Today at the track - Slip sliding away!

[China_Racer_1]

So today I had a early morning class with a guy from the British Embassy. A fairly good rider but still a bit unsure of himself and not willing to take the leap of faith and hang off and relax enough to make for safe and non stressful cornering. But with his 1000cc CBR he was quite fast in the straights.

After a few sessions he cut me loose and practiced the rest of the day on his own since it was an open track day. Most of the other riders there were training for the race on Saturday and my friend and nemesis Wu Jie was there. He and I are good friends but he always kicks my ass on the track. I would like to blame it on him being half my age but alas he is just a faster rider than I am plain and simple.

So Wu Jie and I talked and got in behind him for a session so I could be the student and see his lines and braking points and maybe pick up a few pointers. This helped a bit and I found that actually he was not as fast in the straight he just carried his cornering speed better (A skill from his 150 and 250 GP racing no doubt) I hung on best I could and figured if he could do it so could I.

Low and behold when I came I the pits I had dropped a few seconds off my time from 1:17 a lap to 1:15 a lap. Not bad. With this kind of lap time I got a better than good chance of getting on the podium this time. Wu Jie thought I was doing a lot better and also gave me a few pointers on my riding style which needs polishing up as well as a few corners I still have a tough time in.

What gearing he is in also helped as I was a gear too high in one of the main hairpin corners and noticed he spanked me every time we exited.

So feeling pretty good about myself I went out for the third session and the lap before the checker flag it happened…. Now before I explain what happened a bit of history, if I may. Last week I had two students who did not listen to me and when they got in a corner and felt they were going to fast or just plain freaked out they chopped the throttle and hit the brakes, which did what?/? straightened the bike upright and forced it to the outside edge.

I had told them either hold what they had and lean a bit more or even give it a bit more throttle and the situation would right itself. But they let their survival instincts override what you’re supposed to do and they paid for their mistake buy riding off and falling over in the gravel pit. No harm done just embarrassment and a big I told you so from me. (Though not to their face)

So fast forward to today’s practice session.

I had been on these Michelin slicks for about two weeks and about 15 sessions. Wearing thin is an understatement. Indicators are gone on one side completely and if you look at the tire you can see its out of shape. But wanting to wit until qualifying on Friday to put on the new tires, I went with what I had.

I was on the second half of an ‘S’ turn series and saw a buddy of mine straight ahead of me. Had not kept track of the laps so thought I had a few more laps to try to catch him. I got into the “S” turn and on the second half which is a real nice left hander (loved by all) I gave her the throttle a bit more than I normally had been doing. The back end came around and slid in a nice controlled slide then hooked back up then slid again then hooked back up again then slid again. All this in a mater of a second or so. I had never moved the throttle more or less I just held it where it was and relaxed a bit to see what she would do next.

As she drifted a bit toward the edge of the rack I gave her just a hair more throttle which brought me back toward center track. But at this point I was running out of track and corner and needed to do something. I decided if I could get past the mud patch that was off the track I could rider out in the grass which paralleled the track a bit. Giving her more throttle or leaning at this point was futile and would have ended in me running off the track faster than was safe to do so. I never let up on the throttle though either I just let her drift out off and then within about ten feet I re-entered the track safely.

Wu Jie had been behind me and as I quickly caught up to him on the front straight he stuck out his left hand and made a fish tail motion. I just knew he was laughing under his smoked visor.

When we got back to the pits we had a chuckle and I explained to my morning student what had happened and how NOT chopping the throttle had just saved my bacon.

Quite sure if I had chopped at the moment of the first slip I would have high sided for sure. So I practiced what I preached and it saved my ass.

The reason for relaying this is to let you know that if you can avoid your Survival response of chopping the throttle and or grabbing a handful of brakes you can keep the bike on the pavement. I saw five other riders do the same thing today and they all chopped the throttle and they all crashed out or ran off the track hard.

I know it’s hard to do but I constantly tell myself when it goes….GAS it when it slips….gas it when your about to crash…..gas it and will yourself around that efin corner. The alternative is a for sure crash at least this way you have a bit of a chance to save it.

I hope this helps you save your back side as well sometime. When in doubt GAS IT!

[yamaha_george]

I know it’s hard to do but I constantly tell myself when it goes….GAS it when it slips….gas it when your about to crash…..gas it and will yourself around that efin corner. The alternative is a for sure crash at least this way you have a bit of a chance to save it.

I hope this helps you save your back side as well sometime. When in doubt GAS IT!

C_R,
I am glad to see that maxim still holds !

I have always preferred bikes with some good get and go if you just wring the throttle or down shift and grab agood handful it has save my tail MANY times on the roads as well as the track

Thank you for pointing this out to the guys & girls if it saves just one from a crash your life has been worth living

[95FZR600]

Very good pointers in deed. When in doubt, gas it! Enough said.

[Luke-a-Tron]

Riding dirt will beat that lesson into your muscle memory in no time. It's been years and years since I've ridden dirt (got tired of getting hurt constantly) but any time my bike starts getting squirrelly, my wrist just reflexively twists just a hair more. In fact, I just did this today when I ran over a very flat and greasy roadkill mid turn.

It feels very counterintuitive but it really does work. Getting your butt up off the seat will let the bike move around more freely while it hooks back up too. The mass of your body will dampen the motion a good bit so even if it does catch a little, it's pretty easy to keep it under control. Just gotta keep the knees and elbows loose, though it's easier said than done when the rear tire starts twitching.

[YAM93]

yeah, it works pretty good, and in dirt most of the time also, except that wreck i had 2 months ago, that was really a bad application of too much throttle, hahaha (hears his neck cracking)(ouch)



speaking of the title to this thread, what a GREAT song by Paul Simon.

[megaloxana]

Thanks for the lesson man. I found I don't cut the throttle or give it more when in a tight spot. Its kinda hard to believe that you should actually give it more gas, but hell you're 100000 times a better rider than me so I'll take your word for it. It just better work

[cad600]

Good advise. And I can attest for it as well. They teach you the theory at the MSF course. Grabbing the brakes in the corner is the reason why I low-sided and as soon as I grabbed the lever, I said "oh s**t that was the wrong thing to do, this is going to hurt". Hopefully I don't make that mistake again.

One of the motorcycle magazines had and article about working on a new movie - Twist of the Wrist 2 - I think. During filming they had an idea about this very subject. So they went to the California MSF course and did some testing there. They used new sportbikes that had a safety device attached to it so it could not go fully down but would allow you to mimic a slide out. They did this to test if you could modulate the throttle to get through danger areas. What they did was soak the section of track with a inch of standing water and went way too fast through it while turning. They also did the same thing with loose sand on the track. They said the sand was difficult and not always feasible, but they could always make it through the water with out going down.

[ragedigital]

Last week I had two students who did not listen to me and when they got in a corner and felt they were going to fast or just plain freaked out they chopped the throttle and hit the brakes, which did what?/? straightened the bike upright and forced it to the outside edge.

This has a lot to do with trusting your bike and the tires. It's all "mental". If you think that you're too fast for the corner, or that you're approaching the APEX all wrong, then you tense up.

That's why I see Track Days being so important. You have the ability to start slow in the corners and then pick up speed when you feel comfortable. You just don't get that same, consistent opportunity on the street.

[China_Racer_1]

Dito on the track days. There is nothing like a controled place to test your ability and improve upon it.

I honestly don't make squat at the track as an instructor. However I get vaulable ass time on the track.

Proof being I started the season at a 1:24 lap time on my old bike.

I got on the r-6 and dropped down to a 1:20 I think due to a better bike.

Two days ago after teaching at the track and really training every moment I could be out there, I pulled off a 1:15 consitant laps time during a 25 minute session.

Good enough to get a 3rd place last race. Last race I got a 1:17 lap time as my best lap.

The other thing I noticed is that as I get faster I get scared S**t less more in the conrers thinking I am going too fast or faster than I have ever gone. I literaaly tell myself to relax and "Will" myself aroudn the corner.

Do that a few times and it gets less scary but its not the right way to do it. Just a by product of goofing up and entering to fast.

Point being you CAN get through if you relax and make it happen. Look where you want to go, NOT where you are afraid of ending up.

I alwasy figure this. ther are guys out her pullign 1:09's on bikes set up close to what I ride. If they can relax and do it so can I. I just need to grow a few more hairs on the testicles and go for it. So if their bike is capable so is mine. If they can do it so can I. If their tires can hold so can mine.


It IS all mental at a certain point. The bike will do it you just need to learn how to relax and let it, and when she slides hold the throttel and if she slips more ease (Ever so gently) the throtle up a tad and she will thank you by straighening out.


I hope this helps and I never believe this either until I tried it once and it worked then I tried it agian and it still worked. I know its a really hard leap of faith.