I'm toying with the idea of attending a 1-day class with YCRS at High Plains next week. It's BYOB and $500, which is much more affordable than the typical weekend ones they have with their bikes. However, my biggest fear is that the money will go to waste. I've been reading some reviews on their facebook page which are all great but it seems the majority of the reviewers are either street riders or novice/beginner track day guys. I'd like to hear some reviews from advanced guys, or even better, from racers. Is it worth it? Have you learned anything new in the class? Have you noticed an improvement in lap times or racecraft shortly after doing the YCRS?
I took the 2-day class at Inde in March and at the time I was an Intermediate rider. Now, I've moved up to Advanced and am a much safer and faster rider as a result. You may not see an immediate improvement in lap times, but what you will get is a better understanding of what you're doing on track and why it is or is not working. Their emphasis on trail braking alone has completely changed the way I ride. I understand how I'm loading the tire into the turn and why it's important to brake until I've gotten to the spot where I've set my speed and direction for the exit. When I don't get it right, it ticks me off mid corner and I know exactly what went wrong and I'm off to the next corner. Figure this way, if $500 would just make you a safer rider, would it be worth maybe saving you one crash? Also, you will get faster by learning to trail brake properly, understanding how to properly exit a corner, and how proper body positioning can take away lean angle, i.e risk. I've gotten a lot faster by coaching rather than adding a slip on to my exhaust. Hope this helps!
$500?!!!!! DO IT! Thats a great price. The YCRS program and crew have done wonders for my riding. They evolved from the Freddie Spencer schools and have been demonstrating their value for years. They've been at this for a long time and their curriculum is proved and based on logic and physics. Not opinion. Nick and Ken built an excellent product and they've freshened up the program with some new faces. They've trained the best riders in the world. Ever heard of Jason DiSalvo? Nicky Hayden? Josh Herrin? They've all ridden with this crew at some point in time to work on skills to give them a competitive advantage. The skills and drills they teach give you the comfort and confidence in your abilities to be a better rider on the street or track. The biggest thing about their program and the drills. If you want to get great at a sport. You don't go out and play scrimmage games all the time. You do drills and build your fundamentals into a package. That makes you better! I'm a graduate and after doing the school. I gained a ton of confidence and became a much more consistent rider. In racing the next season I won 3 regional championships, 7 track championships and took 2nd and 3rd at the grand national championships. I guarantee that I would not have had that success without their help and guidance.
I'll be doing the one day class 9/16 at NCbike. From all the reviews, looks like i will be learning a lot.