Race School Freddie Merkle

[FROSTY]

GUYS N GALS - Hoon and I have been talking and we want to improve our track riding skills,I've spoken to fred Merkel about running a day specificly for race riders.
We;ll be at TAUPO raceway on 18th of november
This is going to be a day focussed on best entry speeds,braking points etc.
We need at least 8 other people committed to doing this course.
This is totally different from the road course being held 5.11.04
The cost per person will be $250 each and includes track hire, Freddies time
ambulance and a darn good lunch.
There is a motel not too far from the track so we could all stay in the bunkhouse. probably only be about $20 each
The guys I imagine would be interested would be The really fast road riders who already do track days and the guys in their first seasons racing or want to improve their racing skills.
If the weather on the day is crap the race school will be cancelled or postponed.
In other words if its dry the race school will go ahead if its wet we will have a track day costing about $50 each.
Keep in mind too guys it does rain on racedays so the guys who can handle the rain will do better than the dry weather specialists
hands up if you are interested.

[That Guy]

Yep I'm interested....although for $250 I would want a dry day to be fair. We're talking Taupo yes?

[FROSTY]

That guy Yep Taupo and -Ive modified the the thread -If its wet weather then I still want to practice anyhoo but freddie wont be there so itll be a track day for those that wanna go. itll be a heap cheaper too.

[babyB]

tis good idear & i would b keen ....but in saying that i need a babysitter.. .lotto would be nice about now :disapint:

note: R1 pacific summer series is on the 7th nov

[White trash]

$250 for someone to tell me I'm a slug is a bit rich for me at the moment.

[Hoon]

OK we only have a couple suitable dates to choose from in Nov. The track is already heavily booked, no weekends or Fridays available and only one Monday.

So the date we have chosen is THURS 18th Nov 04. This fits in well with the Manfeild track day on the Friday 19th Nov so myself and Frosty (and anyone else interested) will continue down to Manfeild the following day for the next stop in our Nth Island track ownage tour and will apply what we have learnt.

Things are moving pretty fast now - I only ran the idea past Frosty yesterday aftn, so once the formalities are finalised I will draw up a flyer and circulate it here, AMCC, PMCC and Vic. We are only looking at 10 ppl total so it will be first in first served. This is completely non-profit - we are out to improve ours and others riding not our wallets so we're not that keen on more numbers at the expense of less quality.

To those of you that don't know who Fred Merkel is, he won 2 x World Superbike titles in 88/89, 3 x AMA Superbike titles and also has a Suzuka 8 hr win. We're pretty lucky to have someone of his calibre in these parts and having the opportunity to learn from him is too good to miss.

See here (http://www.superbikeplanet.com/merkel95.htm) for a '95 interview with Fred Merkel

[k14]

Damn, would love to come. Going to be up in new plymouth by then aswell but I don't think my new bosses would like me too much if I asked for leave on the 4th day of my new job.

Hope the guys that do it have fun.

[FROSTY]

well guys Im gonna put my money where my mouth is. Track hire will be paid in advance for the 18th of november.
Hoon is busting his gut to get this thing flying for all you race guys.
It really is a first come first served thing.
so either pm me or hoon.

[FROSTY]

it looks like it'll be a really good day. I've talked to a couple of guys who have been to a merckle school and they all agree its fantastic.--One guy reckoned it was worth it just to see freddy handle his road bike

[750Y]

$250 for someone to tell me I'm a slug is a bit rich for me at the moment.

i'll do it for a box of steinies 8-)

[igor]

GUYS N GALS - Hoon and I have been talking and we want to improve our track riding skills,I've spoken to freddie Merckle about running a day specificly for race riders.
The cost per person will be $250 each and includes track hire, Freddies time
ambulance and a darn good lunch.

whose gunna pay $250 bucks to be told by someone called Freddie Merckle that no one has ever heard of.

Might be different if u are spelling challenged and mean Fred MERKEL the man. :banana: :thud:

http://www.superbikeplanet.com/merkel95.htm

ya could also ask dick scot (Richard Scott) if he wants to come over for a yahoo. He may have to squezze into his leathers but hes always up for a yahoo

[Kwaka-Kid]

have to be honest its not up my street hey, i personally think i have more to benefit from talking to Jason Hulme and other F3 racers with my sort of bike and what they do at certain tracks.

would be nice if i had $250 however.. but no, i dont.

[Motoracer]

Alright, seeing as I do need the guidence, I'll see if I can suss out the $$ for it...

[Cajun]

have to be honest its not up my street hey, i personally think i have more to benefit from talking to Jason Hulme and other F3 racers with my sort of bike and what they do at certain tracks.

would be nice if i had $250 however.. but no, i dont.

I must say we learnt a fuck load from Flying Freddie when we did it, he told us in his whole racing life he has NEVER used the rear brake, he use to tell them to take the rear brake pedal of his bike.

If it was alittle bit resonable price i would be keen but $250 is a little sharp for me since i only paid $30 last time

[Kwaka-Kid]

yeah... im certainly not saying theres nothing to learn, but info like you just said (which again i know is just a TINY bit of it) can be gotten from anybody, i never ever touch the rear brake in racing in the dry, however in the wet i cant brake on the front hard enough to lift the rear wheel or take all the weight off it, so it can be used as an anchor some, which is what its about, maximum braking.

There are so many good riders out there and he may have been a legend but does he have a degree in teaching any of it? Some people just have it.

Look at it this way, TS (sorry dude to put you on the spot hoensty) on his 150, ran a 1:20, thats the lowest Nicko got, and nikco is out there whippin some ass in F2... has TS had any training like that? nope, just a number of track days. If i came back from freddie merkels day and didnt scrub 1 second off my time i would kick myself for spending the money.

you could of course argue it mihgt help prevent me from falling off, hmmm, who knows, a whole nother idea.

Well to be honest im now expecting with yah $250 hoon youd better whoop my smartarse next time at pukekohe :P Id be better off buying a new front tyre with that money, maybe something special even like a Super Corsa. Hahaha but no, i cant, because i need to squeeze more out of her and just dont got the dosh.

[Cajun]

yeah... im certainly not saying theres nothing to learn, but info like you just said (which again i know is just a TINY bit of it) can be gotten from anybody, i never ever touch the rear brake in racing in the dry, however in the wet i cant brake on the front hard enough to lift the rear wheel or take all the weight off it, so it can be used as an anchor some, which is what its about, maximum braking.

There are so many good riders out there and he may have been a legend but does he have a degree in teaching any of it? Some people just have it.

Look at it this way, TS (sorry dude to put you on the spot hoensty) on his 150, ran a 1:20, thats the lowest Nicko got, and nikco is out there whippin some ass in F2... has TS had any training like that? nope, just a number of track days. If i came back from freddie merkels day and didnt scrub 1 second off my time i would kick myself for spending the money.

you could of course argue it mihgt help prevent me from falling off, hmmm, who knows, a whole nother idea.

Well to be honest im now expecting with yah $250 hoon youd better whoop my smartarse next time at pukekohe :P Id be better off buying a new front tyre with that money, maybe something special even like a Super Corsa. Hahaha but no, i cant, because i need to squeeze more out of her and just dont got the dosh.
might have a second hand super corsa ya soon dc:<

[Motoracer]

might have a second hand super corsa ya soon dc:<
I need it! I need it! Can I buy it of ya? Pretty please?

Oh yea, you can have my one for free KK.

[Cajun]

I need it! I need it! Can I buy it of ya? Pretty please?

Oh yea, you can have my one for free KK.

Do you want a rear? slighly used?? as well??

[Hoon]

You're just a tight ass KK!! Yeah you could just buy a new tyre but in 6 months when its worn out how much better off will you be??

But seriously yep I see your point and yeah its fine to ask guys around the paddock but you also have to consider that with that knowledge you are only going to be as good as the person supplying it. Thats fine if your aspirations are to be a top club racer but once you reach that stage you'll need to find someone faster to talk to. It makes more sense to talk to a real fast guy right at the start to make sure you have it right to begin with - and it'll give you an edge over those top club racers you are chasing too. Also the faster and more experienced the person is the more reliable their info is going to be.

I use to be a staunch believer in the old school self taught method of learning where you could be real proud of your acheivements at the end of the day. But the fact is it is a very inefficient way to learn. In the Army I have seen what can be acheived with formal lessons and focused hi-intensity training which can turn a nobody into a well-oiled machine in one afternoon and now I reckon its the only way to go.

For example I took up swimming lessons last summer even though I've been swimming since I was a kid. I was shocked at how wrong my technique was and once I learnt how to do it correctly was amazed at the difference it made. I never imagined I was doing things wrong and it took a genuinely concerned coach to identify these problems and point them out to me otherwise I'd still be making the same mistakes today.

Having struggled with my RGV (TwoSmoker can probably relate to this too) it has forced me to adapt and improve my riding to get every last tenth out of the bike. These skills are transferable to any bike I hop on and are far more cost effective than a race exhaust or new set of tyres. Now I'm a big fan of rider improvements and will always choose these over upgrading my bike (which is totally stock apart from the rear shock).

[Kwaka-Kid]

and the exhaust!
and the fact that its rebuilt and tighter then i am.

I like what your saying hoon and its undoubtly true for you as youve proven it... but for me i bet that $250 spent on 3 trackdays @ pukekohe would see my time ground a possible second if i was trying and lubed my brake lever then tried to brake later etc. Experience is everything once youve grasped the basics - at least for me it seems be. And true about the club racer thing, and to be perfectly honest dude if i was capable and actually ever got to be a top club racer it would be well beyond what i came racing for and strived to achieve, let alone any Aaron Slight dude or something (sorry dont mean to be disrespectful but i fully never heard of this old guy). And therefore i rest my case staying this side of the fence getting free info from guys like Hulme or fitzgerald or morgan who i can only dream of oneday being like which would then totally meet everything i desire in terms of motorcycle riding comprehension ive ever had. Which will lead to my leaving of circuit racing and possibly back to dirt.

But dont worry, dont mean im going to ever leave racing due to that fact as the mind always sets unachivable goals like that so i do keep racing, more likly till funds run out which is currently pointing to my giving up of all circuit racing in 1 more seasons time.

wonder if any of that made sense? hah, no way!

[FROSTY]

I guess we're all gonna get there our own way. I saw wiggles out there on a stock fzr400 getting down to 1.09s and im giving it all Ive got to get down to 1.12s -clearly the bike id capable of faster laps so I need to improve my riding.
if I can pick up just one good thing from him then to me its worth the efffort.

[FROSTY]

whose gunna pay $250 bucks to be told by someone called Freddie Merckle that no one has ever heard of.

Might be different if u are spelling challenged and mean Fred MERKEL the man. :banana: :thud:

http://www.superbikeplanet.com/merkel95.htm

ya could also ask dick scot (Richard Scott) if he wants to come over for a yahoo. He may have to squezze into his leathers but hes always up for a yahoo
Yea yea ok smartass I get ya point --
I CAN'T FUCKING SPELL
Ive fixed it up just for you.
note to self --lern too spel and punchewate

[Slim]

The Man is definitely interested, but best to ask him again after the MotoGP & re-check his finances. ;)

[FROSTY]

sweet as slim.
As I see it I think we have
Me ,hoon, motoracer,6 chris 6,and Mrslim - only 6 more to go :headbang:

[loosebruce]

Okay was talking to MR today and i could be keen, all i can say though is for $250 i better get a shitload of tracktime, as for a slight legal problem of me riding on the road, i'm looking for good tracktime and a good day. Wet or Dry meh i don't give a shit, i'll ride.

Will see how next weekend goes and give you a definate answer after labour weekend if thats sweat with you Tony, but you can almost pretty much count me in, plus i ain't ridden round taupo before...........

[Hoon]

Well with 10 ppl and the whole track to ourselves I'm sure we will have more track time than we can handle.

Yep no hurry tho (although it would help us sleep better but we should be sweet:)). You can decide the day before as long as there are spots left as we don't have to pay until the day.

But at this rate you mightn't have that luxury (haven't even got the flyers out yet - still waiting on the curiculum pack in the mail from Fred). There are quite a few tentative people out there and we will keep everyone updated with how many spots are left so they have the option of confirming before missing out.

[Hoon]

Fred has emailed me the schedule of the days events:


8.00 am Sign on “sharp”
8.30 am Welcome, introductions, briefing on the days activities, personal goal of the course, how you learn. “Flags”
9.00 am Drive track, learn safe entrance and exit technique. Also recognise rough surface of track.
9.15 am Check bike set up, tyre pressure, fuel.
9.30 am Ride track for warm up, “Be nice” I want you to visulise in your way of thinking the correct and most efficient way around the track.
10.00 am No brakes ride. Feel the flow, establish your individual comfort zone. Throughout the day you will find your comfort zone will expand – be careful.
10.30 am Cornering, simple corner, use body movement, counter steering. How to utilise brake markers – ie cones. Find marks on track surface to help with proper entrance line. Lead coach will demonstrate.
11.00 am Cornering – complex cornering. In complex corners, ie two or more corners in succession , a bad entry to the first corner will destroy the lot, which = time! Lead coach will demonstrate, also double apex corner.
12.00 pm LUNCH
12.30 pm Starts, body position most important, your starts will usually determine 75% the outcome of the race.
1.00 pm Braking on straight, then on corner. Realise your personal perception of distance and speed, equalling corner speed. Finding your comfort zone. Everyone is different.
2.00 pm Counter steering and body movement. Rider position on bike – clipon, lever and foot peg positions.
2.30 pm DRINKS BREAK
2.45 pm Personal training group 1 with coaches.
3.15 pm Personal training group 2 with coaches.
3.45 pm Recap on problem areas – lines, body position, entries.
4.00 pm Final free ride, ride at 90%, BE CAREFUL, you will now have the ability to go faster but please take time to cement your new skills. Remember smooth is fast. People are born with some talent, but it is their instant perception of distance and speed that make them succeed their goals on the track.
4.30 pm Course ends. Evaluation. Fill in evaluation of coach forms.

[FROSTY]

Ok guys n gals -Its all booked and paid for
Track Hire is $550 come rain or shine and I have booked a motel room which will take 5 people. The motel costs $150 for the one night.divided by 5 people that'll only cost $30 EACH
So rain or shine we will be out on the track.

[FROSTY]

Hey We're trying to keep this a KB event --SOOOO those of you maybee doing the road riding school that was canned -maybee a couple of ya might wanna come along and learn a thing or two

[FROSTY]

wow guys n gals --this is such a golden opertunity -I cant believe you lot arent chomping at the bit to do it