What are the rules for passing in Novice. My friend's first track day was Saturday and he tells me it wasn't made clear if passing was allowed at all, on the straights? in turns with a specified distance? etc... So what's the rule for passing in Novice?
Passing in the Novice group is generally frowned upon within your group. The exception to that is in the event that one of the riders has an event that makes it necessary to do so safely. As for passing of other groups within the novice group, that is coordinated by the instructors. The goal of the novice group is providing a controlled learning environment where students are able to learn without scaring themselves into a survival mode. We do our best to go over this stuff after the riders meeting, however sometimes things do slip. Our goal is to give you every opportunity to improve your skill by removing these areas of uncertainty.
When I went to Barber in March the rules changed as the day went on. First no passing was allowed, then passing on the straights but only with a 6' cushion, and finally passing anywhere as long as it was safe and you had a 6' cushion. We were kept up to speed on what the rules were for each session.
+1 Only been to 2 track days but both were just as soundman describes. Passing rules changed as the day went and were announced in the classroom. Patiently waiting for Road Atlanta 6/26
This seems less restrictive which isn't a bad thing, but a consistant message for newbies would be great. It would also allow them to check there EGO's at the door when you start explaining turns, speed, the right and wrong way to enter and exit the track, blend lines, flags, track layouts, etc... I believe it says in the rules that you can pass within 6 feet of a person. What it doesn't say is whether that is inside, outside, in straights, etc... Granted if your 6ft inside of a person they are probabily running wide, but the question still remains. Consistancy in your message will make riders feel more comfortable and also make STT look more organized. Just my 2 cents...
In the Intermediate Group the passing rule is 6 ft between bikes everywhere: straights, inside & outside of turns. As long as that doesn't get abused, no further restrictions are put on the group. The only other passing restriction is that you can't pass the lead Track Coach the first lap or so of each session. We've significantly reduced cold tire crashes in the Intermediate Group that way.
