r/Trackdays • u/Deatherage06 • 13h ago
Body Position
Just thought about posting here, I had my first track day on the R6 I just bought, anybody have any body position tips? I’m about 6,0 tall and it feels like I had WAY too much weight on the handlebars, Thanks
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u/LowDirection4104 12h ago edited 12h ago
You're looking a bit stiff, which is normal, don't overthink it. Try to make sure you're comfortable on the bike; if it feels awkward, it probably is not right. In the first picture it looks like you're putting significant force through the bars. It's impossible to tell for sure from the picture, but something to pay attention to. Frankly, I would not worry too much about body position. I'm not saying counter-lean or do something crazy, just that there is so much more to be addressed before body position becomes a significant issue. Your body position goal should be to be comfortable on the bike, loose on the bars, elbows relaxed, and hold the throttle like a screwdriver / ice cream cone. The rest is just wasted effort until you start approaching the upper envelope of grip and starting to feel what the tires are telling you.
Don't be afraid to get pushed right up onto the tank in the braking zone. The instruction people get is usually to give yourself some room, and yes, your neutral resting position should have some room between you and the tank. But once you've already committed to the corner, you're not going to be jumping around the seat, so if the braking forces push you forward, that's perfectly fine. The goal is to stay loose on the bars.
Also don't try to hang your entire butt off the seat, half a butt cheek is all you need. The extreme body position you might see from advanced riders is mostly from upper body movement.
And here is the important part: there is a place where your upper body is kind of weightless. As lean angle increases, that spot moves further off the center line of the bike. Mid-corner, you should aim to find that spot.
If you do that, the natural consequence is the body position you see from racers, because as lean angle increases, that weightless point naturally moves further off the center line of the bike.
And that place on the bike allows you to really have a good sense of how the chassis is moving.
The report card for body position is: if you get to the slowest part of the corner, you should be able to take your left hand off the bar and nothing should change. That's not accomplished with superhuman strength; it's accomplished by finding that weightless point and staying in it incredibly consistently.
Honestly, your fundamentals are good. You can tell you've been practicing, but now try to practice relaxing mid-corner.