Apollo

What khp said. The suits in MotoGP (I haven't been following WSBK) have internal airbags instead of the giant external collarbone airbag like in previous seasons. Also, I would assume that the settings for deployment on their airbags is set to a much higher threshold so the bike can move around. Although the airbags don't deploy in every instance, Marquez definitely had his deploy in practice at Assen.

Hi everyone, I was wondering if anyone could tell me how CSS sets up in the North Paddock for VIR. I will be heading down there Sunday, and I want to try to park as close as possible to where the trailers and bikes will be set up. I am bringing my own bike, so I just want to make sure my tools and the what-not will be close by. Does CSS set up on the West side (by the suites) or the East side (by the showers and food)? Since I will be arriving Sunday, I am hoping I can just find a prime parking spot to leave the van in. Also, anyone else here going? My buddy and I will be heading down from DC for Monday and Tuesday. He'll be using the school bikes for his first time on track. I'll be on a primer grey Ninja 300. Thanks!

Hope you're healing well and fast! Definitely the fear of most sane riders at trackdays. Sorry to hear the rider hasn't made any attempt to do right from an honor standpoint, regardless of the liability waivers. At best, a ban by the trackday provider may be possible. Unfortunately, I can't see any way for the front rider to prevent incidents like that. It looked just like the Guintoli Brookes crash in British Superbikes. The video seems to show he was abreast of you at impact (pretty fuzzy video)? The only very slight possibility I can see for prevention in a similar case would be if one could see that flash of red in peripheral vision right before impact and could stand the bike up enough for a glancing blow instead of the T-bone. With the closure rate though, I doubt anyone has quick enough reaction time or bike movement time to have prevented this accident.

Depending on your body type, it could be indicative of lean angle. This is what I've been told and personally found true. The rider is likely "reaching" if the slider wears on the front side of the slider. In this case, the bike isn't leaned over as far, but the rider stretches the knee out to make contact with the ground. By pushing the knee out, they rotate the puck such that the first part to contact is the leading edge. For the same person, at a greater lean angle, the knee does not stick out as much and there is more even wear on the puck. This is all dependent on body type and leg length, but is a general approximation. If two riders of different leg lengths are knee down at a given lean angle with the longer-leg's slider flat on the ground, the shorter-legged person would have to stick their knee out more to contact the road, thereby contacting with the forward edge of the puck. That's how I see it.

I would tape. The first time I went out on my own bike, I found myself looking at the speedo when I would glance down. I told myself "tach only," but still looked at the speedo quite a bit. Tape or better self control is my way.

Usually there would be 2-3 groups of 10-20 after races and service was consistently solid. They're setup with long tables for groups.

We will only be there Monday. So myself + 1 for Monday night.

Hey Apollo; Can you post an address for Maya Palenque? Maybe we can call them before and set up a time for a group table. Kevin Kevin, Here's their webpage: http://www.tastymexican.com/ Phone: (415)883-6292 And a map from the track: http://maps.google.com/maps?daddr=349+Enfr...e=UTF8&z=13 -Allard

Maya Palenque is about 10 minutes from the track. That is where we end up getting dinner whenever I watch my friends race karts. They have large amounts of room and seem to be the place where most visiting teams eat. I have yet to meet folks on this board, and I'm sure my friend and I would be good for dinner Monday. 69 degree high, mostly sunny!

Well, I couldn't get Tuesday off, but I'll be there for L3 on Monday. I'll be showing up early as I'm trucking my cornerworking friend's bike. Here's to hoping for sunny days.

One book on mental management by an olympic gold medalist. All in all, not a bad read. He does consulting work with athletes and businesses now. And in terms of the season, I'm hoping Dovi shows the colors of a champion.

It has noise reduction and auto-volume for background noise. Jawbone seems to be the gold standard for noise cancellation, but I did not have great results with it likely due to fitment. People hear me just clearly with the H710, if not better. With the jawbone, my voice would drop out if the sensor nub wasn't firm on my cheek. This happened on windy days when I needed it most. It'll be a while, but I'll likely be at Sears in March with the H710 if you want to try it. And on the topic of earplugs, I just bought a new box. Howard Leight Max 200 pair boxes are $25 at amazon.com with free shipping. 33NPR and Howard Leight stuff has been the most comfortable earplugs I've tried. If anyone's interested, I think it's a solid deal.

Could try http://www.earplugs4u.com/ . They're in Diamond Bar. I have no experience with them, but have heard good reviews. Personally, I tried the Jawbone 2, but could not get a comfortable fit. I replaced it with the Motorola H710 and couldn't be happier. The H710 over the ear is only $35 and conveniently turns on when you flip it open.

I wear earplugs anytime I go >6000rpm or >40mph. Hearing loss from repeated and continuous noise is a legitimate concern with helmets. Slow loss of hearing ability is a bigger concern to me than the possibility of missing noises due to earplugs. I'm a slow guy, but I feel that earplugs do not hinder my abilities to perceive issues or judge speed. Actually blocking the wind noise helps me notice noises because of a lowered background noise level. I can definitely hear sirens and horns. I can even talk to people with my 32 npr earplugs in. I've never been surprised by a vehicle or object on the road while wearing earplugs because I failed to hear them. And I am guilty of having audio in my helmet on freeway trips. I don't listen to music on the streets or if there is heavy traffic as I think it's too distracting. My two cents.

It does seem to only happen when they're going faster. I alway had thought it was a "survival reaction" like when I brace my feet forward in a car if I feel like we're going in too fast. But watching the videos and reading everyone's thoughts just raises more questions in my mind. Rewatching some races in slow-motion, it seems like Rossi and Melandri do turn in at the time they drop the leg down. One case I can point out is Melandri in the 07 Sepang race with 4 laps to go. It looks like he drops the foot off the peg right at turn in, and just before he hits max lean, when he stops the push input, he brings the foot back onto the peg.

I would think it would put more stress on the arms. They can't lock into the tank, and it's one more thing they can't shift all that pressure to. Hub, I'd agree, now is it less stress on the arms? C Questions from my thoughts. I feel like it does increase stress and it appears to make physical sense as there is less interface area with one leg off and the same rider weight. At the same time, it feels as though most of the increase is focused on the left arm and that seems to make sense because of center of mass of the body. It seems like GP riders usually lock in with one knee only anyways, as they pop their knees out during braking. In re-watching some GP races, it looks as if they're sticking their leg out as they turn in. I wonder if using the extra stress on the left to help push the handlebar for turn in makes the riders feel like the right hand has less weight on it? Sort of a weight transfer aided quick turn? Thoughts on this?

I'll likely be the only one there in grey/black RST leathers. Kevin, were you at Sears in 2007 when we got rained out? I remember Keith saying someone flew out from NY. Hopefully we'll be dry and warm this time around. -Allard

Hopefully I'll be cornerworking on the 17th. If I can swing it by my professor, I'll be doing L3 on the 16th. "One day seminar." Haha. Onboard video from an AMA race. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IU2__O67How Gran Turismo 4 on Playstation 2 has Sears modeled with the chicane, though it's very difficult to see in-game, if you want to simulate it. I'm just getting into track riding, but I prefer Sears Point over Laguna and Thunderhill as I feel that I get more clear training/practice per lap.

Back after a short break. haha. Had my motorcycle stolen. Found this on another forum http://www.motogpmatters.com/forum/viewtop...=274&p=5006 One interesting bit from an alleged rider. "I got it off the Italian Mediaset website where a certain Rider "X" gossips: 'We’ve talked about it among ourselves and a lot of us do it before braking in left hand curves. On the right no, because even of all of us don’t use the rear brake, we like to keep this possibility if we should need it. If you look carefully at our foot it points towards the inside of the corner. Its a way to create a new centre of gravity that makes the entrance more favourable when you risk going straight. It also helps you feel less the braking stress on your arms, because our pegs are placed way back.'" As John Hopkins supposedly once said about steering, "I don't know. It just happens."

Shinya Nakano - In my mind his body positioning gives that "textbook" feel. Colin Edwards - Anytime they ride, the one sticking his head out the farthest has to be Edwards. Jorge Lorenzo - Also gives that impression of squared away riding, as most of the 125 and 250 graduates do.

So I'm having a discussion on whether the rear of the bike squats or rises under acceleration. I've shown my friend video of bikes rising under acceleration on a dyno and some slow motion of race bikes, but he's still not convinced. Does anyone have a data logging system on their bike with a shock pot on the rear for rear suspension travel? Basically, I'm just looking for someone who has data logged for throttle, rpm, wheel speed, and rear shock position. I've got MoTeC, Pi, and Bosch if anyone uses those; I'm open to any other software that I can get for free. Thanks Allard

That's what I think too. It's like when you sit in someone's car and think they should be braking. At least for me, I get the urge to stick my feet out as far as possible. Just a SR. Prefacing this as a slow, slow rider, I can imagine Rossi sticking the leg out as a SR and also to help him maintain focus on his controls. An outlet for his restlessness as he charges deep into the corner. No. We're talking about his leg... LOL! yeah, me too CF And here I am, probably the youngest one and NOT having my mind in the gutter. haha.

How long ago? My wife had it done in 2000, and learned recently that there is something with pupil size that causes those rings around lights, and decreased night vision. She just had to get glasses. It's all changed now. I had mine done in 2002, and haven't had any problems. Definitely worth looking into, especially with all the advances. She had it done in 2006. She didn't say anything about rings or other issues, only that her acuity at night felt slightly decreased.

I wear contacts at the track. My vision is a bit off of 20/20. haha. For trackdays, I just open a new pair of contacts as I use Acuvue disposables. I haven't had any shifting issues. Actually, I've found they dry out quite nicely to stay firmly in place but are a pain to take out at the end of a long day. I definitely prefer (edited, wrong choice earlier->) contacts as I get the maximum amount of visual input. With glasses, you may find yourself losing some detail in peripheral vision. Also the crossover line from glasses to surround vision not covered by glasses may be bothersome. Street riding/Daily life = glasses (too lazy to wear contacts daily) Track or all day riding = contacts I've heard laser rocks, but I'm still not ready for it yet. My aunt had it done and she loves it but does report low light is a bit worse than before the work. Maybe someday.

Even the Eurosport broadcasters don't know. They believe that it's Rossi's SR's and that he throws the leg out when he is starting to push harder than normal and uses it as stress relief.