First-Time Rider on a Yamaha R1 - The Power of Preparation and Dedication

[SRAD600]

Man, there sure is a lot of talk about who this guy could have hurt...did he actually hurt or collide with anyone? In my mind if he was that sloppy with his riding he never would have passed NRS, and apparently he did. That, to me, is proof enough that he should have been on track. When I did race, there were people out there who were being lapped on lap 3 of a six lap race...by me...and I'm sloooow. Just because someone has ridden for a year, or two or ten does not make them safe or fast.

On the positive side, I'm really curious to see how this works. I have an ex who studied neuroscience and my wife is a teacher so I'll be watching.

 

[Schtum]

It's not surprising that some people don't understand the difference between chutzpah and metacognition. This is also quite a long way away from Tony Robbins who last time I looked did little more than elicit states.

I'm impressed. A friend and I once planned a project to model excellence in racers - I have an acquaintance who has a couple of Isle of Man TT wins to his credit. We never did do it. So much for our motivation strategy....

 

[sanjuro]

Safety first. Always.

You raced with zero experience to prove a point, with no regard to the safety of other racers.

 

[sanjuro]

There is another part of experience: responsibility.

I raced bicycles twice a week when I was a teenager. Once, following another young rider, I took a hot line into a corner, inside-to-out. There was no way we could make this turn and we both crashed into the same curb. Thankfully, no one was else close behind and the rest of pack passed us without incident.

Experience taught me not to follow just anyone and it taught me the proper line choice. Combined, I never caused another crash again.

I continue to race into my 30's and while I enjoyed the aggression, I have a responsibility to the other competitors to ride safely.

Andrew is talented enough to make through a race day, but his philosophy is selfish.

He doesn't care about the other riders. He wants to make sure he doesn't have to explain "Hey I'm a noob, so sorry about crashing the group."

It is why he kept his zero experience a secret from track officials. It is why he is bragging about his teaching system.

He wanted to find out if he was good enough to race with other people. That is not responsibility.

 

[Racer V]

You raced ... with no regard to the safety of other racers.

Not true, and I addressed that in the very post you are quoting.

There is another part of experience: responsibility.

I think you are mistaken in asserting that responsibility can only come from first-hand experience. What about thinking about a problem? What about asking yourself, "what could go wrong here, and how could I prevent it, should that situation arise?"

Now, here's something that's important to note: we, as humans, can learn from other people's experience. It's the basis on which our entire civilization functions. This is what education is. And this is another approach I had taken leading up to this event.

Andrew is talented enough to make through a race day

Again, I think you're missing the point. It wasn't talent - it was research and preparation.

He doesn't care about the other riders.

Definitely untrue, and again, I addressed that in the very post that you quoted.

It is why he is bragging about his teaching system.

I'm not bragging. I'm stating facts surrounding my experience. I'm trying to share something that I think is cool, so that others may learn something from my experience, and hopefully apply these ideas to their own lives to make them better.

He wanted to find out if he was good enough to race with other people. That is not responsibility.

Again, I addressed this in the very post you quoted of me. I always made sure to leave a large margin of safety between myself and other riders. If Saturday came and I deemed myself unsafe to race, I would have dropped out, no hesitation.

I passed NRS on Saturday. If I wasn't showing proper lines, braking points, bike control, and track awareness, my evaluators would not have cleared me to race.

 

[Racer V]

Man, there sure is a lot of talk about who this guy could have hurt...did he actually hurt or collide with anyone? In my mind if he was that sloppy with his riding he never would have passed NRS, and apparently he did. That, to me, is proof enough that he should have been on track. When I did race, there were people out there who were being lapped on lap 3 of a six lap race...by me...and I'm sloooow. Just because someone has ridden for a year, or two or ten does not make them safe or fast.

On the positive side, I'm really curious to see how this works. I have an ex who studied neuroscience and my wife is a teacher so I'll be watching.

Mad props to your wife for taking on such a noble profession!

 

[Spec-ECU]

Moved to General.

 

[Falsus Nomen]

Subscribed for later reading

 

[sanjuro]

my motorcycle racing journey from complete newb to expert

Andrew is talented enough to make through a race day, but his philosophy is selfish.

He doesn't care about the other riders. He wants to make sure he doesn't have to explain "Hey I'm a noob, so sorry about crashing the group."

It is why he kept his zero experience a secret from track officials. It is why he is bragging about his teaching system.

He wanted to find out if he was good enough to race with other people. That is not responsibility.

I'm not bragging. I'm stating facts surrounding my experience. I'm trying to share something that I think is cool, so that others may learn something from my experience, and hopefully apply these ideas to their own lives to make them better.

Andrew started this thread to yank some chains. He could have taken a humbler approach and most would congratulate him surviving his first race weekend.

But he chose to brag about buying a liter bike and having zero saddle time before his first race. It is the title of his thread. Obviously, he was successful, so his off-bike training and talent have to be applauded. I'm sure he will continue riding and racing, and I hope he will be safe and successful. There is no reason to think he will not.

However, as a teaching method and a guide for others, it has to be criticized.

From hiding his noob status, to bragging about mediocre times typical for a track beginner, to a disregard for others, it sounds more like a self-help scammer than a legitimate teacher.

 

[KnifeySpoony]

google mirror neurons

 

[Archimedes]

Not true, and I addressed that in the very post you are quoting.

In my opinion, it takes an incredible amount of arrogance for you, someone who one day experience on a motorcycle and zero experience racing, to assume that you have any clue regarding the level of risk you subjected others around you to in this endeavor. You don't have the experience to draw upon to even know what it means, nor how quickly even the best laid plans can go to shit on a racetrack.

Sanjuro's comments are dead on.

 

[Tydive]

Subscribed.

+1 interesting learning technique ideas, but OP doesn't have the frame of reference to evaluate the risks he was taking or exposing other riders to.

 

[Falsus Nomen]

In my opinion, it takes an incredible amount of arrogance for you, someone who one day experience on a motorcycle and zero experience racing, to assume that you have any clue regarding the level of risk you subjected others around you to in this endeavor. You don't have the experience to draw upon to even know what it means, nor how quickly even the best laid plans can go to shit on a racetrack.

Sanjuro's comments are dead on.

I would agree with this.

 

[SNsMoto]

subscribedddd

 

[clutchslip]

Man, there sure is a lot of talk about who this guy could have hurt...did he actually hurt or collide with anyone? In my mind if he was that sloppy with his riding he never would have passed NRS, and apparently he did. That, to me, is proof enough that he should have been on track. When I did race, there were people out there who were being lapped on lap 3 of a six lap race...by me...and I'm sloooow. Just because someone has ridden for a year, or two or ten does not make them safe or fast.

Your logic completely baffles me. I have dozens of examples.
Here is what it sounds like:

People drive drunk all the time and never hurt anyone or collide with anyone. Therefore, it is fine that they drive drunk.

The NRS part is disappointing, but having seen some really bad riders pass it, I am not surprised.

How is getting lapped on the third lap of a six lap race, okay? That is dangerous as heck. And it isn't even racing. It's someone in the wrong group at a track-day. Why do you think they have three groups at track days? Just for the heck of it? It's a safety issue. And as stated before, on an R1 doing 2:05s, I would stay in 'B', not even 'A', let alone race the stupid bike.

 

[rebekahlynn]

subscribedddd

+1

 

[moto-rama]

At this rate the OP can turn pro a week later, and then achieve total world domination in another week. Must've had help from aliens with DNA modification for the accelerated learning.

Exactly!

 

[UDRider]

Your logic completely baffles me. I have dozens of examples.
Here is what it sounds like:

People drive drunk all the time and never hurt anyone or collide with anyone. Therefore, it is fine that they drive drunk.

The NRS part is disappointing, but having seen some really bad riders pass it, I am not surprised.

How is getting lapped on the third lap of a six lap race, okay? That is dangerous as heck. And it isn't even racing. It's someone in the wrong group at a track-day. Why do you think they have three groups at track days? Just for the heck of it? It's a safety issue. And as stated before, on an R1 doing 2:05s, I would stay in 'B', not even 'A', let alone race the stupid bike.

I have to agree. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. It just takes one mistake, one too close of a pass and without experience for things to go badly fast. Heck even with experience it's not guarantee things will go smoothly, just the like hood of shit going the fan decreases.

 

[SRAD600]

Your logic completely baffles me. I have dozens of examples.
Here is what it sounds like:

People drive drunk all the time and never hurt anyone or collide with anyone. Therefore, it is fine that they drive drunk.

The NRS part is disappointing, but having seen some really bad riders pass it, I am not surprised.

How is getting lapped on the third lap of a six lap race, okay? That is dangerous as heck. And it isn't even racing. It's someone in the wrong group at a track-day. Why do you think they have three groups at track days? Just for the heck of it? It's a safety issue. And as stated before, on an R1 doing 2:05s, I would stay in 'B', not even 'A', let alone race the stupid bike.

I won't argue the relevance of drinking and driving with this event, I don't believe the two compare. The OP seemed to be without chemical influence.

My thoughts are this: The NRS instructors evaluated the OP both in a classroom setting and on track (if the NRS is still the same as it was in the past), and saw fit to allow him to race. I choose to believe, that they did their job (the instructors were all well seasoned racers "back in my day"). Now if I believe that, then I have to believe the OP was safe to be on track with others. If he had skipped the NRS and got out on track without anyone's knowledge then believe me, I'd be as upset as you. But it sounds like he went through the right channels and got his novice license just like everyone else. I can't fault him for that, and I don't see why anyone would.

As far as the guys getting lapped, I agree with you. That really sucked, but I believe the whole reason the AFM instituted the Saturday races was to help with that problem. My point in comparing that to this event, is that those guys had motorcycle licenses, had been racing with the AFM (over multiple rounds), and "I assume" had been riding for more than two days. Their traditional experience did not help them, therefore maybe a non-traditional learning experience can be beneficial...if one exists. I'm just leaving myself open to the possibility.

I think the OP stated he only did the Saturday races because his times were off, so it sounds like he was in the "right" race. In the end, as everyone loves to say, "take it to the track"...and he did that. Safest place to learn and all that...

 

[moto-rama]

.....
BTW, I rode with a guy at Laguna last year who had never been on a track. He was on an HP4 and he was running low/mid 1:40s. At his first track day. I followed him for a bit and he was definitely staying over the bike, using less lean angle than most, but he was seriously quick for a track day guy.

Hailwood rarely came unglued from the bike either, in the day, hardly anyone I knew did much if any, hanging off, or serious weight shifting.

By the way, this video is a clue as to what is behind the OPs motivation....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY

I don't recall new racer school as being something you could just show up, with zero riding experience and just get a card. Been a long time but, really?
As someone else pointed out, shit gets all fucked up really fast on a race track, and without the benefit of time in the saddle, they are all just lucky shit didn't get all fucked up really fast.