As I prepare and pack for my two days coming up at Streets of Willow, 3/12 and 3/13, I keep coming back to Keith’s articles and the forum to try and pick up any last second tips and ideas while I try to maximize my hard-earned dollars. For some reason, I keep coming back and thinking about the categories of riders and in particular number #6.
“Riders who do something to improve. Here you find the rider who reads articles, goes to track days in search of answers or comes to a school. They make a commitment to improve and take definite steps to do it.”
I feel that I’m a decent rider, but at the same time feel that the more I learn about the “art” of riding, the more questions I have and the more I NEED to learn in order to become a more efficient, safer and by default, a faster rider. As much as I think I know something about throttle control, vision or body position I know there is a way in which I can improve and become more efficient. Level 1 and 2 definitely improved my riding, so I’m hoping that attending the upcoming school will make another measurable impact.
I have several street and track riding friends and acquaintances who fall into 4 and 5. They just don’t see the need or have the motivation to fundamentally improve their riding skill, OR, don’t think that they need to improve. I have trouble understanding this logic.
I often wonder why I have such a passion for riding, no doubt being on a bike in the mountains or riding at a new track is invigorating, but I think a large part of the passion is the ability to always work on my riding skill, become a more astute rider and seek out answers, and sometimes for questions I didn’t even know existed. In this case, I’m content on being #6.