How do you practice?

[BMFR6]

just remember theres a kind of fine line between being a little bit of a dick....and being outright stupid....

yeah made a small edit before people take it the wrong way.

[SilverDragon]

This isn't really advice for beginners, but (flame suit on) don't be afraid to be a little bit of a dick out there. On the 125 I had to pass people and get them to NOT come back by me on the next straight. A little leaning on people goes a long way. Nice guys race backwards.

I agree. This last weekend, I was following a pack of motards and it taught me a lot while dicing with 216 (eric). I'd never met him, but a few of the passes we did to eachother might have been construed as stuffing. I hoped I hadn't upset him, because I actually felt like I made some progress. The guy is a monster on the brakes on that thing. I wasn't trying to be a dick, but I fully feel that race practice should be just that - practice racing. While open track is also advantageous, it doesn't help your race craft at all.

[Paul_E_D]

Ya, I hesitated to share this for that reason, but it's true that this is a ruthless sport. I like to think I didn't pose a danger out there, but I know I had to be aggressive to accomplish what I did.

I got leaned on pretty hard by Jeff and Scottie and other big bike guys at times too, so I know the other side of the coin. I never minded it much, but I like close racing...

[BLACK SQUIRREL]

I agree. This last weekend, I was following a pack of motards and it taught me a lot while dicing with 216 (eric). I'd never met him, but a few of the passes we did to eachother might have been construed as stuffing. I hoped I hadn't upset him, because I actually felt like I made some progress. The guy is a monster on the brakes on that thing. I wasn't trying to be a dick, but I fully feel that race practice should be just that - practice racing. While open track is also advantageous, it doesn't help your race craft at all.

Eric is a tough Kid, I am sure it was fine He hit the 23's in Practice, Won $20.00 Maybe he helped him find some speed,

I am always Hanging on the coat tails of the experts When they pass me and learn to do that section a little faster

[Kitt]

i just need some practice time...

I am hoping to get some more non race days on the track to work on stuff... Having first practice of the day sucks, I take it easy and just shake-down so I know the bike is set for the day, then in practice 2 I step it up a bit.

[Pittenger5]

This isn't really advice for beginners, but (flame suit on) don't be afraid to be a little bit of a dick out there.

Theres a pretty big line between a good aggressive pass and being a dick though. Im all for a good pass, especially in practice where someone might just be warming up and someone else has been out for a while, but theres NO reason for a lot of the passes I'd classify as a dick move. Theres no reason anyone should be stuffed during practice in my opinion. Ive been straight stuffed more times than I care to think about (of course, mostly when I was a novice, its not nearly as bad as an AM). But still, every now and again you get someone that just straight shuts the door, usually in 3-4 or 9, its like cmon dude, go a little wider than you would want to, theres no reason that should be happening in practice.

[BMFR6]

i just need some practice time...

I am hoping to get some more non race days on the track to work on stuff... Having first practice of the day sucks, I take it easy and just shake-down so I know the bike is set for the day, then in practice 2 I step it up a bit.

this is something i used to do when i started but last year and the last half of the prior year i didn't give myself the option to step it through the practice. i set the goal to go out and get up to speed as fast as i could. i found thats when i started making my biggest improvements. it may just be my personality but i found that if i took the slow and steady lazy approach, i wasn't improving as much. i was being lazy and using it as an excuse to why my practice times sucked. by getting up to speed as fast as possible, practice time started to become very valuable. if something wasn't working as i had expected, i had time to fix it early in the day and test it in second practice rather than making an adjustment after the practices and hoping things would be right for the race.

naturally, if you just put on new brakes etc, shaking things out makes sense.

[Paul_E_D]

It can happen because one rider is at the limit and commited to a single line. I've been stuffed by Jeff in 3 a few times, and I know he had no choice.

That's my whole point here. What one guy thinks is an innapropriate stuff is just part of practicing at race pace. You don't have many choices once you commit to your brake marker. If you're the one getting stuffed, well, that's you're place in the food chain...

Are there some dangerous riders out there? Ya. That's not what I'm proposing anyone become. I'm just sayin practice hard to race hard.

[Pittenger5]

It can happen because one rider is at the limit and commited to a single line. I've been stuffed by Jeff in 3 a few times, and I know he had no choice.

WEll the one that bugs me the most, and Im sure its just me, is coming out of 3 up the hill and the rider that JUST passed me feels the need to get RIGHT to the cone at turn 4, pinching me off. In a race, sure, it happens, killed me chance for a first place this last weekend from an expert that was lapping me, ok, whatever. But in practice? Leave me a foot or two of space and its not going to affect your line whatsoever.

[Paul_E_D]

BTW, I'm not suggesting people go out and charge every turn and ride over their heads. That will slow you down in a hurry, maybe get you hurt, and piss everyone off.

I do think you should race on experience, not adrenalin. That means practice and race times should be close if not the same (excepting bad traffic)

[Pittenger5]

(excepting bad traffic)

Hey hey hey, I resemble that remark!

[hammadown]

I have found even when I push as hard as I can in practice, somehow in a race I find a little more time without feeling as though I am riding over my head in either case. Maybe its the adrenaline of the chase or something, but my times are simply faster in a race even when I push as hard as I can in practice. However, once I find that time in a race, I find my practice times improve.

[PPS26]

i def try to go hard in practice but will try to be the last one to stuff someone #427 everything was all good hope i didnt stuff u if i did.. not intentional.... ive been told to only be 1 sec off race pace in practice so thats what i kind of shoot for.. i will say the bump up from novice to amature got me 1.4 seconds faster already

[RyanNicholson]

I have found even when I push as hard as I can in practice, somehow in a race I find a little more time without feeling as though I am riding over my head in either case. Maybe its the adrenaline of the chase or something, but my times are simply faster in a race even when I push as hard as I can in practice. However, once I find that time in a race, I find my practice times improve.

thats the little risks you take in a race

the same thing used to happen to me (still does at times)...in a race you're chasing down a guy, and start braking a little later, getting on the gas a little harder, etc to catch him....etc....then in practice you're doing those actions according to your reference points. But after braking a little later in corner "X"....now you know you can do it, and continue to do so.

You can do the same thing in practice...just a matter of using your reference points to control your actions more consistently between practices and races. But thats all part of the learning curve. Not that I go out and consciously think about ever ref point I have on the track every lap, but you know what I'm getting at.....

[hammadown]

thats the little risks you take in a race

the same thing used to happen to me (still does at times)...in a race you're chasing down a guy, and start braking a little later, getting on the gas a little harder, etc to catch him....etc....then in practice you're doing those actions according to your reference points. But after braking a little later in corner "X"....now you know you can do it, and continue to do so.

You can do the same thing in practice...just a matter of using your reference points to control your actions more consistently between practices and races. But thats all part of the learning curve. Not that I go out and consciously think about ever ref point I have on the track every lap, but you know what I'm getting at.....

I hear ya doggy dogg. I do forget about ref points when Im chasing someone..at least to an extent, but didn't realize it till just now.

Also, from reading this thread Paul scares the daylights out of me. He seems so nice in person, but get him racing on a track, and I guess he turns into the Hulk.

BTW prob one of the better threads we've had here lately. Nice to hear different perspectives about stuff like this from different fast people. Makes thinks click in your head.

[SVRACER01]

i dont do much practicing but thurs day i would do 2-3 "hot" laps and then turn it back a little (21s?) for a lap or 2. focus on a couple things and then try it at speed and do a couple more "hot" laps. during the "slower" laps youll get someone to go by you and maybe you can pick up on something. i had Shane go by me and i hung with him for 2 laps until we hit traffic.

[OreoGaborio]

I try to practice hot.

I did a 1:25 on the SV on Saturday morning... and I turned 24's & 25's in my first race... 23's & 24's in my next.

Sunday morning I wasn't as fast... and my races reflected that.

This was on a bike I had never ridden before.... In fact I've never even ridden an SV at all before this past weekend.

[Kurlon]

Legend holds that at times he would actually lever the rear wheel off the ground using the footpeg in order to achieve tighter turns.

We do that on pitbikes indoors on a kart track. 3 straights connected by left hand 90 degree turns make for a great way to get to top gear. This run funnels you into a hairpin 180. The quick way through it is to charge in throttle pinned, and at the last moment pile on front and rear brakes. Your goal is to wash the front just as it goes by the apex. Catch the bike on your knee, and throttle up to bring the bike around and stand it up for a hard charge out of the hole.

[SVRACER01]

well pete....shave off about 4 more seconds and ill see ya out there. i think there will be a battle of epic proportion with me and Jersey now that he found the teens. im excited. Dont know if ive lost to an NESRian/teammate yet well maybe Dan...but he doesnt count.

[RyanNicholson]

I hear ya doggy dogg. I do forget about ref points when Im chasing someone..at least to an extent, but didn't realize it till just now.

and on a side note from that, getting used to using your reference points during a race instead of chasing the person in front of you...makes it way easier to get around them and find their flaws instead of mimicking their mistakes and getting stuck at their speed.

[Paul_E_D]

I
Also, from reading this thread Paul scares the daylights out of me. He seems so nice in person, but get him racing on a track, and I guess he turns into the Hulk.

Lol!

[a13x]

I used to take it 'easy' in practice when I started out, but not so much anymore.

Now I'll warm-up, hard-charge thru specific sections I'm working on, and run a 'solid' pace for the rest of the track. I'll try to throw down at least 2-3 'fully hot' laps linking everything together.

Realistically I want to be within a 1-1.2 of my best time in practice, at most. I know that in races I tend to go faster, it's just the fact it's THE RACE, so I'm not super-upset if my practice times aren't setting my PB's, cause I know that's not how I work.

[OreoGaborio]

well pete....shave off about 4 more seconds and ill see ya out there.

that's the plan!

[legalspeed]

Dont know if ive lost to an NESRian/teammate yet well maybe Dan...but he doesnt count.

There's only 100cc difference!!!!

You are doing awesome on your SV Brian.


One aspect I can add about practice, I like to practice in the same conditions as I plan on racing in. That is to say; if it's going to rain on Sat, and it looks like Thur practice is dry and Fri wet, then I will do Friday's practice.

I have to agree with Kitt about 1st practice, it's just about useless; big bikes, cold, green track = learn hiow to go slow.

[eboos]

I never get a chance to make it to first practice. Registration, pit setup and tech insure that I am barely ready for second practice.