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Old March 31st, 2018, 04:20 PM   #31
Mechanikrazy
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Name: Al
Location: Orange County, CA
Join Date: Dec 2015

Motorcycle(s): Thruxton R, R6 450 triple, EX300 (sold)

Posts: 263
March 17-18, 2018

Streets of Willow – California Superbike School

Main take-away:
Keep that vision wide-view and focus on the mid-corner reference points rather than trying to get overly detailed on the turn-in

Always learning. A little overdue on the write up, but I had a great two days at California Superbike School. Every time I go, I learn something that fundamentally changes the way I ride. It's funny how after getting my license in 2006, riding trackdays, and even racing in CCS, I spent the weekend retraining my mind on how to look at corners. This was my sixth and seventh days at the school.

It was also my first time on the S1000RR. It was pretty zany to think "this is max speed on the 300" halfway down the straight while still accelerating like crazy.

I got to meet @Misti and was lucky enough to have her as my coach for both days. She had to put up with all my random questions, and also give a lecture after an ill-advised pass attempt on another student by me.

My level four consults with James and Connor were really helpful in working out how I was mentally approaching my riding, and finding drills to rewire my brain. The level 4 consultations have fast become one of my favorite things about the school. It is awesome to get a whole second round of discussion after meeting with your riding coach. It is also cool to sit at the table and hear about everyone else's lesson plans.

The biggest mental rewrite was to two/three step sooner and focus less on the turn-in reference point. Through all the years, and the stories of Nicky Hayden hitting a 6 inch wide turn-in area and Lorenzo riding along lines drawn by his dad, I've always found myself hunting for details for a specific turn-in reference point. Riding with Misti and doing the drills, it opened my eyes as to how much I was giving up in terms of mid-corner visuals. Before, I was doing the body pre-position, doing the head turn before hitting the turn-in point, and thought "this is the right technique." Shifting the focus from trying to hit a highly detailed turn-in point to looking ahead once I know I will hit a general turn-in area helped a lot of improving the mid-corner reference points and getting a better drive out.

In hindsight, it's funny how I ended up back at the "uncool" things to work on in level 4. All too often, track time turns into discussions of taking certain lines, hitting a particular apex in a certain way, or working on body position. At the end of the day, all the drills that lead some riders to complain about the pace at CSS in level 1 are the fundamentals that result in safer riding. (Yes, I guess you can say I have drunk the kool-aid).

Off-track, Cobie and Tim Johnson spent a fair bit of time with me on the slide bike. Eventually, we got it, and, funny enough, it really just felt like riding a dirt bike. I know everyone says it, but I was previously mentally concerned by the difference in bike sizes. They are running a touring tire with high pressure at fairly low speeds, so it's not exactly like it will be on track, but I hope all these incremental training pieces will help my reflexes if I find myself in a sliding situation. Now I just need to keep working on learning front end feel.

In the future, I still hope to get out to Yamaha Champion Racing School, but their weekdays only camps make it more difficult to find time from work. I'm not sure what my riding plans will be this year, as I have to prep for the California bar, but I may be joining a rag-tag endurance race team later in the Fall.

Also, if anyone is like me and hasn't been to Willow Springs in a while, the old Antelope Valley Inn And Conference Center is gone. But nearby is an America's Best Value, which is turning into a Motel 6 soon, that has a large parking lot for easy trailer parking.

My favorite photo from the weekend:
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