Track advise asap

dicksneeed · 03-31-2008, 12:20 AM

Headin to the track tomorrow morning for the first time. Takin both my RC and R1. A little nervous and excited. Any last minute advise? Thanks

sheepofblue · 03-31-2008, 12:23 AM

Relax and ride your ride. Don't worry about dragging a knee or being the fastest. Have fun.

CBR929RE · 03-31-2008, 12:30 AM

drink plenty of fluids. stay hydrated stay hydrated stay hydrated.

hopefully they have some instructors/control riders to show you the way around at the begining. if they don't find someone in the A group that would be willing to go out and show you the lines and the general lay of the land. and to repeat what Sheep said, ride at your own pace. that will lead to maximum fun and you're addiction will be started.

dicksneeed · 03-31-2008, 1:15 AM

Thanks guys. The later it gets the more nervous I get. Gonna try n sleep now, gotta leave at 4am. But I know I'll be tossin and turnin all night. I'll let yall know how it went.

oldnslow · 03-31-2008, 1:50 AM

Good luck bro.
Ride your own pace, don't get suckered in by the faster guys.

Remember you can use all of the track. (not just the RH side like on the street)......yes, it is a very common mistake for first timers.

Keep your fluids up.

Red Rider · 03-31-2008, 8:06 AM

Remember to breathe...

imhambone · 04-01-2008, 1:39 AM

its the greatest feeling in the world going from 150 to 55 in a couple of seconds. its addicting man have fun

Bobcat Sig · 04-01-2008, 12:17 PM

"How much money with all of this cost?"

"I'll tell you. .... ALL OF IT!"

Enjoy your new addiction. Mine is new as well and I CANNOT wait to get back to the track!

nedro · 04-01-2008, 12:21 PM

Well?
How did you do?

dicksneeed · 04-01-2008, 12:53 PM

Holy S*#@ What a f*@#ing rush. I had the time of my life. Ahh yes, BREATHE, found myself forgetting to do that sometimes when the corners got intense. For the most part I did pretty well. Went w/ a group of very experienced riders including Dean Mizdal (ama superbike) who gave me great advise. They said I wasn't bad. I followed my lines pretty well, but found it hard to always be consistent. Hate to say this but I enjoyed riding my 99 R1 over my RC51. Just the speed and handling was so much easier. Will still take both in the future (April 28-29). Yeah the addiction begins. Thanks again for all the great advise and will absorb any more advise you have on the second time at the track. I dont want to get too confident too quick. Prefer to gradually get better and more skilled. I did scrape my boot and actually scared the **** out of my. Then on my very last lap ran over a knee puck which I thought was something off my bike So I just cruised it in and called it a day. Got about 7&1/2 runs in. LOVED IT.

skwyd · 04-01-2008, 1:39 PM

what track did you go to? If it was Willow, there are some great tutorial videos on YouTube that will show you when to turn in, when to break and what your exit points should be for every corner.

dicksneeed · 04-01-2008, 1:43 PM

I actually went to Button Willow, not Willow Springs. But I will be going to Willow in the future, so thanks for the info.

nedro · 04-01-2008, 2:06 PM

Riding fast on the street seems petty at this point, doesn't it?
Or should it be said that when boys ride what they think is fast on the street, actually have no idea what fast really is.

to the addiction!

dicksneeed · 04-01-2008, 8:30 PM

I'm so over the canyons. I actually went up GMR and Azusa canyon this mornin and hated it. Cant wait to get back on the track.

DBX Graphics · 04-01-2008, 11:39 PM

track riding will make you ride MUCH slower on the street.

Soon you will be planning vacations around trackdays.... or rather trackdays instead of vacations

sheepofblue · 04-02-2008, 12:07 AM

Good on you for calling it a day. Never push "for one more" as that is when you get hurt. The RC will take a different technique than the R1. One thing I learned was "be the RC" take advantage of the low end torque and shift less. It might not be as fast but it is easier and you can pick up time on smoothness. The other thing is get your forks done as the front will improve to an amazing amount. There is other things that I did that made mine even more fun (quick turn throttle, rims, rear shock).

ptlcb1 · 04-02-2008, 1:56 AM

The more you go, the more consistant your lines will be. As you now know, there is alot going on when you are track riding. When to brake, when to downshift, when to hang off, getting your vision as far thru the turn as you can, when to turn in, when to get off the brakes, when to get back on the throttle, then....repeating this process 12 to 14 times in only a few minutes, and thats just one lap! OH YEA, and BREATHE!!!

John Hopkins said that one of the first things he learn when he first got on a 500cc GP bike, was how to breathe.

For your second time, start gradually and work your way up to the pace you felt comfortable with the first time. No need to start off your first session where you left off at, the last time you went. Treat that first session out like a sunday canyon ride at a decent pace, not too slow and not too fast. This will help you with having consistant lines for the rest of the day. Nice and controlled. Just flow with the track. Let that be your foundation for the day, then build from there.

That is also a good time to pick out reference points for braking and turning in. Make sure those points are fixed objects or marks on the track. You dont want to use cones as reference points. What if on your next lap, those cones were moved? By the time you realize it, you will have blown that turn. The more points you can establish, the smoother your lines will become...like connecting the dots.

One thing I use to do, was actually talk/yell to myself in my helmet. Bring your thoughts out of your subconsciousness, and verbalize what you are doing. Sounds crazy, but no one will hear you! LOL Also, take a note book with you and write down your thoughts after each session. Breakdown the track into sections and work on them individually to start. This gives you a specific goal to work on each time you go out.

If you breakdown the track into 4 sections, work on Sec.1 then just ride out the lap until you get back to Sec.1 again. This gives you time to process your run thru Sec. 1. When you are comfortable with 1, then start working on Sec 2. When you have worked all 4, then work every other section, like 1 and 3, then 2 and 4. Then tie them all together when you are comfortable with each section.

CBR929RE · 04-02-2008, 4:50 PM

and if you think of any more questions before your next trackday don't hesitate to ask. but try to ask with a little more time before hand.