3
I was asked in another thread to share my experience at Texas Tornado Boot Camp. For those unaware, now retired GP/WSBK rider Colin Edwards is a Texas native and he has a riding school a couple hours north of Houston. I was fortunate enough to be able to attend a 4 cay camp a couple years ago. It was a fucking blast. The camp's website is HOME and this youtube vid is actually pretty accurate Texas Tornado Boot Camp Shofner Films - YouTube
I'll just give my backround a little as some context to my experience at the camp. I rode for a little bit about 14 years ago on a fixer upper not allowed to have 636 ninja. Back in 2008 I bought a Daytona and had that lovely bike for 4 years before it was stolen and I've been on a 796 Monster since then. Probably about 25K miles since 2008. Done a half dozen track days. Never ridden dirtbikes*
So about the camp. *if you watched the video or looked at the website, the whole camp is on dirtbikes. You spend the entire camp on a Yamaha TTR125 with a stubby front and essentially an all season road rear. All courses at the camp are packed clay/dirt. Not something I have ever ridden on in my entire motorcycle career. The gist of this camp is really about learning feel and weight and throttle control. I was all fucking over the place on these bikes. They are little and fun as hell and you will crash them. I am definitely a traction oriented rider and anytime I am squirlley, especially through a corner, it is not something I have become "familiar" with enough to say, control aslide through a turn, I am not spinning up the rear on the track, etc. So personally I spent a lot of the camp learning how to not lose the rear leaving a corner, finding the edge of where it starts to slip, losing the front oh so many times trying to trail brake (which is so damn fun on a little dirtbike!).
I arrived day 1 a little early from a bachelor party in Austin. It's hard to find way out in the boonies. But you essentially pull up to half a main st in an old western. It's pretty cool. The mess hall/bar area/kitchen, bunkhouses, a game room and a big garage are all lined up opposite a huge covered TT track, with an 1/8 mile oval and more TT course nearby. There is a big intro/hi/riders meeting where you are handed a duffel bag of a bunch of gear that you already sized yourself for via THE INTERNET. You are basically told the rules, keep the rear wheel on the ground at all times, and ps there will be a timed superpole lap in 90 minutes. The timed superpole lap is a staple of this camp - you do one the very first day, just a couple hours in. You get a couple follow the leader laps, but the rest is on you. Everyone gathers around and people shoot off 1 by 1. Its kind of nerve wracking to be quite honest. So, at least for me, that first lap stuck with me the whole camp. After that you brake off into some drills that barely even seem like you are learning anything. I think I learned how to do a doughnut the first day, and it like had homework.
Once the day is over there is always a hearty dinner waiting for you. People are free to shower up and eat, or keep riding. The lights stay on under the covered TT track until 11pm. However, many people such as myself tend to kick the feet up around the fire and crack a few beers to limber up the joints. I never saw the beer cooler more than 1/2 empty, and it's all inclusive. You can kind of do the math on this one folks, there is a pool table and ping pong and DVD's of every GP season and a bunch of people who love riding. It was tough to get to bed on time.
Mornings are kind of like how late were you up with the instructors around the fire. One day we were up and at it at 8am, another closer to 9. It isn't a very strict regimen. The days are filled with more fun drills, lunch, then some good old Gun Shooting after lunch. Colin loves to shoot and has an old marine buddy around as a range coach. You get to rip on a 50 cal, shoot some clays, do general target shooting. We happened to fill up a 4ft tractor tire with tannerite and blow it into a tree, but your experience may vary. The last day there is a gun comp for pride and some swag. However, looming at the end of every day is a timed superpole lap. Little less nervous on day 2. Not much time off the clock but feeling more confident!
This is more or less the camp until the last day. BBQ your last night there and maybe Colin takes the straight piped mustang out for a rip around the track at night. Maybe you are in the back seat with a beer, maybe you aren't. These are all hypotheticals. But what was pretty awesome was that I took over 6 seconds off my superpole lap time over the 4 days, slept on the same bunk as a Moto2 rider, watched Jake Johnson run totally sideways on a 450 on the oval, had countless awsome and hilarious conversations and shared stories with bike heads from all over the world. Like I said it was a fucking blast and it made me a repeat customer. I gained a lot of confidence on the street trail breaking smoother and later, and have a much better understanding of feeling the rear. I would recommend anyone of any skill level that wants to and is able to to go! There was like a 60 year old woman in our class that had never been on a dirtbike and had less than like 2000 miles ridden. They will cater to you and you will have a great time learning. I can try and dig up some pictures if people want them!
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by ninjers
99 + 02 SV650 ex-race - 91 FJ1200 street - 03 KDX220R woods - 12 WR450F motard/ice
