Racer5 anyone?

[Ash]

Lol I've definitely been daydreaming a lot this week... I'm considering signing up for the endurance race event now - not sure if I should step up to 250cc and see what it's like or stick to 125cc and get more practice...

If you want to learn more, stick with the 125cc. You will barely have approached the limits of the bike by Sunday during the course. The course is really about track fundamentals and safety, not going fast.

In my opinion, there are riders on the 250s in the endurance races that really would benefit from staying on the 125s for longer - they're really tentative going into the corners, and the extra HP of the 250 is just masking that by allowing them to accelerate out of the corner faster. While on the 125 I was passing a handful of guys on 250s (to be fair, I was also getting passed by lots of guys on 250s, but that's not unexpected!)

 

[bastak]

Great write up! Sums up the weekend nicely.
I'll just add my 2 cents in from a slightly different perspective....
The weekend started off too slow in my opinion and really didn't get exciting until almost the end of Saturday. I'm not sure if this was due to having 3 slower people in my group that needed some extra attention and the pace 'dumbed down' a bit. Or maybe it's because I have been to the track a couple of times with some seasoned riders and was fortunate enough to have them give me tips and pointers on my riding style.
I would have loved for Racer5 to set up their program similar to a track day. Run green, yellow and red groups based on riders experience. They ask experience questions on the sign up forms and run 3 groups on the track.... I can't see this being a huge step. It would just mean that they would have riders with similar speeds and abilities on the track at the same time.
Aside from that minor complaint, the weekend was run very smooth. The instructors were all top notch, knew their **** and it was clear they are all very passionate about what they do.
I would not hesitate to recommend their course to anyone who is looking to start track riding or up their street skills.
Fantastic job!
Now, to get more details about their endurance race.....lol!

I agree that in Days 1 and 2 the pace was typically governed by the slower riders in the group. In those cases, I decided that the best thing to do was drop behind a bit on the straights and take corners at a pace I felt matched my riding ability instead of the rider in front of me. I also must commend the instructor in our group who did try really hard to find a good balance between catering to slower riders and upping the pace for riders who wanted to push a bit harder.

I also think that dividing the groups based on track experience would be good. Maybe a short survey with questions like "what do you hope to achieve by the end of the program?" might be useful to categorize riders as well...

 

[bastak]

If you want to learn more, stick with the 125cc. You will barely have approached the limits of the bike by Sunday during the course. The course is really about track fundamentals and safety, not going fast.

In my opinion, there are riders on the 250s in the endurance races that really would benefit from staying on the 125s for longer - they're really tentative going into the corners, and the extra HP of the 250 is just masking that by allowing them to accelerate out of the corner faster. While on the 125 I was passing a handful of guys on 250s (to be fair, I was also getting passed by lots of guys on 250s, but that's not unexpected!)

Thanks for the feedback - I'll take your advice and do just that. I did feel like there was still a lot more to learn by the end of Sunday. How do you find it is out on track mixed up with the 250s and 600s?

 

[smergy]

Once you start running track days and become more confident, don't be afraid to ask the quicker riders for feedback. Everyone started somewhere and it's generally a pretty friendly crowd.

 

[Ash]

Thanks for the feedback - I'll take your advice and do just that. I did feel like there was still a lot more to learn by the end of Sunday. How do you find it is out on track mixed up with the 250s and 600s?

I was a bit worried about being on track with a 600, especially at the end of the back straight, but it turned out to be a non-issue. The 600 is SO much faster in comparison to everything else out there that they can be patient and simply blast by you coming out of the corners, rather than trying to jam themselves past you going into a corner. And due to the rental prereqs, anyone on the 600cc will have been doing Racer5 stuff for quite a while, so the organizers know they can be trusted not to be idiots in slower traffic. Fast guys on 250s were also no problem, as they've got enough HP to make clean passes on any 125 coming out onto the back straight.

With the passing rules only allowing passes on the straights, the slower guys on 250s were more challenging to deal with. They'll slow down to a crawl going into corners, and the 125 just can't drag race with them out of the corners. That can be a bit frustrating, but it's also a great opportunity to practice actual racecraft - instead of riding up their butt, you may have to hang back to allow you enough room to carry your corner speed and try to get them on the short straights before the next corner. Then they'll probably repass you on the long straight and you can practice your passing again the next lap.

Overall, the endurance format is great. It's a 3 hour race, so you realize that you can be patient and there's never a need to force a pass; you can just watch where the other guy is weak and line up a pass in a lap or two. And you can always come in to the pits and switch riders if you really do get stuck behind someone that you just can't pass.

Since you are part of a team on a single bike, everyone takes special care because if you crash out you're seriously screwing up your teammate's riding time. Unlike the course, you don't just ride back and pick up a new bike and head out again, you and your team need to wait for repairs to your single bike.

 

[perferd]

I have been to a couple schools and done a few track days myself but I wanted to start again at zero and with the smallest bike to really dial in on the fundamentals vs just going fast with out proper technique. With that being said I as wondering if being with a group of people who have Never been to a school or track day would make the day feel slowed down or what not. If it does at that point I can only think to completely dive into the smallest aspect of each thing they are trying to teach and just perfect that instead of just trying to go faster and fast with each corner...i think that makes sense. I am by no means street Rossi or some fantastic rider but some guys just have more experience even if those experiences come with bad technique lol...

 

[bastak]

I was a bit worried about being on track with a 600, especially at the end of the back straight, but it turned out to be a non-issue.

I was thinking about this exact thing. I had this thought of turning in at the end of the back straight with a big 600 flying down and braking late to beat me to it, but I suppose you're right that most of the passing would be likely be done near the start where it would be backed up.

With the passing rules only allowing passes on the straights, the slower guys on 250s were more challenging to deal with.

I did not actually know that there would be this passing rule in the endurance event, but I'm happy to hear that it's the case. Also, thanks for highlighting the rental prerequisites - I had missed that when browsing the website.

It does sound like it has been really well thought out. I'll definitely be signing up for the 125s - just need to decide on the date(s) now...

 

[perferd]

Were you talking about gear rental or bike rental cause I missed it.

I'm renting gear but need to know the brand and model cause apparently you need to make a fitting appt before the class so they know what to bring you. Problem is I'm in Windsor so I can't do that lol. Hoping I can just look at a sizing chart for the suit.

 

[Ash]

The rental requirements we were talking about are for the bikes - you need to do a number of of rentals on the smaller bikes to prove that you aren't a complete tool before moving up to the bigger bikes.

 

[bastak]

I did the course and an endurance race last year. I've signed up for all of the endurance races this year.

Just signed up for all the endurance events this year as well. After discussing with the instructor, I decided to go for the first weekend on the 125 and the next two on the 250. Can't wait!

 

[Ash]

Just signed up for all the endurance events this year as well. After discussing with the instructor, I decided to go for the first weekend on the 125 and the next two on the 250. Can't wait!

Yup, same here. I'm trying to take my own advice and also chose to stay on the 125 for the first weekend.

 

[perferd]

Anyone going to these dates? June 29th - July 1st?

If you are anyone want to split a hotel room? I'm driving from Windsor in anyone wants to car pool?

 

[Pantich]

Just signed up for all the endurance events this year as well. After discussing with the instructor, I decided to go for the first weekend on the 125 and the next two on the 250. Can't wait!

I did the R5 Intro last year, the a track day with them on a 125 and the endurance race on a 250. I had your same doubts about moving on the 250 but I think it was the right call.
Since you're doing the 3 races I think you made the right decision with going with the 125 on the first one.

When I moved to the 250 I thought I'd see a huge difference but it just felt more stable. All these 125 and 250 bikes are pretty much stock and beaten up so the 250, more stable, will make you feel more confident.

Whichever bike you'll ride it will be lots of fun and you'll learn a lot

Also how come do you have the old AS Roma logo as profile? I'm from close to Roma

 

[bastak]

I did the R5 Intro last year, the a track day with them on a 125 and the endurance race on a 250. I had your same doubts about moving on the 250 but I think it was the right call.
Since you're doing the 3 races I think you made the right decision with going with the 125 on the first one.

When I moved to the 250 I thought I'd see a huge difference but it just felt more stable. All these 125 and 250 bikes are pretty much stock and beaten up so the 250, more stable, will make you feel more confident.

Whichever bike you'll ride it will be lots of fun and you'll learn a lot

Also how come do you have the old AS Roma logo as profile? I'm from close to Roma

Thanks for the feedback. I'm eager to get back out on track and kind of wishing there was a Racer5 session in June at the moment. What are you doing this year in terms of track riding? I've been thinking that I'd definitely like to get out more often next year, but will stick with the R5 events for now just to get more experience and feedback from the instructors.

As for the logo, I'm a Roma fan! Plus I think it's a bad *** logo - definitely better than the current one... I'm not Italian, but I've followed Serie A since the mid-90s. Lots of ups and downs for the club since then but not a bad season this year! CL semis is dream land for us, and we might have been in the final if it wasn't for that painful first leg in Liverpool. Do you watch Serie A as well?

 

[Pantich]

I used to watch Serie A but I stopped many years ago. Roma was one of my favorite and all my italian friends go nuts for Roma

I think sticking with R5 is a good plan. This year at first I wanted to just do their events but it meant that I'd only be riding July to August.
So I decided to buy a track/race bike (Ninja 300) and thanks to some nice guys here on the forum (especially Owen) I started racing at Shannonville with RACE.

The plan is to make all the RACE rounds and do some track days when I can as well.

 

[bastak]

I think sticking with R5 is a good plan. This year at first I wanted to just do their events but it meant that I'd only be riding July to August.

Yeah I get that. I only just did the intro program in mid-May and I'm already thinking that July is way too far away to get back out there.

So I decided to buy a track/race bike (Ninja 300) and thanks to some nice guys here on the forum (especially Owen) I started racing at Shannonville with RACE.

The plan is to make all the RACE rounds and do some track days when I can as well.

Awesome - that sounds like a good step up for the second year after doing the R5 intro program/endurance events in the first. I'll keep it in mind - I figure after the second weekend on the 250s I'll definitely be itching for more...

 

[perferd]

I see new replies each day and I come in hoping they are meant for me but not so much lol...

 

[bastak]

I see new replies each day and I come in hoping they are meant for me but not so much lol...

Lol I'll be there on the same dates as you but will be staying with a friend and coming in from the opposite direction.

Edit: Sorry - it's the following weekend that I'll be there for the endurance event, not June 29 - July 1 for the intro.