Skip Barber Superbike School Powered by KTM - Orange Crush

Hangin' Like A Monkey
As noted earlier, Haney and company focus largely on body positioning and braking, explaining each in more of an analytical and mathematical standpoint compared to other schools who teach based on cause and effect. During the school Czysz actually does the majority of the instructing using charts, graphs, and numbers to teach the class exactly what the bike is doing underneath them. While it may sound daunting, don't be intimidated by the language-the techno-jargon and big words are kept to a minimum. Haney will then chime in to add emphasis to points he finds particularly important. Afterwards, Howard then describes the next drill.

Haney's outlook on body positioning favors the new school, where riders are hanging off with their heads low, outside arm resting on the gas tank, backside off the edge of the saddle, toes up, heels in (towards the frame), and the knee sticking out-with the position of the inside leg effectively creating a "triangle of light." Here, the body's core and lower body are supporting rider weight while the upper body is free to move about. This style also places one of the most dynamic objects-the rider's head-as far inside the tire's contact patches as possible, allowing for less lean angle for a given radius. This then allows for sooner throttle application as the motorcycle is on the maximum edge of the tire for as little time as possible.

A slalom course situated along the front straight and cameras on each end of the instructor's motorcycle were used for body position exercises. During the slalom course, each cone was to be treated as an exit cone, meaning turning of the motorcycle should almost be completed by this point. Then the eyes should be scanning ahead for the next cone. Which brings up another point: like many other schools, visual awareness is stressed in every drill. Whether on the track or on the street, knowing what's ahead well in advance gives the rider plenty of time to prepare.

Besides the slalom drills, video sessions are also used as students circulate around the track. This is followed by immediate review once a session is over. This isn't anything new-almost all the premier schools follow this same practice-but what was interesting at this school was that every student would circulate the track at the same time, regardless of skill level. Why? Because we just happened to share the track with a Skip Barber formula car racing school, alternating track and classroom sessions. With all of the students lapping the course at the same time it's easy to see how the quicker students could get balked by the slower ones and how the more novice riders could be intimidated by the more advanced. While none of the bikes have mirrors and there are designated passing zones, it's easy to see how this situation can cause frustration for both riders. Oh, and don't forget the cars littering the track with dirt as they run off or blowing oil onto the track. Both of which occurred during our school. Fortunately, we were told that sharing the track with cars likely won't happen again and instead classes would be broken down by skill level and the groups would alternate classroom and track sessions.