Thirty years of riding. Thirty years of early morning weekend rides, the winding roads through the Nasho for a coffee, and that particular kind of freedom that only makes sense to people who ride.
And up until about two years ago, I had never once contemplated doing a track day.
Not once. Not even a little bit. In my head, track days were for guys who wanted to race, full leathers, race-prepped bikes, and a level of commitment to going fast that I simply didn't have. That was the story I told myself for three decades of riding.
Then I got an invitation from Steve Brouggy and the team at Motorcycling Events Group Australia (MEGA) for their 30th anniversary event at Sydney Motorsport Park. I went along mostly out of curiosity.
I have been a little bit addicted ever since.
Let's talk about the slow group. Proudly.
Here's the bit I want to be completely honest about, because I think it matters. I have absolutely no illusions about being the fastest guy on track. In fact, my big personal milestone this year was graduating from the slow group into the slightly quicker slow group. That's it. That's the achievement. I'm not chasing lap records, I'm not out there trying to out-brake anyone, and if I get stuck behind a slower rider, I'll happily sit behind them until there's a clean, easy opportunity to get past, rather than screaming by like it's the last lap at Phillip Island.
And genuinely, I could not care less. Because the speed was never really the point. With the right bike, it's mindfulness with a 200-horsepower soundtrack.
What surprised me most about track days isn't the thrill, although there's plenty of that. It's the focus.
On the road, you're managing traffic, traffic lights, pedestrians, dogs, that one guy checking his phone at the lights. On track, none of that exists. It's just you, the bike, and the next corner. I'm not thinking about anyone else out there. I'm not worried about being overtaken. I'm just completely, hyper-focused on one thing, which, after 30 years of riding with a dozen distractions running through my head at once, is a genuinely different experience.
It's made me a better rider. Honestly, it's probably made me a better driver too.
I've learned more about what a motorcycle can actually do and how I react on one, in two years of track days than in three decades on the road. Every session teaches you something. I did California Superbike School's Level One course and had a coach pull apart my riding, showing me exactly why I kept making the same little mid-corner adjustments without even realising I was doing it. That's the value of it. You don't know what you don't know until someone points it out.
And look, I’ve had the chance to ride bikes like the Panigale V4S and the BMW M1000R on track, machines that are operating well within their limits while I am very much finding the end of mine. Humbling? Absolutely. Useful? Even more so.
Big news just dropped
Funny timing for this article, actually, because as I've been writing about my own track day journey, MEGA and California Superbike School Australia have just announced they're officially joining forces, collaborating across all future Superbike Schools and ride days at Sydney Motorsport Park and Phillip Island.
If you've read this far, you'll know both organisations already show up constantly in my own story. MEGA has been running non-competition motorcycling experiences in Australia since 1994, currently operating ride days at both Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit and Sydney Motorsport Park. MEGA was actually the original organisation to bring California Superbike School to our shores back in 1996, running it until 2016. So in a way, this collaboration is less a new partnership and more a reunion.
As part of the announcement, there's a leadership restructure at CSS too, Marc Wilson steps into the Managing Director, joined by Steve Brouggy and Damian Mackie in the leadership team. Steve Brouggy summed up what the school means to him pretty perfectly: "The Superbike Schools ethos has been the key influence that literally shaped my life... to be a part of that organisation once again and to collaborate with CSS across both brands is nothing short of a dream come true."
As someone who's benefited directly from both the MEGA ride day environment and the CSS coaching structure, this feels like genuinely good news for anyone in Australia wanting to become a better rider, whether that's your first ride day or your first Superbike School class.
This is for you too, yes, even on your cruiser
If you're picturing track days as something reserved for sports bike owners in full race kit, let me gently correct you. I've ridden Royal Enfield 650s on track. I've watched riders on Harleys and GSA 1300s hold their own at the California Superbike School. Track days genuinely don't care what you ride, they care whether you're willing to learn something.
If everything above sounds appealing but the idea of a full Grand Prix circuit still feels like a big first step, Sydney Motorsport Park's ride day and ride night events on the South Circuit are worth a look. It's a smaller, tighter, more technical layout than the GP circuit, which honestly makes it a brilliant environment for less experienced riders, or anyone wanting to sharpen technique without the added intensity of a longer, faster track. Some of these ride nights come with a bit of coaching built in too, and they tend to sit at a friendlier price point than a full ride day.
It's a genuinely great way to dip a toe in, or, in my case, to keep discovering that I've still got plenty left to learn.
So if you're an experienced rider who's never thought about doing a track day or you've talked yourself out of it because you're not "that kind of rider”, I'd say give it a go. With MEGA and CSS now pooling three decades of combined experience, there's never been a better time to find out what you don't know. You might just spend the next two years, like me, quietly obsessed and still very, very happy in the slow group.
Let me know in the comments, have you done a track day, and what's held you back if you haven't?