At the end of each session, the coach debriefs the student in detail
- getting the student to identify what went well and less well.
Bart then returned to my thoughts. The overlap
between what I had just learnt and his situation was
obvious. Having the confidence to pick a late and
wide turning point opens up a corner and gives you
greater visibility into it. And knowing you can turn
quickly into the corner in the event of oncoming
traffic will give the rider the confidence to adopt
this technique. Honing your skills to execute a
rapid turn with counter-steering and then
employing this technique might save your life one
day, literally.
I came away from Silverstone extremly impressed
with the California Superbike School. Every aspect
of the day, from registration on arrival, to the
management on the circuit, the time-keeping
throughout the day and the highly focused and
personal on-track coaching, could not have been
done better. Thirty-six years of experience is
evident in everything the school does; it is a well-
oiled machine, very professional, and entirely
geared to improving the student’s riding.
I expect every road-based advanced training
syllabus worth its salt will talk about counter-
steering and road positioning to open up the rider’s
visibility through a curve. But the open road is no
place to experiment with and develop these
techniques. Furthermore, practicing these
techniques at speed, safely, allows the rider to
develop the confidence that he or she can handle a
situation where entry speed into a bend may be to
fast, or the turn is tighter than anticipated. That’s the
value of track-based training.
Of course, bike handling skills are only half of the
equation which makes for safer riding; road craft,
with observation and hazard awareness at its core, is
the other. As I concentrated on applying the
knowledge and skills learnt during Level One every
time I took the Tiger out, I became aware that I
needed to integrate these newly learnt skills into a
wider riding methodology. When I was focusing on
selecting and hitting my turn point, I wasn’t paying
as much attention to wider observation; and
conversely when I was focusing well ahead through
the corner, watching the vanishing point and looking
for hazards, I was neglecting my turn points and
riding line.
I didn't realise it at the time, but what I needed was
to return to the California Superbike School and
attend Level Two……