I should be getting leathers some time this seek, and picking up a back protector later this month.
Once I’ve got these I want to think about going to a track.
Question is where would be a good track to start on, both for ease and for quality of instructors?
Thanks
George
Snetterton 
Depends what bike your on and also how confident you are.
Snett is a very fast circuit but it is quite easy to learn.
Mallory is a good starter track although a challenge to get a fast lap around.
The two to avoid for a first trackday would be Cadwell or Croft - would be fine for people with confidence and are good riders but these two circuits are more difficult to master than the rest in my opinion. Reason for Croft is that its very bumpy and you can get into trouble when off line. Cadwell is just Cadwell!!!
As for quality of instructors - it’s a lottery. Most are useless. A few are great at instructing (B, Steve Thorpe etc).
In my opinion Brand’s Hatch Indi is a good track for newbie (6 corners).
While I would not reccomend Silverstone GP which is fast and difficult to remember (17 corners).
Snetterton is probably the best for a newbie tbh, but really depends how competent you are, Brands Indy is quite technical to go fast. Mallory is easy to learn, but nowhere near as safe (my opinion) as many of the UK’s tracks. At least at Snetterton, you get to sit on the bike a couple of times at Snetterton!
Ride the track like you do the road and you shouldn’t get into too much bother at any track to be honest.That means not blitsing everywhere before you know where the track goes…Build up your speed gently…Make mental notes of where to brake, turn in as you go around and if you do go in too hot, brake as much as you can in a straight line and turn in…You’ll most likely still make the corner (and this is better than braking whilst comitted to the corner).
I too would recommend Cadwell as your first track as it’s simply amazing and very much like a road IMO…Plus it is enough of a challenge without being to intimidating IMO. If you live far from it then deffo book some overnight accomodation and ride up the night before though.
For a novice friendly track day organiser with good instructors and useful free training between sessions…I think Motor Sport Vision are possibly the best in the field.
Look at available dates here (especially their first timer dates)
http://www.motorsportvision.co.uk/cadwell-park/trackdays/msv-trackdays.asp
Good luck
Snetterton was OK for me, nothing too difficult to deal with as long as you don’t forget to brake hard in two particular places 
Snett = good first trackday
Brands = not such a good first trackday
Cadwell? - PMSL
I did Cadwell as my first trackday and wouldn’t recommend it… too much to try to remember in one go.
I popped my cherry at Snetters:w00t:
Brands a bit to technical IMO
Silverstone way too fast,
Cadwell is not the place to be
Rockingham - mmm maybe Rockingham…
If you ride beyond your capabilities, then you can crash at any track…Why is Cadwell such a bad choice if you take things steady?
Oh maybe it’s the fact that there are rabbits around the track and they jump out at y’all :hehe:
Never seen that myself…My mate and I (his first trackday) did Cadwell in April. He loved it…He didn’t crash because he took it steady…Infact neither did I…And I’m not the smoothest and I even left the track on the downhill section because I was being a knob. That soon taught me a lesson though.
Fairplay if you fear certain tracks, but in my opinion it’s all about respect of your surroundings and not expecting to go super fast on day one.
Afro, you are quite correct, treat each track with the respect it deserves and you should be fine. Cadwell is known for Rabbits, Silverstone is known for Hares.
As the day progresses, most people like to go faster, as they learn. So for the newer people, its easier to get going faster at what would inherrantly be known as an easier circuit. The racing line round Snetterton, can be quite wide, in a lot of places over 6 feet. The racing line round Cadwell, is one of the tightest that you will meet, its about a foot and a half, get off it at pace and the consequences can be dire. Its one of the most scenic tracks, and absolutely joyous when you get it right, but not for the faint hearted.
Snetterton is known as being an easier track due to hardly any elevation change and less corners, plus more run off. Its very easy to nail your bike, either up the start finish, or down the back straight, and only a few corners joining these straights up. So its easy to learn, and its easy to get speed up on.
I did Rockingham some weeks back, never been there. Did the little circuit in the middle, its just corner after corner after corner. I really enjoyed it, but its actually quite a lot to learn for a newbie I would have thought.
Hey chuffster…Let me know if you get out on a trackday…Been meaning to have some chats with you to get any possible advice.
Really want to do Rockingham at some point…Reckon I can leave the R1 in 3rd gear which should make the learning easier.
You may well have to go down to 1st for the hairpin! Got some of the day on vid, well until the camera flew off the bike, I managed to catch it and ride round 1 handed - ha ha. Got to admit, some of the litre bikes were having some bad moments when the SV ripped them apart - he he. Hoping to get out sometime, just got lots to sort in the meantime, but will let you know.
It would be good to see you out there Chuffster, you must be getting withdrawal symptoms by now;) Regarding a good track for a first timer, i’d say that you’d love them all but just go there as well prepared as you can. Some tracks can be less forgiving than others so ride them accordingly…always worth getting some tuition as well to build your confidence and pick up tips on the circuits character and hidden secrets.Snetterton is a good choice, as the guys have said. Brands is technical but once you’ve got the general idea of the place, you’ll learn quickly because there’s so many corners per minute.
doesn’t matter what track you do first time round. A track’s a track in simple terms for a novice. Just get out there and deal with whats infront of you. My 1st was cadwell a few months back and loved it, i reckon the more track there is the better value for money. All this talk of too much to learn is pants…especially as the majority spend their time riding roads which in my opinion take way way more learning and require far more respect than a track…riding down a road that changes day to day with traffic and road muck is a lot to take in…not a 2 mile circuit where theres nothing to worry about just a big playground to grin your way around.
Only pointer would be…get out there and have fun…if you are fast you’re fast…if not who cares…its all good honest fun. And no ones watching you expecting to be rossi. Get down to your average trackday and its R1’s bimbling around taking in the scenery :P;):w00t:
I also don’t see the problem with Cadwell, did it for my first trackday and it was awesome! The best bit is overtaking litre sports bikes down Park straight on a 400, as they didn’t understand the braking point wasn’t at the bottom of the hill! :w00t: As long as you don’t go mental and build up through the day learning your and your bikes’ limits then there shouldn’t be a problem on any track as far as I can see…
Bit baffled about the ‘don’t do Cadwell 1st’ advice as well, I’ve know loads of TD virgins that have popped their cherry there without any problems.
Any track would be fine to begin on, just go at your own pace, don’t be intimidated (either by other riders or the track) & don’t start pushing at your personal personal limits until you feel comfortable to do so.
My personal perspective on Cadwell is based on a day that was soaking wet, where I was trying to find the correct line round the track (had no idea from the ducks and drakes session as the woman in front of me appeared to want to get off and push her bike round every bend) whilst people on bigger bikes were blatting past and ending up on a slippery part of the track (I was just one of many to be caught out that day). If I’d managed to keep it upright I probably would have enjoyed it eventually, but for a newbie who hasn’t had their bike all that long I wouldn’t recommend it.
