How many times have you crashed?

[jgalt187]

This is my first year and I've highsided twice already.  I really hope this doesn't turn into a habit.

Quit highsiding, that shit hurts. Lowsiding in where it's at !

[klebs01]

Pls get advice from others more experienced than me, but I had similar luck earlier in my race career. Counter-intuatively, you are likely not entering the turns fast enough and not carrying enough cornerspeed, ... which makes one greedy with the throttle mid-turn and on the way out. Something to think about and/or work on during practice.

Now that I think about that, It kinda makes sense.  I think I have something to work on next time at the track.

[Eric Kelcher]

Well never on the roadrace track. Now on the street or the dirty track; well more than I can count and more skin left on tress and blood on the street. Worst accident though was on bicycle.

10 years of racing 96-05 . As I started really pushing the edge I moved into a safety position and my attention on track started being concentrated on what I needed to do when I got off track to the point I felt I was becoming a hazard (head was not in the race). My racing slowly dropped off from sprints and endurance each weekend to just endurance then just sprint (yes one a weekend) then last year(05) I ran just two endurance stints on others' bikes( K3, and Randy Kale). I had more to do than race on a weekend so that is what I did.  Strange I don't miss racing as much as if I was not around it, I went 4 years without a street bike 89-93 and that messed with me more. I know that the people in racing are just as great as any rush I ever got on the track. boy I ended up on a side track there :poke:

[DavidV]

Pls get advice from others more experienced than me, but I had similar luck earlier in my race career. Counter-intuatively, you are likely not entering the turns fast enough and not carrying enough cornerspeed, ... which makes one greedy with the throttle mid-turn and on the way out. Something to think about and/or work on during practice.

I am not sure I totally agree with that. I see your point xseal and I'm sure that what you say is true for some, but what if someone is on a faster bike than you? Say you are both around the same spot mid corner.  As you approach corner-exit, you know damn well no matter what your drive out will be, that guy is probably going to pull you in on the straights (think straight like summit main).  so as corner exit approaches, you whack the throttle a little earlier than him.   I have seen high sides happen from this.  When someone is absolutely ringing a bike's neck. In my example, I would say poor throttle control is the culprit

Of course, I could be way off. You may have meant opening the throttle mid corner. I am talking corner-exit.

Thoughts ?

[Court Jester]

...but it'll come.

and it came

[Scotty Ryan]

and it came

How you feeling by the way?

I almost don't have an actual real number.. But let me try to count - it has to be in the 25 range.. I started at the end of 03' - in 05' I think I fell off 12 times??? This season I fell off 3 times at the Daytona AMA's - twice in practice and once in the 200....I have had more get offs as an expert - but like Dave said - I have been an expert longer then I was an amateur... Some of them were my fault - some other peoples fault - some just shit that happens (oil on track - or the like).. If you ride on the edge you are more likely to have shit go wrong - it's how fast you can process the information and react to what is happening.... If you watch Rossi closely - you can see that he has stuff going on almost every lap - but he can minimize problems better then anyone I have seen.....   From motocross I had the mentality that the only way I was going to learn where my limits were was by going to far - well that's all fine with a bent set of handle bars on a dirtbike - but it's more expensive in road racing... So I had to learn to push to the limit - and once I went just that little bit past it - I knew that was the limit of my ability/chassis set up/tires/track/ and at that point I would have to make a change to at least one of those things(if not all of them) before I could go further.... It's all a learning process :)

[Speedballer347]

Crashed my first year when I was 16-17 in Wera 6 hour practice.  Pre-tire warmers. First practice, first session, sixth turn, lost the front.  100% my fault.  2 broken ankles, tibia, wrist.

Crashed my first year back to the sport in over a decade.  2001, at TD putnam.  100% my fault. Got into the second-to-last-corner a bit hot.  Squeaked off the edge of the track at the exit, wet grass, stood it up and saved it....was entering the woods at highspeed so I locked the F brake and pulled the bars to the stop to put it down.  Freak injury...broken ankle.

2002, hit the wall at Gateway in GTU but saved it.  Broke a couple ribs.

2002, got 100% taken out (that's racing risk we take...never any hard feelings).  Big-highside...Unconscious, possible severe (thankfully not) neck injuries, 3 days hospital observation.  Looked at racing a lot differently after that one.  Was never the same.  Lacerated my kidney, no big deal.

It's still fun, but I am not nearly as serious about trying to go fast anymore.  Not worth it.

[Ducmarc]

now that I can read rrw cover to cover 'with the hospital bed and all'  there was a letter to the editor about reverse rotating rotors reducing high sides. did I miss something?