Day Two, Level Two: Visuals
It was all leathers and adrenaline on day two as a quick attendance check was followed by a light breakfast track-side with everything from a race-spec TVS Apache RTR 180 to a BMW S 1000 RR going past, sticking to the pit-lane speed-limit.
Day two was all about building on day one with greater focus placed on focus. Peripheral vision is probably the most underestimated skill needed to successfully take care of corners. Look ahead, identify the turn point, locate the apex, look for the exit, back on the throttle. Sounds simple enough. Locating reference points is easier with objects helping out: it can be anything from a bush at the kerb to a change in the colour of the tarmac on track. These are particularly important when dealing with turns after a crest or a zenith. Tighter turns don’t let you see the entire corner; so you have to mark out a reference before the ‘vanishing point’ or the farthest visible point from the corner’s entry.
The key here was not to fixate on any particular point. Stare at it and your sensation of speed goes up and you end up losing speed, besides going where you were looking. The eyes and brain end up telling the bike where to go, and it isn’t always necessarily on track.
Day Two Drills
- Reference Points – One gear, no brakes
- Change Lines – Two gears, no brakes
- Three-step – Two gears, light brakes
- Wide View – Three gears, light brakes
- Pick Up – All gears, normal brakes
