Ride report --- two days with California Superbike School at VIR (long)

[gwendy]

Chris and I had been registered for this course since I started riding in the Spring. He really did all the research for which school to go to and I'm sure he'll comment here at some point. Anyway, as many of you saw my earlier post about how nervous my entry into motorcycling has made me at times, the track had me a little freaked out.

As the summer went on and we both assessed my riding, Chris kept emailing Keith or his instructors to make sure they thought it was a good idea for me to attend and if I would be ok at my level of riding. They assured us it would be absolutely fine and encouraged me constantly to show up and learn.

So September came, we got a trailer, and packed up the bikes. We decided to make this as easy on ourselves as possible, so we drove down the day before, stayed at the lodge at the track, and had reservations for three days so we could sleep after the second day riding before driving the 6 hours home again.

Rooms at the lodge are pretty cheap at $79/night, and they were clean and large. The lodge looks over the back straight. The room have jacuzzi tubs for post riding relaxing.

DAY ONE: We set the alarm for 6 am but I don't think I slept much. I felt ill. The two minute drive to the pits and seeing all the other bikes lined up didn't help. There were two couples from DC there from this forum, and it was good to talk to someone, but I still was ready to turn around, go back to the room, and sleep while Chris rode.

The first classroom session also didn't ease my nerves. Kieth Code was funny and low key, as was all his staff, but I was still not happy. Apparently I looked about how I felt because he and a couple riding coaches took some extra time with me before and during the start of the first track session. That helped a lot.

Once I got on the track I relaxed a lot. The way California Superbike School approaches teaching was a big plus. We had one specific drill to work on each time we went out. The first couple times we were limited to one gear (4th... but most of the Ducati guys used 3rd) an no brakes. So everyone wasn't going blistering fast.

They made a big deal about this not being a normal trackday. Passing was allowed but only with a 6 foot clearance to the other rider. Rider in front has right of way. If they saw someone passing too closely they black flagged him and brought him into the pit lane for a chat. If they saw someone not working on the exercise they would also pull them in and chat.

This made me feel much more relaxed. But honestly, almost everyone there as students were very good about wanting to learn just like I did, so people ended up talking and making quick friends and watching for each other on the track.

DAY TWO: After day one I was tired but excited for day two. I was no longer nauseous about the thought of riding on the track. I had a different riding coach for day two (it was a one coach to three rider ratio) but my coach from day one would find me on the track and have me follow him too and then talk later after my session with my actual coach.

Day two was all about vision drills, but since everything is cumulative the pace picks up and people have more fun. I have no idea how fast I went but it was much faster than my street riding to date. I'm no longer nervous about hopping on the bike on a Sunday morning to go out for a ride now.

So I strongly recommend this to newer riders. It was a non-intimidating way to learn soooo much about how to control the bike. I had a ton of fun and we'll go back next year for levels three and four. I'm glad I was slightly pressured (encouraged?) to at least try CSS before deciding anything further about riding.

Gwendy

[msincredible]

Thanks for the report Gwendy, glad to hear it was such a positive experience for you. [thumbsup]

[Cookie]

FANTASTIC Gwendy! I'm so glad to hear about your confidence levels increasing dramatically!

Cheers,
Lucy

[eettare]

Good write up Gwendy, was nice to meet you, and I hope to see you both at future track events.

Eric

[Mostrobelle]

I took a Superbike School with Keith Code here in CA as well. I'm not a novice to the track, but still pretty wet behind the ears. I'd also been riding a little over three years by the time I took his Level I "trackday." You're right about it not being a typical trackday, and in many ways I think that's good. Although I had a lot of the basics down and wasn't afraid about being at the track or riding in general, I found myself a little nervous at times also--so you're not alone. +1 to his school being good for newer riders and novice track riders. The school is very structured and I felt safe and well taken care of. The one-on-one you get there is excellent. I also had several critiques of the School, but overall I felt it was a positive experience. It definitely helps if you've read his books first! I'd only read one when I took his School. Glad to hear that you had a good time! [thumbsup]

[DuCaTiGiR]

i am so glad you had a positive experience at CSS~ [thumbsup]
and i'm still wicked jealous ;D enjoy those sunday morning rides

[ducati culture]

Awesome....

Perhaps red shoes will join you soon. Congrats and lets ride... [clap] [clap] [clap]

[empress duc]

hey Gwendy,

congratulations. i feel really encouraged.

i have been hitting the streets very lightly
and am building up my confidence. your
report definitely has me thinking about
getting red shoes out there.

thanks for being persuaded and for sharing!

cheers!

[Ducky]

Nice write up Gwendy [thumbsup]

I had a similar experience - after a couple of classes with CSS, I gained a lot of skill and confidence in the streets and twisties. I took level 1 in Dec '05 after a year of riding - no track experience up to that point and I considered myself a novice on the bike at the time. I was hooked on learning and mastering the skills so I kept going back to CSS. Their structure worked well for me. You will discover that once you achieve a certain level of riding (by executing well on all the level 1 & 2 lessons), something will break, you will fix that and put every skill together again, and the next thing you know you are riding at a new level (faster, smoother, with confidence). That cycle repeats and it always goes back to the lessons. After umpteen classes, I still go back and look forward to learning more.

[sed]

Awesome informative post, thanks! I've been riding for two years now and keep holding off on doing the same, but this encourages me to take the plunge. Sounds like just what I'm looking for. [thumbsup]