Riding on dirt riding has been my mainstay for the past five years, and I can confidently say, it’s nothing short of awesome. The allure lies in the continual challenge – just when you think you’ve nailed it, the next rut will lob you into a hedge just to teach you a lesson. What makes it truly enjoyable is that you don’t need to be smashing along at breakneck speeds; the thrill is in the general experience.

However, I didn’t start my biker life off-road. I grew up with sports bikes, then delved into the world of track riding, and only later in my biking ‘career’ did I get down and dirty. As detailed here, a stint of injury ignited a desire to return to the track. The subsequent addiction to scouring eBay for track bikes led to the addition of a CBR600RR to my garage.

I was pretty excited about my 2-day event at Cadwell Park up but also had reservations; riding a sports bike is completely different to riding ADV. Cadwell, with its technical layout (check out this Fast Bikes video), is notorious for its physical, twisty nature. The famed ‘Mountain’ regularly has bikes airborne and a tad out of shape. While I’m accustomed to jumping my 990, attempting the same on an unfamiliar track bike, on this demanding circuit, is a whole new ballgame.

As I’m not a beginner I stuck myself in the intermediate group, as I I thought I could keep up with this crowd, but my first session was humbling. I essentially held up the pack, and after getting back in to the pits I nearly threw the towel in there and then. A pep talk from fellow riders spurred me to give it another shot and, surprisingly, it was as if that lackluster first session had nudged my muscle memory. I rediscovered my old form in no time and in session 2 was soon confidently chucking it up the inside into the apexes.

For the rest of this year’s track ‘season’ I also had a spin around Oulton Park, a track I’ve ridden before and absolutely love, and Donington Park, a circuit that holds nostalgic memories from my childhood spent watching my heroes try and take the chequered flag. I am now absolutely hooked. I had genuinely forgotten how much I enjoy track riding, the only downside being that they’re not the cheapest (around £400-500 a day, all-in!). I’ve now tucked away the Honda for the year, intending to give it some much-needed TLC and investigate an intermittent starting fault. However, my plans are already in motion for regular track outings next year.

In fact, hot of the press, I’ve just received an invitation to go racing, and there’ll likely be some media coverage when it happens! In the meantime, I highly recommend giving track riding a shot. My experience with dirt riding has undeniably enhanced my skills as a track rider, and vice versa. To pique your interest, check out my Cadwell Park video!

Ciao for now! Ollie.