pdfruth
05-13-2007, 10:37 AM
Well, I made it thru the Jason Pridmore STAR Motorcycle School (http://www.starmotorcycle.com/about.htm)2-day class at Pueblo Motorsports Park (http://www.pueblomotorsportspark.com/) (PMP) without incident. Although we did have 3 students crash out, there were no serious injuries (just seriously rashed bikes, and egos).
For those not familiar with PMP, what we have here is an aging, 10 turn, 2.1 mile track, with a .5 mile straight (that doubles as a drag strip), just a few miles west of Pueblo, CO. When asked what he thought of the track, after a long pause, Jason replied “It’s no Miller, but I like it… it’s a little bumpy in places, but it’s a great track to teach at because it’s characteristics represent some of the real-life conditions that an average street rider is likely to encounter. Less the obvious distractions, of course (like, sand, cagers, animals, and two-way traffic)”.
There were approximately 45 riders in the class. Ages ranged from late teens, to early 70's. And riding abilities varied from one end of the spectrum to the other. There were all kinds of bikes (mostly sport bikes), including numerous sport touring bikes (no ST1300’s tho). There was even a guy, his wife, and their daughter, all on BMW's, passing the sport bikers in the turns (man that lady could ride). The class was split up into two groups; advanced, and street. Having never been on a track before, I was in the street group. The format was simple. 20 minute sessions in the classroom, followed by 20 minutes on the track. In each classroom session, we had a focused discussion on two or three aspects of riding technique, and then instructed on where and how to practice those techniques during the track session. With the advanced and street riders taking turns on the track, there was never a spare moment. We were kept on a very constant, and very tight schedule.
Jason Pridmore and all of his instructors, are the most approachable, down-to-earth, helpful, people you’ll ever meet. These guys (and gal) really have their act together. The class is very well organized, and very well thought out. Between the seven instructors, every student was given quality one-on-one time. With bike-mounted cameras, the instructors were able to video each rider in action. Then analyze and review the footage later, in the classroom (oh how painful it was to see myself messing up).
I took a 2-up ride with head instructor, Jason Pridmore, on his Suzuki GSXR 1000. There are simply no words in our vocabulary to describe how absolutely, insanely fast, we went. 135 mph down the front straight in 3rd gear and the bike is still pulling REALLY hard, like a team of mules. Breaking hard, we tipped into turn 1 (a decreasing radius hair-pin) at nearly 100mph. I would have never believed it was possible to lean a bike that far with two people on it. We were passing other riders, in the corners, on the outside, like they were standing still. Turn 7 (they call it "the butt hook"), with his knee dragging, one handed, he flips his visor open to ask how I was doing. I'm gonna have to just throw my undies out. There's no way I'm going to get em clean. By far one of the most exhilarating things I've ever experienced. The 2-up ride alone was well worth the $250 single-day class fee. Now I know what it’s “supposed” to look and feel like when it’s done right. I hope I never forget the sensation I felt during those two laps. If ANY of you EVER have the opportunity to do this, DO NOT pass it up. It is simply amazing.
The morning of the first day (and the first time I had ever been on a track in my life), my lap times were something like 30 seconds off the pace of the average lap times of more advanced riders. By the end of the second day, my lap times had improved to something like 10 – 15 seconds off the pace. I learned soooooo much in just two days. I only hope I can continue to learn.
Anyhow, here's one of my not-so-impressive turn 3 passes (thanks to an on-site professional pho-tog).
My life is forever changed. I'm now officially a track addict. I only wish I would have started abusing earlier in life. The bad news is - I really suck at going fast in the corners. The good news is - This is gonna require A LOT more practice :D
For those not familiar with PMP, what we have here is an aging, 10 turn, 2.1 mile track, with a .5 mile straight (that doubles as a drag strip), just a few miles west of Pueblo, CO. When asked what he thought of the track, after a long pause, Jason replied “It’s no Miller, but I like it… it’s a little bumpy in places, but it’s a great track to teach at because it’s characteristics represent some of the real-life conditions that an average street rider is likely to encounter. Less the obvious distractions, of course (like, sand, cagers, animals, and two-way traffic)”.
There were approximately 45 riders in the class. Ages ranged from late teens, to early 70's. And riding abilities varied from one end of the spectrum to the other. There were all kinds of bikes (mostly sport bikes), including numerous sport touring bikes (no ST1300’s tho). There was even a guy, his wife, and their daughter, all on BMW's, passing the sport bikers in the turns (man that lady could ride). The class was split up into two groups; advanced, and street. Having never been on a track before, I was in the street group. The format was simple. 20 minute sessions in the classroom, followed by 20 minutes on the track. In each classroom session, we had a focused discussion on two or three aspects of riding technique, and then instructed on where and how to practice those techniques during the track session. With the advanced and street riders taking turns on the track, there was never a spare moment. We were kept on a very constant, and very tight schedule.
Jason Pridmore and all of his instructors, are the most approachable, down-to-earth, helpful, people you’ll ever meet. These guys (and gal) really have their act together. The class is very well organized, and very well thought out. Between the seven instructors, every student was given quality one-on-one time. With bike-mounted cameras, the instructors were able to video each rider in action. Then analyze and review the footage later, in the classroom (oh how painful it was to see myself messing up).
I took a 2-up ride with head instructor, Jason Pridmore, on his Suzuki GSXR 1000. There are simply no words in our vocabulary to describe how absolutely, insanely fast, we went. 135 mph down the front straight in 3rd gear and the bike is still pulling REALLY hard, like a team of mules. Breaking hard, we tipped into turn 1 (a decreasing radius hair-pin) at nearly 100mph. I would have never believed it was possible to lean a bike that far with two people on it. We were passing other riders, in the corners, on the outside, like they were standing still. Turn 7 (they call it "the butt hook"), with his knee dragging, one handed, he flips his visor open to ask how I was doing. I'm gonna have to just throw my undies out. There's no way I'm going to get em clean. By far one of the most exhilarating things I've ever experienced. The 2-up ride alone was well worth the $250 single-day class fee. Now I know what it’s “supposed” to look and feel like when it’s done right. I hope I never forget the sensation I felt during those two laps. If ANY of you EVER have the opportunity to do this, DO NOT pass it up. It is simply amazing.
The morning of the first day (and the first time I had ever been on a track in my life), my lap times were something like 30 seconds off the pace of the average lap times of more advanced riders. By the end of the second day, my lap times had improved to something like 10 – 15 seconds off the pace. I learned soooooo much in just two days. I only hope I can continue to learn.
Anyhow, here's one of my not-so-impressive turn 3 passes (thanks to an on-site professional pho-tog).
My life is forever changed. I'm now officially a track addict. I only wish I would have started abusing earlier in life. The bad news is - I really suck at going fast in the corners. The good news is - This is gonna require A LOT more practice :D