Scary situation at Road Atlanta.... video

Glad everything turned out ok. :shock:

 

almost had to repaint those fairings.














Again!

 

So what contacted? Tire to tire, tail to upper, or both?

 

Yeah it sounded horrible in the video, nice offroading too. Reminded me of the last session I had at njmp lightning, coming out of T5 the liter bike ahead of the instructor I was following, had the rear step out real bad. By the time he came into view all I saw was a drifting bike and his feet out holding on for dear life. He saved it and I avoided the your result

 

pucker factory racing?

yes i belive something did pucker up there... lol well now you can warn people who want to ride with you tell them youll bump tires...lol good job and good save for that matter! :shock:

 

BUMP literally

 

I did that coming our of the chicane at Road America.. Kent Kennigsugu was behind me (I went from 3 to 2.. DOH!!!!) and we brused elbows as he went by on an Attack ZX10. OMG... that was sooooooo close I said later. He laughed and said "never, ever leave yourself no way out".

 

so when exactly were the two of you looking for people to help?

when you blew by them on the straights at 20+ mph differential?

I understand that no one explicitly asked you for help before the session, but how many of us are out there not knowing what to ask?

i've gotta say, i'm kind of unimpressed.

 

First. Your opinion is valued. However..... as they stated they were buzzing looking for some riders to tow. (I know these guys personally and they are very good Coaches) Very few people have trouble on teh straights.... it's near or at theends of them that the problems start. Also a straight is by far the safest place to pass and 20 mph is a very reasonable rate of close/pass.

Second. As myself and Mark and Nick and David and Mike and Brian, etc... explain at the riders meetings (which everyone pays very close attention to while attending, right?) the Intermediate group is an ask and receive coaching group. Our Coaches do pick up riders while lapping and are available prior and post to any session for one-on-one request.

Third. So you'll know next time. You don't need to know what to ask. You must only take the initiatve TO ask. Make sense?

 

In I-group, we primarily look for people who seem to be struggling with lines, braking points, body position, and/or consistency (among other things). Personally, I avoid pursuing that with people until 2+ laps have passed because cold tires can cause some of the above-mentioned issues. There's not enough video up there for what you're implying.

Another occurrence is when the customer simply doesn't want help. As a coach, this is frustrating. I have seen a number of I-group riders who were struggling with body position or lines simply refuse to put the necessary effort into improving. I had a guy at Mid-O last year who simply would not shift his body off his bike even though he was asking WAAY too much of his tires via lean angle. I pulled him off the track and offered some friendly advice about getting off the bike and the reasons why. Next session, he's still staying centered on the bike and simply cranking it over to get around the turns. 3 laps in, he crashes and TOTALS his bike. Can't really do much with someone who simply doesn't want to learn...

Can't say that the customers who were passed in the video fall into the second category (and think probably the first scenario is way more likely), but since I wasn't there I am certainly not going to imply that the coaches were shirking their responsibilities based on a 4 minute video starting with an out-lap.

 

I was there Sunday and both the coaches implied were working with individuals most of the day. I watched them personally work with several customers. All anyone has to do is be at pit out before a session or at pit in at the end of a session to get help. You can even find them in the paddock. We all invite everyone into our pits.... We can help anyone on the track but we can't read minds worth a crap. Next time you are at the track Just ask for help and you shall receive plenty of help I guarantee you.

 

Here is a few questions you can ask your instructors

1. Can you watch me go around the track and tell me what I am doing wrong?
2. Can you lead me around the track and show me the right lines to take?
All the instructors are very knowledgeable and can answer most of your questions. If we can't we will find someone who can. And it is sad to say because of this post but Joe is one of the best instructors at pulling people around the track and making them quicker. He has helped me plenty of times at different tracks.

 

if they're struggling with lines, I really don't think they should be in "I" group, but I guess i hear what you're saying.

perhaps i'm not understanding because I can't fathom why anyone would be on the track and NOT want feedback on how to improve.

i have 3 objectives at the track

1) stay safe
2) improve my riding
3) have fun

i find that #3 doesn't happen nearly as often unless #2 comes first.

I wasn't implying that passing on the straights was unsafe - but how can you tell if someone is struggling with their lines or braking points if you're not observing them? lines on the straightaway aren't real tough to master.