Ok, I'm off tomorrow to school...

[bzb]

Sure, but you can only use Ducatis on the track and my own special totally clear track suits.

[kevin_stevens]

Originally Posted by bzb

Sure, but you can only use Ducatis on the track and my own special totally clear track suits.

I think you're being a little picky with that last requirement.

YouTube - Chanel Coco Mademoiselle with Keira Knightley

KeS

(pics and report forthcoming)

[kevin_stevens]

So, went off to Keith Code's California Superbike School at Willow Springs' Streets of Willow last weekend. I've ridden Streets a time or two before, but not since they reworked the back straight from a chicane into a single kink, and I'd never run the tight R-L-R sequence leading onto the front straight before - I'd always done the big skidpad turn at the end. So there was plenty new and fresh, apart from the school itself.

Track Map

I've taken most of the other instructional available in the West: Lee Parks' ARC, Jason Pridmore's STAR, Reg Pridmore's CLASS, along with some of the trackday organizers' custom programs. I had heard that CSS was one of the more structured programs, and was actually looking forward to that, being a geeky engineer type myself. I signed up for the Level 1 and 2 programs on Sat/Sun, riding my own S1000RR instead of renting one of the school bikes. I was on Dunlop Q2s like the school bikes as well.

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All dressed up and ready to go!




The format was similar to most track sessions and schools - three groups, 20 minutes on track, 40 off. Immediately after leaving the track, you reported to your designated coach (3:1 student ratio) for debriefing and comments, and then to the classroom for a 20 minute session introducing the next exercise. They did a good job keeping to schedule. While on course, you ran your own laps, and your coach would follow you, then lead for a bit illustrating the drill, then follow again. S/he might also pull you off course to discuss, though this didn't happen to me - although *another* coach did pull me off and mention something very helpful. Overall you have a good feeling that you are being monitored and evaluated rather than just left to circle around on your own.

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There's two hoodies you don't expect to see next to each other!



There was also an "off-course" session each day on the skidpad; level 1 was a quick-turning exercise on your bike, level 2 was a body positioning session on the famous "lean bike" fitted with outriggers. They were quick to explain that the lean bike *could* fall over and *could* crash, and the outriggers were only there to limit damage - and in fact the instructor quickly flagged me down as I was leaning the bike too far over and was in danger of hitting the bump stops and crashing.

The principles laid out in the classroom sessions were, all in all, nothing particularly new to me, but the approaches and exercises were pretty distinct and useful. For example, I'd certainly heard about rolling into the throttle after turning the bike in; but I hadn't heard it expressed as having the throttle "stabilize" the bike, and rolling out of the throttle/braking as a way to "destabilize" the bike in order to turn it, and picking up the throttle to then lock the line in. Maybe a difference without a distinction, but a different way to look at the same thing can be very helpful. Similarly, the visual exercise in creating multiple reference points around the track, beyond just a braking point, turn-in point, and apex; was a very simple and obvious thing, but it made a huge difference to me - as an autocrosser I've always focused on *eliminating* excess visual points and simplifying the course, and had always been struggling with watching an upcoming braking point all the way down the straight with little view of the context around it. Little things like that can make profound improvements.

And I did make pretty dramatic improvements. I deliberately didn't do lap timing, but there were at least three turns, for example, where I was at full throttle while still running out to my exit point, and there were none of those in the first session. And one drill, that of simply riding around the course at each track edge rather than on the racing line, really helped me with my paranoia about passing. It will take a track day or so on my own to see how much of the improvements I can consolidate and keep rather than forget.

All in all, an excellent weekend!

Positives:
- Very good curriculum, well presented
- Generally very good organization, but see below
- Different perspective on some concepts provided alternate way to learn
- Lots of coaching, never felt "abandoned"
- Nice BMWs for school bikes if you need to rent one

Negatives:
- More expensive than most other schools
- Not a beginner riding school - there was virtually no introduction to riding a motorcycle on a racetrack. Not a problem for me, but I could see it being a bit overwhelming for a track novice. I'd recommend a regular "beginner" track day first just for orientation.
- And finally...

Ok, I don't really want to get into this, because it is a huge can of worms, but I don't feel right not mentioning it. The layout of the classroom, trailers, and grid was UNSAFE. The instructor bike parking/debriefing area was right outside the classroom building, in a square created by two semi trailers. The way out of that area was to ride through an eight foot gap which was also the primary path for foot traffic in and out of the classroom.

Classroom entrance? Driveway? No need to decide!



Similarly, for some reason the hot pit lane was not used for bikes going to start/finish. Instead, they ran the bikes through the paddock area, only feet from the "own bike" student area, visitors, dogs, etc. There were multiple instances of staff as well as students blitzing through here at 30-60mph on both days.

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Should we send bikes out the left side of this nice wall, or way over there on the right where they can't hit anything?



Ah, what the heck. Send 'em down the middle. I was actually sitting on my bike in that group when a course worker ripped down *between* me and the pit wall at well over 40mph.



I complained loudly and frequently and got a reputation as a unhappy customer, but nothing was effectively changed. This was something I wouldn't have put up with at a trackday, and certainly at odds with my expectation of CSS. They run there regularly, so I don't know what the decision was to set up that way. I put it in my comments, and said I'd love to come back, but I definitely won't come back to CSS at Streets again as long as they run the setup that way. Very weird.

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This bike had some very pretty purple plastics that I wanted to photograph for Jenn in hopes that she'd show me some of HER pretty purple parts. Unfortunately, it crashed and scattered them all over Willow Springs before I got the picture. But it's the thought that counts, right Jenn?!?

[NeedinJustice]

Yes, it's the thought that counted.

[Electrical_Tech]

Originally Posted by kevin_stevens

I think you're being a little picky with that last requirement.

YouTube - Chanel Coco Mademoiselle with Keira Knightley


KeS

(pics and report forthcoming)