Quote:
Originally Posted by Ducati999
Now to the questions I have:
#1 I lost approx. 12 lbs since last season and I am in a little better physical shape but after a full year of not riding at all, I was not sore at all after riding the 2 days (and sleeping in the truck). Not sure why I would be less sore after such a long period not riding.
#2 I was working on the bike till I loaded it onto the truck to head to NYST so I had no time to study the track. Does anyone have a system to quickly learn a new track? Once I had a track map and time to study it, I was able to "build" it in my brain and riding was much easier after that but I need a solution for quickly learning a track while riding when studying before hand is not an option.
#3 My final question is a bit hard to get across. I was so unsure of where the track went and where the line was that I had to hold back and could not fully commit to a turn or begin rolling on until I would see the exit cone. I was really holding back quite a bit until I was sure I could make the turn-VS. turning in and letting the bike run wide then pulling it back into the apex--yet my tire looks more properly shredded than ever before. The tire looks like it should after a proper track day with lots of torn up rubber (but not too much) yet it does not look like that after I ride the tracks I am familiar with like Palmer. When I let some of my friends, who are way better riders than I, ride the bike the tire looked the way it does now when they returned to the paddock yet I have never been able to do this till now. Why should this be?
Not sure if there is an answer to #3 but would love to hear anyone's thoughts on why this might have happened this way.
I am planning on hitting Pamler on Labor Day, hope some of you can come out--they are running the track backwords!!!!  |
1. Better shape/less weight = better overall health and fitness = less soreness
2. DRAW THE TRACK. If you go out cold and can follow someone do that but when you come in, draw the track and write down anything you remember, cones, skid marks, corner stations, lines, rumple strips etc. As you continue throughout the day begin refining the map and putting your reference points clearly on the map. Find specific things to look at immediately and then adjust as the day goes on. Reference points are THE answer to learning a track fast.
*I went to NJMP recently as a coach with California Superbike School and had never ridden the track before. I did two laps with the students doing orientation and picked out as many marks as I could taking note of where the tough corners seemed to be so I could be more careful in that zone. By lunch I had a solid handle of it and stunned my student (who was a regular track rider there) when he found out I'd never been there before but was leading him around at quite a decent pace. It ALL comes down to how quickly and efficiently you are able to pick out RP's.
#3- sounds to be like you were maybe leaning the bike over farther than necessary. You said you were letting it run wide then "pulling it back to the apex" so could be that you were using up more lean angle than usual. Also if you were pulling it down to the apex after you were sure you could see the exit you may have been adding lean angle AND throttle and using much more tire than needed. This is where having good solid RP;s quickly would help you find and utilize the best line around the track so that you could get around it with only as much lean angle as needed.
So, how do you find the best line through a corner? What are the positive outcomes of a good line?