Track Day at Texas World Speedway - 04-09-10
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This day at Texas World Speedway, I had actually taken the Advanced course with Lone Star Track Days. One of the first things that my instructor wanted me to work on was placement on the track. The thing that he told me, that's stuck with me and made a big improvement on my riding, is that the only difference between the quick riders and the fast riders, is that the quick riders can place themselves on a time on the track. They can put themselves at the same place every single time around the same corner, without fail. I've thought about this time and time again over the past few weeks. It makes complete sense. If you know exactly where you're going to be, each and every time you pass thorugh the same corner, it's one less thing you have to worry about. It's one less unknown variable in the equation to have to calculate. Afterall, that's one of the things that makes the fast riders, fast. Being able to controll the unknowns.
I've worked on this every time I've gotten on a bike since then. In just the 5 track days since then, I've already been able to tell a vast improvement in my confidence. I know where I'm going to be. I've been able to stop looking for those markers I've been so feverouly been looking for in the past. I've been able to focus more on my entry speed, on later braking, on combining my downshifts into one smooth downshift and actually utilize my slipper clutch to it's full abilities. All of these things will make me a faster, smoother rider in the long run.Yes, even if it means I have to slow down to get there again.
One of my favorite sayings: You have to be slow to go fast.
More true words have never been spoken.
This and: Fast riders have slow hands.
The two go hand in hand (no pun intended, really, I promise). If you are confident in your riding, and in your abilities, you don't have to think about these things. They just come naturally. You don't have to jerk to action. You don't have to leap to the end result. It becomes natural, flowing, muscle memory.
I'm always amazed at how the guys at the track are always interested in each others times. I'm hardly ever looking at mine. In fact, I don't even have a lap timer, short of my GPS based lap timer on my Android based phone (Trackaroo). I want to know where I should be faster, now how fast I was overall. I want to know if I've improved, not how my times compare to Joe Blow who has been riding on the track three times longer than I have. In the end, the only person I'm competing against is myself. If I end the day, happy with what I've learned, happy with my improvements, and with an understanding of where I can move onto next, I can't ask for much more.
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