Quote:
Originally Posted by Misti
Ohhhhhh, these are amazing!! The reason I ask is that I've been writing my own column in a magazine for the past 14 years and it's getting hard to come up with new article ideas and I'm curious to hear from others what they would like to read about. Even though I write for a few magazines, I rarely read them so it's nice to hear from enthusiasts what kind of articles they hope to see. I've done a lot on visuals but the other ones you suggested are great 
I've just started writing a masterclass column for another motorcycle magazine as well so the more ideas I can get, the better! Thanks!
I love the last one, what would you think is a good starting point for lowering lap times? |
Quote:
Originally Posted by Misti
Corner entry IS extremely important, absolutely. You've listed a LOT of things here, each one a lengthy topic in and of itself. I can go over them for sure but probably not all at once.
Let's start with having markers for things like braking and turning in. We call them reference points or braking/turning in markers. Why do you want to have a marker in the first place? And what is a marker supposed to DO for you? Ideally for any given corner, how many markers should you have?
Let's start the discussion and I'll chime in and maybe even write an article about it down the line. Youve listed some great topics here.
|
I am much more of a hands on learner than abstract, so the experimenting on the bike bit by bit is what helps me the most. Although the abstract topics are helpful, I have a hard time relaxing on the bike until I am confident in what I am doing physically. I mean that as when I know where my body should be, and when I should be doing what.
Regarding the good starting point for lowering lap times, I don't necessarily see it as a one-answer question. I think it depends on the rider and what their baseline is.
The "safe" answer for improving rider skills across the board: good visuals and reference points on corner entry.
My "real" answer on immediate lap time issues: throttle control on corner exit and trying to get to extend the 100% throttle duration between each corners. Trying to pick up a little extra bit on entry for the period from braking zone to apex gets risky for any given skill level, whereas the drive out and on-the-gas time from apex to the next corner's braking zone will cut more time on the straights.
Personally, at an intermediate pace, the latter was what helped me drop time quickly. Then when the plateau hit, focusing on visuals again to try and bump up entry speed helped me start chipping away again. And also, brought along some front end tucks.
I feel like one of these answer is going to get me a slap on the wrist though. Haha.