Absolute Essentials:
- Helmet
- Goggles (inc. tear-offs/roll-offs)
- Gloves
- Boots
- Racing leathers
- Back protector (if not part of your leathers)
Very Handy:
- Race licence
- Enough fuel for the day (inc. two-stroke oil if applicable)
- Fire extinguisher
- As many relevant tools as you can take
- Tyre pressure gauge
- Dry/spare clothing
- Enough food for the entire weekend
- Enough non-alcholic liquids for the entire weekend
- Somewhere comfortable to sleep (tent, caravan, van, B&B)
- Toilet paper
- Foot pump
- Duct tape
- Cable ties
- Rags/kitchen roll
- Towel, flannel etc. so that you can wash after a race
- More money than you think you actually need
- A sense of humour and a sense of humility
- Spare hand and foot levers
- Spare throttle and clutch cables
- Kidney belt
- Spare tires with tire levers and tire soap
- Spare inner tubes
- Generator and lights (with enough petrol to run gennie all weekend)
- Lockwire and pliers
- Bike stand
- WD40 (or similar)
- Full spare chain (or at least a correctly sized split-link)
- Spare tie-downs/rope
Other Things To Remember:
- Don't get pissed the night before
- Drink non-alcoholic liquids throughout the day (it helps with concentration as you can become dehydrated without really noticing - and getting pissed the night before only makes this worse)
- Make a list of everything you think you'll need and check it before you set off (including money, map, directions, food, drinks, toilet paper, race licence)
- Drop your tire pressures down (a good starting point is around 25/26 psi)
- If this is your first race then don't be even remotely concerned about being slow as no-one cares
- Take your time to learn the circuit, learn how the bike feels at race speed and how you feel, too, and always walk the track before you race on it
- Do not suddenly change direction if you're about to be lapped/overtaken as the rider behind you will know where he/she wants to do it - if you suddenly do something they're not expecting it could end in you both crashing. Concentrate on what's in front of you, not behind
- If this is your first race, don't worry about what gearing to run or what suspension settings to use, just enjoy the day as you can get into that stuff when you're a little more experienced
- Make sure your bike's perfect before you even set off to the track.
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