dre_2k2_f4i
01-03-2004, 11:27 AM
http://www.classrides.com/
http://img.aguto.com/030404
Yes, it was a *mild* 45 degrees outside, with a high of maybe 50 in Rosamond. The *breeze* (WSIR racers never call it "wind") was slight, but enough to add extra caution to the equation. And there was a slight drizzle at the end of the day.
Walked into the CLASS school not knowing what to expect, but wanting to gain more knowledge and tips to help me ride smooth. The morning class was a bit of a disappointment as Reg only talked about the rules of the track and the track itself. The instructors tried to show us a good line on the first session out, but with about 40 people out on the track, the congestion was distracting. Second session out, Bill had me follow him -- basically, he wanted me to use Reg's tightened lines: start from center, work your way inside the turn, then exit wide if you have the momentum. I worked a bit on that and found that I felt more smooth connecting turns. But, I do not know if I will carry these same lines outside of the track. (warning: this line may encourage an early apex)
Next session, I had Gigi follow me and make sure I was looking through the turns. She mentioned that I could cheat a little by taking a quick glance in front of me before looking far through the turn. I found that this helped me gain confidence/reassurance in my peripheral vision. Having my plan down and looking far ahead felt really good. I was not fixated on the road ahead of me, but rather taking in everything else, executing my current action, and planning more in advance. Then, we had a small session on braking. My gloating, shining moment: first time out I am in Reg's line and he calls for front brake only -- I accelerate to a decent clip and roll off the throttle and apply my brakes, and Reg has nothing but a big grin on his face and a thumbs up. Needless to say, I never went back to Reg's line ;-) Hot dogs and hamburgers were served for lunch.
Back on the track, I had Clous follow me to critique my body position. While I constantly remind myself to relax my body while riding, Clous found that when I move my body around I tense up my arms. I need to remind myself to relax my arms; something that needs constant attention even after this track day. His tip was to flap my arms like a chicken to remind my arms to relax. After a few more slow laps thinking about my arms, I found it easier to move around on the bike, and move the bike around.
Second to last session, I started out slow. Then I tried to concentrate on riding the track, rather than cramming in everything I had just learned. Many of the techniques stuck, and I felt smooth. I was really enjoying myself! Knowing that fatigue and over-confidence where probably setting in, I rolled off the throttle and hung back during the last session. I even found a friend that was also taking the class, and was able to keep pace with her to end out the day -- except in turn 3 where she went rather fast. I felt much better about turn 3 after today. In earlier laps, I would target fixate on the bottom of the turn. This is where looking through the turn really helped me.
I definitely got a lot out of CLASS schools, but mostly by asking instructors to critique me. The classroom time reinforces tried and true techniques that the average rider knows but may not employ. No, my tires were not shredded at the end of the day, but I achieved what I set out to accomplish: getting pointers on how I can become a smooth rider.
http://img.aguto.com/030404
Yes, it was a *mild* 45 degrees outside, with a high of maybe 50 in Rosamond. The *breeze* (WSIR racers never call it "wind") was slight, but enough to add extra caution to the equation. And there was a slight drizzle at the end of the day.
Walked into the CLASS school not knowing what to expect, but wanting to gain more knowledge and tips to help me ride smooth. The morning class was a bit of a disappointment as Reg only talked about the rules of the track and the track itself. The instructors tried to show us a good line on the first session out, but with about 40 people out on the track, the congestion was distracting. Second session out, Bill had me follow him -- basically, he wanted me to use Reg's tightened lines: start from center, work your way inside the turn, then exit wide if you have the momentum. I worked a bit on that and found that I felt more smooth connecting turns. But, I do not know if I will carry these same lines outside of the track. (warning: this line may encourage an early apex)
Next session, I had Gigi follow me and make sure I was looking through the turns. She mentioned that I could cheat a little by taking a quick glance in front of me before looking far through the turn. I found that this helped me gain confidence/reassurance in my peripheral vision. Having my plan down and looking far ahead felt really good. I was not fixated on the road ahead of me, but rather taking in everything else, executing my current action, and planning more in advance. Then, we had a small session on braking. My gloating, shining moment: first time out I am in Reg's line and he calls for front brake only -- I accelerate to a decent clip and roll off the throttle and apply my brakes, and Reg has nothing but a big grin on his face and a thumbs up. Needless to say, I never went back to Reg's line ;-) Hot dogs and hamburgers were served for lunch.
Back on the track, I had Clous follow me to critique my body position. While I constantly remind myself to relax my body while riding, Clous found that when I move my body around I tense up my arms. I need to remind myself to relax my arms; something that needs constant attention even after this track day. His tip was to flap my arms like a chicken to remind my arms to relax. After a few more slow laps thinking about my arms, I found it easier to move around on the bike, and move the bike around.
Second to last session, I started out slow. Then I tried to concentrate on riding the track, rather than cramming in everything I had just learned. Many of the techniques stuck, and I felt smooth. I was really enjoying myself! Knowing that fatigue and over-confidence where probably setting in, I rolled off the throttle and hung back during the last session. I even found a friend that was also taking the class, and was able to keep pace with her to end out the day -- except in turn 3 where she went rather fast. I felt much better about turn 3 after today. In earlier laps, I would target fixate on the bottom of the turn. This is where looking through the turn really helped me.
I definitely got a lot out of CLASS schools, but mostly by asking instructors to critique me. The classroom time reinforces tried and true techniques that the average rider knows but may not employ. No, my tires were not shredded at the end of the day, but I achieved what I set out to accomplish: getting pointers on how I can become a smooth rider.