Highside at Thunderhill West 4/23/17

[Holeshot]

Cant type much with one hand, but I will say that it was probably a mistake trying to follow a faster rider on a new line at a higher speed than I'm used to through that corner. I normally take a wider line and enter a bit slower. You can kind of see it at the beginning of the clip.

I see a few things Matt:

- RPM's are really low on corner entry (this wasn't the only turn for that). Higher RPM is less intertia/ potential to spin the tire.

- Your line is not the same as rider in front of you. You turned in earlier than them and because of that, have to carry more lean angle and will be pointed the wrong way (not down the track like you need to be) at the same point in the turn as the rider in front of you (IOW, you'll still need lean angle when they will not)

- There's a fairly long skid mark about where you fell. You fell highside which on corner entry is almost always due to two things: RPM too low/ motorspeed to low (siezed motor, no rev matching/ rear tire dragging slower than front) and rear brake engaged while leaned over.

- Your right hand looks to pull the outside bar which is a natural reaction in a slide. However, you really want to put weight on the outside peg instead. Pulling a bar is NOT the same as putting weight in an area. This is why I constantly comment that "push left/ got left" and using bar input to control a motorcycle is not a good primary control. Using legs/ body gives much more leeway for the bike to do what it needs to do.

- The front tire steers right, away from the corner in the video which means the back is coming around the front to the right side.

- You are pitched off the bike to the high side when the steering hits full lock.




somehow, you lost rear traction I think. Once that happened, because you must be riding your bike using high bar effort, you were unable to correct the bar input action and essentialy, put yourself on the ground. Using your body to perform the majority of steering inputs/ control for the lean angle change, you have much more feel for the front end and less input. When the front or rear slides, you're able to control things more easily. It's not perfect, but bar input is BAD thing when trying to ride at the limit, etc.

Many will argue with me, but then again I've never put the bike on the ground due to bar input. Now, Michelin front tires....lots of front end crashes on them...

BTW: your bike may be insurance totaled, but by a racing standard, she's fine. She's a www.ebay.com shopper now, for parts.

 

[anytwowilldo]

What I saw there was the OP being passed by a faster rider and deciding to step up his pace immediately. Including braking less to carry more speed. It didn't work.

That is what I thought too. It can be sooo difficult to keep your cool when being passed by a faster rider. It is very easy to get towed into a corner you are just not prepared to make.

Bummed you broke your collarbone, but glad you were not hurt worse.

 

[jaybee59]

Wow....I've got A LOT to learn. I was just introduced to this corner at Keith Code. This was also my first intro to track road racing. I progressed into the low 1:41's and really started to feel comfortable. In the 5th and last session of the one day school, an "experienced" rider passed me on a GSXR750. I decided to try and hang with him, as long as I felt comfortable. I was able to maintain a nice 75 yard "watching" margin.

My instructor (in the lead follow exercise) taught me crest the brow after T8 fairly close to the inside curb (1-2ft). This, I was instructed, would allow for greater exit room (more asphalt) to the left, and therefore greater margin. I watched the GSXR dude crest about 10 feet from the inside, and at our velocity, this carried him almost to the outside edge of the track. He managed to enter turn 9 (albeit deep), but as he leaned the bike (in the marbles to my recollection), I witnessed him violently pile drive the handlebars downward into the asphalt. He hit so hard that there is a deep gash about 12" long in the middle/back of the corner now. He didn't lose the rear. It looked to me as if he tugged too hard at the critical moment on the front brake.
I didn't find out if he dinged his head hard enough to manage a concussion, but he certainly could have from the looks of it. He did separate his right shoulder.
Anyway, I'm not certain that my experience lends constructively to this discussion, but I will try to learn from both unfortunate experiences.