It is all well and good being the best rider on this planet, however, in modern-day motorcycle racing and achieving a MotoGP ride, it’s just not enough to pin your hopes on. The modern day motorcycle racer requires a broad skill-set for the most sophisticated of all modern sports. The skill-set includes on-bike rider skills, physical and mental skills as well as management, and bike set-up skills!

Check out all our tech tips here…

The degree of how well you can set-up your bike is measured by a lap time, as well as a race distance time. Qualifying works on a single fast lap for placement of starting position. Race distance time is taken from the start to the finish of the race. How well we set up our motorcycle to stave off tyre degradation and rider fatigue is all about having the best condition tyre in the last and closing laps so you can destroy your opposition and take that chequered flag!

All too often we see a rider that can qualify well yet they suffer in the race, all because they don’t have a suitable race set-up that will go the full race distance and allow them to be as competitive at the end of a race as they were at the start.

TRADE-OFFS
The reason that the name ‘the black art’ is given to what we call the knowledge of suspension and chassis set-up is because there are so many different options available to the rider and his team of technicians. The most important part of a set-up session is to understand that whilst we make a change in one aspect of the motorcycle, we may affect the performance of the motorcycle in other areas.

A harder spring may be fitted but this requires hydraulic adjustments and the ride height may have been affected so then a chassis adjustment may be required. 

Sometimes we may even move in the wrong direction. Simply, we make an adjustment with back to back testing that appears to be working and it is not until we have moved a full circle with testing that we realise we were on the wrong track. More than likely the initial adjustments masked the initial problem, meaning the adjustment did not fix the problem but just helped the symptom. There is a defining need to be flexible and commit to doing a full testing package away from a race meeting where you have time to concentrate on testing in a suitable environment.

When we adjust suspension we can affect the geometry of the motorcycle both front and rear. Likewise, when we adjust geometry we affect suspension settings, it is imperative we have a good understanding of adjustments and all the trade-offs, before we really get started in the set-up of a motorcycle’s chassis and suspension.

Modern-day motorcycle racers are well aware of the above points. The black art of set-up is really what puts the pressure on the individual riders and their teams come race weekend. The race organisers have realised this as well. In fact, most race series organisers limit test sessions in a competition year in a bid to keep a level playing field for all competitors.

BACK-TO-BACK TESTING
An essential part of setting up your motorcycle is to ensure that you are going about the research and development of your motorcycle in the correct manner. A systematic testing program that takes in a holistic approach is essential.

Try to test under the exact same riding conditions as this will help to ensure that when we are making changes to the set-up they are relevant to the last test or race conditions. Being able to test back to back in similar conditions takes a lot of guesswork out.

It’s hard enough to work through the black art of chassis and suspension set-up but when you have to consider the effects of changing weather conditions, you can just imagine how lost you can get when you don’t consider the effects of all areas.

“Making assumptions in testing is the mother of all mistakes. Remember, the changes are so small for huge gains especially when you start to get on top.”

Making assumptions in testing is the mother of all mistakes. Remember, the changes are so small for huge gains especially when you start to get on top of your game. The faster you are, the smaller and more subtle are the changes that give you huge advantages, especially when the final measurement of all your work is in the last or closing laps.

RECORDING INFORMATION
To record information you will need an appropriate set-up sheet with all the details of the test. Conditions of the track surface including surface temperature, number of turns, length, undulations, height above sea level and obviously the track name all need to be recorded accurately. Weather conditions the test was run under, wind direction and strength, humidity, temp and air density of each test session.

Chassis set-up needs to be recorded as well including front and rear ride heights, position of rear wheel and front and rear sprocket sizes. Make note of suspension settings including front and rear spring rate and preload. Also record hydraulic adjustments such as fluid levels, compression and rebound settings.

Brand of tyres and exact model info including sizes, compound, rolling diameter, and crown radius. In the engine section you need to keep track of oils, fuel, and any modifications likely to effect performance. Finally, lap times must be recorded accurately and specify the type of testing, eg single lap or simulated 10 lap race including total race time. 

MAINTENANCE OF YOUR MOTORCYCLE
Incorrectly adjusted, lubricated or worn items like wheel, steering head, swing arm, shock absorber and pivot bearings, or chain and sprockets, will all negatively effect the feel and performance of the suspension and chassis. 

I have a maintenance sheet that allows my customers to personally go through and check their own motorcycle. I suggest that you get one organised and ensure that your motorcycle is in peak condition. Going through this checklist after every ride will enable you to identify any possible faults. Why after every ride? Management like this will give you enough time to order parts and organise workshop time.

GEOMETRY OF BIKE
In Australia we are lucky to have one of the world’s best measurement devices for a bike’s overall geometry set-up. The inventor has found a set of what he refers to as ‘sweet numbers’ that will clearly determine where adjustments are required to get the motorcycle’s geometry optimised.

I insist on all of my elite people in the sport having their machine put through the GMD Computrack system to ensure that the chassis is straight as well as finding a starting point to have the bike in the closest position to perfection for competition.

RAKE AND TRAIL
A lot of riders and mechanics make adjustments in a range of areas that affect the rake and trail of a motorcycle yet most are totally unaware of the full effects of their changes. When you look at the rake and trail diagram, you will see how we measure both. If you think a little more about all of the tuning options, you can see how adjustments will change the rake and trail of a motorcycle.

The adjustments therefore effect how quickly or slowly the motorcycle will turn, move the centre of gravity, and affect the motorcycle’s amount of mechanical grip. The effects are not just in how the motorcycle turns but also how the motorcycle brakes and its overall stability as well.

All too often the general motorcycle public are fooled into believing that grip is all about how we shift weight to the front and rear to create grip using mechanical tuning as in ride height. When we consider mechanical grip, we can increase or decrease grip, not by moving weight forward or rearwards but by adjustments in the rake and trail and swingarm angle to create mechanical grip. 

FRONT AND REAR RIDE HEIGHT ADJUSTMENT
We can adjust the ride height of the front of the motorcycle by simply moving the forks through the triple clamps. The adjustment of the spring preload to a softer or harder setting, or changing of the spring rate, will also change the ride height.

The hydraulic settings available (as in oil-level height, amount of compression and rebound adjustment) will also affect the front ride height of the motorcycle!

The rear ride height can be adjusted by lengthening the shock absorber, changing a ride height adjustor or the geometry of linkages. All have tradeoffs. It’s very important to remember that just by adjusting your chain you can change your rear ride height and also the trail and rake at the front of the motorcycle!

ADJUSTABLE TRIPLE CLAMPS
Front triple-clamps are a very important chassis tuning device that is available to the motorcyclist when we want a particular characteristic tuned in or out by changing our motorcycle’s rake and trail which affects the amount of front grip, and how the bike turns as well as stability. Changing the offset of the triple-clamps does this.

REAR WHEEL POSITION
The position of the rear wheel is so important to quite few areas of the motorcycle. We have the wheelbase to consider; in basic terms we can shorten and lengthen the wheelbase. Obviously this becomes a vital part of servicing the chain on the motorcycle. As it stretches and the wheel is moved back to maintain correct tension, the wheelbase is lengthened

When we adjust a chain, depending on the motorcycle swingarm design, we can increase the rear ride height and even in some cases decrease the ride height, which again will change the rake and trail of the front of the motorcycle. 

The worst cases happened to be the single-sided swingarms that came on some of the endurance style racers, in particular, the VFR and RVF Hondas as well as a few of the NSR and RS250 Hondas. These bikes have an eccentric adjustment in the rear hub to adjust the chain. Unfortunately while the rear wheel looks very clean and stylish and allows for quick wheel changes, this adjustment changes the rear ride height.

Even a conventional swingarm can change the ride height. Check out your bike and work out whether the rear wheel moving back or forward works on a horizontal plane or an angle. This is very simple, if it’s not parallel to the ground then moving the rear wheel forward or rearwards will change the ride height, which again will change the front rake and trail.

CHAIN PULL SQUAT
The chain pull effect comes into effect when we accelerate the bike and is the action of the front sprocket pulling the swingarm around its pivot. This obviously affects the rear ride height as well as the rake and trail.

Adjustment can be made in a few areas. The size of the front sprocket will change the angle of the pulling chain as will the size of the rear sprocket. The position of the swingarm pivot will also affect the pull of the swing arm.

The goal would be to have the swingarm and front drive sprocket sharing the same pivot point centre.

Another change can be made through the lower control arm linkages on the swing arm. This affects the rate of pull on the rear shock, which can change the rear ride height. When you consider this in detail, changing gear ratios will have an effect on your chassis set-up not just make a change in the way the power is delivered.

SUSPENSION
The job of the suspension is to help keep the tyres in contact with the road to offer the best grip whilst cornering or braking. Let’s face it; it’s all about grip. Obviously in this process the suspension is soaking up all the bumps expected and unexpected, whilst keeping that perfect contact patch on the road.

SPRINGS
The job of the front and rear spring is essentially to take the weight of the rider and motorcycle. Given that the motorcycle weight is what it is, the variable will be the rider. As the weight of the rider increases, the need for a heavier spring to deal with the extra weight is required.

To get the full advantage from our spring we need the spring to be able to offer its total amount of free travel, which means that there is a certain amount of pre-load available on a spring before its available range of movement is affected.

All too often we see people run way too much spring pre-load, meaning that when the spring is put to work the energy in the spring is not allowed to fully dissipate on its return, which means the spring starts an oscillation cycle.

So the first step is to establish what spring would be suitable for your bike and rider setup. How do we know what spring to run? By having the knowledge of the rear shock’s total travel and working on the fact that the riders weight should never take up more than one third of travel when static. We also have a certain amount of spring preload available for each weight spring. With these two measurements we are able to establish what spring is required and what you want.

HYDRAULICS
The job of the hydraulics is to help the spring do its job of absorbing the bumps and uneven surfaces, whilst keeping the motorcycle on its original line or horizontal plane. As a child I was lucky to have a pogo stick. This was basically a stick with a big spring and two footrests on it and all you had to do was bounce around on it. Funnily enough, when we were young lads riding, if the bike didn’t have enough rebound dampening we used to say the back or front of the bike was like a pogo stick to ride. We have moved on and most kids would rather play on the computer, but you know it was a great way to understand why we need rebound dampening. The effect of not having rebound dampening would see us getting sprung all over the place.

Rebound dampening is the hydraulic action that slows the spring to its original position ready for the next bump in the road. Without rebound dampening what we would experience is a bouncing effect. If the rebound action is too fast we get a similar feeling just like a pogo stick. If the rebound action is too slow the spring will not return to its full length ready to do its job again. This is also known as ‘packing down’.

So what is compression dampening? Well, it works in the opposing direction to rebound dampening and assists the motorcycle under braking as well as reducing the effects of squat and acceleration. The adjustments of the above can be made with the clickers on the bike, however, once we start changing front or rear springs we also change the speed of the shock absorber and this is when we need to also change the valving of the hydraulics.

HIGH SPEED AND LOW SPEED REBOUND AND COMPRESSION ADJUSTMENTS
Sounds incredibly difficult all this high and low speed adjustment stuff but it’s fairly simple. Our modern day valving and hydraulic systems have become so sophisticated. In the expensive aftermarket shock absorbers we have the option to not only adjust the rebound and compression using on-bike clickers, we now have the ability to adjust rebound or compression in two areas. Rebound adjustment can be adjusted for the harsh and fast bumps. We use high-speed adjustment for those big bumps, while also having the ability to adjust low speed rebound for smooth bumps or acceleration-related rebound issues. 

Likewise with compression adjustment we have the same scope of adjustment, which is great for adjustment under brakes or deceleration over a set of bumps with squat to the rear. Yes I know, just when you thought you were getting it!

GRIP
One of the most important rules to understand with your suspension settings for both spring and hydraulics is that the harder (or firmer) you make your suspension, the less feel (or feedback) you will have for surface grip.

The fine-line in tuning the suspension is to get the bike so it can cut a lap on the track, be predictable, offer great feel and be positive the harder you push it. Obviously the harder you push and the faster you go, the more you need to tune the suspension. To find the appropriate setting we must be constantly pushing the limits and improving yourself and the motorcycle. Also don’t forget, we should consider the effects of any chassis changes likely to affect our mechanical grip.

SUSPENSION GURUS
Our modern day racers have a range of technicians surrounding them. The suspension technician’s job is to ensure that not only has the rider got the correct springs for the job, but that the hydraulics are operating in the correct window of adjustment. The suspension gurus will also look at track conditions and offer even finer tuning advice to suit a high or low speed circuit to obtain an advantage that other riders may not have.

Not all riders use the same style, which means that not all suspensions are set the same. Riders prefer different settings to others and obviously every rider is a different weight and shape. However, it is interesting to note that although riders have different track preferences, they all have strengths and weaknesses, and the rider that comes with the most competitive package wins. Who is the best rider in the world at a top level? It’s the argument fought every weekend at tracks all around the world. But you can be assured of one thing in the modern-day racing world, it is no longer just about the rider, it’s definitely about the whole team and their ability to work together, searching for the ultimate performance of their motorcycle and rider. For me, it’s all about great feedback and feeling from a motorcycle that should feel like a physical extension of you.

Suspension Set-up Check List

• Step 1 Ensure that everything is serviced correctly, i.e. lubrication and adjustment to all bearings and pivot points.
• Step 2 Get your bike to GMD Computrack to make sure it’s straight and within the right range of sweet numbers and has the right springs and valving to suit.
• Step 4 Get yourself organised with a check sheet and some record of the adjustments you are about to make. 
• Step 5 Log all information before you start the day’s testing, that way if it turns to shit you can backtrack.
• Step 6 Start your test day with all the confidence you possess and be ready to evaluate and make changes. 
• Step 7 Don’t be scared of enlisting expert help, there are suspension gurus out there.
• Step 8 Remember that the test is not just about one lap but the best set-up for race distance.
• Step 9 You will never be happy with your set-up, you should always be ready to push for faster, better and quicker. 

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Show Up In The Right Gear
This is a huge one, it might sound simple but it’ll save you some heartache of being turned away from the track. At the bare minimum, most tracks will require you to have one or two piece leathers, leather gloves, riding boots (most tracks will not allow riding shoes) and an Australian/European approved helmet. Some tracks will require a back protector, this is something you should chuck on anyway as it could save you from being paralyzed.

Now, that’s the bare minimum. To ensure your safety it’s best to have a GOOD CONDITION one piece set of leathers, an ill fitting and damaged set could cause you harm in the instance of a crash. Buy yourself a decent helmet, lid’s aren’t meant to be used after being dropped so if you dust of that helmet that’s fallen off your handlebars multiple times, you’re only putting yourself at risk.

Set Up Your Bike Property
We have a fair few articles on bike preparation but the rules for a track day are straight forward, no fluids leaking, no ear-drum rupturing exhausts and decent tread on your hoops. Not only will the scrutineer turn you away if they see your tyres have no tread, but you’ll have a terrible time battling the bike with crusty old tyres on.

Check out our tech articles here…

Oil and fluid leaks are self-explanatory. If your bike is leaking oil while road riding, imagine how much will flow out while revving it to the redline. Don’t ruin someone else’s day by spewing oil down the track, check those drain and filler plugs.

Find The Right Group For You
You’ve bought yourself the top-of-the-line 1000cc machine? Awesome! However fast you think you are on the road, you’ll probably be quite slow learning a track. Don’t choose the “Fast” or “Racer” group just because you have the fastest bike in a straight line. There is absolutely no harm in starting in the slow and intermediate groups while you get to grips. If you’re too fast, the organisers will move you up a skill group.

If you’re off the pace but are unleashing all the power on the straights in the fast group, you are a bit of a danger to the other riders on the course, especially those on smaller capacity machines. Entering the “Race” or “Fast” groups, most riders will be expecting you to be on the racing line, so if they go to overtake and you suddenly chop them up you could end up injuring someone. No one cares what colour your wristband is…

Relax And Stay Calm
Say someone hasn’t taken the last bit of advice and they’re slow as all hell in the fast group. Just drop back and give them space, it’s no use dicing with an unpredictable rider. If you have serious concerns then you can bring it up with the organisers.

I’ve had this happen to me on plenty of occasions, in fact, one of my biggest accidents was caused by not letting a YZF-R6 go while I was on a CBR250RR. The YZF-R6 rider took an unpredictable line and grabbed the brakes mid corner, I was on the pace and fully committed to the downhill at Wakefield Park when I speared off the track to avoid them, resulting in me and the bike cartwheeling through the air. This would’ve been avoided if I had just taken a slow down through the pits and raised my concerns with the organisers.

Tape Up Those Mirrors And Speedo
You do not need to be looking at your Speedo on a track day. 100% of your focus should be on the road, the world passes by very fast when you’re at full pelt on a motorcycle, taking that split second to look at your speedo could result in you missing your braking point or running up the back of someone. If you really want to know how fast you’re going, strap a GPS tracker or GoPro to your bike.

Check out our article on transporting your bike to the track here…

The mirrors have the same theory but it also comes back to that unpredictability too. If there is a faster rider behind you, they’ll find a way past, don’t distract yourself by constantly looking in the mirrors. It’s best to just fold them in or cover them.

Helmet Cameras
Most tracks will not allow you to have anything on your helmet. This goes for add-on intercoms too. Find a nice spot for you to put your camera, my preference is on the tail or the tank, and make sure it’s stuck down well and proper. Last thing you want is the camera to be lost the first time you accelerate!

“No one remembers the fastest person, they remember the one who crashed.”

Have Fun, It’s Not MotoGP
This is the most important point of the lot. Go out to have fun, not to break a lap record (which probably wont happen). All the track days I attend, I don’t even check the lap times, I’m there to have fun and I can improve on my times at the next race meeting.

I find that not bothering to time myself will allow me to leave the track glowing with happiness rather than disappointment. Some track day organisers don’t offer timing too, which I believe is a good thing, it stops people from pushing too hard and going beyond their abilities. Just go out and have fun, a MotoGP rider spotter isn’t going to be at your local track day. As the saying goes: no one ever remembers the fastest person, they remember the one that crashed.

That’s about all to have a nice time during your first track day. Don’t be afraid to ask fellow riders for some help, make some friends and enjoy your time! You’re not racing for sheep stations so don’t be a dick.

Additional Advice 

• Trailer your bikes – You are going to be knackered at the end of the day, last thing you’ll want to do is ride home in your leathers.
• Bring your own lunch and water – Every track I’ve been to charges a bonza for food and drinks. Pack a nice lunch and plenty of water.
• Bring spare fuel – The fuel at the track will be expensive. It doesn’t hurt to fill up some jerry cans.

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The event was organised by the Motorcycling Australia Women’s Committee and with Motorcycling Australia (MA) responsible for running the event on the day, plus the additional support from the global motorcycling body the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) and the regional body FIM Oceania, the day was a huge success.

Riders from other disciplines at Wakefield Park Raceway included Emma Milesevic, Jess Gardiner and Jemma Wilson who were joined by established ASBK road racers Laura Brown and Grace Poutch at the picturesque 2.2km Wakefield layout.

The 30-odd riders attending on the day were assisted and coached by Brown and Poutch who were ably assisted by Steve Martin and Peter Goddard as well as Stay Upright coaches John Perrin and Simon McAdie. Motorcycling Australia media identity and rider, commentator and adventurer Kate Peck was also in attendance and took part in the track activities while also offering her thoughts on women in motorsport and motorcycling media.

On the day, many aspects of modern road racing were covered including “How to get started in road racing”, working on your personal branding and sponsorship as well as media and social media training. While there was a serious side to the day, the primary purpose was to offer a fun and relaxed environment that- based on the photos and videos from the day – was certainly achieved.

For Peter Doyle, CEO of Motorcycling Australia (MA) as well as FIM Oceania representative, the success of the day was a testament to the hard work of those involved: “I want to give thanks to the AWIM and the Women’s Committee for their hard work and dedication to getting this event not only to happen, but for making it the success it clearly was. I’d also like to thank Wakefield Park, Stay Upright and Motorcycling New South Wales for their efforts as well.

“The continuing growth of women in the sport is something that we at Motorcycling Australia fully back. I hope we see more events like this in the future and see growth in female participation as a result. Again, I want to thank all involved and congratulate them on a fantastic first Women’s Circuit Racing Academy.”

Alana Baratto, MA Board member and AWIM Chair: “We were thrilled to have so many women embrace circuit racing and join us across the weekend at Wakefield Park which included ASBK and of course, the very first Women’s Circuit Racing Academy.

“We were joined by our dedicated coaches as well as our volunteers and partners who are all just as passionate as we are to see more women participating in circuit racing. The smiles and laughter at the end of the day illustrated that not only did they gain new knowledge and skills, but also developed new friendships. All of that added up to a really successful day.”

AWIM Wakefield Park Gallery

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DesmoSport Ducati Co-Owner Ben Henry said, “We’ve had the pleasure of taking many Ducatisti through our pit box at previous rounds of the Australian Superbike Championship, and I’m excited to partner with Ducati to up the ante and take them to track with us. It’s a great opportunity for not only experienced riders, but new riders to come, benefit from our experience to improve their riding, discover the capabilities of their bikes and share the Ducati Passion.” 

Ducati Australia and New Zealand Managing Director, Sergi Canovas: “We are really excited to bring another Ducati experience to life in 2022. Our team was on the ground for the final round of the Australian Superbike Championship at The Bend Motorsport Park we thoroughly enjoyed being back amongst the Ducati family.”

“Working with the DesmoSport Ducati team we are able to bring our customers an exclusive experience to explore their Ducati motorcycle in an exciting and supportive environment with an experienced group of people to offer support. We can’t wait to get out on track and have some fun!”

The inaugural Ducati Track Day powered by DesmoSport will take place on March 4, 2022 at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit. Click here to register and find out more.

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For those who have ridden a motorcycle with racing slicks, the first few minutes fresh off the tyre warmers can be quite sketchy unless you push immediately to make sure you don’t lose temperature, as racing slicks only operate properly within a very narrow temperature and pressure operating range.

You wouldn’t dare leave the pits on stone cold slicks if you want to finish lap around the track still on your bike. Metzeler, however, have found a way to eliminate the use of tyre warmers to keep the costs down and track days easier by having a broader operating range, with these essentially replacing the RACETEC INTERACT K3 from previous years, the hardest race slick from Metzeler.

The secret is comes from the TD SLICK featuring a racing compound that includes polymers with a low glass transition temperature, carbon black and high melting temperature resins. METZELER engineers have designed a compound capable of operating in a wide range of temperatures and asphalt conditions, in order to offer consistency in performance and resistance to cold tearing.

The exclusive patented CCM process – Compound Continuous Mixing process – maximises the homogeneity of the components in the polymetric matrix and allows the tyre to consistently offer high performances, from the first to the last lap, even if divided between several thermal cycles.

Thanks to this set-up, track day fans can get all the performance they can dream of out of their bike without needing to spend thousands on bike stands, climate controlled storage and tyre warmers. Riders can just kick their stand up, warm the tyres up slightly and apply maximum throttle.

Strengthened by the experience accumulated in road racing such as the Tourist Trophy on the Isle of Man, used as a testing ground to test the versatility of its products, Metzeler engineers have designed a compound capable of operating in a wide range of temperatures and asphalt conditions, offering consistency in performance and resistance to cold tearing.

Metzeler have kept the sizing simple by providing the most common rear sizes, so you don’t have to muck around with changing the rear setup. The Genuine rear sizes allow a smoother transition from OEM tyres geometries to professional racing tyres, and helps the rider skip some of the setup variables a professional racer is required to manage

Everything about the TD SLICK has had value for money in mind, rear sizes feature a symmetric structure and seamless construction layers avoiding the junctions, which are sensitive to the stress direction. The rear is also fully reversible, offering the rider the chance to fully use the tyre, when riding at tracks featuring a predominant leaning side, which exploit just one side of the tyre.

The Metzeler TD RACETEC SLICK are available now, check out the sizing and price list down below. Contact Cassons to find a supplier near you so you can improve your track day experience and your lap times beyond your expectations!

Metzeler RACETEC TD Slick Sizes and Pricing

• M3895000 RACETEC TD SLICK 120/70R17 NHS FRONT T/L $179.95
• M3895100 RACETEC TD SLICK 180/55R17 NHS REAR T/L $219.95
• M3895200 RACETEC TD SLICK 190/55R17 NHS REAR T/L $224.95
• M3895300 RACETEC TD SLICK 200/55R17 NHS REAR T/L $229.95
  

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Road Racing State Governing Bodies

MOTORCYCLING NEW SOUTH WALES 

• Address: 9 Parkes Street,
• Harris Park NSW 2150
• Phone: (02) 9635 9177
• Web: motorcycling.com.au
  

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MOTORCYCLING QUEENSLAND

• Address: 2/8 Gordon Street,
• Ipswich Qld 4305
• Phone: (07) 3281 2255
• Web: mqld.org.au

MOTORCYCLING WESTERN AUSTRALIA

• • Address: 46 Seventh Avenue,
  • Marylands WA 6051
  • Phone: (08) 9371 5333
  • Web: motorcyclingwa.org.au

MOTORCYCLING SOUTH AUSTRALIA

• Address: 251 The Parade,
• Beulah Park SA 5067
• Phone: (08) 8332 9000
• Web: motorcyclingsa.org.au

MOTORCYCLING VICTORIA

• Address: Suite 125/9 Hall Street
• Port Melbourne, Vic 3207
• Phone: (03) 9673 0600
• Web: motorcyclingvic.com.au

MOTORCYCLING TASMANIA

• Postal Address: PO Box 269,
• Port Sorell Tas 7307
• Phone: (03) 6428 7567
• Web: mtas.org.au

MOTORCYCLING NORTHERN TERRITORY

• Postal Address: PO Box 154,
• Howard Springs NT 0835
• Phone: (08) 8983 2200
• Web: mant.org.au
  

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RIDE DAY COMPANY CONTACTS 

CALIFORNIA SUPERBIKE SCHOOL

• Ph: 1300 793 423
• phillipislandridedays.com.au
• superbikeschool.com.au
• Locations: Phillip Island, Vic

CHAMPION’S RIDE DAYS 

• Ph: (07) 3287 4144
• championsridedays.com.au
• Locations: Broadford, Winton, Queensland Raceway, Barbagallo, Lakeside, Mallala 

TOP RIDER  

• Ph: 1300 13 13 62
• toprider.com.au
• Locations: Marulan, Eastern Creek, Gold Coast

TRAKDAYZ 

• Ph: 0401 484 898
• trakdayz.com.au
• Locations: Barbagallo, Collie

XTREME RIDE DAYS

• Ph: (02) 4823 5711
• formula-xtreme.com.au/RideDay
• Locations: Wakefield Park, NSW

RIDE DAYS WA 

• Ph: (08) 9409 1002
• ridedayswa.com.au
• Locations: Barbagello, Collie

The post All The Australian Racing & Track Day Contacts You’ll Need! appeared first on Racing, Riding, Motorcycle Reviews, Race bikes, Tech Tips, Rider Training....

After many Ride Days were cancelled due to the NSW COVID-19 lockdowns, the organisers say they are happy to announce that they’re back! You’ll have to get in quick though as the remains dates for 2021 are filling up quickly. See the dates below.

• Saturday 27th November 
• Sunday 28th November
• Monday 29th November – Booked out, waiting list only
• Saturday 4th December 
• Sunday 5th December
• Saturday 18th December
• Sunday 19th December

During the lockdown, the organisers have been working flat out on some upgrades to make your experience at each and every SMSP Ride Day better! Part of this is going paperless for their Registration & Safety Briefings. When you book for your next SMSP Ride Day, you’ll now get an email confirmation which has a link to your Registration Form & Safety Briefing. These forms can now be completed online prior to the event, speeding up the process of getting you on track. 

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It was the night before an Interclub round where myself, another female road racer Tracey Davies, Dean and Marlene von Schill from Vons Trackside Tyre Service had camped at the track. We were hanging out in the pits late at night, when the Manager of Broadford, Martin Doxey came by and decided to join us for a few drinks. We started talking about women in racing and the reasons why roadracing is such a male dominated sport. I then told him about the AFRA page and Marty came up with the idea of holding a women’s only track day and asked if we would be interested in running it. We thought it was a fantastic idea, so that’s how it all started.

The first Girls Only Track day, we only had four weeks to promote and organise it. It was the middle of winter and somehow we managed to score an absolutely perfect day, the sun was shining and we had blue skies all day. We only had about 18 or so entrants for the first one but considering the amount time we had and the lack of being able to ‘get the word out there’, I think it was a pretty good turn out.

The days basically run in either 2 or 3 separate speed level groups. As most of the time, the majority of the girls who come to our track days, they are first timers or novices who have never been on the track before, so we would usually run a session for first timers and then another session for intermediate/advanced riders. This is a very good stepping stone for the newbies as we run tuition throughout the day, both on track and off track.

Tracey Davies, Lisa Sciberras and myself help the girls out on track showing them lines etc and ASBK Supersport rider/coach Darren Sciberras runs the classroom theory in between sessions, which is pretty basic stuff but it really does help the girls when they go out there. The team at Vons Trackside Tyre Service do the scrutineering in the morning and also give the girls a basic run over on how they should set their bikes up for the track, tyre pressures etc. We also run another session for sidecars. Brian March who is the President of HMRAV Sidecar Club organises a few sidecars to come down for the day for any of the girls who want to have a go at ‘swinging’. This is a very good introduction to the sidecar world and it brings a whole lot of extra fun to the day at no extra cost. 

I think racing or just even doing a ride day at a track can be intimidating for not only women but men also. From my experience of doing my first track day, yes it was a bit intimidating. I was nervous for weeks leading up to it, but when I got out there, it wasn’t that bad at all. I absolutely loved it and it really wasn’t as scary as I had been thinking. So one track day turned into many more, I got quicker and that’s how I started racing.

The second Girls Only Track Day we had a fair few more girls show up, even though the day started off a bit slow as it was raining in the morning, after lunch the sun came out and it turned out to be a great day. We are getting more exposure and I have been receiving enquiries from all over Australia. There are even other racers from other states who are looking at starting Girls Only Days in their own state too which is fantastic.

I’m also on the Motorcycling Victoria Womens Committee who’s goal is to increase female participation in all areas of motorcycling. This will relate to all disciplines, even when it comes to getting more officials and volunteers involved, track facilities etc. I’m hoping that being on this committee will help strengthen the Girls Only Track Days to get the word out there and to facilitate in making it an even better event.

Words: Jessica Watkins  Photography: Brenden Murphy

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Firstly, any motorcycle used for competition, in our case, road racing, must by National and State motorcycle racing governing bodies standards, have certain parts lock wired for safety reasons. Parts including, drain plugs, oil filters – either spin on type or cartridge type oil filters, filler caps, radiator caps, water overflow caps front brake calliper mounting bolts and any other plug or drain that can allow the escape of any fluid from the motorcycle must be lock wired and inspected before the motorcycle can be used for any competition.

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Track bikes, although not race bikes, should still be lock wired. Track bikes are under far more stress over a short period of time than a road bike. Any mechanical device has an inherent vibration or harmonic point that can loosen bolts, nuts and fittings with great ease, everything may be tightened to torque specifications, but with constant high rpm many of these fittings will loosen and can then cause a weep or a spill of fluid.

Obviously any fluid spilt onto a track during racing or track days is a highly dangerous event. It can sometimes take half a lap or more before a rider of a leaking bike may realise he has a oil or fluid leak, or it may cause him or her to crash as a result of the same fluid leak, it can also of course, cause other riders to crash when they run over the spilt fluids. As you can imagine this can seriously delay any racing or any track sessions while the offending fluid spill is cleaned up from the track to then allow racing or track sessions to continue. As a racer and track day manager of Eastern Creek Ride Days I’ve seen the results of these spills in both lost track time, damage to machinery and personal injuries.

By adopting the attitude of safety and lock wiring the motorcycles drain plugs, filters, filler caps and radiator caps; these unnecessary track incidents could almost be eliminated completely. I can hear some of you saying, if I lock wire my road bike, when I sell it people will think it has been raced. It only takes a few dollars to replace the drilled parts with new; no one will really know what you have done. The reality is most race bikes sold as road bikes have had this done already. The benefit is, you have made your bike safer for you for either on the track or road.

Special lock wire tools are available from most good car or bike performance centres. Stainless steel wire of different gauges are available also, but too light a gauge wire may break too easily during fitting, so a reasonably strong wire is best that is also flexible enough to be twisted by the tool.

Once you have identified the bolts and plugs that need to be lock wired, use a sharp drill bit, use either a bench drill (for more control) or a variable speed hand drill to do the necessary drilling of the parts. Try to think about where you are drilling, thinking ahead to where you will attach the lock wire from the part to another securing point on the bike. Try to position the two points so that the plug or part can’t unwind any distance, imagine how the plug would unwind, and attach the wire so it can’t rotate from the locked position.

If you have a spin on oil filter, attach a good quality hose clamp around it and have that clamp pinching the lock wire under it, then you can use the tool to spin the two strands of wire and then attach the wire to another point on the bike, again think about the direction that the filter will unwind and counter that with the anchoring of the lock wire.

The tool is simple to use, cut a length of lock wire, pass it through the pre drilled hole you have created in the plug or part, then double up the wire so you have the two strands next to each other. Hold the wires to where you are going to attach to the frame or other anchor point, at this distance place the tool over the wire and clamp the wires tightly, then lock the pliers shut.

You can then pull on the spiral knob at the end of the plies and they will automatically twist the wires together. Do this a number of times till the wires are twisted like a rope, be careful not to over twist or you will break them and have to start again. Find the anchor point you are using and pass one wire either side of the anchor point and then lock and twist the wires around the anchor point, you can then trim and fold the twisted wires out of the way. You have now successfully lock wired your bike!

Lock Wiring Costs

• Lock wire tool  $35 – $70
• Stainless steel wire per container   $30

Lockwiring is one of the most important things you should do to your bike before heading on track… Words & Photography: Paul Bailey

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Sportsbikes are fast and there are a lot of riders out there who should be sticking to ride days for a speed fix… Ride days are fantastic – everyone is going in the same direction, there is run-off areas, emergency medical help and no speed limits.

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Fines, injuries, jail, loss of licence… all these things happen at 200-plus on the street. Plus of course there is the fun factor. I’ve lost count of the amount of times I’ve met a rider at a track day that is grinning ear-to-ear after his or her very first session lapping a track. The feeling is one that none of us forget and, like that first knee slide moment, it becomes an addiction. Once you go track, you’ll never go back…

Unfortunately, I also, from time to time, meet riders that really want to experience the racetrack but are either too shy to head out there with experienced riders, are not sure they have the ability or think expenses mean it is out of their reach but it doesn’t have to be that way.

THE DAY HAS COME
Like anything, for sure, the first time can be a little nerve wrecking and a bit of a hurdle but, once that chequered flag signals the end of your very first session, all of those butterflies go away. It’s just the buzz that will stay with you for the whole day. 

Getting in to ride days is easy. All you need to do is get your bike checked over by your mechanic, get the appropriate tyres on it, sort your riding gear and book the day. There are multiple ride day companies and all of them are accommodating, experienced and smart operators. You’ll be made to feel at home and you will receive expert advice and be treated with kid gloves on your very first day. Ride day operators have special Novice and First Timer briefings and groups for riding in and some will also ensure you have an instructor shadow you if required to help out with tips. There are strict overtaking rules to avoid you getting blasted off the track and fantastic signalling and flag systems that are universal and easy to understand.

When you arrive you generally look for a garage and set up, just ask the others in there if there is room. Once you unload and set-up, you’ll find there will be a quick briefing where all new riders will be pulled aside for a bit of extra help. You’ll then be allocated in to the appropriate riding group for your ability and given a wristband. There will usually be timetables up around the place with your session times. So it is a matter of keeping your bike fuelled up and suiting up with 10 minutes or so to spare. Getting leathers on in a panic at the last minute before you ride is a disaster waiting to happen…

Aside from the odd ego tripper (they show up everywhere not just at the track) the pits on ride days are full of like-minded riders sharing a fun day and socially, ride days can be brilliant – lunch time is always a laugh…

At the end of a good ride day, you will feel completely mentally and physically exhausted and at the same time invigorated and on a massive high. And when you get home and crack that first beer – the grin will be immense.

Which Bike?
It really doesn’t matter what you ride really. If it has an engine, brakes, suspension and tyres then it’ll be fun. However, sportsbikes and sports-slanted nakedbikes are more suitable due to ground clearance. Once you get in to ride days more, you can get serious about your bike. But first up, even on a little 250, you will be packing bricks so showing up on a 1000 on slicks is not the go – trust me…

Make sure you have new brake fluid and plenty of meat on your brake pads, no oil leaks, new or very good tyres and excellent condition chain and sprockets and good suspension with no oil seals leaking. There will be scrutineering on the day so to avoid disappointment of a knock back, get your bike in order before you go. 

What To Wear
OK, this is important. You need really good leathers, good gloves and boots and a top quality helmet. No point showing up in jeans and a leather jacket, as you won’t be allowed on the track. You will also be knocked back if your helmet shows signs of a previous drop, your gear is torn or in bad condition, and you are not allowed on tracks without a back protector. It is recommended that you wear a chest protector.

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