Kevin Kane

Tweek; If you do plan on purchasing an '08/09 ZX6R, then I would recommend riding their bike. Their fleet is new this season (I think) so it will be much closer in characteristics in every way to an '08 or '09 model so there won't be a transition/adjustment for you to deal with if you ride on their bike. I have flown cross country to both Streets of Willow Springs and to Laguna Seca, flew to VIR and am still planning on flying to Barber (one of these years). It is so-o-o-o-o much easier than loading & hauling a trailer - especially since their bikes are so close to your regular ride. I ride a twin so the adjustment for me to an in-line four is always a unique challange but the convenience of not dealing with all of hastle of driving a great distance, the minor wrenching, the refueling and general trackside maintenance is a very attractive way to look at the two choices. ...fwiw. Kevin

Michael; My perspective is there are no "shortcuts" to excellence; I would encourage you to continue to integrate all of what you have been taught and then try and get as much seat time as you can. A golfer who plays a dozen times a year limits their opportunities for improvement simply because they can't experience enough repetitions to "know" how to swing the different clubs the correct way for each given situation. The track offers similar kinds of challanges (off camber, diminishing radius, compound radius, negative G, positive G, esses, hairpins, kinks, bowls) that require that we all get as much practice on each to know how to react to these variable circumstances; circumstances which are further affected by temperature, moisture and the conditions of our suspensions and tires. Keep at it, the more time you put into it, the better you will become. Now if I only practiced what I preach! Kevin

...so that's how you do it? Get sick... don't practice...lead every race and then win! COOL! Congratulations Stuman; Kevin

...now that is a race report! Stuman - you go girl! Congratulations Kevin

I've rented trailers from U-Haul for four years now. If it's one bike, I take their 5' x8 ' enclosed, if it's two I take their open 6' wide trailer with drop gate. Cheap, reliable and perfect for the job. Kevin

Thanks, Kevin. Kinda ironic that I crashed at the end of the last session. I thought that I had learned by now and I usually take it easy at the end, but I guess I had not. Or, rather, I can't remember if I did. As for giving it a go next year, I am waiting to hear what my health insurance company is going to say when they see the bill. When I called them a while back they said they only have restrictions if one is racing, but I am sure they will try to find a way out of 27,000 bill... We'll see how it goes. Vadim; An End of Day crash would seem ironic except for one overarching factor - rider fatigue. You had finished two very intensive days of riding on a course that doesn't give you very much time to rest. You also rode every other session for two days and you were on your eighth rotation of that day when you overshot a turn. I would recommend that you learn from your mistake but wouldn't be too hard on yourself - this stuff happens. Now 27 large is another issue altogether. BTW, did you tell your insurance agent that you were at a Cornering SCHOOL and not racing? There is a BIG difference from my experience. The first time I attended the Superbike School six years ago was at the prompting of my insurance agent from Progressive. He told me that I was covered at a School, but not if I was actually racing. YRMV. Good Luck, Kevin PS Did Andrew call you yet?

Vadim; I was the Head Corner Worker that day and was stationed in 8 when you went down in 4. The CW in 4 told me that you went in to 4 pretty hot and that it appeared to him that you needed to either add more lean angle or roll off to stay on the track. He said that you ran wide and once your front tire hit the grass (it was soaked with standing water in it) it washed out literally and you and the bike slid out to the hay bales. I spoke with Trevor after and he said that you appeared to be OK immediately after but that you began to give strange answers to his questions so you got the hook. As for screwing up the last session, it was the 16th of the 15 that were scheduled for the day. We were in the extra session and at the end of it when you crashed so you didn't affect the original schedule at all. The goal was to make up for the short day on Wednesday and Trevor accomplished that with the 16th session. In closing, I am going to forward your contact information to the Corner Worker who was in 4 so you and he can speak directly. Very happy to hear that you're OK and that you are going to give it a go next year. Kevin

Mike, Good decision. I went to my first CSS at Watkins Glen a year after I bought my first sport bike and it was the best decision I could have made about motorcycling. I had self taught myself how to ride a motorcycle back in my teens and with a street bike, I got away with it; learning how to ride a sportbike is not the same. From my observation as a multi-time CSS Student and now as a CSS Corner Worker, there is no better environment to learn how to corner a motorcycle than CSS. Kevin

Tim, I have attended and corner worked numerous CSS schools at Watkins Glen and have been a CSS student at Mid-Ohio so my opinion to you assumes that drive distances and other logistics are reasonably similar. If they are, then Mid-Ohio would be my recommendation by a wide margin. Mid-Ohio has so many different types of turns and cornering conditions, elevation changes and just about everything else you could ask for in a road course that it is hard to find any fault with Mid-Ohio as a learning venue. While both tracks accomodate cars, Watkins Glen is first and foremost a car track. That means long straights (3 of them) and their fast corners all have some degree of banking. They also have Armco close to some corners that is a little unsettling. T-11, a right hand turn that leads to the main straight comes to mind and it lines both sides of the Esses. Having said that, one advantage that Watkins Glen offers is that layout allows you to learn the track pretty quickly and because of the long strights, you will have "time" between corners to process what you need to be doing so if it is a "first time" on the track, Watkins Glen is a good place to start. If however you have any track experience, Mid-Ohio will just Rock you. Kevin

I had a feeling that you would be posting after going to Mid-O... Glad you had fun and I share your opinion about T6, and 7...and 8 Kevin

My dealings with the School's home office in LA have been nothing but professional and positive for the past six years (and counting) so I am surprised by your post about how you perceived her responsiveness was to your inquiry. As for Trevor's availability, check the School's schedule if you want to know when he will be back. Right now, he is at Mid-Ohio. From there, he goes to Black Hawk Farms and from there he goes to Pocono and then to Barber; so he just may not be available to answer your set up question for Barber just yet. On the road, most CSS team members are putting in 12 hour days at a minimum to make sure that the Schools they are conducting go as smoothly as they can be because they do appreciate how much money you (and I) have paid to attend. One bit of advice I would offer is to leave your X-T at home. The School's passing rules are strict and non negotiable; violations will get reported and repeated violations will get you tossed out of school. Trevor "controls" the track all day long and as a CSS cornerworker (east coast Schools), I know first hand how well he maintains safety and decorum at every track. Remember, you're going to a cornering school, not a race school and there is a world of difference between the two (I've been to both). If you're going there to set a PB lap time or to dice it up with your buddy, you are picking the wrong venue IMHO. Their approach is very structured and is a progressive cirriculum where your use of the transmission and brakes will be restricted until the end of the day. Corner workers also monitor if you are braking during a no brake session or shifting in a single gear session so the result will be lap times that will be quite disappointing. But if you are looking to learn how to corner better, leave the X-T at home and arrive with an open attitude to some very well developed and time tested instruction. As you said, you are paying a lot of money to attend CSS/Barber so I would suggest that you focus on what thay have to offer to maximize that investment. Kevin Kane

I envy you. Mid Ohio is the first road race course I ever saw and I spent many days of my younger years attending the AMA National there and staying on through to attend the Keith Code school. The traditional weekend falls on my birthday which was yesterday. (For awhile they moved the AMA weekend to mid-July and got rained on every single year and finally got smart and moved it back ... lol.) Anyway, some of my best memories are there. I saw Wayne Rainey, Fred Merkel, Jimi Filice and Bubba Shobert race Superbikes head to head that first weekend in 1987. I was traveling two up on my GPz750 and camping under the stars with my best friend who has since passed. I saw Randy Renfrow skipping the rear wheel of his 250 in the dirt as he slid sideways on to the front straight kicking up little puffs of dirt on each lap and I was instantly hooked and knew I had to go racing. I can still smell the castor oil and race gas wafting from the 250's that day. I also really envy you for getting to ride on the NEW PAVEMENT WITHOUT POLYURETHANE APEX PATCHES. That was my dream for many years. Oh well, maybe I'll be able to make it over on Monday or Tuesday to say "Hi". Have fun, dude. Mid Ohio is a fun fun fun track. It's like racing on a golf course. Just beautiful. I've got to agree with Racer - Mid-Ohio rocks! Two years ago I did the same thing you're doing - going to the races over the weekend and then spending two days at the Superbike School. Probably four of the best days of my adult life in a long, long time - and I rode there the year before the concrete inlays were paved over. I have ridden at Mid-Ohio, VIR, Mosport, Laguna Seca, the Streets of Willow Springs, Loudon, Pocono, Beaver Run, Nelson Ledges, Shannonville and Watkins Glen and Mid-O is still my favorite track. Have fun! Kevin

Tweek; 7:00am was fine at every School I have attended as either a Student or a Corner Worker. Kevin

Is the coolant thing something set by CSS or the track? Richard; I don't mean to counter the School's position but the issue with replacing engine coolant with water, water wetter or other "approved" solutions is pretty universal at every track or track club I have ridden with. It is both a safety and a courtsey issue. Coolant is very slick so if it gets on the track as a result of a leak or a crash, it requires clean up. That delays EVERYBODY's riding time and that is assuming that no one crashed as a result of riding over coolant on the track. Even if it isn't required by the School, it is still a good idea IMHO. Kevin

Danny; First off - Welcome. It's great to finally hear from the only guy in the world who is fast in the straights but slows down too much in the corners. We've been waiting a long time to finally hear from you. ; ) Kidding aside, there are things that you can do to prepare and IMHO, the best place to start is with the rider. Not to downplay physical conditioning but I recommend that you first read both Twist of the Wrist books that Keith Code wrote so that you understand the concepts of what you will be taught at School. The day goes by pretty quickly between classroom seminars, track time and then post track debriefing that having their cornering concepts internalized beforehand should make the day go more smoothly for you. Good luck and don't forget to share your experience with us once you're finished. Kevin

qzrlsd; Body position is covered in Level III and from my experience what the School teaches in Level III was/is something that I couldn't translate from reading a book or a post on a web site. You will be put on a stationary bike in the paddock and Keith will show you how to set yourself on the bike, how to move from side to side and how much you should hang off. Others may respond to your question by trying to "teach" you how to do it but for me, I needed someone to "show" me how its done. The beauty of Level III is that you will be shown how to set youself on a stationary bike, then you go out and practice on the track and the kicker is, you get video taped so you can come back and get critiqued by a senior coach while watching yourself corner the bike. Kevin

What I see is that he adds lean angle right before he hits the apex...then adds just a little bit more and then... see ya! Kevin

"Air lines have some silly rules and might not let you take your helmet." Tweek; I flew cross country in 2004 with my helmet in a helmet bag (which I carried) and my suit, boots and gloves in my suitcase without any problem. In 2006, I did it again without a problem. Kevin

but just a quick side question: do literbike riders apply the throttle midway or do they solely rely on entry speed and maybe some trailbraking to set their corner speed? You're on your own with that one Mate. ; ) Kevin

Michael; You're right about getting back on the throttle as soon as possible and that is a key component of the School's philosophy but you haven't mentioned the one thing that in my experience with the School was the single biggest factor in improving my own cornering; - Visual drills! Mastering the visual drills had more to do with increasing my turn entry speed that any other factor I learned. Quick turn is important but IMHO, it doesn't address what you refer to as the "pucker effect" when cornering. The visual drills that are taught in level I & II (the two step and the wide view come to mind) are important because they give a rider the specific reference points needed to set turn entry speed. The two-step gives us the turn point and the apex, then it gives us the apex and the exit, from the exit up the track; the wide view gives us the ability to better sense our speed in relationship to the whole section of track we're on. Keeping a wide view supresses tunnel vision which can occur when we are searching for our current location; and as you know, tunnel vision amplifies one's sense of speed. Those work for me and I use them all the time on the street and on the track. Kevin

Michael, There are so many ways to respond to your post that I'm not sure if I can do it justice, especialy since you don't say if you're referring to track riding or street riding. Regardless, my bet is that you have not read either Twist of the Wrist books or attended a Superbike School. Collectively they would answer your questions. As for specifics, rather than tempt fate, why don't you focus on increasing turn entry speed, by say a mile an hour at a time? You're right about your rear wheel spin but at some point you might mis-judge it by just a little bit and it will be - see ya! As for adding throttle at max lean angle, I know from personal experience how quickly that can end your day. For more detailed approach to increasing your corner speed, I would recommend talking to the School because that is what they are all about. You will learn that there are many factors that inhibit corner speed but there isn't enough space here (or the time) to cover them all. Performance cornering (in a car I am assuming) is not comparable to motorcycles. Take a look at the collective contact patch area of a performace car and then look at a bike's - there is no comparison so by extension, your margin for error in exceeding a bike's ability to maintain grip is a fraction of a car's and one of the best reasons IMHO to learn how to corner a motorcycle from people who consider it an art. Kevin

Congratulations and Good Job! For a first time racing, you've done very well. Kevin

The photos I've seen show Rossi riding with this style foot placement. It seems like quite a few of the motogp and wsbk guys have their gear shift leg in this position when cornering, but the brake leg seems to be split between ball or arch when making a right turn. The texts I've read all seem to urge for ball of the feet, but TOTW2 also says one may use the rear brake at their own discretion (so I don't know if that means shifting the leg around while cornering depending on need or just positioning the leg how Rossi does)? Regards, Allard Allard. I don't know if all (or any) "Duck Footed" riders scrape their toes. I can say that if the ones that I have observed were to add much more lean angle, the toes will touch first. As for the larger question about Professional riders and how they do what they do - I'm out of their league so I can't offer much perspective. You say that Professionals like Rossi have different foot positions from their brake side to the shift side and that is probably true, especially if they need to shift before the bike has exited the turn. As for the photograph of Rossi, it is from his outside leg. CSS teaches us to lock onto the bike with the outside leg with pressure from the outside foot peg into the outside of the tank. As a short rider (5'-7") I need to be on the ball of my outside foot to lock onto the bike but Rossi is tall for a racer ( over 6') so he doesn't need the extend his leg to lock in like I do...BTW, Rossi also drops his foot off entirely when he approachs some turns and I know they don't teach that technique at the School! But this is just one person's observation about a possible answer to your initial question. Kevin

I can't say that I know why you are dragging your toes but I can share an observation I have made from cornerworking at the School a few times. I notice (and call into course control) that a few students in every School ride "duck footed" meaning that instead of having the balls of their feet on the pegs, they have the arch of the foot (or worse, the heel) on the pegs. The result is that their toes tend to point out from the pegs. When they hang off, the act of extending their knee cause their toes follow on the same plane. When you have the ball of your foot on the peg, you actually pivot from that position and your toes stay in close to the peg. When your arch (or heel) is on the peg, the toes project that much further out and are are far more likely to touch down, certainly before your knee will. ...one person's observation FWIW. Kevin

"maybe because im too heavy on the bars" Michael...It's my bet that you're right on the money with your self diagnosis. The other factor could be how you shift your body from side to side. If you are using the bars to pull yourself up and over to the other side, it will contribute to the sensation you described. Level III is where this technique is analyzed and taught in detail. Kevin