Looking Before You Turn.

[hubbard_28]

So after a long summer off, it's FINALLY cool enough for trackdays to start back up. I'm riding next weekend, and besides MORE changes to my BP (I'm infatuated with BP), I'm also working on looking into the turn before I lean in. My question is: do I do this as a smooth transition, or do most of you pick a point and snap your heads? On the street, I've found that looking smoothly just before turning is better, but what I learn on this forum usually pays off in the long run.

[kawdude636]

I don't wast too much of my $10 on thinking of that. Naturally of course is the way...Once you find your rhythm and how you like to look to your RP's it will be second nature...I don't just jerk my head right before I turn all is part of one fluid body change before my turn point...

 

On another note Hub, its cool how you ask so much on this forum you really want to get that much better, I'm the same way and now that I strictly ride on the track you'll see much more of me on this forum...later

[harnois]

I've been working on this lately, in my last few track days, after a coach mentioned it to me. And what works well for me now, after some practice.... I don't even look directly at the turn in mark on the pavement, ever. I just approach the turn looking at the apex. Having been around the turn many times before, I know the angle to approach the apex to give me the best exit. I just turn in when the angle is right. In my peripheral vision I can see I'm turning in right where the superbike school has put the yellow X, but I never look directly at that. In my observation this is way better because if you approaching the turn looking at the mark on the pavement for turn in, what visual information are you giving your brain to judge entry speed? That yellow X directly in front of you is not going to tell you a damn thing about how fast you can get around the turn. Looking at the apex I can judge not only the angle but also can I get to the apex from here at this speed? So my entry speeds go way up.

 

After I turn in, I try to start looking up past the apex as soon as possible, and observe the apex pass in my peripheral vision.

 

I definitely had to slow down just a little bit for a few sessions to get used to looking more ahead like this, but I worked on it during the school's "no brakes" drills. And when I went back to full speed after getting used to it, it was so much better, especially in combinations, cos you can kinda visually line up multiple apexes.