Lines what direction the next turn is. To see what body position should look like on track. ect the majority of novice riders don't do as many trackdays per year as most I riders and many are new to the track. Helps calm a lot of the more nervous people down as well!
I agree. I think you can learn from watching others, plus the calming factor will lower the chances of getting spooked by a fast passing bike. Are you going to be on your R6 exclusively next year, or will you be on your FZR also?
It's something I like about STT. It gets a little difficult to follow the same line as the instructor if you are third back in your group (or more) since the novice behind the instructor may not follow the line, or the second novice might not. And some riders lag pretty far behind the rider in front so if you're behind them good luck seeing the instructor's line. I know my first trackday I didn't follow the instructor's line when I was right behind . The second day I followed the lines more closely especially double apex corners since I found out how important proper lines were. I went to VIR with a different org a couple of years ago, never saw the track and they just let everyone go like it was an Intermediate session. I was shocked and a little nervous because they told us we would get a slow paced sighting lap behind an instructor. Myself and the guy pitted next to me were not fans of that organization. All of the Novice days I've done with STT were great. The CR's I was behind all read the pace of their riders well and picked up the pace or slowed down when appropriate. Keeps nerves settled for some and allows people how to learn to warm up their tires.
I believe there is a fair amount of value in the Novice groups. I have tons of street miles and had never been to a track which kind of made me nervous even though I felt pretty sure that my pace was a track pace. The class time and the following of the instructors in the morning were very helpful in calming my nerves. The second weekend I was at the same track (ACC ) and moved to N3. I think as long as you go with the attitude of learning instead of just riding fast you will benefit the most. Not that this is a gauge of speed by any means, but in my 19 years of riding I had never touched a knee down in a turn and by my fourth trackday I was getting both knees down and I would say I rank somewhere in the middle of I group. I am hoping to keep progressing to A but am not really sure that I have to focus required to ride at that level but only time will tell.
As has already been mentioned, keeping the groups at a slower, controlled pace makes for riders to be able to "take in more" of the lines, run-off areas, and work on some of the things that were being taught in the classroom sessions in the morning. It also gives the Instructors the opportunity to turn around and somewhat watch a person while they are riding....picking up on the things they are doing right, and the things that maybe need some improvement. While we certainly can't see everything that goes on behind us, we do get to see a lot; looking behind, group passing, etc. It also lets the students get a chance to progress at a linear rate, rather than just turning everyone loose and seeing what you can do. There is a lot to think about out on the track, especially if you are fairly new to track days. Sometimes folks show up fully prepared and having done all of their "homework", others, not so much. Some show up so nervous that almost everything that is said in the classroom, goes in one ear and out the other. If you aren't familiar with track riding, there is a lot of info being thrown at you in a short period of time....line choice, looking through the corners, body position, smooth on the throttle and brakes, when to shift, when to brake, turn in points, proper entrance speed, and the list goes on. Doing the follow the leader part of the Novice instruction, takes away some of those critical points and lets the new riders kind of depend on the "leader" to set the pace and turn in when they should and be at a certain place on the track for making a proper turn in point. One of the things that I always try to tell my students before we do the Point to Pass session is that you have been relying on me to decide the speed, when to start braking, where to be on the track, how soon to start your turn in, etc. NOW, if you take the pass when I point to you, YOU ARE THE ONE that has to make those decisions. It's always easier to follow someone that is setting the pace that you want to ride than it is to make all those decisions for yourself. But, the good news is, the more time your spend on the track, doing the right things that we've been teaching you, the easier that it becomes to make those decisions and the more comfortable you get. That is why we have "Veteran Novices" on one end of the scale and then group 8 on the other end. Hope this helps a bit with the whys of what we do.
I know you helped me out tremendously on the last Barber event with the turn by pit in as well as some other turn in points. That whole weekend i was working on turn in points as well as body position and man you were a great help.
I know my first trackday in novice and my first track day in intermediate my nerves were a mess. I was scared as all get out and the slower pace helped me to calm down. As far as my first day in I, i had to calm myself and rely on what i had learned. Now the last event at Barber i bought novice and I to work on body position and turn in points then rode in I the next day. I will most likely do this anytime i want to work on something at a more relaxed pace next year. I look forward to riding every Barber event next year and learning more each day.
You answered your own question.. We don't need the above to cause a red flag.... Never try to keep up with anything... Group.. Bike.. Rider or pace... Ride your own ride..
Back at road ATL over the summer ,(my first TD), I liked following the CR a few times to get the feel down, calm my novice jitters, and learn the lines. Now Im in INT and ready to rock n roll!
I think following instructors is beneficial, and even in I, when I come up on an instructor, I usually try following before I try passing. It helps me get my line down and maybe increase my corner speed. However, in novice, I was struggling with finding my own pace because we always slowed down on the straights to keep the group together. When I finally got waved past, I was actually using the throttle for the whole straight, which completely changes your braking points and I ended up getting in way over my head and crashed. In hindsight, I should have gradually used more throttle and moved my brake points until I reached MY pace. I know they talked about making only small changes in the classroom, but for some reason I hadn't thought about that transitioning from group to solo.
I always liked the fact that the novice follow the leader pace allows you to pick out some "things" at a relaxed pace without feeling youre "holding anyone up" as well. Things like: Corner worker stations (sometimes they wave these weird flags that tend to be important) Items to use as reference points (dont use a paperbag on the side of the track during a windy day or a shadow as a reference point) LOL Blend line. Pitout. Your mileage may vary.