This is been one of the most precious and significant investments I have made in years as far as my life with motorcycles is concerned.

I've been riding since 2003 and started with a 110cc motorcycle. Been following MotoGP since 2001, fan of Rossi since. Gradually, had my share with F1, WSBK, WRC and other forms of motorsports.

I always wanted to ride a motorcycle on a track and I was delighted to know when the BIC opened it's arms for F1. Although I didn't get to experience it before 2014 when I did my first track day there in Feb 2014 (open track day).

Fast forward 2017, with a Street Triple at home, run-in complete, first service done, I was so enthusiastic to hit the track with already four track days under my belt in the past couple of years. However, I hadn't ridden on the track for over 13-14 months. So, I was constantly after anyone who does track days asking when is the next one. There was one in January that was happening one 14th Jan which was when I had to fly to Mumbai for a week. Plan cancelled.

Then once I was back I was patient enough to wait and then on 9th Feb, I called up Simran from Redline Racing asking that same question - "when is the next track day?" to which he said, -
"sorry, but we don't have any plans yet, however, there is the RACR event happening on 18th Feb. If you wish you can enroll for that, you will get considerable amount of track time and some learning along with it, so should be all worth it."
I told him, "ok, let me think and I'll get back to you about this."

I told the same to my wife, who's a big influence on my decisions regarding motorcycles. Reason being she's also an avid MotoGP follower for over 7-8 years now. She asked me, if I want to go for it. Honestly, with 29,700Rs at stack, I did not want to go for it. She asked me to "just think about it, once" and then decide.

Now, I already had some money save which I planned to get either ohlins or front fork set for my bike in around next 4-5 months. Then I thought, it must be a great experience with all professional riders around the pit garage, international track and a Street Triple at my disposal. So, with that thought I called up Simran again on 11th Feb (Saturday) asking if he's available at the shop or not. He told me that I can come visit the shop but, his dad, Gurvinder ji, would be there. I was cool with that. Both of them are very courteous and polite and have helped me with several stuff before.

I went to the shop around 4 in the eve with my wife to ask about the course. One of my concern was whether I'll get enough attention to actually improve and if the training is worth it. For the first questions, I was told that - learning is upto you, the more you extract from the trainer, the more you can learn. Being a trainer my self, I believe learning is a two way process.
For question number two - Gurvinder ji told me one thing very clearly, that no matter what skill it is, you will always find difference in a trained and a self trained performer. This hold true in any art/skill. That's where it was decided that "let's do this". Then came the following questions:
How to enroll - He said if you enroll through us, it will cost you less. So, I got enrolled for 27500Rs.
How to transport bike - They had trailers, but they also had their own bikes they would be carrying along, so I had to ride it myself.
Anything else - They asked to cover all lighting areas if possible - (headlight,indicators and brake light), remove anything unwanted and carry your own fuel.

I then came home, called the contact number on the R.A.C.R website and I spoke to Om, who gave me similar answers to my query as Gurvinder ji and ask for enrollment procedure. There was an online form we had to fill and transfer the money to the account number mentioned in the website.

Anxious through out the next five days, I had taken a leave from office on Friday (17th Feb) considering I had a track day on Saturday (18th Feb). It's always recommended to be in the best of the your health while going for a track day. Also ensure to carry some basic stuff. Here are a few things to check:
-Sleep sufficiently,
-Don't come empty stomach,
-Reach the venue on time,
-Leave your worries behind,
-do all the checks on your bike in the daytime a few days prior to the event,
-Put all your stuff in the car a night before the event (check everything before leaving)
-Carry at least basic tools (bike tool kit, puncture kit, tyre gauge, tyre pump, paddock stand)
-Wear something comfortable which is easy to change out from.
-I was also carrying a matte finish automotive sticker sheet to cover my lights. I had cut them to shape for the head light only. Missed for indicators and brake light.
-Own water supply, fruits and some light food - like sandwich,etc.

I bought a can from a local hardware store. It's just to carry liquid, not gasoline specifically. It's not robust, so it has to be kept carefully not to get damaged. I always take the car and bike both for track days as the car carries all my riding gear, tools and equipment. That's driven by my wife.






more coming tomorrow..stay tuned