Trackdays - What bikes are in the slow group?

[iand]

I want to start doing track days but o don't want to smash my Aprilia Shiver Up, so i thought about doing a few on my Z500 to begin with, trouble is its from 1980, and a whole 42.5bhp at the rear wheel and tops out at a massive 110mph!

So is the slow group really that slow? or just for novices like me?
is it all honda hornets and bandits or GSXR's and R6's riden slowly?

[Kickstart]

Hi

It is the novice group. Speeds will be fairly low.

However a lot comes down to riders rather than bikes. I have seen Aprilia RS125s holding their own in the fast group. I have seen an SZR660 as one of the fastest bikes in the fast group at a fast track. I have seen an R1 in the fast group going very slowly (most of the novice group were faster).

If you have no experience of track riding then start in the novice group. Irrespective of bike, those in the fast group will expect to pass / be passed fairly close.

All the best

Keith
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[Deano]

the slow group is very slow. seems to be filled with alot of peeps with 1yr experience or less. though you get intermediate people shoved in there when they shouldnt so can be a mixed group.

You'll be alrite on that bike just dont expect to be breaking lap records you will be also pleased stuffing up bikes with over 100bgp more than you.

[Bendy]

Everything and anything.

A quick rider is a quick rider, a slow one is a slow one. The bike doesn't tend to make a whole lot of difference (within reason). You'll often see 'slow' machinery embarassing 'quick' machinery if the riders are up to it.

In the end, the only thing that matters is whether you're comfortable. You might feel like you're being passed by all and sundry, you might do some passing yourself. Ride for yourself.

[Deckx]

slow group is for novices or first-timers, doesn't matter matter what bike you got just gives you a chance to get familiar with the track without the added pressure of getting in someones way.

Can go as slow as your comfortable with ..

i went in to the intermediate group by mistake on my second track day and i was thinking "fuck i must be really slow "

[iand]

[Deckx]

[Bendy]

[tatters]

I regretted going in the novice group on my first trackday but l,m was a experienced rider on a 954 blade back then, quite a few very slow people even to the point of stupidly slow but you also get the odd pratt that should,nt be in the novice group but does it to "Owned" everyone else.
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[Kickstart]

Hi

Not really a 500cc commuter. When new the z500 was a mid weight sporting bike.

Having watched loads of people on track days when taking pics I would definatly say go for the novice group. Sure there will be some slow people there, but you will be one of them, and going in another group just means that you are the one delaying others and they are likely to be far less careful about leaving a decent amount of room when overtaking. Road speed and bike speed are fairly irrelevant compared to track experience. I have seen experienced track riders on Aprilia RS125s lapping quicker than pretty experienced road and track riders on 600 sports bikes.

This was one reason the pace days worked well, as you landed up around people who were about the same speed as you and there was unlikely to be enough of a speed difference for anyone to get lapped within a session.

All the best

Keith
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[Matty21]

bike powahh does not matter

i was on a KR1 in novice group[ and held my own
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He who does not dare,does not succeed!
Trackdays half the season, second half racing.

[iand]

cheers for the help everyone, looks like i'll get some leathers and go for it!!
i'll try to shed a few lbs off the bike before hand, get the old girl down to her full fighting weight!!

[MarJay]

[jack_zxr400]

I'll probably be doing this soon
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Previous Bike: ZXR 400
Current Bike: R6
Test Date: 8/8/2008-PASSED

[Steve-D]

Depends on the rider, I did one on my Diversion after having my lisence 6 months and doing 10k on the road and was just off the fastest people in novice, in the corners. Then got bummed down the straights, but gap was kept about the same most of the time.
Improved my road riding heaps, best experience of my life, looking to buy a track bike and do more of them.
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Tristan The said 'Dunno what my pace will be like, fastish slow puncture on the rear and if I go too fast I risk my 'keys' falling out'

[Igor]

[Steve-D]

Oh yea front of the novice was a CBR 400 and a CBR 600 RR, still can't understand how the 400 did it.
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Tristan The said 'Dunno what my pace will be like, fastish slow puncture on the rear and if I go too fast I risk my 'keys' falling out'

[Igor]

[MarJay]

[Steve-D]

Will go and search for that vid, sounds good.

I'm not exactly a slow rider, and was at peg down on most corner, albeit not very hard as diversions have no ground clearance whatsoever But the cbr just buggered off into the distance although both have roughly the same bhp even in a straight line.
But after re-reading my post, what I meant to say was I was quicker in the corners and caught up, but got left behind in the straights.
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Tristan The said 'Dunno what my pace will be like, fastish slow puncture on the rear and if I go too fast I risk my 'keys' falling out'

[G]

For how little difference bikes have to male:
Fastest lap times with BMCRC club at Cadwell this year on MZ250s were 1:51 and 1:47 for Aprilia RS125s; these would see you well into the fast group at most trackdays.
Infact, I think I got a top ten finish when the fastest lap I'd done all weekend on an R6 was 1:46!

On the other hand, I've seen top-spec race bikes in the novice group going very slowly.

There are some limits to what I'd advice taking to a track; much slower than a 2 stroke 125 (though was tempted to take our race-DNA a while ago) or something with truly terrible tyres/suspension I'd generally advise against.

42hp should be fine; but better would be to ride sensibly, only getting a little quicker at a time and you're probably as safe as on a spirited ride on the road.

[t121anf]

you can only go as fast as you can go, start in the novice and work up.

my bike is only 60 odd bhp and on the straights was getting killed, on the corners i caught up and should have passed people with ease however i didn't have the confidence to overtake on the corners.

[Stacky McCrash]

Hi, sorry to barge in on someones thread but I have the same question, but this is about taking a Jawa RS 72cc race bike. They are about 25bhp and 100mph, but they are essentially a 125 GP chassis - pukka damping, brakes and slicks but with 72cc motors. These are raced on circuits around the UK and in Europe but I dont want to be in the way around Mallory. I'm used to close racing and obviously with not much hp you learn a lot about corner speed, so essentially what i need to know is would it be dangerous to have a bike on track (in the slow group) which is slow on the straights but fast round corners as I'm assuming this is the opposite of most Novice track riders

We usually race around large kart circuits but would love to play round Mallory so long as it's safe to be there..

thanks for any advice

Dave

[G]

Reckon you'd be fine on Mallory; not that big straights and a lot of speed on the straights is getting the corner speed coming out of the,.
You may well actually be in inters.

Expect to get held up a lot in the corners in novice.

[Kickstart]

Hi

I would expect the problem you would have would be that the novice group riders would be unhappy about being passed in the way that you would need to for a decent lap time.

All the best

Keith
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