Tank Slap - Motorcycle Forum

All,

I will more than likely be going to this MSV run Open Pit lane at Snetterton on the 25th June.

Good circuit and for a whole day of riding for just £119 it seems too good to miss!

Anyone else fancy it?

http://www.msvtrackdays.com/bike-home/e ... uctid=2273

I would, but there is no way I'm ready for inters.. I've never ridden snett before and it's been a while since I was last on a track..

No Limits are running a TD there on 1st June which i am booked on as well. Get yourself down therte, learn the circuit and get yoursefl booked on the open pitlane

I've just booked on for the the 25th. It will be my first open pit lane

Would love to, always wanted to do Open Pitlane but I dont think im good enough just yet, also not sure I have the cash atm which is dissapointing lol

open pit lane is miles better and you tend to get less traffic on track

Perkles wrote:open pit lane is miles better and you tend to get less traffic on track

Thats what I am hoping for!

Ive never done an open pit lane either. How is there less bikes/traffic on track?

Godzilla wrote:Ive never done an open pit lane either. How is there less bikes/traffic on track?

you dont get big groups going out at once,you also get far more track time

Perkles wrote:

Godzilla wrote:Ive never done an open pit lane either. How is there less bikes/traffic on track?

you dont get big groups going out at once,you also get far more track time

Sounds good, all I would say is when I did Snett 300, I did it in the novice group and by time you have over taken the slower guys and been over taken by the fast guys early in the session I found the track was pretty empty anyway due to the size of the track and riders being spread out, I found it very easy to find clear track there unlike brands where it is so small you are constantly either over taking slower riders or being overtaken

ive done brands in car and it does get very busy,snetts a nice big track though.Ive done a lot of Donnington evenings with an open pit lane and you get as much track time as a full day.If only tyres were cheap it would be more a lot more cost effective

Perkles wrote:

Godzilla wrote:Ive never done an open pit lane either. How is there less bikes/traffic on track?

you dont get big groups going out at once,you also get far more track time

I get the big grups bit, but thas easy to avoid, I think. What I dont understand is how do you get more track time?

Godzilla wrote:

Perkles wrote:

Godzilla wrote:Ive never done an open pit lane either. How is there less bikes/traffic on track?

you dont get big groups going out at once,you also get far more track time

I get the big grups bit, but thas easy to avoid, I think. What I dont understand is how do you get more track time?

you can go out when you please all day

Perkles wrote:

Godzilla wrote:

Perkles wrote: you dont get big groups going out at once,you also get far more track time

I get the big grups bit, but thas easy to avoid, I think. What I dont understand is how do you get more track time?

you can go out when you please all day

So can everyone else? Until the track is full. I still dont get it.

So can everyone else? Until the track is full. I still dont get it.
ive never done an open pit lane where the track gets full,maybe i was lucky and therefore should be ignored

Perkles wrote: ive never done an open pit lane where the track gets full,maybe i was lucky and therefore should be ignored

No not at all, I just can't imagine everyone just sitting in the garages thats all.

Which is how you get more track time.
Think of it this way...
On a normal trackday you get (around) 20 mins on track, then 40 mins off until the next session.
If you did an open pitlane and still only did 20 minute sessions but decided you only wanted 20 minutes rest and then go out again, you've got twice the amount of track time in the same hour.
And because everyone is different and wants different rest times and track time, you're less likely to get as congested as when the regular trackdays let 60 bikes onto the track all at once.

At least, that's my interpretation of it.

Itchy wrote:Which is how you get more track time.
Think of it this way...
On a normal trackday you get (around) 20 mins on track, then 40 mins off until the next session.
If you did an open pitlane and still only did 20 minute sessions but decided you only wanted 20 minutes rest and then go out again, you've got twice the amount of track time in the same hour.
And because everyone is different and wants different rest times and track time, you're less likely to get as congested as when the regular trackdays let 60 bikes onto the track all at once.

At least, that's my interpretation of it.

But if everyone wanted to go back on with 20 mins rest the track would get overfull surely.

Normal Trackday (for example) 180 riders in 3 groups of 60, 20 mins each. Easy enough.

Open pit lane. 180 riders. 60 go out at start, track full. 20 mins later they all come in, another 60 go out, track full. 20 mins later they all come in.
Another load start going out, some of the ones who have already been out first up. For some of the ones who have not yet been out track full before they get on.

Another scenario majority/all riders stop out for 30-40 mins a go Some one get as much time.

If you have a certain number of riders and a limit on track at any one time that gives you a maximum track time for the day whether open pit or sessioned.

Godzilla wrote:

Itchy wrote:Which is how you get more track time.
Think of it this way...
On a normal trackday you get (around) 20 mins on track, then 40 mins off until the next session.
If you did an open pitlane and still only did 20 minute sessions but decided you only wanted 20 minutes rest and then go out again, you've got twice the amount of track time in the same hour.
And because everyone is different and wants different rest times and track time, you're less likely to get as congested as when the regular trackdays let 60 bikes onto the track all at once.

At least, that's my interpretation of it.

But if everyone wanted to go back on with 20 mins rest the track would get overfull surely.

Normal Trackday (for example) 180 riders in 3 groups of 60, 20 mins each. Easy enough.

Open pit lane. 180 riders. 60 go out at start, track full. 20 mins later they all come in, another 60 go out, track full. 20 mins later they all come in.
Another load start going out, some of the ones who have already been out first up. For some of the ones who have not yet been out track full before they get on.

Another scenario majority/all riders stop out for 30-40 mins a go Some one get as much time.

If you have a certain number of riders and a limit on track at any one time that gives you a maximum track time for the day whether open pit or sessioned.

I see what you're saying, but I think the free-flowing nature of open pitlane mean the sessions aren't quite as black and white as I made out in my example.

I'm no expert though, I haven't done it and would be worried that I'm not a fast enough rider to take advantage of open pitlane.

There is a downside to OPL's, if you are a crash hazzard like me.
I found that they do not red flag the track to collect crashed bikes until there are a few to collect. In my case this has resulted in me waiting at the side of the track for over an hour waiting with a marshal before they sent the bike catcher out with his cage to collect me. Although on another OPL it rained, and almost everyone else packed up & went home except me & my Trackday buddy.
His bike became unusable by lunch, so we spent all afternoon taking turns hooning round on my 675 making full use of the Wets & on an almost deserted track.

Having done an OPL in the past I'd definitely recommend it, according to MSV they cap the attendance at OPL days to twice the circuit capacity, so that's around 80 bikes compared to 120 for a normal trackday, riders will get just as tired, will still need to refuel both the bike and themselves and will still crash, consequently the track is generally less busy than on a regular day. Because OPL days tend to attract faster riders you also have a fair few racers using the day for setting up their bikes, so it's normal for a bike to come in and the suspension in pieces for an hour while something is tweaked. All in all my impression was that the pressure of regular sessions was absent and you were freed from the need to stay out for the full 20 mins if you didn't want to, or alternatively you can stay out until you have had enough.

Given the choice between a std day or an OPL I'd take the OPL every time, however I would say based on my limited experience if you aren't happy on track with racers and the way they ride you might have to bite your tongue occasionally.