Quote:
Originally Posted by Ducati999
Andrew,
Thank you for this input! I have been thinking about this very thing a lot lately and think I have a plan to work on this very issue of "Learning the Track". I have noticed that the new assistant I have at work gets lost often in the buildings where we work. We rarely work in the same building for more than 2 days and there may be several rooms we are working in and he often does not remember the way back to rooms we worked in earlier in the day or even the entrance. I don't have this issue and why should that be? We both spend the same amount of time traveling the same route yet I remember and he gets lost. Apart from any possible learning disability, which I am fairly sure he does not have, the main difference is that he is new to this type of work and I have done this for over 15 years. Why is this important? What the He!! does this have to do with the race track???
I have realized that his mind is busy thinking about the job and what he might need to do and other aspects while I am comfortable knowing my job and have the extra "broadband" in my mind to remember the route to and from the exit or rooms. This is definitely part of my issue on the track. While trying to lap at 80% of my possible pace, I have no additional mind capacity to think 2-3 turns ahead. I am familiar with the track but with braking, shifting, entry speed, lean angle and the proper line in the front of my mind there is no space for this processing. The only way to assure I can keep my mind focused on what I should be thinking about (where I should be headed and my line/reference points) and not what I am forced to think about (entry speed, shifting, braking and correcting mistakes) I need to slow down to the point where I can do all the other tasks automatically and devote my mind to following the correct line thru my reference points!
I have spent hours over the last few months working this out and the answer is to simply slow down and smooth out my riding so I can shift less and brake less and hit my marks more. I know it sounds simple but when you are out on the track there is always the temptation to "go fast". Going fast is relative to your skill level and your lack of skill can make you feel like you are going fast when your lap times show the opposite!  The closer I get to 100% of what my skill will allow, the faster a turn may come up but the speed may just be 1-5 MPH faster than last time. The major difference is that I have less time to do the things I need to do just to not crash--not the things I should be doing to be smooth or set up the next turn. Rushing up to a turn requires me to rush my shifting, brake less smoothly and possibly (no matter how slightly) overshoot my entry/turn in point. Once speed reaches past the point where you can continue to be smooth and accurate with your inputs and controls, mistakes are made and correcting mistakes just takes more of the available "broadband" from your mind. I can see no other way to work up to "fast" other than to slow down and work on getting everything done correctly at that level then slowly add more speed and repeat until other people tell you that you are "fast"! I cant say for sure because I have not yet been there but I think that once you are fast it does not really feel that way because things are still happening at the level you can process! |
Very well put! I've written an article in the past called Go Slow to GO Fast and the premise there is that you often have to slow down your riding in order to learn a technique correctly before you try and do it at speed. It's pretty hard (as you mention) to head out for a track day and find new reference points while riding at 70-90%. Slowing down the overall speed will give you time and space and brain capacity to choose and remember and incorporate reference points. Once they become solid and consistent in your mind, then the speed will naturally increase as you confidently move from one specific place on the track to the next.
I like to use the analogy of "Connect the dots"- when you do a connect the dots little drawing/puzzle activity thingy the lines from the sequencing numbers at first tend to be straight and rigid but as you being to notice what type of shape or drawing is being made with the connect the dots (maybe a firetruck or a busy or a dog, whatever) the lines become more fluid and rounded even- instead of a straight line you may arc it slightly to form the rounded part of the bunny's ear. This is similar to how it might feel at first when you begin utilizing your reference points. You may feel like you are just going from point to point (Turn in, apex, exit...etc etc...without much flow) BUT as you become more secure and familiar with the track and your location on the track the information coming in becomes much smoother and more fluid. Suddenly you aren't dot-to-dot but you are flowing from your turn in point to the apex to the exit in a smooth fluid motion.
Now, what are some ways that might help you pick up reference points more quickly or some strategies to help you remember the reference points that you do pick?
(I'm really enjoying this thread and all the updates btw, thanks
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