I was at my local track (Eastern Creek, NSW, AUS) on Sunday 10 of Jan and had a personally redefining massive moment! Which is why i decided to post here, because my time spent at the school just keeps on paying itself off, time and time again!
The air tempreture was heading for 42. C with a cool 10kts easterly breeze (tail wind on the main straight). I hadn't riden track for about a month but I was mad keen on practicing the school techniques and trying to really make it part of my riding.
I decided to back myself and all that I had learned from the school, so I put myself in green group, which here is the medium/fast group and the second fastest group circulating the track.
I had made some changes on my bike: the gearing, new chain and suspension. So most of the day was learning new reference points relative to the new gears, and turn in points for the more responsive suspension and shorter wheel base of the new chain.
My moment was comming out of the last turn into the home straight. I had good corner speed, was happy with my line and began my roll on. I hit my apex and began my pick up drill. My intention was to smooth the gap between roll on and pinning it by being in the power earlier with the bike more upright and utilizing as much of the track as possible.
I think I acheived this. I hit my exit reference point ontop of the ripple strip with good power and was on my way back to the black top. On my line, I could see at the end of the ripple strip a patch of gravel between it and the track.
I didn't want to make dramatic steering inputs to avoid this, I wanted to be smooth. I figured I had been given tools by the school to deal with this, so the job was on. I was locked in, loose on the bars, the bike was upright and travelling almost dead straight with the power on.
I was a third of the way down the main straight, went over the gravel and back onto the track, and my word, did I get a tank slapper! I thought "I am going to keep this" and remained loose on the bars, barley hanging on because I didn't want that wobbling transferred through to the back. And then, it got worse, the steering felt like it went from full lock to full lock. But then it recovered. I glimpesed down at my speedo on recovery and it read 171km
CSS Instructor Al was there on the day and I caught up with him after. He told me I was 3/4 right in dealing with that moment. What I should have done was apply more throttle and unweight the front. This is why it got worse before it got better, because I rolled off slightly it transferred more weight onto the already unstable front tyre. CSS level 1: Survival Reations 101. how about that.
Well, 3/4 right is better than not right at all and California Superbike School paid itself off yet again. Thanks guys
eastern_creek.bmp