07-19-2006, 01:23 PM
BLINGMW Wrote:ok ok this all sounds to me like poorly run schools.
Shit happens no matter what. Control riders are their to look for unsafe activity and talk to the rider so it doesn't happen again, but they can't prevent it. People fuck up. Cornerspeed says in their riders meeting (mandatory for everyone), don't just hop around between lines because you don't like the one you're on because you never know if someone is coming up on the line you want to switch to. Obviously not everyone pays attention because my situation happened.
Quote: Like Andrew stating at Jefferson circuit that in his intermediate group, "the track organizers explicitly ask you to pull your mirrors and NOT look behind you". Eh? That seems REALLY odd to me. If an intermediate group rider can't be expected to handle looking in his mirror and being aware of his surroundings, why is that the intermediate group?
If you're going slow enough to have time to look in your mirrors, you don't belong on the track. Especially in a sport where physical balance is everything and constantly looking around/behind you can disorient your brain and make you think you're unbalanced even if you aren't. Pay attention to where you're going, that's the only thing you can control.
Quote:AND you all tape up your brake lights? Can an intermediate rider not handle sticking to his own braking points? And isn't it more imporatant that other riders get the chance to recognize that the guy in front of him is on the brakes? How is this not a recipe for disaster?
Ever since I left beginner groups I haven't had time to look at anyone's brake lights. I'm either looking for my brake marker or I'm looking through the turn. And the brake lights get taped over not to cover them up, but so when you crash you don't leave behind shards of plastic everywhere that takes 10 minutes to clean up.
Quote:Can someone explain to me why those make sense for a bike when they are the opposite of what you'd do when tracking a car?
What happens when you panic in a car? Wheels lock up? Car spins out? Big deal, you go sliding off/around the track. Oh nos.
What happens when you panic on a motorcycle? You're probably on the ground. If you're lucky, you're sliding. If you're unlucky you're tumbling and breaking bones. What's the number one cause of panic on a motorcycle? Excessive speed. (you probably know all that comes after this because of your car hobby, it's probably just likely that you're not giving enough attention to the consequences) When your typical rider goes into a turn 1 mph faster than he's comfortable with he notices it, but he'll probably be ok. 2 mph faster and he's getting jittery and doubt is entering the mind. 3 mph faster and the rider is probably going to go into full-blown panic mode - object fixation, brake stabbing, standing the bike up, or just physically locking up until he crashes or comes out on the other end. From the mental point of view, speed is just perception. On your motorcycle looking through the turn isn't important just for knowing where to go, it's just as important for slowing everything down enough to not over excite your brain and induce panicking. If you're lookign 5 feet in front of you at a motorcycle, everything is going to look pretty damn fast. If you're looking 100+ft in front of you, it all seems so much easier.
That said, by the time most riders start on their brakes for a turn, they're already looking into the turn and not looking at the guy in front of him. You're trusting him to be a good rider and to be doing somewhat the same thing you're doing. Most times everything is cool. Last time I was at VIR North I was turning 1:48s in traffic that had riders going as slow as 2:05. Big deal, most of the time I can accomodate for that and get around them even when I'm pushing myself. But they're pushing themselves too, because they want to be faster. Sometimes they panic and make a mistake, and sometimes you're just not in the position to escape.
Ask Makoto Tamada and Kenny Roberts, Jr. KRJR torpedo'd Tamada in the last GP race. Shit happens.
The track is safer than the street, no question. And almost always, so long as you don't mess up, you won't crash. But you have to accept that you're participating in a sport that's inherently highly dangerous, and when you break the limit you could be breaking yourself. So either choose to not push yourself and have fun, or have fun pushing yourself and try not to take anyone else out when you crash (which isn't likely in Intermediate groups since you can't pass on the inside).
Peripheral vision is also amazingly key. Even though you're looking through a turn, if you've got a bike in your peripheral you better be able to see him and recognize what he's doing as well out of the corner of your eye.