Went in for another round... Just over a week before I see @
Misti and I hope to have myself in decent shape so she can make something of my time!
Had 7 sessions, with some interesting occurrences:
Session 1: Followed J, one my new 'pit buddies', to help her analyze her habits and give advice. I focused on wide view -- generally a good starter but interesting and valuable to do while tailing. Don't let myself get sucked into what J's doing, but analyze the whole situation.
Session 2-4: Gave some advice to J and went over some bike theory. Under the 'one thing at a time' mantra we went out and I would demo the improvement to her to start the session and then we swapped by having her pass me on the straight towards the end. We worked on turning points, reference points, and line analysis. I also spent some time working on my own throttle control and body position a little. I love teaching, and by the end of session 4 J was a completely different rider. She even dragged knee for the first time while following me (which means my student beat me to the punch, as I still haven't!) and then did it again later in the day.
Session 5-6: I went through my old CSS notes from last year and decided I wanted to work on 'looking early' for my 3 step. This started to feel more natural and I was definitely glad I spent more time on it.
Session 7: After 6 one of the local riders gave some advice on body positioning to J and I. It sounded a bit different than I'd heard before and seemed worth at least trying to see how it felt compared to what I'd been doing. I don't want to try describing it [badly] here, but I may try to if/when I do a BP update next week. I decided to back my pace /way/ down for the session since it was different enough to take a lot of my budget. I definitely see what he was getting at but I also feel really off my game using it -- more than once my line went wonky in a way I wasn't expecting, usually wide; which made me glad I was giving myself the margin. I scribbled some notes down to talk with CSS next week; BP was already on my hit list but this gives me more questions.
Interesting lessons:
* I love teaching. I knew this already, but seeing the improvement of my "student" as the day went on was one of the most amazing track experiences I've had.
* leading a slower rider on a track is an interesting challenge. I don't have coms or mirrors so I have to sort of infer the right pace. Stack the vast difference in bikes and it gets even harder (I'm on my rev-limited S1000, J's on a 600cc sport bike).
* Working on relaxing. I'm getting okay, I think, at not carrying weight in my arms but my thighs/hip-flexors are definitely feeling the burn -- don't know if that's good or a sign I'm fighting things too much.
Next week I'll be at the Ridge with California Superbike on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. There may also be a 'bonus' track day to top it off at the end but my body may not have it in me after 4 days of focused school. I'm really hoping I have gotten myself in a good position to improve.