JK13

Welcome!

Problem with lap times and video is that you're waiting until after the session to decide what changes would work. I'm not saying you go snail pace slow. I'm sure we are all capable of holding a decent pace without too much thought. My point is that there is definitely a good reason to not push it to the max at all times on track. Edit: Also, I can't speak for the coaches other than saying that they are not working on improving their times. They are focusing on the student. I'd venture a guess that they might suggest their pace when instructing is not actually anywhere near their 100%, but that's just speculation.

I hope I am misunderstanding. It sounds like y'all will go an entire session focusing corner to corner. How much time do you have for analysis when you get back to that particular set if you approach it this way? My best example is at Texas World Speedway. One of the trickiest set of turns there is followed by a nice long straight away. I track out until I know that I am just twisting the throttle and then I back off to mentally review the turns I just came out of. If I were at a track that didn't allow for a long straight to think on, I'd track out and once I got to a section that I consider to be separate, I back off until muscle memory can take over to get me through. I still have the exit at a fast pace, but I allow myself to analyze the set after the fact. And a clarification, if I'm working on a section, what am I working on? Approach, turn in, clip point, exit. This accounts for setting up for the next turn.

Question for you. Let's say you're working on a specific set of turns. You change your line slightly and attack the set. Now you're out of the turns you were interested in and on to the next set. How do you review your line change—in order to determine if it needs to be adjusted on the next lap—while simultaneously "pushing to the max" on the rest of the track? If you're dedicating any mental capacity to thinking about the turns you wanted to work on, can you really go 100% on the track ahead of you?

Will do. Thanks, Cobie!

Not sure if this is the best place to ask, but do any of the coaches plan on staying at the Comfort Inn off of E. Craig Road for next week's two day camp? I'm wondering if I can get a ride with anyone in the mornings.

Welcome!

A very brief thought that may be of some use to you. I don't think you should approach passing situations as "persuing and engaging" other riders. Passes are made because one competitor makes fewer mistakes than the other, not because one competitor is fighting harder. Then again, I guess you could be thinking of applying pressure to force mistakes out of a competitor. Normally, that approach leads to more mistakes on your end since your focus is split more than it needs to be.

Short answer: I have every intention of racing. I just finished up with trackday number 5. I had an instructor ride at a "quick level 2 pace" for two sessions in a lead follow exercise and kept up well enough to move up to the next level. I will be in Vegas for the two day camp next month, and then my first level 2 trackday at the end of the month. I'm hoping to find at least one event in December and January. That will put me at 10 trackdays/schools and depending on how well I do in level 2, I'll get started on my CMRA license.

Are y'all aware of any offers coming up after November? I want to wait until after I get some seat time on an S1000rr before I move on up to one.

The biggest challenge I'm going to have to overcome is confidence in my machine. I have proven to myself a few times—though not necessarily on purpose—that if I mess up, I can remain calm and keep the situation from escalating. Despite this, I find more hesitation flicking it in or powering out of a corner than I ever did when I had four wheels instead of two at my disposal. In order to gain this confidence, I've come up with a few key points that are likely holding me back. 1. Vision. It's not good enough to just look up the track anymore. I need to learn to ignore the urge to keep my head perpendicular to the ground. 2. Learn the feedback my machine is giving me. I used to tell people that tires sing before they scream. This song was something that could be heard and felt simultaneously. I don't feel like I have that same feedback, but I know that I'm probably just not listening the right way. 3. This will always be on my list, so I put it in third, not as an afterthought, but because it is something I will always try to work on. Smooth is speed. Smooth pick up coming out of a corner will reduce the chop I sometimes get at corner exit and this will give me more confidence to power out sooner. Knowing how to flick in both quickly and smoothly will certainly give me more confidence on corner entry. As far as a complete answer to the initial question, I want to compete. I want to become a proficient enough rider to know that no matter what the situation, I can keep my race face on and find a (safe) way to win. I'm already finding myself tagging onto faster riders every so often at the track and planning out a pass, giving myself a few laps to rehearse it, and then having that perfect moment where it comes together. The downside to this? I know that whatever amount of focus I'm putting onto developing these passes could be going towards developing aspects of my riding that is more important right now. P.S. I can't believe I forgot this one, but I need to get a lot better transitioning my grip to get set for right hand turns.

Thanks for the welcome

Yeah, I'm pretty sure the instructors at the local schools either hate me or love me with how often I track them down between sessions to ask questions

Hey everyone, My name's Jeremy. I've been tracking/racing cars (just a bit of wheel-to-wheel at Texas World Speedway) for about 8 years and found myself bit by the bike bug about a year and 4 months ago. I raced dirtbikes for a few years when I was younger, but made myself wait 6 months until I was comfortable on a sportbike—and then 6 more to idiot-proof myself—before I found myself at Motorsport Ranch Houston. I've done a track day a month ever since on an '03 CBR600RR and I'll be attending the Superbike School next month at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. When it came to cars, I started off with instruction and then went to Skip Barber racing school at Laguna Seca. Seeing as how that seemed to work well, I'm aiming to repeat the experience and get more personal, professional instruction before I get the chance to develop and build on bad habits. Anyways, glad to be on here. I hope to learn a lot.