Track thrills for road skills

With the roads (hopefully) drying out and the summer riding season teasingly close it’s easy to obsess about where you’ll be going, new kit to buy, spring cleaning your bike or even chopping it in for something new. All very exciting. But don’t forget the rider may need a freshen up as well!
Learning to ride a motorcycle doesn’t stop with passing your test, after all. And with that in mind we accepted road safety charity IAM RoadSmart’s invitation to join one of its motorbike skills days. While these take place on circuits they are very much not your usual track day, the emphasis on perfecting road riding skills in the controlled environment of a track where you can concentrate on learning the techniques without the distractions of drain covers, oncoming traffic, potholes or other everyday hazards. The theory being that when you do then encounter these things out on the road you have the skills, reactions and mental capacity to deal with them, and stay out of trouble. And with similar days available for car drivers as well there are days like this open to everyone to improve their skills and make them a safer road user. All while having a bit of fun along the way.

No need for knee sliders!

Forget ideas you need a sports bike and set of knee sliders to attend an IAM RoadSmart skills day. We went along on a Suzuki V-Strom 800RE ‘tall rounder’ tourer/commuter, the bulk of attendees on similar bikes with plenty of Triumph Tigers, BMW GS models of various types, retro roadsters, cruisers and all sorts. If you’ve got a street legal bike and a licence to ride it on the road you can sign up. Nor do you need a huge amount of experience or specialist clothing – most people were riding in their standard motorcycle kit and we only saw a couple of folk in full leathers. IAM RoadSmart even hosts women-only skills days, though in fairness there was a pleasing lack of testosterone-fuelled hot headedness among those on our regular rotation, so even the mixed days are a safe place for riders of any age, ability or experience level.

How does it work?

IAM RoadSmart is a charity staffed by volunteer instructors and examiners passionate about improving rider skills and safety through additional training, be it here at tracks like Mallory Park Circuit or out on the road. In the usual way of things you can apply to do the advanced rider course, which introduces you to a local IAM RoadSmart group and network of fellow riders. If you decide to go for your test you’ll then do a series of observed rides and, when you’re ready, apply for your advanced riding qualification. While this is entirely separate from your legal licence to ride a motorcycle it obviously equips you with additional skills to keep you safe, with added benefits of support from fellow IAM RoadSmart members and possible savings on insurance. The skills days are intended as a more accessible entry to the IAM RoadSmart world, given you can sign up without having joined as a member or committed to any of the road-based training.

What happens on the day?

Having attended the initial briefing and sorted ourselves into one of three bandings based on our stated level of ability we were then divided into smaller groups of four or five riders, given a coloured bib and assigned an instructor for the day. Much of the IAM RoadSmart training is based on the police-derived IPSGA system for advanced driving and riding, this being a process-driven checklist you can apply to any on-road situation. It stands for Information, Position, Speed, Gearing and Acceleration, with standalone sessions focusing on each in turn. These take the form of a 20-minute classroom tutorial, 20 minutes on track with your instructor and then 20 minutes of debrief and discussion before moving onto the next module. And at the end of the day ‘free riding’ where you can brush up on any areas you were uncertain about or just enjoy putting your new skills to the test.

The advanced riding ‘system’

IPSGA is, simply, a system to help you deal with every situation you encounter on the road, be that a junction, corner, overtake or anything of that sort. The Information part is what you can see, hear or even smell, as you might with the latter with the whiff of a fresh diesel spill on a roundabout. Based on this information you can then yourself to make any manoeuvre that follows as safe as possible, such as adjusting your line through a bend to see further round it. Speed then relates to adjusting how fast you are going according to what you have learned in the information and position stages, be that a corner, junction, slower moving vehicle or suchlike. Gearing is about ensuring the bike is ready to deal with the situation and for the acceleration phase. When it’s all going well the stages should blend into a seamless combination of smooth, considered inputs.

Putting it together

The classroom sessions are enough to explore each of the stages in the IPSGA process without getting too bogged down, the instructors explaining the concepts in simple terms riders of any level can understand. The fun bit is then out on the track, each student doing a lap in front of the instructor before dropping to the back of the pack and rotating as many times as permits in the 20-minute riding sessions. For track newbies the pace is as relaxed as you want to make it, with no fear of some lunatic on a Fireblade doing you under brakes into the first turn. Bike friendly tracks like Mallory Park mean you get to repeat the same corner or chicane multiple times in a session, safe in the knowledge you can experiment with your body position, speed, gearing or anything else you need to work on without the distractions you get on the road. Didn’t like the way it felt coming round that corner? Don’t worry, you’ll be doing it again in a minute or so and can try something else, or deploy some of the advice from your instructor in the last debrief. This freedom to try new things in relative safety means a steep learning curve, and from a gentle start even the most nervous members of our group were soon up to speed, cornering faster and braking harder but also riding more smoothly and progressively.

What we learned

Holding 70mph round Mallory’s endless first turn with the bike seemingly leaned all the way over feels way different from anything you’d encounter on the road. Or is it? Think of those long, curving slip roads you might have to navigate when you join the motorway. Or big roundabouts in fast-flowing traffic. All of a sudden that body positioning and sensation of the bike leaning into the turn, the confidence inspiring stability you get from holding the correct amount of throttle, the balance of holding the correct body position on the bike (known as ‘anchoring’ in the jargon) and being in the right gear to keep the engine in its sweet spot throughout is all relevant for riding situations you’ll encounter every day. This and the process-driven analysis of each and every move you make frees up thinking time for improved judgement, avoiding those bad decisions that could get you into trouble. Empowering, fun and, ultimately, about keeping you safe, it’s probably the best money you could spend on your motorbike. Yes, better even than that new exhaust or some fancy machined aluminium trimmings!

Next steps

You don’t have to be an IAM RoadSmart member to attend a skills day – just find a date and location on its website that suits and book yourself on. Chances are having met the folk, enjoyed the sense of camaraderie and realised the benefits of improving your skills you may be inspired to take it further, join your local group and see about going on some observed rides on your way to passing your advanced rider test. Even if you don’t, the skills learned on a day like this are invaluable for helping you enjoy your motorcycling more, and in greater safety, than ever before.