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And After Level 4?


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What do you think a new rider should do after finishing level 4?

Last year i completed levels 1-4 as a brand new motorcycle rider. I've done about 30 track days since "graduating" and got into B group (1:33 laps at streets of willow using the skid pad config). Now it's time to go back to the school!

 

Do you recommend that a novice student like me retake levels 1-4 to ensure that I'm remembering the basics correctly, or to spend those 4 days in level 4 but without a structured agenda?

Thanks!

 

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Oil;

I've done it both ways. Initially I repeated L4 a number of times but felt I was missing some key components from L's 1, 2 & 3 (mostly visual drills) but it wasn't until I began the program all over that it really clicked. That said you may have better retention/ recall abilities than me so my concluding recommendation is to repeat Level IV and be totally candid with your Liaison and track coach so they can help you determine if you've got the core curriculum fully integrated or not. If you are missing a few pieces then keep honing your skills at Level 4, if you've lost more then go back to 1. At least that's how I've approached it.

Rainman

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Thanks Rainman! I've got a gut feeling that I should go through 1-4 again, because I was/am a new rider when I took 1-4 last year and probably didn't absorb all the knowledge!

 

I envision staying in level 4 class as follows:

Coach: "so, what do you want to work on today?"

Me: "uhhh, lets drag an elbow?"

 

The reality is that I don't know what my weak points are or how to prioritize them. But we have Keith to help with that!

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Like Kevin, I did it both ways - after a couple of years of being off the bike, I didn't feel very confident coming back so I decided to do levels 1-3 over. It was interesting to repeat the levels and I did pick up some things I missed the first time, but I have also always had great success with level 4, too.

 

You don't need to know ahead of time what you want to work on for level 4 - you will be sent a survey to help figure that out, and your L4 liaison and coach will help you spot areas that can be improved.

 

One advantage of level 4 is that your coach has more flexibility to work with you to come up with a plan. In Level 1, you will be doing only the level 1 drills.

 

So, if hearing the classroom info and revisiting the drills in order is what you want, repeating the levels makes sense. Ofherwise, you could do level 4 to discover specific areas for improvement and focus directly on those.

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Thanks Hotfoot! Actually, you were my coach for 3-4 at Laguna Seca last year, and my profile pic is you, Keith and myself!!

 

Between your comments and Rainman's I've concluded that I will sign up for a 1 day Level 4 class, and diagnose my riding with the coach. Then decide whether repeating 1-4 is better than 4 days in level 4.

Good news is that adds a 5th day of training to my study plan! Hopefully CODE RACE after, but I want I get the fundamentals down before I start racing.

FYI you are an awesome coach!

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The coaching at Level 4 is customized...some have taken it many, many times, as it is customized each time you ride.

 

The way to get a guaranteed solid result is to interact with your coaches, both on track and off. They will let you know what they are observing, but they are also only going to tackle one thing at a time.

 

That being said, the briefings are never exactly the same (the same core material is there) but the variations can be nice to see, so no downside to re-doing a level (or even just one classroom, while doing level 4).

 

Best,

Cobie

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