Keith : Wow, after reading a short way into you article on Willow, my heart starting going a little faster until a few more paragraphs had me pinned to my office chair with the throttle cracked. I love reading your articles cause it brings me right to the track. Willow is one of those tracks I never made it to but I must say while reading this article it took me back to your class in 85 or 84 I can't remember which one at Laguna Seca, advanced class. And reminded me of the turn after the long straigtaway turn into that uphill banked like no other turn letting the rider think no prob, on the pin and leaning and then realizing the lip of the right upper bank is really closing in fast and my peg and alt cover are to the ground, "ack".
Anyway thanks Keith for keeping this sport alive, I cannot tell you in words the differences you made in my lap times by simply being able to get to the root foundation of our ability to succeed in anything we do, by removing boundries of the mind and what it does to us without even realizing it.
Keith I will be 55 if I make it to Sept 4 this year, I ride every day here in Hana, either one of my on off road bikes or my XR650R up at my race track, I have modeled it around the technical features that you have instructed for many years and applied it to dirt bikes of which I am on my 40th year of competition riding. I have done almost every form of motorcycle racing as most of your team has done including the men and women that are benefitting from your school.
I am very greatfull I had the opportunity and took it to go to your school, and since 85 I have not stopped talking about the time removed from my lap times from you simply stating, "when your in traffic and your engine is roaring and your in the heat of competition your mind tries to focus on someone elses bike and what you need to do is to become aware this is happening, re group and look at the entire picture". Since that day on "all" of the racing events I have competed in, I always recite that one point and again that one fact alone of that realization was worth more to me as a racer than any amount of money could have purchased for me in horsepower.
Keith thanks again, I always forward these articles to my dirt bike buddies here on the island of Maui.
Dale G. Basgall