California Superbike Review- Silverstone

Well I went with pretty low expectations. Having forked out a couple of
years ago for a 1 on 1 training day at Mallory that I was very disappointed,
and with the numerous threads about "How to ride faster/better" which
usually end in wishy washy Wibble Flips I had come to the conclusion that
there was no science, it was just down to whether you could do it or not.

The style of the briefing was ostensibly quite patronising at first,
everything being phrased as a question, (What happens when you push the bar?
Bueler...? Bueler...? Yes, you "turn") before the point of the matter was
finally explained, too much for barely-awake bikers first thing in the
morning (signing on was 7am) and too much for shattered bikers towards the
end of the day. In retrospect I think it was a good method because even if
the brain wasn't up to the answers it sank in a little more than it would if
it had simply been force-fed to us.

5 briefing sessions followed by 5 practical sessions. The first was riding
around Silverstone in one gear (3rd or 4th), no brakes. Then we had the
theory of correct lines followed by another session of 2 gears (3rd and 4th)
no brakes. Lunch.

One ham salad later (from the canteen although bananas and - somewhat
bizarrely- tortilla chips and dip were laid on all day) and it was [3]
learning a faster method of turning in, then [4] relaxation techniques and
finally [5] previewing the bend. Each time I was thinking "If you'd told me
that before it would have helped fucker" but I think that was the point
because each time I learnt something while experiencing something I would
come to learn and see was wrong.

Overall I learnt more than I could possibly have wished for and more than I
can currently put into practice. Undoubtedly if I do put it into practice on
subsequent trackdays I will become a much faster and more confident rider. I
guess if I replaced 3/4 of the trackdays I've done with this 1st level
course I would already be in a better position, IYSWIM.

On the downside, towards the end of the day it turned into a bit of a
free-for-all and trackday fever took over rather than the prescribed
exercises which was a bit distracting for us teacher's pets trying to do it
properly.

And just in case he doesn't mention it, Ozmick didn't crash for once,
although I almost did on the same bend as I did last time I was there.
[flicks vs at DEATH].

PS, Anthony I didn't see your mate, I asked a couple of Duke riders and then
forgot who I'd asked so gave up.

PPS, true to my SKOGA I took the wrong exit at the end of the day and ended
up in a dead end in the on- site caravan park.

 

And level 2 picks up from this.

TBH I did level 1 and 2 way too early in my track day experiences - mainly
because I was too chikcen to do an actual track day.

I think you've done it the right way round - can take the experience you've
already had and compare and take what works for you - rather than trying to
apply the theory to a reality you haven't got enough experience of.

Still, I have Level 1 *and* 2 certificates somewhere in my garage to go with
my NVQ in motorcycling.

All of these of course next to my broken bike.

 

Apparently he ended up upright in the kitty litter
and had to dig the 999R - I have yet to find out why!

 

Crazy logic in a topsy turvy world.

You should pop them in a nice folder. Stop them getting damp. There was a
guy I chatted to (who I mention because he was _redoing_ level 1, it's that
useful) who mentioned that my bike was super fast on take off and that he
couldn't catch me on the straight. He actually insinuated that I was slowing
him down in the corners. So I followed him next session and witnessed the
awesome splendour of his technique as he clipped apexes to within 5-6 ft and
ran over one of them before giving up. If I was a nasty person I would have
laughed. I think I lapped him twice in that session which is just about as
big an insult as I could give to anyone.

 

Aah him! yes, I saw him pushing it back. I overheard him telling someone
he'd gone into turn (2 I think) too hot on the first or second lap. Thing
was pissing out coolant or something.

 

Would need a big folder for the bike to go into - it's not in bits yet.

I have framed the other ones, but never bothered to put them up.

Must have had a fly in his eye, obviously.

 

I think it's inevitable that there's an element of competition creeps in
even in this situation. Still, there's always the instructors pissing around
everyone on R6s with 208s taking physics-defying lines to prove that even if
you get it right, they're so much better you might as well give up

 

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Undoubtedly if I do put it

Or just crash.

When I did it, all the crashes were in the last session.

 

This will sound very UKRM-esque, but when I did my Level 1, there was a guy
with a 2 day old R1.
I was overtaking him he was that slow. It was noticeable that within he very
quickly ditched the "one gear only" routine.

One handed was my favourite

 

Cold tyres into Luffield on the second lap apparently. He's a bit
battered as the bike stopped in the gravel, but he didn't ;-)

Nothing too serious, just some scratching to his panels which may
well polish out or can be blown over with some laquer.

He's now receiving a damn good ribbing on the club board though.

One of the other guys passed his instructor training yesterday as
well, so there must have been quite a few red ones there.

 

I've done that, and not in the pussy way you did it.

Is this an obsession with you or something?

 

Well one thing I have learned in the past few years is that taking the likes
of a 999R on track/race days is daft!
A track hack costs less than your first decent prang on the lovely day bike.

 

bike.

OTOH _not_ taking it on a track would be a crime.

 

Keeping the bike as upright as possible is perceived as
_a_good_thing_, as it lets you get on the power sooner. Not strictly
true (although a certain Mr. Rossi makes it look that way)contact
patch size notwithstanding, 'cos if you're still cornering the amount
of usable grip is the same regardless of angle of lean. But it may
minimize the risk of high-side if you do lose the rear end under
power.

 

Porl

Leading neatly into a thread entitled "spending more than thruppence on a
bike is plain daft"
I feel that ~£5k is about my upper pain limit now, which is fine because
it's enough for a CatD of just about any recent prod. bike. After years of
slavery to Solvol, AutoGlym and Norwich Union it is a great relief.
Hovering dangerously close to a "Bear was right" thread now though.

 

I was nervous about scratching pegs; right up until it happened...

 

Er yes, but I think Bob was implying that even though he was upright we went
round at a rather slow pace.
Rather negates the point of it all.

 

Maybe he was practising.

 

Aye, it would. I was trying to answer his question though.

 

William Grainger wrote

I consider scratching the pegs to be a matter of duty.