At the beginning of every track day, whoever is putting on the event will conduct a safety briefing. For many riders, this is the only real mental preparation they will do before heading out on track. I was compelled to write this reflection on track day mindset as a much needed supplement to the humble “rider’s meeting”. Reading this article could save your life, or someone else’s. I encourage you to share it with every track day rider you know.
Let’s start with some real talk: most riders are at least a bit nervous heading into a track day and that’s normal and healthy. The less often you do track days, the more nervous you’re likely to be. Why are we nervous? Well, first off, track days can be intimidating. The whole process is very formal, from setting up in the paddock to tech inspection to riding in a specific skill group. If we’re honest, there’s often a little (or a lot?) of ego involved and there’s a lot of risk. At best, there’s financial risk. Crashing your prized street or track bike and having to painstakingly put it back together, re-living the crash with every turn of the wrench. At worst, there’s physical risk. You could hurt yourself or someone else. Or you could die or unintentionally kill someone else. At this point, you may be thinking “enough with the scare tactics already, Susan -that’s not going to happen to me” but I assure you (especially if you’re thinking this way), it could, and the only thing that can prevent that from happening is your mindset.
A good track day organization will conduct a thorough rider’s meeting. The very best ones will get very serious and passionate around safety protocols because they’ve seen what happens when riders don’t follow them. Things like blend lines, passing zones, passing protocols and flags will all be emphasized. You will often be reminded that there are no prizes to be won at a recreational track day.
From my experience, after that rider’s meeting, everyone goes back to the paddock, throws on their race suits, snaps on their helmets and at that very moment, forget everything they just heard in the rider’s meeting. Not everyone. But a lot of riders and what I can tell you for certain is that the riders who crash, injure themselves or endanger others are particularly guilty of this.
There’s a lot of psychology at work to create this unique dynamic and I want to be clear that those who go out on track and create potentially dangerous situations are usually very nice, often intelligent people who were simply unaware that their actions could have such severe consequences. These are also people who lose control of their emotions and fall into the wrong mindset. I previously wrote about a dearly departed friend who lost his life tragically at a track day. As the last person who spoke to him before his passing, I can confirm that his mindset was 100% at fault.
It doesn’t matter if it’s your first track day or if you’re a retired ex-racer who still likes to turn fast laps: every rider at a track day should have the same mindset: You (and collectively “we”) have paid hard-earned money to be here, to have fun doing the thing you love and to hone your skills and become a better rider. The desired outcome of a track day should also be the same for everyone: at 5pm (or whenever the track day ends), you want to take off your helmet, have a huge smile on your face and feel the afterglow of having experienced this incredible sport that unites us.
There’s another less obvious ingredient that goes into our mindset at a track day and that’s entirely in our control: How we treat each other. I don’t mean in the paddock or if you’re nice to the guy who is doing bike tech inspections. I’m referring to how each one of us contribute to, or detract from the on-track environment. The best riders are fast AND respectful. Respect on track is largely about thinking beyond yourself and considering others. It’s not any one thing (passing safely, getting enough heat in your tires before pushing hard, or even riding within your own limits), it’s your general outlook on the day. It’s how you show up and it shouldn’t change once you slam your visor shut and twist the throttle.
Think of it this way: every track day, 75 or so of us get together to ride our motorcycles on a closed course. For today, we are one collective who shares the same passion, who would give each other “the sign” if we crossed each other on the street and who are responsible for each other’s safety and well-being. By being here today, I am implicitly entrusting you to do your part to make sure that i get to go home to my wife and my five year old son tonight, with a smile on my face. And in turn, I afford you the same respect.
I’ve written this to be shared in hopes that we can all continue to enjoy this sport together and to make track days better and safer. Please share if you feel the same way.
Chance Moto 
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