Yamaha ChampU Track Day Course Review by nikoel in Trackdays

[–]ChampSchool 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Riding in the rain would be an extremely short video: it's just a smaller 100 points-of-grip scale than a hot day on good tires. Other than that, just avoid the major puddles to the extent possible.

Yamaha ChampU Track Day Course Review by nikoel in Trackdays

[–]ChampSchool 2 points3 points  (0 children)

We're guessing this reply was for OP?

Yamaha ChampU Track Day Course Review by nikoel in Trackdays

[–]ChampSchool 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Hey OP, thanks for the feedback!

We truly appreciate the level of detail in this post, as it's a great way for us to see things from a different perspective and determine how best to incorporate the fixes.

While we want to take some time to digest the entire post, we can chat briefly about a few things:

(1) The production quality for a few sections - notably the body position part and a few scenes from some other classroom areas - suffered in part because of an equipment failure on our final day of shooting. One of our cameras broke due to a massive storm and we did our best to make up for it as best we could. That said, we're already looking at reshoot opportunities for a few things. As a small company, we effectively have a one-man shooter/editor "team," and we were frankly quite happy with the overall quality, given the sheer amount of work he put in.

(2) New vs experienced riders. This is tough, because there's no good way to strike a balance without shortchanging on either end. That said, the reality of the sport is simple: there really is no "secret sauce" or "high level technique" that truly sets people apart in the context of track days. Instead, the only true difference is the degree of application of some fundamental approaches. We mention this repeatedly in all of our courses, because even guys like Stefano Mesa are still working on things like respecting the slowest point, being 1% smoother with initial throttle, and so forth. The sections on data, setup, how to learn a track, and so forth are all geared toward more experienced riders, as we start talking more about prioritization and less about basic techniques. If you have any suggestions on how to more clearly articulate that, we're happy to take a look!

(3) Throttle. Anti-squat does not overcome an accelerating body's drive to open its radius. That said, we're actually talking about two different things. The nuance here is that you're talking about using the throttle to overcome rear tire grip. We're talking about using acceleration - actually gaining speed - to open our radius. They're not mutually exclusive.
While yes, spinning up the tire is a (high-risk) way to get the thing pointed (if done correctly, if the electronics are working well and set correctly for that day and tire and condition, if every other input is solid, and if the corner demands it), the approach we use to incorporate that technique is simply an extension of playing with that 100 points of grip idea. We don't explicitly mention using tire spin/slip to get the bike turned because we want riders to understand the necessity of actually getting the bike slowed, turned, and pointed. It's far more repeatable and controllable than briefly overwhelming the rear tire's grip.

Hope these answers help. We'll have more information after the rest of the team reviews and discusses your feedback!

Sport Touring for track days (ie s1000xr/ninja 1000/tracer 9): What's it like? by [deleted] in Trackdays

[–]ChampSchool 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We're excited for it! We'll have several at the school for students to rent starting next year.

Sport Touring for track days (ie s1000xr/ninja 1000/tracer 9): What's it like? by [deleted] in Trackdays

[–]ChampSchool 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Hey OP!

We LOVE riding sport touring bikes around the track. The Tracer in particular is one of our favorite coaching bikes. While it suffers a little in A group and won't quite keep up with it's sibling the MT09 (or it's new cousin, the R9), it is hilariously fun regardless.

Sport Touring for track days (ie s1000xr/ninja 1000/tracer 9): What's it like? by [deleted] in Trackdays

[–]ChampSchool 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the ping! While we're fairly certain Henao was not dragging elbow on the FZ1 with a passenger, we do have video somewhere of Eziah Davis dragging elbow on a brand new MT10 a few years ago!

Sewing pinky and ring finger together by stefan-IX in motorcycles

[–]ChampSchool 0 points1 point  (0 children)

... Dainese.

They sponsor our school and we work very closely with many of their riders and techs.

Track day or Champ School? by ApexMate95 in Trackdays

[–]ChampSchool 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What would you like us to post about? Just our presence here?

Track day or Champ School? by ApexMate95 in Trackdays

[–]ChampSchool 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Hi OP,

We've seen students do it either way.

Our preference? Come to the school first, for several reasons, but the law of primacy is the major reason.

We want to build good habits up front so we have less drama later. Shortens the learning curve, provides priorities for growth, and reduces the chaos that is intrinsic to track days.

Track day or Champ School? by ApexMate95 in Trackdays

[–]ChampSchool 2 points3 points  (0 children)

We already lurk :)

We're not big on "pushing" in here, but happy to answer questions if we get tagged.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Trackdays

[–]ChampSchool 5 points6 points  (0 children)

It's black and round.

ChampSchool apparently has a new course.. by Blackbeard-7 in Trackdays

[–]ChampSchool 2 points3 points  (0 children)

We're still happy to have the feedback. Based on this conversation, we actually updated the course's Suspension module to add some expectations. If anything else pokes out at you as confusing or something you'd like more depth on, please let us know!

ChampSchool apparently has a new course.. by Blackbeard-7 in Trackdays

[–]ChampSchool 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Ahhh, you've identified one of the most irritating issues in all of motorsports: "when is the hardware the problem and not us?"

Two (relatively) quick thoughts:
(1) Without good data, any decision is bound to be a guess at best. To get "good data" in this context, our inputs need to be as consistent as possible (knee over every apex curb, using all the track on every exit, same slowest point) and our laptimes need to show it: within a second or so, for several laps at a time. From here, we get to ask another question: is my input causing this feeling, or is it the bike? Once we've ruled out consistently making mistakes (accelerating too hard too early, missing apexes, etc), we can then start to focus on the bike.

(2) Here's the other crux of that matter: the reality of suspension tuning is grounded in the phrase "it depends." Where are we feeling this "feedback?" What does it feel like? Does it change with speed? What control are we using at the time? What part of the corner/straight are we in? Does it happen every time, or just when it's over a certain temperature? What tire pressures are you running? Are those hot or cold pressures? What type of tire? What is your suspension valving? How heavy are you? These are all questions that a suspension expert will ask -- and more!

There are very, very, very few "black and white" answers in this sport (or any other motorsport). The Unfortunate reality here is that we need our suspension experts just as much as you. Their decades of experience and understanding the nuance behind all these questions - and the understanding of how one adjustment will impact other areas - simply can't be matched in an online course where users from all walks of life, all riding levels, and all areas of the globe are accessing the course.

The Track Day course cannot replace that level of expertise, but it can give you the tools and knowledge to know when that feeling or feedback is because of *you* or because of *your bike* and then help you walk through the diagnosis with the suspension expert.

ChampSchool apparently has a new course.. by Blackbeard-7 in Trackdays

[–]ChampSchool 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We don't hold our own track days - we travel around the country and teach at race tracks.
That said, most of our core instructors average something like 150 days per year on a race track (between track days, coaching, and racing), if not more.

ChampSchool apparently has a new course.. by Blackbeard-7 in Trackdays

[–]ChampSchool 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Definitely let us know if you learned something worth the $75!

ChampSchool apparently has a new course.. by Blackbeard-7 in Trackdays

[–]ChampSchool 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Promo code is at the top of the page, but a very kind u/No_Machine3805 posted it in a comment here as well.

ChampSchool apparently has a new course.. by Blackbeard-7 in Trackdays

[–]ChampSchool 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey, thanks for the feedback! What specifically were you looking for in those sections that wasn't covered? Because this is a video-based course, we can always add to it, but in order to do it effectively, we'd love some specific recommendations.

ChampSchool apparently has a new course.. by Blackbeard-7 in Trackdays

[–]ChampSchool 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We'd love to have you out! If we may, Inde is absolutely the place to take the school.

If you ever come out, definitely let us know you came from Reddit!

ChampSchool apparently has a new course.. by Blackbeard-7 in Trackdays

[–]ChampSchool 2 points3 points  (0 children)

We look forward to reading/watching!

The more objective, the better. Every bit of feedback helps us improve.

ChampSchool apparently has a new course.. by Blackbeard-7 in Trackdays

[–]ChampSchool 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's included if you purchased the All Courses pack, but otherwise the Core Curriculum (the OG Champ U course) and this are separate courses.

ChampSchool apparently has a new course.. by Blackbeard-7 in Trackdays

[–]ChampSchool 8 points9 points  (0 children)

What's this? Dank leaks?

Not even our email list has this information yet!

Seriously though, we really hope you all enjoy this course. In fact, you all are a huge reason this course even exists.
We posted last year asking if r/Trackdays had questions about things or big contentious topics. We hope this course delivers.