What Good Gear Looks Like After A Track Crash

dandoolittle

dandoolittle

Site owner, lovely and adorable
So some of you may know that I crashed while on a track called Cadwell Park on the 18th August. I was in hospital for about 12days. I did it properly I guess but apart from a broken collar bone, ribs, bit in my arm split , blew a bit of my brain up (sounds more dramatic than it sounds but cool as fook) I think I got away lightly

I don't remember the crash at all but the NHS/Docs notes said that I binned it 100mph and simply hit the deck.
The bike is barely touched!

Here are my leathers and my lid after the crash

Shows how good gear is these days...When you wear it!

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Think Get Geared sell leather restorer...

Shows how worthwhile gear is having. I don't get squids, riding round a speed on a sportsbike in shorts, do they not think that pro racers who actually know how to ride at the limit suit up for fun?
 
Fantastic pics glad you are up and about now! you should overlay some think biker logos on thos and send them to Thinkbike or get them flying round twitter
 
Whow... Food for thought. Although you'll never change the folks that don't even want to wear a helmet, let along a minimum of leather jacket, long pants and over the ankle boots.
 
Great to hear you are ok Dan.

I am starting to question the assertion that track riding is safe though. That's two spills you've had that I know of, this one serious.

Does it make you a better rider, or does it make you think you can do things at higher speeds than you actually can? Or is it that the spills you get on a track teach you not to go that fast into corners on the roads? I'm a bit confused, but I don't think I'm buying the "track is safe and makes you a better rider" argument. The evidence doesn't stack up.
 
O8ride said:
Great to hear you are ok Dan.

I am starting to question the assertion that track riding is safe though. That's two spills you've had that I know of, this one serious.

Does it make you a better rider, or does it make you think you can do things at higher speeds than you actually can? Or is it that the spills you get on a track teach you not to go that fast into corners on the roads? I'm a bit confused, but I don't think I'm buying the "track is safe and makes you a better rider" argument. The evidence doesn't stack up.
Click to expand...


Well. I do fast group now and doing my ACU so I can race so to answer your questions with one sweeping reply, I push but read on..

I've had two spills in 12-18months of track riding. I went from novice on a road bike, to open pit session, fast groups etc on a race bike. I'd say I do one or two sessions per month, more than average , I'd say it's about riding better and smoother.

I'd argue that the track isn't far safer than roads. I'd be dead if that was on a road but saying that I wouldn't be doing 100+ on the roads but even at 40mph most falls tend to be nasty due to benches, cars etc.... Tracks allow you to cock up and get away with it, learn from it. It's rare now but I've ran onto the grass a good couple of times and learnt way more than I would on the roads etc.. Tracks isn't about full pelt And knee down. They're about throttle control, thinking three corners ahead while avoiding others etc...you can't learnt that quick on the road, well be allowed to cock up, unlike a track


Watch an race or bsb etc and pros fly off all the time but they still get up and they're shit hot riders. I'm not putting myself in that league lol, just making a point. You push, you learn, you sometimes cock up
 
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dandoolittle said:
Well. I do fast group now and doing my ACU so I can race so to answer your questions with one sweeping reply, I push but read on..

I've had two spills in 12-18months of track riding. I went from novice on a road bike, to open pit session, fast groups etc on a race bike. I'd say I do one or two sessions per month, more than average , I'd say it's about riding better and smoother.

I'd argue that the track isn't far safer than roads. I'd be dead if that was on a road but saying that I wouldn't be doing 100+ on the roads but even at 40mph most falls tend to be nasty due to benches, cars etc.... Tracks allow you to cock up and get away with it, learn from it. It's rare now but I've ran onto the grass a good couple of times and learnt way more than I would on the roads etc.. Tracks isn't about full pelt And knee down. They're about throttle control, thinking three corners ahead while avoiding others etc...you can't learnt that quick on the road, well be allowed to cock up, unlike a track


Watch an race or bsb etc and pros fly off all the time but they still get up and they're shit hot riders. I'm not putting myself in that league lol, just making a point. You push, you learn, you sometimes cock up
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Yeah, but...if riding on a track is so different from riding on a road, and is much more forgiving, I maintain that I don't buy the line that it makes you a better rider. I remember the guy with the helmet cam who left a track day and ploughed into a SMIDSY car at 93mph a mile later. The concept of learning by crashing is not something I subscribe to, those lessons were learned on a push-bike throughout my youth, nor is learning how to take a corner at the fastest safest pace you can (which is why I have an issue with most IAM instructors). Because at some point, the "safest" element becomes irrelevant and it's just fast and sometimes reckless to the rider and to others. Most bike crashes occur without anyone else involved as someone takes a corner too fast.

I admire track riders and their skills on the track. I don't see how those skills translate directly to the road in a safe manner.

The police often say it's not whether you crash on a bike, but when, because everyone does. Apparently. But it's not a fact, merely an assertion. I would propose that people who push the fast limits more of the time are much more at risk of having a crash, and track riding seems to back that up while being in a safer environment.

Are there other elements of track riding that may lead to someone believing they have levels of riding skill higher than they actually have, and that people can possibly ignore warning signs because of too high self-confidence levels?
 
Geez Dan, you did a good job. As you said this was dead if on the road but you don't do 100+ on most roads. Great job done by the gear, a few breaks and some brain explosion, but otherwise it was goodbye to some skin and limbs. Hope you're healing up well.
 
O8ride said:
I admire track riders and their skills on the track. I don't see how those skills translate directly to the road in a safe manner.

The police often say it's not whether you crash on a bike, but when, because everyone does. Apparently. But it's not a fact, merely an assertion. I would propose that people who push the fast limits more of the time are much more at risk of having a crash, and track riding seems to back that up while being in a safer environment.

Are there other elements of track riding that may lead to someone believing they have levels of riding skill higher than they actually have, and that people can possibly ignore warning signs because of too high self-confidence levels?
Click to expand...

I learnt alot more about my bike from a track day.
It has bucket loads more grip than i thought i had, The brakes are alot stronger, I know how to move around on it better, I learnt to look further ahead and spot dangers (or on a track passing spots)

These things all gave me more confidence, I stopped riding with my finger on the front brake, I feel this also reduces the chances of panic braking and binning it.

As for the guy who left a track day and was doing 93mph, sadly you always have those guys. Theres a time and place for speed and fun.. Public roads are not that.
 
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