I went into this thread just to watch a scary motorcycle moment while I ate my cereal. There's some good stuff in here. Poor Dave; we're tag-teaming him pretty hard! Dave, I hope you make it out to Barber in June. Good move on getting a track bike. I'm sure the STT staff will coach you up to intermediate in no time. You are welcome to come hang out in my hospitality suite (i.e., I bring two canopies instead of one). I'm #70 black & white R6. I'll be glad to impart what little wisdom and track secrets I have and maybe you can help me with a thing to two as well. Rock On, PJ Edwards
Please do not go into the weekend with a goal of a certain lap time. As others have said, focus on the basics and fundamentals. Focus on running good lines, having good BP, making smooth inputs into the controls, keeping your eyes/vision far ahead of you, so on and so forth. If you focus on having good fundamentals, the lap times will come. If you focus on going fast, the lap times may never come. Just relax and have fun. Good luck.
Damn Dude GO BIG OR GO HOME.......... in an ambulance. You know a 1:39 flat would have put you at approximate 7th in the Wera Novice Superstock race back in May. That's pretty fast. Not to say that some new guys don't have lots of natural talent, just be careful.:thumb:
Maybe 1:39 is a stretch But, I was 1:49 on a 460lb standard bike in Novice. Guess all I can do is try.
The effort to decrease track times is exponential - so going from a 1:49 to a 1:39 is going to take a hell of a lot more effort, setup and skill than say, going from a 1:59 to a 1:49. The faster you go, the more serious the consequences of a mistake. Nobody at a trackday is going to get an AMA contract... there is nothing to prove - the only person that really cares how fast you are, or aren't... is you. Nobody else cares.... and unless you are a racer... it really doesn't matter. With that said.... lap times can be useful for analyzing your riding and a basic measuring stick to see how you're doing... so as a learning tool, they are important. But please, don't head out with the idea of chasing a lap time.... just get on the damn bike and ride it!!!! t
Make sure someone gets video of your attempt. Remember you've most likely got to go to work on Monday morning...
:amen: Lap times are the end result, not necessarily the goal. A good lap time is something that happens when you combine good fundamentals, with smooth riding, proper lines and good throttle/brake inputs. If you chase a lap time, you will likely never reach it. If you just focus on riding good, the lap times will take care of themselves. And what Trevor said is spot on. Like the saying goes "you spend a year chasing 10 seconds, then 10 years chasing 1 second". In the beginning, you can make a couple of small changes and see a 5 second difference in your lap times. Eventually you will reach a point where you will go a whole weekend experimenting with different lines, setup, gearing, tire pressures etc and if you pick up 0.5-1sec, you are as happy as you can be. Like t said, just get on the bike and ride it. Relax, have fun, listen to the instructors and the lap times will take care of themselves.
Knew that was coming The best time I've found in my video was 1:44. Trevor got me at an unofficial 1:45 in adv. (consecutive). At least I have a good baseline for the new bike. If I run an entire day in adv I can probably pull the time down fairly quick. Or at least that's what I hope.
:45's ain't bad. I was stuck on 46's for what seemed like FOREVER. Then all of a sudden I dropped nearly 4 seconds on a race weekend.
I appreciate the coaching and letting me pit with you. It would have been a long day with no tire warmers and no fan.