Re: [ST] Track Day Update

[Matthew Heyer <matthewheyer@xxxxxxxxx>]

It definitely helps knowing how your doing, and seeing if you are improving.  Don't focus too much on your best time as much as your average time - even with traffic and the such, dropping the slowest 30% of your laps should get you an honest average.  And as for passing, as I have learned, doesn't matter what you ride if the rider in front of you is truly slower - it just takes more honed skills to pass them as you cannot rely on the bike.  Doesn't matter if the instructors are riding 600 F4i's or 250cc 2-strokers, when these guys want to get around us, they can very quickly and safely.  They can get so much better drive out of a corner, carry more corner speed - heck I've been railing a corner at 100mph and been passed on the outside by one....humbling.  They correctly preach about setting a rider up; learning how to fall back before/during a corner, pick up your cornerspeed, and then pick up the throttle earlier so that by the exit you have timed the pass and you have
 much better drive - you can walk by them doing this.  Again, they do this at will and show that if you have the skills, you won't have a problem.  It's a great example shown to those who are frustrated in the slower groups.  They use it as a driving force - "if you think you are ready for the next level, you should be able to do this without a problem".  So just work on passing skills, as they are a skill to be honed just like riding fast with no traffic.  It's EXTREMELY gratifying to pass a guy on the latest big-bore bike with a smaller bike.
 
Matt Heyer


----- Original Message ----
From: Marc Van Est <MarcVE@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: ST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Tuesday, August 22, 2006 4:25:01 AM
Subject: Re: [ST] Track Day Update


What annoys me is not knowing how I'm going.

The friend who timed me timed another friend of mine going six seconds a
lap faster, but for several laps I had this guy chasing (and not
catching) me.

If you can get an instant feedback you can ignore the laps where you
know you messed up something and try to average out the laps you think
went well.

I'm a wuss when it comes to passing the slower bikes, so coming up on a
slower rider can hold me up for a full lap.

Slower guys on very potent bikes are a problem to pass, they hold you up
then blast away from you with the extra 30hp that a GSXR1000 produces.
By the time you hual them in the opportunity to pass is gone.

I'm sure the fast guys on 600 sport bikes think the same of me.


Cheers


Marc


-----Original Message-----
From: st-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:st-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Matthew Heyer
Sent: Monday, August 21, 2006 1:37 PM
To: ST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [ST] Track Day Update

Get the laptimer.  They are hugely beneficial.  I don't know about over
by you, but around here the XT Ultra-lap is a widely used one, and is
great.
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