07-19-2006, 01:07 PM
You'll find that the mirrors thing is a pretty universal requirement. It's an extreme example, but I'll bet you've never seen a racebike with mirrors on it.
I can't state anything about guys riding their mirrors - there are probably a lot of considerations I don't know about. I will say that riding an average motorcycle around track is a lot more demanding that driving your average car around it. You've got to change your body position into three distinctly different postures over the course of one straight, deal with the track coming at you at speeds that will pretty much shock you for your first couple outings, and coordinate a not-explicitly-simple machine into a magnitude of different activities that it would rather not do - all at the same time. This isn't to say that driving a car around track is easy, I know that it can be a very difficult thing to do. One small lapse of concentration, like can happen checking your mirrors, could lapse into pending doom very quickly. One of my goals on track is to limit sensory inputs to what is absolutely required to go. No gear indicator, no speedometer, not even a tinted windscreen - Jefferson can get a hair touchy at 140mph. Do you even really want think about Summit Mains' straight?
Another consideration is that if you crash with mirrors attached to the bike they will break. They stick out and are pretty much the first things to hit the ground. Run off track in a car and you don't really have to worry about it... but laying a bunch of glass in the carousel could be a potentially bad thing.
I agree, though, that there are a lot of organizations that are Free Run Groups and tend to set themselves up for disaster. You'll find more organizations that are run more like a FATT than those that are run like Car Guys. Very well run organizations do exist, though, they're just a bit more expensive. In this you've either got to take a whole lot of personal responsibility or make sure you find a good group. Perhaps, and this is really just an idea, you're asked not to know where the rider behind you is so that you can remain predictable. I'll study a rider for a lap or two before I attempt a pass so that I know exactly what he'll do at each turn so I can minimize the risks in passing him... if he's riding his mirrors and trying to get out of my way, especially without and instructor in the seat next to him reminding him of what's proper, there's no telling which way he'll move to get out of my way.
My crash on Jefferson was caused because I forgot some track protocol. I can't fault anybody but myself for it. Novice isn't where I belong, though. Intermediate was a good pace for me, and by the time I found my rhythm a lot of guys were actually holding me up until I could get around them. So what do you do with a rider like me, who is too quick to run Novice, but can still forget things that haven't been drilled into me? I think that causes that most problems - I am definitely not alone in my abilities/knowledge standing.
I can't state anything about guys riding their mirrors - there are probably a lot of considerations I don't know about. I will say that riding an average motorcycle around track is a lot more demanding that driving your average car around it. You've got to change your body position into three distinctly different postures over the course of one straight, deal with the track coming at you at speeds that will pretty much shock you for your first couple outings, and coordinate a not-explicitly-simple machine into a magnitude of different activities that it would rather not do - all at the same time. This isn't to say that driving a car around track is easy, I know that it can be a very difficult thing to do. One small lapse of concentration, like can happen checking your mirrors, could lapse into pending doom very quickly. One of my goals on track is to limit sensory inputs to what is absolutely required to go. No gear indicator, no speedometer, not even a tinted windscreen - Jefferson can get a hair touchy at 140mph. Do you even really want think about Summit Mains' straight?
Another consideration is that if you crash with mirrors attached to the bike they will break. They stick out and are pretty much the first things to hit the ground. Run off track in a car and you don't really have to worry about it... but laying a bunch of glass in the carousel could be a potentially bad thing.
I agree, though, that there are a lot of organizations that are Free Run Groups and tend to set themselves up for disaster. You'll find more organizations that are run more like a FATT than those that are run like Car Guys. Very well run organizations do exist, though, they're just a bit more expensive. In this you've either got to take a whole lot of personal responsibility or make sure you find a good group. Perhaps, and this is really just an idea, you're asked not to know where the rider behind you is so that you can remain predictable. I'll study a rider for a lap or two before I attempt a pass so that I know exactly what he'll do at each turn so I can minimize the risks in passing him... if he's riding his mirrors and trying to get out of my way, especially without and instructor in the seat next to him reminding him of what's proper, there's no telling which way he'll move to get out of my way.
My crash on Jefferson was caused because I forgot some track protocol. I can't fault anybody but myself for it. Novice isn't where I belong, though. Intermediate was a good pace for me, and by the time I found my rhythm a lot of guys were actually holding me up until I could get around them. So what do you do with a rider like me, who is too quick to run Novice, but can still forget things that haven't been drilled into me? I think that causes that most problems - I am definitely not alone in my abilities/knowledge standing.
When it comes to Ryan Jenkins, the story ends with me putting him in the wall.
2009 Speed Triple | 2006 DR-Z400SM | 1999 CBR600F4 | 1998 Jeep Cherokee
-Ginger
2009 Speed Triple | 2006 DR-Z400SM | 1999 CBR600F4 | 1998 Jeep Cherokee
-Ginger