Many feel stress, anxiety, or nervousness before and at their very first track day just like me. I've made a full guide on how to manage this destructive feeling that can ruin your track day, performance and in fact give you bad memories of your very first track day.
I'm going to walk you through how to manage stress and anxiety on your first track day in every part of the day from waking up to packing up after an epic first track day.
Before Heading to the Track
Like they say, tomorrow starts today. A good night's sleep is critical not only for good performance but also for keeping your mind calm and you become less nervous or anxious.
Pack everything up the night before, you don't want to be waking up in a rush or in tension breaking your head over what you may have missed to pack while you come closer to reporting time by every minute. Ironically In such a stressed state you not only are likely to forget to pack something but you will also be coming over to your very first track day with a lot of nervousness and anxiousness and a hyperactive mind and quite possibly late which will only add to more problems.
Packing everything the night before when you have ample time also keeps you waking up fresh. And like I've previously mentioned the importance of sleep, waking up fresh and lively will remove all your stress and make you feel energized after a good night's sleep for your first track day. As soon as you wake up drink at least a glass of water, do a light workout consisting of a few pushups and squats on the floor (but don't do a full workout or you risk wasting time and arriving without energy at the track) to feel energized and if possible take a short walk in the sun.
Get as much sun on yourself by going outside since sunlight exposure immediately wakes your body up and sets the circadian rhythm.
Bright light exposure should be the first thing in the morning when you wake up which is why if you wake up to cloudy or dark skies you can use an artificial light (such as your phone ) although it is still not as good as direct sunlight.
Wake up earlier in case you forgot to pack anything the night before ( you do not want to be 10 minutes from reporting time searching for your entry pass frantically in your room!) or head to the track earlier if you are staying at a hotel a bit far from the track just in case of any unforeseen events such as traffic or rain etc.
At the Paddock
I've got a secret tip for you guys for combating stress since it can come anytime in the day, especially on your first track day. When you feel yourself breathing faster, having faster thoughts, and getting nervous or stressed, don't follow the common advice of telling yourself to stop stressing out since it can sometimes exacerbate the situation but a quick fix is fidgeting. Yes, tapping your fingers rhythmically on your lap, tapping your feet, or even repeatedly combing your hair, etc all these small repetitive acts get rid of stress. Any small repetitive act that diverts your mind's attention towards it gets rid of stress, but don't fidget on the bike!
Another, which you may know of is taking slow and deep breaths, whenever you feel stressed take slow and deeper breaths on purpose into your belly and automatically you calm down.
On your first day, you might see a lot of track riders around congregating around. It could make you a bit anxious especially if you know nobody over there just like me on my first track day.
Still, the key is to not hesitate to ask for help or open a conversation with any of them since most track riders are friendly and helpful and can give you various tips and advice just like I found out when I decided to open the conversation with them. Don't hesitate to ask them about some modification they've done to their bikes out of curiosity or any tools you may need. The track staff members as well are quite friendly and do ask them for any help if you need
Being in a new environment one often has a bit of stress and anxiousness and this is simply because this place is unfamiliar to you. Recognize that most of your fear, anxiety, and stress is simply because of unfamiliarity and this is another advantage of being there early, you can ask the track staff member or organizers about the different places on the track, paddock, and more.
Since you have never ridden on a track before which is very different from you neighbourhood road, you might be stressed and have negative thoughts, but if you know what it's like beforehand the stress is drastically reduced.
Usually, all tracks in the paddock have a track map where you can see the layout, and the corner types and get an understanding of the track.
You can also check out the map on Google and I suggest watching an onboard video of a novice or mid-level rider or racer doing a lap on the track you are at on YouTube. Avoid watching professional higher level racers onboard videos since they are much skilled on the track and hence don't try to emulate them now. This is what I did and it helped me overcome much of my anxiety the first time at the Madras International track
Usually, the organizers of the track day event have a track walk in which they walk you around the track and explain the corners, this is also why you should come earlier since track walks are done mostly before the actual track session of the day starts.
If not ask the track staff if it is possible for a track walk. They are unlikely to permit after track sessions start officially but may consider if you are early and the track day hasn't officially started.
Regardless of whether they permit or not, never go alone out on a track walk by yourself and without their permission. It is dangerous and you can potentially get banned from the track.
On the Track
In the very first round, you might be paired with riders who have ridden on this track before or have done track days before and you will inevitably be seeing other riders overtake you you may be the slowest on track!, but do not try to race!
The very first round is an extremely important lap, in this lap stay on low gear throughout and don't go too fast but stay at a consistent steady speed for the entire length of the track.
Irrespective of others racing or overtaking and you feeling left behind the reason why you should take your first lap slow is to get a feel of the track and only after you get a feel of the track will you be confident and have no anxiety and stress on track riding. Hence don't feel stressed if you are the slowest on track, you should aim to get a feel first even if takes more laps than others otherwise you will lack confidence and be full of stress.
At the Paddock After a Session
Between track sessions which usually last 20 minutes for each batch to alternate, you must take rest by rehydrating, removing your helmet and gloves, unzipping your suit but don't remove it fully, and sitting down or lying down doing nothing to relax under a fan.
Allowing your body to rest between sessions allows it to recover otherwise you can overextend yourself and get mentally strained on track.
Packing up After a Track day
By this time you will be completely tired and worn out eager for some rest and is probably the worst time to feel stressed.
At the paddock, (especially if you are at a shared paddock) keep all your things together and never scatter them around because the last thing you want to do after racing for a day is to go search frantically for your wallet you left somewhere.
Keep everything ready so you can immediately pack up after the track day. What I did was to keep a checklist on a small sheet of paper of everything I brought with me to the track so I could quickly glance through if I've packed everything I brought. This is important because after a tiring day of hard riding, you are likely to forget things and then when the track is closed you remember that you left something there and start stressing which is not what you need but a calm mind and relaxing night.
Overall Managing stress and anxiety on your first day comes simply from planning beforehand about the day.
I'll see you guys next Thursday, do send us any doubts or queries you have about racing or track days. We're happy to help:)
Faster. Better. Safer.
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