How important is track knowledge?

[Method]

This came to my head the other day whilst riding home...

Now i havent done a track day ever, but i do ride speedway and grasstrack. Now although these tracks are all ovals... there is a definate advantage to knowing the bumps and lines etc. This doesnt mean however, that a novice can come on with no clue about the track, and stack it straight away because he doesnt know these lines... there gets a point where because of your speed, you need to know the lines etc...

How important is it on a road race? IE. If someone was to do a trackday on a track they've never ridden before, would they find it seriously difficult? Would they be a definate obstruction to others on the course? Or do people regularly turn up without a clue and have no trouble?

Is it important to have a visual idea of where the track goes, lines, etc before trying something like this?
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[Davo]

Most of the trackday's I've done I've gone in blind with only a rough idea what the circuit looks like (ie its shape).

Generally try and learn as much as possible from the sighting laps as possible.

[Bendy]

I generally drop a group on a circuit I don't know, I'll give Inters a go if I'm familiar with the track but book in Novice if I don't.

Obviously knowing the circuit helps but there are always plenty of first timers so I wouldn't say it's a problem.

[Silver]

[Wave2k]

i ride tracks for fun, the quicker you get you actually find yourself following the lines anyway.
if i was on a track for the first time, id think more about having fun than following lines and being quick.
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[Zimbo]

I try to do a trackday at a circuit before I race, it helps a lot! I generally find it takes a couple of sessions to get to know the circuit a bit, and after that you can set about getting your times down.

[Gazdaman]

I agree with the above, you get to know them as the days go on. The two tracks I've turned up to I've not even known the shape of.

You get a warm up session in the morning aswell. At the Snetterton Hottrax day, anyone in the fast group that hadn't ridden Snetterton before went out with the novices for the warm up laps to get used to it.

Gaz

[G]

On the first session of a trackday you usually get a few sighting laps where you're not allowed to pass, led by an instructor.

These days I stay in fast whatever; will be holding up more people in the first couple of sessions, but still usually manage to get past some as well (apart from at Brands Indy, where I just crash ).

[cunni]

Pesonally, I've always studied Racing DVD's and read circuit guides and found out as much as I could before hand, to help me know the lines before I get there. However, studying the lines and taking on board what is said about each corner are two seperate things:

Alot of people talk about this bump here in the braking zone, this crease here at the apex, this bomb hole, that rough patch, negative camber on acceleration down hill there, etc.....

This can all have a massive impact on you subconscious and cause you to limit your speed un-neccessarily at certain circuits!

Best bet is to pick up a vauge idea of the best lines, then forget about it until the day and simply feel your way around. You'll naturally find these bumps and creases, etc and learn how to avoid or handle them. Best way forward me thinks!
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[Barry_M2]

G - You got any plans to visit Brands Indy again this year?

[fredsredhat]

[Dark]

I'm an avid bike racing fan and pretty much know where all the modern tracks go from watching the races.

I did my first trackday at Cadwell and i already knew which way the corners went and how tight they were. I worked my lines out in the first session and started having fun from the second session onwards.
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[G]