Awesome, thanks Jim. How do you track your laps? Over your 20 years is there a top 5 things you rely on to make you fast? The competitive fire is there and it needs to be applied to more than just track days,interstates, backroads and walking into walmarts.The lap times are a way to gage my progress/failures.......
I have a lap timer, it shows number of laps, fastest lap, current lap, lets you know if you are on your fastest lap, has gps, tells you mph, 3 spits per lap, draws a track map on my computer for review..etc etc.. you don't need an expensive one like that though. If you do get a lap timer, put tap over it so you are not staring at it while on the track.. just use it to review after you are done.. I've seen too many new people crash chasing a lap time.
1. Focus.. when I first started, all I did was live racing. I didn't go to the bar, I worked at a motorcycle shop, I saved every penny I had to spend on racing, you've got to get involved and live it.
2. Memorize every part of the track. Bumps, cracks, paint marks.. everything. Once you do that you can use those marks or parts of the track as reference points to do the exact same thing lap after lap, use them to brake later, turn in sooner or later.. you need those reference points.
3. Ride with riders faster than you.. thats the quickest way to get faster.
4. Learn to ride or be as close to other riders as possible.. (you can't do this at track days) you've got to get comfortable being close to other riders.. otherwise you'll never be able to pass them.
5. Learn how to adjust your suspension.. make your bike handle like crap so you know what it feels like, then get it to where you like it.. otherwise you will never know.
I don't know if those are my top fiive, but thats some good things to start with.
