I attended my first track day yesterday at Little Tally...what an experience!! Initial thoughts: Staff and instructors were all extremely helpful and inviting. Dennis Cejas was our on-track instructor and showed us the lines! Little Tally is a great track to experience your first track day. I'd recommend it to anyone thinking of trying a track day. Structured sessions early in the day were welcomed by me being my first time...I felt more confident and safe...which was proven during the first session we were allowed to navigate the track solo and 2 riders went down with in minutes of each other. If you think you are "decently" quick on your bike on the street... you aren't as fast as you thought on track. Proper braking technique makes you fast...I now realize just how true that is...I have a lot of bad habits from the street to fix on track when it comes to this part of riding. Passing at Little Tally is difficult when trying to get around a slower rider on a fast bike...being "checked-up" by a slower rider in the corners only to have them gun it at every straight and not having the power or the aggressiveness to get around them can be frustrating. I say this with a grain of salt...I'm sure faster riders behind me thought the same thing...but if I saw a wheel, I would let them go...I understand it's novice group, so no ill will to any rider out there learning (just like me)..but frustrating nonetheless. All in all, a really great time with good people all around us! We just booked our next track day, doing the full weekend early June at Tally!!
Awesome man! Glad you had a good time, I expected nothing less for you. That first trackday is always a humbling experience coming from the street! I meant to go look for you in the paddock and chat, but kinda forgot LOL. We left after the 6th session and sat at the gate for about 10 minutes waiting for that Novice session to be over with and got to watch you go by. Noticed that bright green One X suit! Get out there and check Barber out, I assure you that you won't regret it! It's easy on tires too, so the higher price compared to the price of Tally seems substantial, until you go through a rear tire after riding Tally 2 or 3 times, you could probably ride double that on a rear at Barber. Tally is rough on rubber. But glad you had a good time man! I will catch up with you later on!
So happy to hear you had a great day. Bad habits can really hang on so work on one of them at a time. Loved Barber, really loved Road America it is the best track I've had the please to run. Overtaking can be tough, especially when you can only pass on the straights in Novice. I've enjoyed this series. Trust I'm not breaking any rules with the link. https://lifeatlean.com/why-is-overt...?awt_a=98HD&awt_l=PDLkf&awt_m=3hNmMGy1ecYC1HD
Yeah, I've watch a good bit of the "Life at Lean" series, really like how he brakes things down...just gotta take it to where the rubber meets the road!
we will have to catch up at the next one! We decided prior to going to Barber we want to do Little Tally again, two days in a row. Now that the nerves of "the first track day" are behind us...we can focus on what we learned from our first day and improve in the areas we would like too, on a track we now have 7 sessions on. But we 100% will be doing both Barber and Road Atlanta this year.
You can pass in corners in Novice so long as it's on the outside and you allow a 6' safety cushion. I rode Barber last November in Novice so as to ride with my friend at his first trackday, I passed people in corners all day long on the outside. Easy to do there though with the 45' wide track, I've yet to pass anyone in a corner at Tally, my bike doesn't have the needed lean angle clearance in case I come in too hot and need to tighten up a turn, I'd be screwed if I had to do that. LOL.
Good plan buddy! You seem to have the right mentality, learn all you can and you'll be in Intermediate group before you know it!
Ah, rode Novice twice at Tally and once at Barber last year, I was under the impression the entire time that you could pass on outside in corners with the 6' safety cushion after the morning guided sessions. Just figured that was standard across the board. Good to know though.
Agreed, BUT and for me it's huge. I've found the normal race line is to use ALL the track, which seems to be as you turn your line goes to the outside of the turn. SO you better make the pass early in the corner or your in the normal line of the other rider. Early in track days this freaked me the heck out as now mid corner I needed to change my line or either rub paint or push the other rider off the track. Alternatively I got used to changing that line but then found riders NOT following the rule passed on the inside. Might be a senior moment, thought novice passing ONLY on the straights, Intermediate was on the outside with 6 foot clearance, Advanced was in or outside of corners with 6 foot clearance.
Intermediate is pass inside or outside with 6' safety cushion, Advanced is pass anywhere any time as long as you aren't being an asshat. Also, passing in corners is much easier at Barber, as it's 45' wide and Novice pace shouldn't be depending on using so much of the track. I still have never passed in a corner at Tally, passed going into corners, but never in a corner. Just never felt comfortable to do so there.
To me, a good pass in intermediate should be completed so that the person being passed does not need to change lines particularly in the corner! In intermediate, most people are just getting fast enough to push in corners and a surprise mid corner requiring a line change has a distinct possibility of causing a low side or standing the bike up on brakes and running even wider. Both riders would be properly f'd.
I did not get into much trouble in my first track day but my second their and fourth I got called out a few times each day. Bart Brejcha Design-engine.com
I’m interested in the etiquette of passing as well, mostly because my bike is a beast, but I’m not! I don’t wanna be ‘that guy’ that frustrates everyone in the corners, but winding the throttle open and feeling the power is SO addictive!! Are the CR’s able to monitor/guide us on the fly to help with this? Not having mirrors, I wouldn’t be able to tell if I’m slowing someone down on the corners like I can in the mountains.
Don’t worry about people behind you or that you’re holding people up. Ride your own ride and if they are that much faster than you they will get around you. The rider in front always has the line and it’s the responsibility of the rider behind to make a clean safe pass.
rider in front always has the line, never worry about who is behind you or what they are doing focus forward and ride your ride. the faster rider will get around you safely or atleast should! also if they cant because your really fast in the straights and slower in a corner they can always pit in and roll through to go back out a few seconds later that will give time to let the other rider go off in the distance and the other rider to be away. novice passing is ONLY in the straights with a 6ft cushion all the way around, the passing areas are designated by the lead instructor and dependent on the conditions and riders of the day. intermediate is anywhere and inside or outside corners with 6ft buffer all the way around advanced is anywhere anytime, no buffer but we ask you to be polite.. rubbing is not acceptable nor is pushing someone off period short answer yes we are out there in the groups monitoring riding habits picking up riders that seem like they need help and adjusting habits on the fly!