Well, being a complete newbie, about the only advise I can offer to people is pretty basic, but it really helped me. And its as simple as this:
Be relaxed on the bike
By just relaxing on the bike, I gained three seconds at Roebling Road. It also makes longer races much easier to handle, and helps smoothness.
If anyone else has anything that really helped them, let us know!
Shawn
Hi folks!
Hmmm...tips and tricks, eh? How about some tips and tricks for the Pit Crew? I'd love to hear from racers and other pit crew members as well! I've got the check lists, the stopwatch, the camera...a bicycle to get me from A to B in a hurry...what else?!
Now I know that actually being out there riding is challenging at times, but
WATCHING y'all out there can be quite challenging as well! Especially at first!!! :o Honestly some days I am convinced that Pit Crew members need their own support crew! :)
Tho I don't race (ummm...yet?) I
thoroughly enjoy being at the track.
Any other Pit Crew members lurking out there? I'd love to hear from you!!
My first tip offered...? I'd have to mirror the sentiments expressed by our admin...
- Be relaxed while watching your rider!
A close second would have to be...
- Make sure there is gas in the bike
(Lessons learned... ::))
Make a system for loading and get organized. Have bike ready at least one week before the race. Checklists are important. your list could be as simple as bike, gas can, money or as long as three pages which is where mine had gone when doing endurance and having three bikes and a 33' trailer to put it all in.
I've got a tip that even some seasoned racers have taken. When trying to put your hub back in the wheel, put a little windex on the rubber, slides in just perfect.
Really great idea! Believe me when I say I am writing these things down!
Hey...is there gonna be a pop quiz? ;)
Great tips...keep 'em coming!
QuoteMake a system for loading and get organized. Have bike ready at least one week before the race. Checklists are important. your list could be as simple as bike, gas can, money or as long as three pages which is where mine had gone when doing endurance and having three bikes and a 33' trailer to put it all in.
GAS! Don't forget GAS! :)
when they drop the flag make sure you're in gear too!! (that would be 1st gear). it helps immensely.
Also do not eat a big lunch or you may have to "Purge" your system to get back in the leatehrs!
BEST tip for newbies...go to trackdays! More track time, less preasure! Usually LOTS of fast guys (instructors/control riders) who will give you help for free, cause they ain't worried about you beating them, and they are not as serious as they would be at a race weekend.
TOP pick in MY book, try www.nesba.com
www.nesba.com is extremely good at giving you track time and hlp. The Control Riders there are by far the best and if you want it they will take the entire day to help you out. Also you get so much track time in one day you really get a chance to try different things without worrying about screwing up.
To practice your starts head to the local drag racing park on the run what ya brung nite. This helped me out more than the stop light to stop light stuff I used to do. ;D
Since I am a newbie myself but very experienced with starting new hobbies the best piece of advice I can give is set realistic goals. My goal for my first weekend of racing was to finish mid pack, but that wasn't really a mandatory goal for me because it's too hard to know how fast the others will be. I instead set the goal of 1:12's at the track and ended up getting numerous 1:11's in my final race. I pretty much felt fatigued from the start of the first practice since I was sick leading up to that weekend so my next goal will be to feel composed on the bike and not desperate to hang on. I would also like to get into the 1:09's next time out but feeling better is the primary goal.
Eat your vegatables!
A couple things...
Be relaxed. When you tense up, you will crash.
Learn about body position. Don't rotate your hips.
spend your money on suspension & brakes. (not pretty paint jobs)
As in any other sport, STRETCH before a race. This will help keep you relaxed and prevent injury.
Last but not least, HAVE FUN! (Too many people forget that one. They really do.)
Advice....
Well, goals are good, but how you finish is not focusing correctly. How you finish involves how everyone else is riding. So, if you're racing, concentrate on making realistic goals about lap times. And, get an on board lap timer. That gives you immediate feedback on what you're doing.
Suspension and brakes. Yes. I have my own school, and that's a big part of it; helping riders know how their suspension works and trying to get them in the correct ball park. We can make changes and see a body language difference in how a rider rides. You can see that a rider is more confident in their ability to ride within their limits.
As for more track days. In many ways, yes, more track time can help someone be more comfortable with speed. But if you're making the same mistakes again and again. Some riders have ten years of experience - beginner experience ten years in a row. Try to have better experiences so that your knowledge base goes up - and advanced rider with five years experience is safer and more confident.
Exercise :).
I noticed that towards the end of the weekend I was having a difficult time holding onto the bike. I am sure that relzxing a bit would help but I also did a ton of track time on Friday Sat and Sunday. When all was said and done my forearms were shot and it was a relief to see the checkered. My lap times showed my struggle too and had it gotten any worse I would have gone for a DNF rather than picking up hte pieces. I am currently weighing my options on this and have found a gyro ball that is easy to use and seems to exercise all the lower arm muscles that are used in riding. I can essentially duplicate the soreness from riding with it so I am hoping to be able to build endurance with it. Oh, and another tip, keep hydrated...
Those gyro balls work great. I used one for rehabilitaion purposes after a crash when I raced cars. (the straight at Mid-Ohio is alot shorter in a 911 gt-2 car than in an ITE 944 turbo hehehe) And I still use it today. I got it at sharper image on doctor's suggestion and still use it to keep the ol forearms in check. It really does work.
Also,come up with a schedule for race days.Things like,whens registration,tech,tire changing?,last minute prep,fuel up,tire pressure,paddock set up,what's the practice schedule.
And if it's your first time at the track or even a new track go to tech as early as possible,they often find things you missed.
Rip..............per
I like it when new riders come over at lunch to introduce themselves to the track workers rather than having to meet new racers the hard way...
Also, if you can spare an afternoon and work a turn, you'll learn a huge amount about how to go fast - just ask to be in the turn that gives you the most trouble and watch the fast guys. (our new guys drop an average of 2 seconds a lap after working for a day)
For the pit crews -- get a scanner, then you can hear if your rider has a mechanical or falls down and you'll know where he is. (This is REALLY helpful for girlfriends and moms, too.)
For first time girlfriends at the track - be prepared to be put to work or completely ignored. Then if they are actually together enough with their program to remember to say "hi" you'll be pleasantly surprised!!
You marshalls are always working it,lol. ::)
When you get to your turn in point, TURN!
Be in shape! A little gyro ball may help your forearms, but what about your legs, shoulders, back, upper arms? Get yourself to a gym, or at LEAST start a program of pushups, curls, squats, and neck bridges, and something for the heart. This is also a big safety tip, when you get fatigued your tiny control muscles won't be as accurate, your mind will lose sharpness, and you will start to lose control. Also, when you do happen to go down, the better shape you are in the better the result will be.
Tons of track time. More track time. Make sure you hit all the Friday practices you possibly can.
Go street riding a couple of times the week before your race. Treat this as an exercise session and force yourself to ride enough that you feel fatigued. Practice your techniques at a street pace, so they become automatic on the track, like braking and blipping the throttle, and weight shifting.
Pre-enter all your races for a good grid lol
That's a good point about practicing at street pace,I've been doing that this summer and it really has helped.What I've found is that I could do some experimenting comfortably at this slower pace,(besides everthing mentioned above) like changing my steering input mid corner, different peg weighting techniques,get to know my bike-engine braking,best rpm's to 'blip' at....
Ray
What are gyro balls? How do they work? Where can I get them? Thanks!
Ride with the best safety you can buy! Skip a weekend or two to acheive this if you have to!!
Cheap boots and gloves can cause serious pain and injury. Cheap gloves = removal of skin, muscle, ligaments, and ground down or broken bone.
Cheap boots = more of same, including not being to be able to walk for weeks, if ever.
Cheap leathers wihout armor = All of the above with internal bleeding and possible paralysis.
Cheap helmet = if I have to explain you should not be on the track.
I always had good helmets and leathers with armor, but I wore cheap gloves and boots in my first crash. I high-sided in seven at road atlanta in my first race ever and did I ever catch some air. I thought if you gassed it up you could save a slide? oops, rev limiter! I broke my heel and removed all the skin off the palm of my hand where the thumb attaches. The gloves ripped wide open and the boots offered no impact protection to the bones in my foot. The gloves were updated and the boots were not. Two years later another high-side( I'm on a strict low-side diet now), my bike smashed my left ankle with the same cheap-leather race boots(severe ligament damage). I upgraded and five crashes later all is well with the feet, other than my ankle still hurting from the second high-side two years ago. Talk to us guys and gals who have raced awhile about how the bikes like to kiss you after you crash them. And talk to everyone you can about safetygear and make an informed decision before you purchase any. When you are injured, you cease to lower your lap times and do good in races. You lose valuable seat time and other racers surpass you. Your results immediately diminish when you return and you wish you had spent the money on really good equipment before you got hurt. Don't learn this lesson on your own, TRUST ME!!!!!! :o
Tires! Just because they're black and holding air does not mean they're still good. A newbie might think that treadwear is the way to gauge tire life. Not true. The number of heat cycles a tire goes through is the real determining factor in how long you can continue to use it. How many is too many? That depends on the bike, your level of agression, and track conditions.
Here is what happens. An average rookie (slow and in the way) can't use the full amount of grip he or she has available. At this point, tires are not an issue. The tires are showing almost no wear at all, but their goodness is going away. The rookie picks it up to mid-pack speed, and eventually it seems that the bike couldn't possibly be ridden one speck faster without crashing. At this point, the downward plunge of the tire's performance and the upward climb of the rookie's ability have intersected, but the rookie just percieves that he's reached "The Limit." This is frustrating when you're riding at 11-10ths and finishing way back. You can begin to question your ability and courage. At this point, if you put on a new set of race compound tires, you might instantly go five seconds quicker!
Tires are expensive, but so is crash repair. Add medical costs and time lost from work, and new tires seem like cheap insurance. Don't ask me how I know all this...
QuoteTires are expensive, but so is crash repair. Add medical costs and time lost from work, and new tires seem like cheap insurance. Don't ask me how I know all this...
Ah Chris.... How do you know this? ;D
What you said is true. Fortunately we learned without the medical bills.
Dawn ;)
On the topic of tires and Heat cycles ?
What happens when your throw tire warmers in the mix ??
If you get up in the moring and toss on the tire warmers , then go out for practice, toss back on the warmers, practice, warmers .. etc. etc.
Is this less heat cycling than not having tire warmers?? Just wondering ? I'm a total newb that is planning on starting racing this year. I've put tire wamers on the list of "Wish I had them", and not "Must have" list. But ,if they make tires last longer then that changes things a little.
Yes, you're spot on. Reduces the temperature crash between cycles. Should increase the tire life.
New tires are better, regardless. The more experienced you are, the better feel you have for worn out tires. That can be a big problem when you don't have that experience.
To really put it in perspective, the best part of the tire probably lasts twelve laps or so. After that, it will go down hill. Gradually, then more dramatically.
I does seem that tire warmers are becoming more of a requirement. Some brands just need heat to even think about working. This is in the current production radial DOT arena. It wasn't like that several years ago with the tires we had then.
Just wing it!! But most imoportant have fun!!!!!
Dang, everyone has forgotten the most important thing, If using stock foot pegs, Remove the curb feelers (you know, those bolts on the bottom of the pegs that stick out a bit and "Let you know your really leaning over" because your dragging everything)
Hey Matt, that little picture by your posts looks like you are 'backing it in.' :)
Bill,
The only reason it looks like I'm "backing" :P it in is because I " forgot" to take my curb feelers off my stock pegs. When I was going through the corner I was actually "leaned over" far enough to hit the peg on the ground, which in turn lifted my back end off the ground and kicked it sideways a little, So it " looks like I'm bacing it in. ;)-
How about some tips and tricks for the Pit Crew?
The only advice I can give is from the Daytona 200, and it is...
PRACTICE YOUR PIT STOPS!!! Do it over and over again untill you can get the rear, and front on, as well as putting in gas in about 10 seconds. It took us awhile to get it down, but with work, it CAN happen. Also remember that AMA, (dunno about CCS), requires one person with a fire extinguisher. This person cannot be working on the bike, but CAN take care of the rider...water, tear-offs, encouragement, and information on how other riders are doing. Also, have all of the sockets, allens, etc. needed to do these things ready to go. We powdercoated all the pit tools according to our own color-coded system. Al Levington told us that trick and it REALLY works!
Newbie-to-newbie advice. Read this thread about 6 times before going to a race, first of all. Then just go out there and concentrate on looking way up the track, not target fixating, and going faster each lap. I think the lap timer is a HUGE help, but I often didn't look at it until well into the next lap. Also, set realistic goals, but don't be afraid to change them mid-day. My first weekend goals were to not crash, not finish last, and have fun. In my first few sessions I saved some big moments and found that I had to really mess up to crash, for the most part, so that part was cool. Then I rode to a 4th in my first race form the back row after being knocked into the grass in turn 1...so that changed my finishing goal to shooting for the podium. The next race I got on the podium, so that means at Moroso I'm shooting for a WIN! Is this a bit eager or presumptious? Maybe, but I know for darn sure that I had a blast and the having fun goal has become number 1 for the rest of the year. My newest goal is a podium in Supertwins, where I'm underpowered a bit. My point is, set your goals, hit 'em, and then keep on raising the bar and driving yourself. Giving yourself something like that to concentrate on seems to take all of the nerves and toss 'em on the backburner, at least for me. Just my .02. Good luck!!!
If you don't have tire warmers, take it easy at first and let the tires warm up!!! I learned that leeson the hard way. Cold tires tend to let go really fast if you try to go at race pace right from the get go. Also take it easy on new tires, they tend to do the same thing. The more track time you can get the better as stated earlier. Suspension and track time are the best investments you can make for improving lap times. A good school like VRS will also help you immensely. If you ever need help with anything don't be afraid to ask, you'll find plenty of people willing to help. What region will you be in?
-Chris-