steep at first glance but then again it saves you the cost of
a. transporting it from your city to Coimbatore and back
b. riding it down from your city to Coimbatore and back


Its nice to see Navneeth as one of the instructors. Ive met him a couple of times and hes a very quick rider indeed and a cool guy to hang out with.


With regard to the negatives you posted, having instructors riding on track and watching each of the riders and their natural progressions through the day is critical for learning. If you dont know what you are doing wrong, you cant correct it on time. I had the trainers tell me what I was doing right and what I wasnt and I was very happy when I was able to make the corrections through the course of my weekend, enough for the trainers to notice it and let me know I was learning well.


Also Ive ridden on open sessions while I was on my Continental GT 535 with other faster riders on much faster motorcycles (like the Z800, Street Triple etc). The basic rule is that if you are a faster rider, you never overtake a slower rider into a turn. Also when the track opens up, the slower riders make way for the faster riders to pass and thus no problems can occur. More than the motorcycles, its the rider maturity that is crucial to the collective safety of the group. If anyone rides dangerously, they are pulled up by the organizers and given a stern (Ive seen one, trust me stern is a very light word in this case) warning followed by ejection from the track weekend if necessary. Initially even I was wondering if my limited skillset + slow motorcycle would be a problem for others and vice versa, but with a sensible bunch of riders sharing the track with me on an open session weekend, I didnt have any issues and neither did they.


A couple of questions - do they have open track sessions as well where on track riders can alternate with the class room riders? Also is that Prince Sirohi of xbhp fame?
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Old 25th March 2019, 11:24   #13
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Re: RACR's Two-Day Motorcycle Race Training - My 1st experience on a race track

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Amazing thread - thanks for sharing!

I would love to participate, but in the cooler months. How does one check their event calendar?
I haven't seen then post an event calendar thus far. But it helps to keep track of their Instagram page - https://www.instagram.com/teamracr/

Either way, I've asked the organizers if they have an event calendar, will post it here if they send it to me.

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Originally Posted by sukiwa View Post
Thanks a lot for comprehensive notes from track day training, makes it lot easier for those looking forward to such an experience.
You're welcome When I was deciding whether to do this or not, a lack of documentation really stood in the way of making a firm decision. I felt that putting it out there will help others like me who are on the fence.

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From that perspective, renting out the gear makes sense until you are sure you want to pursue this more seriously. The Rs 8,500 for the bike rental might seem a little steep at first glance but then again it saves you the cost of
a. transporting it from your city to Coimbatore and back
b. riding it down from your city to Coimbatore and back
Absolutely. Having your own bike would make a lot more sense if it were in the same city. Since two tracks are coming up in Bangalore, it seems like something worth doing. If no tracks, using their rental bikes make a lot more sense. As you said, renting gear is also a lot more sensible compared to buying them when one is not sure if they want to pursue the sport.

Eg. I had grand plans of buying an RC390/R3/Ninja and use them for track days. I then felt it was better to use a rental bike for the track day and then decide if it would be worth buying the bike. Seen a lot of people regretting a purchase because they couldn't make the time/resolution to use the bike on track.

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Originally Posted by neil.jericho View Post
With regard to the negatives you posted, having instructors riding on track and watching each of the riders and their natural progressions through the day is critical for learning. If you dont know what you are doing wrong, you cant correct it on time. I had the trainers tell me what I was doing right and what I wasnt and I was very happy when I was able to make the corrections through the course of my weekend, enough for the trainers to notice it and let me know I was learning well.
+1

I was a little disappointed that this didn't happen. It leaves me in a state of limbo where I don't know if I am doing it right or wrong. Considering the on-track instructor had around 5 people to handle and each track session had around 4-5 laps, it was pretty simple to follow each rider for one lap per session.

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Originally Posted by neil.jericho View Post
Also Ive ridden on open sessions while I was on my Continental GT 535 with other faster riders on much faster motorcycles (like the Z800, Street Triple etc). The basic rule is that if you are a faster rider, you never overtake a slower rider into a turn.
Yes. It is far far safer when overtakes happen down a straight or some such and not when people are moving around trying to get the entry point right. At times, I literally sat up and looked behind me to ensure no one was behind me. Because at those speeds, a collision would have horrible consequences.

Quote:
Originally Posted by neil.jericho View Post
A couple of questions - do they have open track sessions as well where on track riders can alternate with the class room riders? Also is that Prince Sirohi of xbhp fame?
From what I remember of their Instagram page, I don't remember seeing open track days. But you can keep a tab on Aruani Grid and Meco Kartopia in Bangalore. The Honda Ten10 guys conduct their training in Aruani Grid and expect the circuit to conduct track days very soon. It would save you the hassle of transporting your bike, too. But you can e-mail RACR and check with them. They're very approachable people.

And yes, that is Prince Sirohi of xBhp fame I was amazed at how the man mustered the courage to not just get back on 2 wheels but to ride on a circuit on a motorcycle after suffering 13 fractures because of a motorcycle accident. Kudos to the man!

Last edited by ashwin.terminat : 25th March 2019 at 11:26.
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Old 25th March 2019, 12:30   #14
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Re: RACR's Two-Day Motorcycle Race Training - My 1st experience on a race track

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Yes. It is far far safer when overtakes happen down a straight or some such and not when people are moving around trying to get the entry point right. At times, I literally sat up and looked behind me to ensure no one was behind me. Because at those speeds, a collision would have horrible consequences.
This is one thing that one should never have to go through when riding on the track. All riders should respect the capabilities of the other riders and the capacity of the motorcycles that are on the track. Usually a quick word in the pits to these 'racers' who want to pull off MotoGP-esque divebombs helps them cool down and is what is required. Bringing it to the attention of the organizers is also a good move.

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And yes, that is Prince Sirohi of xBhp fame I was amazed at how the man mustered the courage to not just get back on 2 wheels but to ride on a circuit on a motorcycle after suffering 13 fractures because of a motorcycle accident. Kudos to the man!
I didnt know about his accident, kudos to him.
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Old 25th March 2019, 14:26   #15
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Re: RACR's Two-Day Motorcycle Race Training - My 1st experience on a race track

Beautiful thread, excellent compilation and a treasure to read. Great to see, Prince Sirohi getting the certificate. Yes, it's a tale indeed. Here's a link to his accident saga, just in case you're interested.

http://boty.xbhp.com/entries/detail/2119.html

One thing still surprises me is the the way "big bikers" cut the noobs or learners. It's seems this law is almost applicable universally. You see a noob pittery-pattery all over the place in a track, and boom you see a flyby inches near from you. Either the big bikes should be run separately, as in, they consume the track fully and tussle up with someone of their own kind, this way the noob rider is mentally devoid of the thought that okay, I can at least test whatever I learned without being run over by a big biker.

I always feel, this can be something that can be implemented, barring the instructors' bikes.

Cheers!
VJ
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