**You must already be a relatively skilled motorcycle rider to participate in a track day.**

If you are not already comfortable riding fast on your motorcycle and do not enjoy riding at a brisk pace on a twisty canyon road, you probably need to obtain more experience on your bike before participating in a track day. As a general rule, you need at least one year of riding experience to adequately prepare you for the track environment.

All riders, no matter how experienced, need to take the time to put themselves in the proper frame of mind for a track day. Track days are an opportunity to hone your skills while riding fast and perhaps enjoying some friendly dicing with your buddies. A track day is not a race or your chance to show others how fast you are. There are no trophies awarded, and everybody is a winner at the checkered flag. There is never justification for a risky pass or stuffing someone in a corner. A track day is not a sprint race; you have all day to ride, so have the patience and maturity to avoid a risky move that may end the track day for you and/or another rider.

Stay in control and within your abilities at all times. Ride at 80% of your ability to leave yourself a safety margin in case you make a mistake. If you stay within 80% of your ability while safely building your skills, soon your 80% will be well beyond your earlier 100%. By contrast, the rider who goes out at 100% and crashes never really improves, and often gets worse.