"Where's my Newsletter?! I thought you were doing one a week!?"

When I set out to do this newsletter, I said I would do one a week for one year and see where it takes me. Considering this is the first year I haven’t watched any motorcycle racing. No Supercross, MotoAmerica, World Superbike, or MotoGP. And I’m not connected with any insider information on the latest motorcycles coming from the manufactures. The only “News” - “letter” I can provide is of myself. So it’s really more like a Blog. I don’t like the sound of that word. I like Newsletter, and it’s called, Scott’s Newsletter. The Motorcycle news of Scott. Since it’s the thing I think about the most, there is always some sort of news. The point of starting a newsletter, blog as some of you may think of it, was to work on my writing. Why do you need to work on your writing? Are you going to publish a book? Jordan Peterson has a pretty good influence on my life. In all the lectures, interviews and podcasts that I heard from him (thanks to YouTube), he says that if you learn to write, you’ll become unstoppable. The pen is mightier than the sword type of thing. He says it organizes your thoughts and allows you to think better, and speak better. Who wouldn’t want that?

This newsletter is purely selfish, it is only about me, and improving me. Considering the frequency, once a week, I am not going to sacrifice my time to bring you regurgitated motorcycle news that I have read or seen somewhere else. If you enjoy reading about my selfishness in improving only me. That’s awesome. If you don’t, there’s an unsubscribe link at the bottom of each newsletter and that’s awesome too.

So why have I not watched any motorcycle racing, or any motorsports racing of any kind this year? I have too many, more important things to do. However I am still current on the latest racing and motorcycle manufactures’ news from media brought to my attention by Google News and Instagram.

With that said, more about my latest track day event, Sunday, Monday & Tuesday.

My last newsletter left you with a short, half-ass written newsletter at the end of a hard working day of developing a new habit. Locking in my outside thigh. The focus on those two days while riding the Kawasaki translated into noticing if my outside thigh wasn’t locked in, on the third day while riding the R1. Not bad! But it’s not automatic just yet. I still need to work on this during my next track days.

I moved to the Intermediate group on Monday because I was riding the old Kawasaki and tired of having faster guys (and gals) breathing down my neck. In the Intermediate group, I have better situational awareness because I’m coming up on slower riders. It’s hard to know who’s behind you or how many people are behind you when you can only look forward. Imagine there is someone slightly faster than you and they are impatient and unwilling to go down hot pit lane to create a gap. If that rider goes above their head to pull a crazy pass and it doesn’t go according to plan. I don’t want to get taken out because of their immature riding. You can usually see who or how many people are behind you at turn eleven, but that’s only one corner out of sixteen. I even stayed in the Intermediate group on Tuesday, riding the R1. After passing a few groups of riders I found plenty of track space. Enough to get within half a second off my personal best time at The Ridge. I will stay in the Intermediate group until I’m told to move up or until I can consistently and comfortably run a 1:55 lap. I am really in between the Intermediate and Advanced groups, but I feel more comfortable in the Intermediate group. People will say that you can learn from faster riders, however, I know what I need to do to get to a 1:55 lap. Intermediate group and baby-steps will get me there.

It was recommended to me that I run certain gears in certain corners. Such as not downshifting into second gear for turn two (T2), by leaving it in third. Because the extra engine braking is making me over slow that corner and not allowing me to roll in. I remember Robertino “Tino” Pietri saying, “Just let it roll in”, wink. There is so much to do in between turn one and turn two at The Ridge, and there is hardly any space (time). Not downshifting for T2 really frees up my schedule. Opened up my schedule enough to get my knee down for the first time ever in turn one. On my Kawasaki with street tires! Also, it was suggested that using a higher gear in certain corners will allow your pace to come up, instead of being hindered by the excessive engine braking for a lower gear, by “Letting it roll in.”

I ended up betting my personal best time on the Kawasaki. Old best was a 2:08.2 back in 2021, last Monday I did a 2:06.9. Getting my knee down in turn one, two and eleven, plus the regulars, all in the same lap, really helps.

I also got my knee down for the first time while on the brakes, of course it’s a small amount of brake pressure. But all the other times, it was while I was imputing the bike with neutral throttle (not accelerating or decelerating). They teach that the slowest point of the corner is where you are done with your direction change (not turning-in any more, but still turning), you are at the end of your braking zone and before your acceleration zone. It seems to me as your pace picks up your knee will be on the ground as you approach the end of your deceleration zone, slow point and at the beginning of your acceleration zone.

If you bring tools for a motorcycle and you bring a generator, you should also bring tools for the generator. Such as a spark plug socket, of the correct size. I have racing slicks for the R1. Slicks need tire warmers. And tire warmers need an electric power source whether it’s an electrical outlet in a wall or a generator. A generator in my case. I rode the Kawasaki Sunday and Monday and I used the generator on those days to charge my electronics. The generator was running just fine. Then it stopped at some point, I never noticed until I went over to turn it off. I thought it must have run out of gas. Nope. Hmm? I needed the generator the following day for the R1’s warmers. I have a small emergency automotive tool set in the trailer. It has a spark plug socket, but it’s the wrong size. Luckily the owner of the track day company, Alan from Track Time, let me borrow one of his extra generators. Whew, thanks Alan!