I teach riding all summer. I've won my share of races and championships. Does that mean I know it all? Hell no! I'm still learning how do do this. And there's ALWAYS someone faster than me. Just finished Rossi's latest book. Even he talks about experimenting, failing, and learning from his mistakes. (Although he stops short of admitting he's not perfect....)
passing... I think one thing that would help out a Novice student transitioning into Intermediate are passing exercises. The Novice group is normally broken up into 6 groups, 6 being the slowest and 1 being the fastest (1,2,3, can be about the same sometimes). Once a student makes it into the upper groups of Novice maybe the instructors will have a slightly different set of exercises to perform. Some of which could be passing and getting passed. After several Novice classes with STT last year the instructors recommended that I bump up to Intermediate. On my first Intermediate day there were a lot of passes I didn't expect and there were moments when I felt unsure about making a certain pass. Granted this is part of learning and something to become skilled at, I just think that if it is taught in the upper echelon of Novice then riders will be even more prepared transitioning into Intermediate. Now, I understand the coaches can't prepare a rider for everything and I don't expect to be handheld on the track, but the basics of passing could definitely help everyone have a safer day. Even if its laying out the track map and saying "its better to make an inside/outside pass here" or "don't even think about passing here". Just thinking outloud.
I just signed up for my first weekend of Intermediate at Talladega in March. I've been reading these posts. Lots of good advice. I'm sure I'll get passed a lot. I just want to stay on my line and stay consistent. Not sure I'll be making many passes but I've learned to stay patient and to use a hot pit to find some clear track. The novice classes have been great, but I figured to give Intermediate a try this next time. Doug
During my first two novice days with STT there was a no passing in the corners rule. During my third novice day the rule was safe, expedient passing on the outside with a 6' space. If I remember correctly this rule wasn't implemented until the latter sessions.
The rules are the same for the Intermediate days I did. For the people that actually followed those rules, 6 ft at speed feels a lot closer than 6 ft standing still. Another reason why I think an exercise on what to expect when being passed and when passing would be good for upper Novice riders.
+1 I firmly believe that learning how to be passed safely is just as important as learning how to pass...
Not to put too sharp a point on this, but the ability to pass and be passed safely is what seperates the pros from the experts, the experts from the amateurs, and the amateurs from the trackday folks. See, even if you're a racer and pass ruthlessly, there still can't be contact. Contact will put someone down, and there's at least a 50% chance that the hitter will be on the pavement. So even when Rossi is planning a 2 inch pass, he doesn't want that pass to slim to zero inches. Teaching passing is a bitch. How would you do it? We don't have mirrors, and discourage looking behind. So what would you have coaches do? Bonzai the students just to give them that experience? When I work with students, I'm very careful how I pass them. Usually they screw up a line, I read their trajectory, and I get a better drive out to pass them at the exit. I remember once in a race back when I was still pretty new. No track days back then, you just went racing. Well, at this point I was about a 7th-10th place amateur, and so was my closest rival. We fought every race like our lives depended on it, and got really good at passing each other within a coat of wax. Well we were having one hell of a race, and caught a lapper on the final lap. The guy was riding right around the middle of a sweeper, and with all my corner speed and a small lead I decided to take him wide. Of course the guy drifted wide, and I hit him a ton. Well, my rival had gone low, and I bounced the lapper right into my buddy, who hit him another ton. No one fell. After the race, my rival and I went looking for the guy so we could apologize. He'd already loaded up and left, and we never saw him again. My point is that passing is the most difficult thing there is to learn. Guys qualify for Indy all alone, then have to learn how to race in traffic. You could set lap records and not have a clue how to successfully pass. Coaches can teach you strategy, but each real world pass is a high-speed judgement call. The only real teacher is experience. That's why mere speed doesn't get you an A sticker. You also need to display the patience and strategy necessary to pass well within the Intermediate rule structure before we turn you loose in Advanced.
Yeah, I was thinking on my way home, how would an instructor even go about teaching passing techniques and deal with all the other groups doing their thing at the same time? Probably would cause more chaos than anything. Maybe just "rules of thumb" for a given track to give students a reference point. Hell, I guess Monte already does a good job of mentioning where people shouldn't be passing or making aggressive maneuvers at the rider's meeting and at that point its up to the rider to be responsible for his/herself (and everyone around them).
That's where the beauty of a smaller displacement bike as a teaching aid really works - you can't simply rely on HP to power you ahead, rather, you need to follow the faster bikes and wait for the appropriate place to pass. This allows you to study the other guy's lines and learn how he rides and where you can attempt a safe pass. It also gives you plenty of practice getting passed - even if it's only when on the straights... It's also good for the ego when you are simply riding your ride and still pass someone who is riding a bike pumping out 50%~100% more HP...
I've been riding Track Days for about 3 years and I seem to find different ways to pass all the time. There are so many variables in it where would you start to teach it. You just have to find that 1 spot that you own them and figure out the easiest and cleanest way to do it. My first year or so I would follow people sometimes for a lap or 2 sometimes looking for just the right place. Now it seems to come a lot easier.
Hello Hank, There is also a potential trap in this. While it can be an ego boost when you pass a more powerful bike, many use it as a handy excuse when they get passed rather than explore the possibility of a rideing shortcomeing on their part.
I've done both STT and NESBA at different tracks, multiple times. I fount both groups to be professional and well organized making for a very enjoyable day. You realize how major a factor oranization is when you go to a free for all track day and spen all day thinking WTF, someone is going to get killed. I first started track riding with a school, yet I've gone to both groups novice instruction and I'm open minded to have learned something at both. I stronly encourage my friends who are new to the track to take only a STT or NESBA track day and class for their first experience. I really would like to see both outfits be much more agressive in bumping people up and down. People end up in the wrong groups for all the reasons stated previously and those problems are difficult to fix. But moving people once the day starts is much more doable and IMO will go a long way to preventing problems during the day, making it a better day for everyone. My .02. Cheers!
All true, there's probably no way to teach it on track, but maybe some more in-depth discussion is warranted about how to make safe passes, and what it feels like to be passed. Not that I want to make more work for you, but maybe it can be an optional end of the day classroom session. Gives you the opportunity to do more talking too. My first group street rides were with hooligans who passed me doing wheelies around corners going up Wildcat mountain, my first trackdays were with an org that allows some passing in novice, so getting passed isn't so scary, but I have been spooked a couple times by questionable (for a trackday) passes, and I've witnessed other people get spooked by decent passes. One in particular was when I was behind a pack of about five other riders, someone came through and passed us all in one fell swoop right before a corner. *Everyone* ahead of me parked it when he went by and I nearly rearended someone. I've also gotten to be good friends with the hot pit lane, as I have the small bike complex and have a hard time passing sometimes, having a distinct lack in faith in my passing ability, and also get annoyed getting passed right back on a straight, only to have to pass the other person all over again. (but I suppose that's kind of the point, yes?) I will make a terrible racer. I have guilt about passing people. Also - hello whiskay! Are you going to Putnam in April?
Passing ... I have two rules for myself 1. You are responsible for what is in front of you . 2 If your not sure you can make a clean pass then dont .