ATTACK

THE TRACK

36 Actionable Steps
to Confident, Consistent,
Knee Scratching Track Riding
 Disclaimer & Copyright Notice
The information contained in this guide is for informational purposes only.

Any advice that I give is my opinion based on my own experience. You should always seek the advice
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resulting in bodily harm or property damage that might occur due to how you interpreted the
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©2014 BikeTrackDaysHub.com. All Rights Reserved.

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 Foreword
Hey!

Thanks for picking up a copy of my ATTACK THE TRACK ebook. It’s great to have you!

What you’ll find here is 36 things that I’ve learned over my time riding motorcycles on track. It’s stuff
that I’ve found out on my own, through experience and through my own attempts to learn what is
expected of us on track.

While some of the things here will only see you making small gains out there, the tips on braking
structure, correct steering, throttle control and vision are where you will see big gains if you put
them into practice.

They’re the things that saw me making big progress as I started to get to grips with them, and I’m
confident you too will see progress if you discipline yourself and actually try putting them into
practice.

With that, go ahead and enjoy the ebook.

If something in here doesn’t quite make sense and you’d just like to clarify it, then by all means you
can get in touch with me at dan@biketrackdayshub.com.

Talk to you soon!

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 Table of Contents (clickable)

Setting up and Braking.................................................................. 4

Corner Entry ......................................................................................... 6

Mid Turn and Exit ............................................................................. 8

Vision ........................................................................................................ 9

Body Position .................................................................................... 10

Lines.......................................................................................................... 11

Raising Entry Speed ....................................................................... 12

Overtaking ............................................................................................ 13

Riding in the Wet .............................................................................14

General Tips and Advice ............................................................... 15

Thank You ............................................................................................. 16

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 Setting up and Braking
1. Get into position early
Getting your lower body into position (moving your bum off the seat) well before you start
braking will mean one less thing you have to worry about in the braking zone and at the turn
point.

A common trait among newer riders is that they try to get their lower body into position right
on top of the turn point. This only adds unnecessary input into the bike and it’s something else
to think about right when you need to concentrate on getting the bike turned into the corner.

Get the lower body into position early so at your turn entry all you have to do is move your
head and upper body into the corner.

2. Minimise the time between throttle off and full brakes

Something that a lot of riders are guilty of (myself included in days passed) is not being
immediate enough when going from full throttle to full brakes.

Riders will often roll off and coast for a considerable distance before starting to apply any
brakes. This is simply time lost where you could have either carried on accelerating or started
braking earlier (probably the former).

Time between throttle off and initial brake application should be almost instant, and ideally the
time between full throttle and full brakes should be less than a second for maximum efficiency.

3. Get the bulk of the braking done early

The primary goal of braking is to
accurately set our speed ready for turn
entry. The best way to achieve this is to
get the bulk of the braking done early in
the braking zone and trailing it off as
you get closer to the turn point.

The time when most panic buttons are

pushed is during high speed braking,
and trying to scrub off all your speed
right on top of your turn point will only
have you feeling rushed and increase
the potential for you to make mistakes.

Get the bulk of the braking done early to ensure efficient corner speed setting and a cool head
at the turn point.

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 4. Don’t snap on the brakes
The time between first application of the brakes and maximum effort should be very short
(between a quarter and half a second), but you should not snap the brakes on as quickly as you
can.

By snapping the brakes on you are risking the suspension bottoming out which will increase the
chances of the front wheel locking up - though it should be said that if your suspension is set up
properly and is working correctly it shouldn't bottom out.

Your brake application should be quick, but it should not be instant.

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 Corner Entry
5. Use controlled counter steering for accurate turning actions
While there are other methods to change a motorcycle’s direction, such as body steering and
weighting the pegs, counter-steering should be your main focus when trying to change the
direction of your bike.

It is the only way to effectively and accurately steer a motorcycle, and once you become aware
of how your inputs into the bars effect how the bike behaves, you take a big step toward
confident and consistent turn-ins.

6. Turn as quick as possible (for a given turn’s demands)

If a rider has a slow steering action you will notice that they tend to take a shallow entry line
into corners as a kind of compensation and to make sure they can get to the inside of the turn
and hit their apex.

This is all well and good you might think, they’ve hit their apex, what’s the problem?

Well, as I said, their lazy steering action forced them to turn in earlier and take a shallow entry
line. Yes they hit their apex but on the exit they are now running a lot wider than they’d like
and are heading for the edge of the track.

This can have two downsides. The first is that they’ll have to turn (stay leaned over) for much
longer to get the bike pointed up the track so they can get on the power, and the second is the
potential risk for them to end up off the track altogether because maybe they took in too much
speed, or they saw themselves heading off the track and panicked.

By turning as quick as possible (for a given turns demands) you can run deeper into the corner
before you steer the bike, square it off more (see tip 22), and in turn have the bike pointed
further up the track so you can get on the power earlier and harder.

7. Get your body into a position to make turning easier

On sports bikes in particular, the straighter your arms are when you come to turn the bike, the
more effort you’ll be using to put in the necessary inputs to get the bike turned.

This is because in the straight arm position (sitting bolt upright) you are pushing down on top of
the bars a lot more, meaning a lot of wasted energy.

By bringing your head and upper body closer to the tank and in turn making your forearms
more parallel with the road, when you come to push on the bars to turn the bike it will feel a lot
easier because you are now pushing on the bars in the direction of least resistance, making
your efforts a lot more efficient and effective.

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 8. Go with the bike, don’t push it under you
You see a lot of riders doing this and it generally comes from sitting quite upright on the bike.

A lot of inexperienced riders have the tendency to press on the inside bar but also push the
bike away from them as it starts to lean, straightening the arm doing the pushing in the process
(much like a motocross rider would).

This sees the bike start to lean but the rider staying where they are. For road racing bikes, this
isn't best practice.

Instead, you should get your upper body closer to the tank and hang off to the inside of the
bike - in the direction you are about to travel - to stop you pushing the bike underneath you.
This will mean your turning will become easier and you won’t be using as much of the bike’s
lean angle to get round a turn.

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 Mid Turn and Exit
9. Using mid turn roll on

As soon as you have finished your steering input and your bike is on line you want to crack the
throttle and start a slow roll-on (not to be mistaken with your exit drive). This stops any
unwanted slowing down mid turn and also settles the bike and puts both the front and rear
suspension in their ‘sweet spot’ for optimum traction.

Gently (emphasis on gently) rolling on the throttle will keep the bike’s speed up and mean a
stable bike mid corner that stays on line. Avoid getting too greedy with your roll-on though as
this will make the bike run wide.

10. Use a line that lets you maximise exit drive

If you are using a shallow entry line (turning in too early and too slowly) this will only see you
run wide on the exit, which will then prevent you from getting on the power sooner because
you will be turning for much longer to get the bike pointed up the track.

By turning the bike quicker and deeper into the turn you will allow yourself to get on the power
harder, much earlier because you will be pointed much further up the road.

11. Pick the bike up quickly so you can get the power down sooner

If you have your entry line right then you will be well poised to pick the bike up earlier and, in
turn, more progressively apply your exit throttle.

By picking the bike up you can get it onto the “meatier” part of the tyre and in turn allow
yourself to be more aggressive with the throttle.

The sooner you get the bike stood up, the sooner you can pin it!

12. Pick the bike up using counter steering

To get the bike picked up, we use our old friend counter-steering.

Tipping the bike into the turn requires you to push on the inside bar. To pick it up you just need
to do the opposite.

Pulling on the inside bar will simply counter-steer the bike in the other direction and it will
stand up. Being conscious of this will mean you are more in control of when and how quickly
you get the bike stood up.

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 Vision
13. Use reference markers
Picking out reference markers for your braking, turning, apex and exit points will give you a full
dot to dot map to follow around the track, so you’ll know exactly where you need to be heading
- and if your visual skills are up to scratch - where you will be going after that.

Having these markers set will help your consistency no end.

14. Move your eyes forward

With your reference markers set, it’s time to move your eyes forward and farther up the track.

A lot of riders tend not to look far enough ahead which effectively has them riding blind as they
can’t see where they’re headed and what’s coming next. This means the decisions about what
they need to do next and where they need to position themselves are made right at the last
minute, so they end up almost feeling their way around the track.

Bring your eyes up and move your vision forward (to your next marker if you can) to show your
brain the physical space you’ve got and give it the processing time it needs to be as effective as
it can be on the track.

15. Widen your vision to become more aware

Even with reference markers set, riders can still ride with a kind of tunnel vision.

While you can’t physically change what your eyes see, when you are so focused on one thing to
the point where you become unaware of everything else going on, you might as well be looking
through toilet paper tubes.

To combat this, we need to use our peripheral vision to track our surroundings, markers and
other riders. Once you learn to do this (it just takes practice) you will really take your ability to
look ahead and see space to the next level.

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 Body Position
16. Feet stable on the pegs
Put your feet in a position to give the rest of your body a stable base. To do this, position the
pegs on the balls of your feet whenever you’re not changing gear or using the back brake (if you
do use it).

Doing this will make moving around on the bike much easier.

17. Lower body frees up your arms

Use your lower body to hold yourself onto the bike to free up the front end to do its job of
tracking the road, and free up your arms to operating the controls.

By weighting the pegs and using your outside leg to hold on to the tank when cornering, you’ll
achieve both of these things meaning a happy bike and a happy body.

18. Slide your bum off the seat

Different riders will move differing amounts of their bums off the seats when hanging off which
is absolutely fine.

It's as simple as, move off as much as you wish while still being stable and anchored on the bike
without the need to hang on the bars with your arms.

19. Don’t sit too close to the tank

This one is up for debate but personally I feel it’s best to sit a little way off the tank. This
enables me to more easily slide off the seat sideways as opposed to swivelling around the tank
which often happens when you sit too close to it.

There is an argument that sitting up against the tank will aid you in the braking zones, so it’s
really down to personal preference on this one. Just go with what you feel most comfortable
with.

20. Bring your head and upper body down

Your head and upper body is one considerable lump, and by bringing it down and to the inside
of the bike it will mean you won’t have to lean the bike as far at a given speed. This is because
hanging off lowers the bike and rider’s centre of gravity, so the bike doesn’t need to be leaned
as far to compensate for speed.

If you’re talking about two bikes at max lean (decking part of the bike), a rider hanging off will
be able to achieve a higher corner speed over a rider not hanging off.

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 Lines
21. Use a racing line to maximise your potential speed around a corner
A traditional racing line is one that sees you
start the corner out wide towards the edge of
the track, turning in and running across the
track to ‘apex’ at the inside of the turn (about
the middle of the turn for a bog standard 90
degree corner for example), then drifting back
over to the outer edge of the track again on the
exit.

By using this racing line you are effectively

straightening out the corner and creating a
flatter arc to follow around the turn, allowing
for higher achievable speeds as a result.

22. You can also use a squaring off line to improve speed and safety
If you run the bike deeper into the corner and
turn it quicker with the aim of hitting a later
apex (one that’s further around the inside of the
turn) you will be creating a ‘squaring off’ line.

This line is beneficial for a number of reasons,

such as smaller lean angles (the quicker you
turn, the less lean you need at a given speed), it
allows you to get on the gas harder and earlier,
and in many cases it is actually the quickest way
through a corner/section of track.

It isn’t going to be the best line in every single

corner, and it is more beneficial before a corner
preceding a straight, but as it adds a layer of speed and safety to your riding it is well worth
adding to your riding repertoire.

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 Raising Entry Speed
23. Use the correct structure of braking
As mentioned in Tip 3, by using the correct braking structure and getting the bulk of your
braking efforts completed earlier, you will be in the best position to carry your maximum speed
into the turn.

Trying to brake as late and as hard as possible is only going to have you charging into turns
(thinking more speed going in can only be a good thing), meaning you will often have a
tendency to over brake and/or cause all sorts of rushing and panic related problems, all of
which will adversely affect your entry speed.

24. Instead of braking later, try letting off the brakes earlier
Having set a sensible braking marker, a great way to work at carrying more speed into the bend
is to note where you let the brakes off. Can you find a solid marker?

Now on the next lap, try and consciously let the brakes off just a moment before you reach that
marker. This is a great way to gauge that you are taking more speed in, without charging the
turn and causing yourself problems.

25. Follow faster riders in

While you should take the level of rider and the capability of their machine into account,
following faster riders into turns and using them as a gauge for your speed is a great way to
build confidence that you too can go in at that same speed.

A couple of side notes; it’s best to find someone that is only marginally faster than you as not to
step too far outside of your comfort zone. Also don’t fixate on the rider in front, but rather
track them while being fully aware of your own markers, where you are and where you need to
be.

26. Your vision will show you the space

Bringing your eyes up and forward of your current position, as well as widening your field of
view will give your brain a good grasp of the actual time and space you have to play with.

If your brain isn’t getting the information of where it’s going and what’s coming next in good
time, it will no doubt inhibit its ability to let you take more speed into the turn.

Looking ahead to your next marker as soon as you feel you can will be a sure fire way to build
confidence to carry more speed into corners.

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 Overtaking
27. Be patient
You don’t need to pass the rider on the very next corner!

Take a few corners or even a whole lap to study them and devise a plan of attack. If your only
goal is to overtake them as soon as you possibly can then this will more than likely lead to a
rushed pass with little forethought, resulting in a potentially unsafe one.

28. Make a plan

Look at what strengths you have over the rider in front. See where you're quicker. Do you get
out of some corners better? Are you stronger on the brakes? Are there less dicey corners than
others? Can you pass in such a way that won't tempt them to attack straight back? If they do
attack straight back, what will you do?

These are the types of things you need to consider and look out for when planning your pass.
Your strength could simply be that you have a faster bike. How can you best use that to your
advantage?

If you're on a less powerful bike and it's clear you're faster in the corners, it will be in the twisty
sections where you'll have to make your move. If possible, pass on a corner that doesn't lead
onto another straight that’ll allow them to power straight back through.

You need to recognize any advantage you have and make use of them as best you can.

29. Accept the challenge

Instead of getting frustrated with the rider in front you can’t get passed, think of them as a
challenge. You’ve been faced with a problem, which is you’re being held up by the rider in front
and can’t get by.

Now you need to use your brain to solve this problem and formulate a plan of attack to get
passed the rider in front quickly and safely.

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 Riding in the Wet
30. Keep everything smooth

Throttle application should be gentle and rolled on smoothly. Pressure on the brakes should be
built up slowly and a little more gentle too.

Don’t chop the throttle off while leaned over as it’ll only send weight to the front tyre suddenly
and potentially overload it. Instead, if you have to roll off then do it gradually.

Keep body movements calm and controlled. They don’t necessarily have to be super slow, but
keeping them smooth and less sudden is the best way to move yourself around on the bike.

31. Stay Relaxed

Being rigid on the bike isn’t good full stop, but when grip is less plentiful like it is in the wet then
your tyres need all the help they can get, and being rigid and restricting the front end is only
going to give it a harder time of finding the grip it needs.

Also a rigid body is going to cause more harsh weight transference when getting on the throttle
and using the brakes.

Stay relaxed to give your whole bike an easier time.

32. Do your hard accelerating and braking upright

All of your hard accelerating and braking should be done in a straight line while upright. That
way you are putting the biggest strains on the tyres during the time when they have zero
cornering forces being applied against them.

This gives your tyres a lot easier time by not asking them to deal with too much at once.

33. Soften the suspension if necessary

If you are one for fettling with your suspension, it wouldn't be a terrible thing to take a few
clicks off everything (compression, rebound and preload) to soften it up and help it better deal
with the conditions.

I wouldn't worry too much though if this isn't your game, if your bike isn't specifically set up for
the dry, i.e. everything made harder, and you don't run a pace on the higher side, then your
stock settings should cope just fine in the wet.

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 General Tips and Advice
34. Get fit
Fitness is an important part of track day riding and helps improve both fun and safety. Fatigue
has some bad effects on your riding, the first being the physical effect of not being able to
control yourself on the bike and the bike itself. You start to struggle to cope with the braking
and acceleration forces, and your movement becomes sloppy too.

The second is more psychological. Loss of judgement and slower reaction times are two major
effects caused by fatigue, which basically translates into a higher chance of you making a silly
decision, but also taking longer to recognise and correct a mistake once it's made, ultimately
meaning a higher risk of crashing.

Improving your fitness is the only way to stave off the above effects and ensure you get more
out of your track time in the way of sustained technique and mental focus, in the end meaning
more enjoyment.

35. Invest in track rubber

You don’t necessarily need to go out and buy the stickiest stuff available as this could actually
work out as being false economy, especially for newcomers to track days.

However, investing in more track biased rubber is going to do wonders for your confidence and
give you all the grip you need as you explore both your own limits on track, and your bike’s.

There is a fantastic range of road and track tyres available today that’ll see you through
thousands of miles on the road, but also have you knee scratching on the weekend at your
favourite track.

36. Look at getting suspension set up

Having your suspension set up for your weight and riding style is one of the most beneficial
changes you can make to your machine.

A common change that many riders make themselves is to set the correct laden sag for their
weight. Laden sag is the amount the suspension compresses when you sit on the bike, and
having it correctly set up is what opens the door to more complex changes in the future, such
as adjusting rebound and/or compression damping.

When it’s correctly adjusted for your weight it ensures that the suspension operates in its most
compliant range, meaning it can better deal with whatever the road throws at it. It will also
have less chance of topping or bottoming out.

Alternatively you can use the suspension services which you can find at many track days for a
reasonable fee. They will make sure the suspension is set up correctly for you personally and
make changes throughout the day based on your feedback.

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 Thank You!
Thanks for getting involved and downloading my free eBook!

I really hope you enjoyed it.

As you begin to implement some of the above tips you will definitely start to see progress out there
on track.

Things like correct braking structure (tip 3), learning how to steer for a corner (tips 5 and 6), correct
throttle control (tip 9) and better lines (tip 22) are the things that will bring the biggest gains for you.

However, each of them add a certain amount of value to your riding, and if you can perform them all
to a reasonable degree you’ll slowly grow into one competent track rider.

All the best for your efforts!

Take care.

Dan
Bike Track Days Hub

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