Members Area

David Murray writes

On the chance that every newbie that hits a track does exactly the same thing as I am about to do, I still feel compelled to get my swarming thoughts to paper, and write in to share my first track day on a motorbike.

For those contemplating the thought of taking their most precious of joys on a track, or maybe for those experienced riders out there that still smile
reading this guff with that perspective of experience (the ‘I remember that feeling thing’) .. here it is..

I arrived in Singapore late 2000, and one car show later saw myself owning an R1 from Joe of Sporting Motorcycles. A great guy and no doubt about it. I felt guilty lying to him when he enquired about my riding experience. Having had my bike licence for 17 years, it’s quite embarrassing to admit that some of the more recent bikes I’ve owned include an 89 ZXR400 and an old CB400. What’s probably more embarrassing is I still lovingly remember my GSXR750F I had at the tender age of 18 as being the best bit of kit I’ve ridden …. And even having tried my hand at a lovely light Kawasaki KR1 I have never got close to touching anything to the ground, and my best wheelie to date is 2 inches with the aid of 20kgs of groceries on the back of my R1.

I have never considered myself much of a riding talent .. and this is not false modesty. I recently read Keith Codes great book on riding, and discovered all his ‘Do not do’s’ quite accurately described my riding style. I thought that was what riding was all about … trying to get your brain to stop screaming your about to bite the big one.

Sorry, I digress. So there I am buying this lovely bit of kit with the Buddha himself in every weld on my 2001 Red/White Yamaha R1, and I’m trying to hide from Joe that I really want to own the R1 just cause it looks nice. I just KNOW I will never go over 6000rpm ever, and he is talking to me about track days …. I say, let me get used to the bike first….and wobble off down the road.A year later, I’m at the motorshow again. The R has a contact patch the size of a paperback, I’ve done 13,000 k’s of commuting, and the rear tyre shows I have no idea how to lean.

Who should I bump into but a guy with a right gleam in his eyes called Gareth who explains the best way to pull a wheelie on the R1 is in 2nd on the way to Sepang …and he drops this lovely wee card in my had with a right nutta hanging off a new GSXR, and the words SportBike Riders Club and www.sbr.com.sg ….

And I think, hell Dave, get on with it, you ain’t getting any younger and if you are going to be in Singapore with an R1, it would look all a little stupid when you look back on your life and wonder why you never tried one of the best tracks in the world …Sepang.So I sent an email. Fast forward 2 days and the club secretary Graeme (maybe the nutta on the card?) is chatting to me down the phone in this fab Glaswegian accent explaining a track day is happening the coming eekend. I
had no boots, no suit, tyres with 13,000 plus k’s on them, and within 10 minutes he had me all sorted with where to go and what to do, and not one hint that I sounded like the right tossa I did …. ‘will the tyres I have be ok?….can’t believe I asked that’, and he didn’t even pause when he explained probably not. Thanks mate.

It is absolutely amazing how easy the whole process was. I bought some boots and tyres from Joe, borrowed the club suit which is damn near new and fab, and for less than the cost of a lovely ‘lovely’ from Ipanema, I was going round corners at speeds that would get you sent out of Singapore faster than you can say ‘This is a brilliant club and if you have never thought to go on a track, but wished you could find the right way to do it, join this club’.It rates as one of the most memorable of all weekends, and not just the two track days. The ride up was a blast, and at no time did I fell I was riding with a bunch that were on the Highway to Hell making the most of there last few moments on Earth. These guys went fast, but they rode safe. They also are not suffering from expanded ego’s and made me feel right at home. No close group nonsense here.

Once at the track though, it began to sink in, and while I said the buckets of sweat were because of the heat, that’s not entirely true. I thought .. ‘here we go, track fever Ai-ya !!’, and expected the Jeckal's around me to transform into Hyde’s …I digress again. On both days, I had two of the fastest riders out there
give up hours of their precious track time to take me round the track, offer invaluable advice on how to start the learning process, show me the lines to take and just how safe this sport can be if you get the right environment and advice. I was quite concerned about getting in peoples way, and without fail all the riders in this club made it clear that they would get out of my way and I should just concentrate on my riding. Awesome.It is to hard to explain the emotions that you experience when you are on a modern sportbike, going round a track and doing things that you just never ever thought was possible, so I won’t try. If you haven’t done it, do it. If you have, I’m guessing this is where guys like Gareth and Graeme get that gleam in their eyes from.

So in all, a right top bunch of guys with some right characters for sure and a top club that even has it’s own bunch of photographers with lenses to put African phallic symbols to shame. I’m hooked, and 4 days later I still can’t get my lips back together cause of the grin.You don’t need to read anymore. Join up.

I can not say thanks enough to the guys and gals that I met for making this such a blast, and in particular, Gareth, thanks taking the time to give me that card mate, and for your time on the track. Ollie, for stopping to get my ‘house and kitchen sink’ back on the R. Julie for saying I didn’t look too stupid on the track (although this pics will probably prove otherwise) and especially to Graeme for making it so easy to get me into this sport and the time and patience you took to get this newbie learning to lean.

Those first few laps following behind you are burned in my grey matter forever, and are worth more than the price I paid for my lovely Buddha filled commuter….for sure!

Dave Murray.
davemtkd@hotmail.com