Wednesday some of you noticed I wasn't in class. I drove to Austin with Brian Richardson. We went to the California Superbike School that Keith Code runs.
We met a couple other motorcycle friends that went down earlier in the day. We had Jiu-Jitsu class so we got in late to Austin. The school was held at the Moto GP/F1 track (COTA).
Keith Code runs schools like this all over the country at different race tracks. Most of the schools are 2 day events but this one was a one day event. I would prefer the two day but it also costs twice as much, so one day it is.
For this school you could ride your own bike or ride his 2017 BMW S1000rr. I choose to ride his S1000 since it was the same price as riding my own bike. (I own a S1000rr but it is the 2012 model.) They are very similar making the same power. The major difference is the new one has semi active electronic suspension. I decided it was better to use his tires then mine. Plus if I crashed I was out a maximum of $1200 riding his versus the total cost of repairs on my bike.
The school started early with us reporting at 7:00am. The riding part starts slow 4th gear no brakes first session. Second session was 3rd and 4th gear and no brakes again. Third session 3rd and 4th gear but light brakes. 4th and 5th session you could run hard.
They had one coach assigned to two riders per session. So he would follow and then lead you for about 6 or 7 minutes a session. Then you meet with him to discuss what you did right and wrong. They also had class room time. During that time you were given a drill for the riding track time.
What does this have to do with Jiu-Jitsu? Sometimes a person needs direction. I have been riding motorcycles since I was a kid. And did a season of CMRA racing 17 years ago. Since then I have been doing track days. But I hadn't had any formal instruction for years. When this class was initially offered to me I turned it down. But on Tuesday at the last minute I decided life is short and I check into it again.
Conclusion: Receiving instruction and going thru there process was great. Very happy I did it. It was very helpful. I was at a point that going faster on the race track was going to be hard without changing how I was riding the bike. This will help me not only go faster, but go faster while being less of a danger to myself and my motorcycle.
It was also helpful to be a student. When I train Jiu-Jitsu I always enjoy my time. But I am also watching everything everyone else is doing in the room. Being a student is nice because the only person I had to worry about is me. Riding motorcycles at the track is similar to training hard or fighting. I am only able to think about the current match that I have going on. I am not worried about my kids, money, or anything other then trying to not crash and going fast.