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Track day teaches motorcycle safety to AFRC riders

  • Published
  • AFRC Public Affairs
ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. --  Motorcyclists practiced high-speed maneuvering without the distractions of cars, pedestrians, intersections and obstacles during Headquarters Air Force Reserve Command's safety track day at Roebling Road Raceway Nov. 8.

"Riding on the track teaches you to focus on looking at what's ahead of you instead of looking down," said Lt. Col. Scott Freeland. "To be a successful rider, you must learn to focus on what's ahead of you."

Clear skies and dry road conditions allowed riders to "throttle up," at the Bloomingdale, Ga., track and push their bikes -- and themselves -- to higher speeds than they were used to on public roadways.

"Riding on the track shows you what your bike can do," said Lt. Col. Keith Goodenough. "When you're able to take your bike at higher speeds on the track, it helps make you more stable on the road."

Course attendees learned techniques to avoid, or mitigate accidents in panic situations.

"Most single-bike crashes are because riders fail to negotiate a curve," said Tech. Sgt. Michael Melanson, an Air Force sports bike instructor. "They panic, try to stop and end up crashing instead of just leaning the bike over a little bit more to make it through the curve. Most riders don't get the opportunity to push their bikes and themselves to learn those skills."

Safety was the central theme of the motorcycle stand down.

"As with any track day, it was a 'no-skin-below-the-chin' event," said Sergeant Melason. Each rider was required to have helmets, gloves and protective riding gear. They also had to prep their bikes for track use by removing or taping side-view mirrors, applying low-adhesive painter tape over the head, tail lights and turn indicators to prevent glass from shattering in case of an accident. Even license plates were also removed to prevent them from becoming flying Frisbees.

Participants gained a healthy respect for speed and developed increased confidence in their riding skills.

"Participating in the motorcycle track day enabled me to handle my bike in a controlled environment in a way that I couldn't on the streets," said Master Sgt. Joseph Botkin.

Organizers hope to create a benchmark motorcycle track day process that can be adopted by units. The goal is to prove the best, most realistic training for the command's motorcycle enthusiasts.