Bungie
FrostBack #2 - IBA # 44620
Some people want to scale both peaks of Kilimanjaro, some, they want to jump out of airplanes. Others have more cerebral pursuits. Sorry I can't think of any. I'm not the smart. Me, I've always wanted to a track day on a properly setup bike. Not to many options to do that. First you need, well, a properly kitted out bike, and a one piece suit, and finally a place to do it.
Enter Micheal Merciers FAST riding school based out of Shannonville Motorsport Park. Micheal Mercier is near legend in Canadian motorcycle racing. 4 time Superbike Champion, 26 #1 plates in road, motocross and even ice racing. He's even in the Canadian Motorcycle Hall of Fame. Mssr. Mercier has been teaching the school for 25 years along with his wife Audette and a group of current and past racers of note.
What is so special about it is that you can use there bikes, there gear and they even supply the track time. But even more importantly you get hands on instruction by none other than Michael Mercier himself.
I tried to gather a group of riding buddies to see who wanted to share hotel costs etc. Everybody wanted in. But when push comes to shove, everybody bailed for various reasons. Typical. I still wanted to do it, badly. I went back to the website only to find that all the courses were full until August. Crap. After a particularly bad day at work, I found myself at home surfing and found myself back on the schools website. Lo and behold! They had another Phase 1 course for May 30th. A few moments later, my Mastercard lay in a smoldering heap and I was to show up, get fitted for gear, and scare the ever loving **** out of myself on a fully race prepped 2011 Yamaha R6.
They give you the options in what bike you ride. Your choices being a Ninja 250, Kawasaki EX650, Kawasaki ZX-600 Ninja, Suzuki GSXR600 or a Yamaha YZF-R6. Or, you can ride your own bike after it passes tech inspection. Why did I pick the Yamaha? Call it brand loyalty and a complete ignorance of middle weight sport bikes.
I pulled out of Sudbury and made the 6 hour drive (yes, I drove as they were calling for rain and, if I hurt myself at the track, it'd far easier driving back) to Belleville Ontario. I'm glad I was in the car because in between FJRRob1300's place and Yamafitters place, I drove through a squall coming off of Lake Ontario that would drown a duck - for about 5 minutes. Then the sun came out again. I got myself checked into the hotel and my belly full of some Swiss Chalet and nodded off in front of the TV.
May 30th arrived at the crack of dark. I was excited and must have woke up 5 times between 3am and 6am. A quick shower and a bite to eat found me on the road at 7ish. The instructions I got said check in began at 8am and, that the drive from Belleville to Shannonville was about 30 minutes. Well, it's more like 10. Except for the school mechanic, I think I was the first one there. What do you do for an hour at an empty race track? Hell if I know.
Participants trickled in and before you knew it, it was time for check in. Waiver signed and I sat down for a 90 minute classroom session with Andrew Nelson, a current contender in Canadian Superbike. It was all the usual things you would expect about counter-steering and body position but then went on to throttle steering and such. Cool.
With the class time completed we all got fitted for gear. Audette (Micheal Merciers wife) took one look at me and said 46. "But I wear a 42 coat?". "46!". That girl has a good eye because it fit me perfectly lengthwise. The legs were long and the elbow pads look more like.. something other than elbows. I deemed myself good and went out to get introduced to my companion for the day. She was a good looking ***** that has obviously been around the race track a few times. I suspect she had a checkered past across the infield a few times as well. But it was mechanically sound and fitted with all manner of go fast goodies. Her clutch turned out to be quick tempered though. Engaging in the span of about .5 and inch. This trait bit my *** during a braking excersize. Their is just no way I could do a smooth download blip with that clutch. Even the instructors knew the bike and told me to forgo the downshift and just got on the brakes hard with the clutch pulled in. She also had her speedometer removed and the portion of her tach above 8500rpm blacked out. The former so you don't scare yourself going into a corner, and the latter so you'd shift before you hit the rev limiter.
Sorry on both counts Micheal, I scared the hell out of myself AND hit the rev limiter a couple of times.
Our group, the Phase 1 group (courses are taught in 3 phases, with Phase 2 a refinement of the previous, and 3 for the guys that want to go club racing) consisted to 9 guys, 2 brought their own bikes. Oddly enough, except for one guy, these 2 guys were the slowest of the group. Funny how careful you are when it's YOUR bike.
It turns out we all had butterflies big time. So the first ride of the day was an escorted ride around the track at a very sedate pace. The instructor pointed out 3 sets of pylons for every corner. The first, a braking market, the second, the apex, the third, an exit marker (aim for this after the apex). Along with these pylons their were several sets of chalk marks on the pavement that served to guide you through a corner. Keeping your bike between the chalk marks was the fast track to learn the race line. Shannonville has some rough spots in some tight corners, so these areas were blocked off to keep us out of danger.
After each track session, you went back into the classroom to be schooled on another facet of scaring the **** out yourself
They're 7 track session throughout the day, 4 of them escorted by the instructors. The other 3, the instructors are out on the course to 'grade' you for critique afterwards. The best part of the course is listening to Mr Mercier. It's hard to believe he's been doing this for 25 years because his enthusiasm and his willingness to jam a lifetime of technique into your head is amazing. You'd swear this is the 10th times he's done this, not the 1000th. Very approachable and animated. I honestly looked forward to the classroom sessions with him. That's a pretty high compliment because I was having the most fun I've ever had with my clothes on out on the track!
You know what I learned? EVERYTHING. In a controlled environment on a setup race bike, you can really Really REALLY lay one of these bikes over. My internal tiltometer popped a valve by the 3rd session. One corner in particular we were warned about because it's a decreasing radius jobby. I overcooked it in the 3rd session. We were instructed to never touch the rear brake unless your in the grass. This was mostly for safety (low/high sides). So I gave the front a good squeeze and released it smoothly only to still be going to fast. Look through the corner, lighten my grip and hope Mrs Psycho clutch remembers the way through. HOLY CRAP! Their was a split second where my brain said "**** it, your stupid, I'm outta here" but before it gave up completely it let me grasp just how far the bike was leaned over. Then it said, "This is it, the next time you hear from me, you'll be in the back of an ambulance".
Next thing I know, I'm at the exit pylon and my pants are surprisingly devoid of feces.
My brain said "THAT WAS ******* GREAT!! AGAIN!"
The rest of the day was spent absolutely marveling at what this bike, and, I, could do. I still suck at it, but I know it's out there. By the last session, my thighs were screaming at me, it was only 74 degrees but you could ring the sweat out of my helmet.
This. is. awesome.
Afterwards we all met back in the classroom after returning the gear for certificates and some short speeches by the instructors and Mr. Mercier. My final critique? Don't come back. LOL! No, seriously, he wanted me to learn to be smoother on the 'troddle' (French Canadian accent) and to keep my arms bent more. Being an old fart touring rider had me riding some of the corners with my arms near locked. Bad Steve. When I purposely almost laid on the tank, forcing my arms to bend things went MUCH easier, but that's why my thighs were screaming at me.
I found myself back at the hotel and after a hot shower and some food, my brain was still triggering snapshots of some of the corners. I was exhausted.
The next open Phase 2 day is in August. I must find the money to do it. I'm addicted to this, their is no hope. The intent of taking the course wasn't to make me confidently fast, though that happened, I think. No, the intent was to make me a safer rider when I'm travelling far from home. The techniques you learn at the course are the exact same techniques you use when riding spiritedly in the mountains.
Now, if I can just get somebody to pre-ride the routes and put up pylons and lay down chalk marks...
Enter Micheal Merciers FAST riding school based out of Shannonville Motorsport Park. Micheal Mercier is near legend in Canadian motorcycle racing. 4 time Superbike Champion, 26 #1 plates in road, motocross and even ice racing. He's even in the Canadian Motorcycle Hall of Fame. Mssr. Mercier has been teaching the school for 25 years along with his wife Audette and a group of current and past racers of note.
What is so special about it is that you can use there bikes, there gear and they even supply the track time. But even more importantly you get hands on instruction by none other than Michael Mercier himself.
I tried to gather a group of riding buddies to see who wanted to share hotel costs etc. Everybody wanted in. But when push comes to shove, everybody bailed for various reasons. Typical. I still wanted to do it, badly. I went back to the website only to find that all the courses were full until August. Crap. After a particularly bad day at work, I found myself at home surfing and found myself back on the schools website. Lo and behold! They had another Phase 1 course for May 30th. A few moments later, my Mastercard lay in a smoldering heap and I was to show up, get fitted for gear, and scare the ever loving **** out of myself on a fully race prepped 2011 Yamaha R6.
They give you the options in what bike you ride. Your choices being a Ninja 250, Kawasaki EX650, Kawasaki ZX-600 Ninja, Suzuki GSXR600 or a Yamaha YZF-R6. Or, you can ride your own bike after it passes tech inspection. Why did I pick the Yamaha? Call it brand loyalty and a complete ignorance of middle weight sport bikes.
I pulled out of Sudbury and made the 6 hour drive (yes, I drove as they were calling for rain and, if I hurt myself at the track, it'd far easier driving back) to Belleville Ontario. I'm glad I was in the car because in between FJRRob1300's place and Yamafitters place, I drove through a squall coming off of Lake Ontario that would drown a duck - for about 5 minutes. Then the sun came out again. I got myself checked into the hotel and my belly full of some Swiss Chalet and nodded off in front of the TV.
May 30th arrived at the crack of dark. I was excited and must have woke up 5 times between 3am and 6am. A quick shower and a bite to eat found me on the road at 7ish. The instructions I got said check in began at 8am and, that the drive from Belleville to Shannonville was about 30 minutes. Well, it's more like 10. Except for the school mechanic, I think I was the first one there. What do you do for an hour at an empty race track? Hell if I know.
Participants trickled in and before you knew it, it was time for check in. Waiver signed and I sat down for a 90 minute classroom session with Andrew Nelson, a current contender in Canadian Superbike. It was all the usual things you would expect about counter-steering and body position but then went on to throttle steering and such. Cool.
With the class time completed we all got fitted for gear. Audette (Micheal Merciers wife) took one look at me and said 46. "But I wear a 42 coat?". "46!". That girl has a good eye because it fit me perfectly lengthwise. The legs were long and the elbow pads look more like.. something other than elbows. I deemed myself good and went out to get introduced to my companion for the day. She was a good looking ***** that has obviously been around the race track a few times. I suspect she had a checkered past across the infield a few times as well. But it was mechanically sound and fitted with all manner of go fast goodies. Her clutch turned out to be quick tempered though. Engaging in the span of about .5 and inch. This trait bit my *** during a braking excersize. Their is just no way I could do a smooth download blip with that clutch. Even the instructors knew the bike and told me to forgo the downshift and just got on the brakes hard with the clutch pulled in. She also had her speedometer removed and the portion of her tach above 8500rpm blacked out. The former so you don't scare yourself going into a corner, and the latter so you'd shift before you hit the rev limiter.
Sorry on both counts Micheal, I scared the hell out of myself AND hit the rev limiter a couple of times.
Our group, the Phase 1 group (courses are taught in 3 phases, with Phase 2 a refinement of the previous, and 3 for the guys that want to go club racing) consisted to 9 guys, 2 brought their own bikes. Oddly enough, except for one guy, these 2 guys were the slowest of the group. Funny how careful you are when it's YOUR bike.
It turns out we all had butterflies big time. So the first ride of the day was an escorted ride around the track at a very sedate pace. The instructor pointed out 3 sets of pylons for every corner. The first, a braking market, the second, the apex, the third, an exit marker (aim for this after the apex). Along with these pylons their were several sets of chalk marks on the pavement that served to guide you through a corner. Keeping your bike between the chalk marks was the fast track to learn the race line. Shannonville has some rough spots in some tight corners, so these areas were blocked off to keep us out of danger.
After each track session, you went back into the classroom to be schooled on another facet of scaring the **** out yourself
They're 7 track session throughout the day, 4 of them escorted by the instructors. The other 3, the instructors are out on the course to 'grade' you for critique afterwards. The best part of the course is listening to Mr Mercier. It's hard to believe he's been doing this for 25 years because his enthusiasm and his willingness to jam a lifetime of technique into your head is amazing. You'd swear this is the 10th times he's done this, not the 1000th. Very approachable and animated. I honestly looked forward to the classroom sessions with him. That's a pretty high compliment because I was having the most fun I've ever had with my clothes on out on the track!
You know what I learned? EVERYTHING. In a controlled environment on a setup race bike, you can really Really REALLY lay one of these bikes over. My internal tiltometer popped a valve by the 3rd session. One corner in particular we were warned about because it's a decreasing radius jobby. I overcooked it in the 3rd session. We were instructed to never touch the rear brake unless your in the grass. This was mostly for safety (low/high sides). So I gave the front a good squeeze and released it smoothly only to still be going to fast. Look through the corner, lighten my grip and hope Mrs Psycho clutch remembers the way through. HOLY CRAP! Their was a split second where my brain said "**** it, your stupid, I'm outta here" but before it gave up completely it let me grasp just how far the bike was leaned over. Then it said, "This is it, the next time you hear from me, you'll be in the back of an ambulance".
Next thing I know, I'm at the exit pylon and my pants are surprisingly devoid of feces.
My brain said "THAT WAS ******* GREAT!! AGAIN!"
The rest of the day was spent absolutely marveling at what this bike, and, I, could do. I still suck at it, but I know it's out there. By the last session, my thighs were screaming at me, it was only 74 degrees but you could ring the sweat out of my helmet.
This. is. awesome.
Afterwards we all met back in the classroom after returning the gear for certificates and some short speeches by the instructors and Mr. Mercier. My final critique? Don't come back. LOL! No, seriously, he wanted me to learn to be smoother on the 'troddle' (French Canadian accent) and to keep my arms bent more. Being an old fart touring rider had me riding some of the corners with my arms near locked. Bad Steve. When I purposely almost laid on the tank, forcing my arms to bend things went MUCH easier, but that's why my thighs were screaming at me.
I found myself back at the hotel and after a hot shower and some food, my brain was still triggering snapshots of some of the corners. I was exhausted.
The next open Phase 2 day is in August. I must find the money to do it. I'm addicted to this, their is no hope. The intent of taking the course wasn't to make me confidently fast, though that happened, I think. No, the intent was to make me a safer rider when I'm travelling far from home. The techniques you learn at the course are the exact same techniques you use when riding spiritedly in the mountains.
Now, if I can just get somebody to pre-ride the routes and put up pylons and lay down chalk marks...
