I've often questioned this system myself, although I'm not sure how to improve on it within STT's structure - I see the merit in it from a safety standpoint. I never rode in STT's Novice group because I was already in Intermediate group with NESBA before I did my first STT day, but a lot of my friends who are/have been in STT's Novice have been pretty exasperated with the system. For Novice track riders who are still new, but experienced enough to be comfortable with the track and have a rudimentary understanding of the correct line, I worry that having riders following the coaches for effectively half the day is too limiting. I think this is especially true for the 2nd or 3rd day of a weekend when the rider's been there the whole time. What they really need (in my opinion) is some time to themselves on the track to take what they've learned in the classroom and from following the coach, and expand their limits and abilities at their own comfort level. Track time is precious, and for those of us who can't afford to be on the track more than 3 or 4 days per year, it's a pretty big deal. If I feel safe on the track, able to ride at my own pace and able to learn at the rate I'm comfortable, and get help from coaches when I want it, I'm happy. This is just as true for me in A group as it was when I was in B. During my ongoing learning process, I like to alternate between A) getting help from a coach or a fast guy to learn from them and have them critique me, and B) having the track to myself (avoiding traffic, pitting in to get a clear track) to improve on what I know I could be doing better (usually what I just learned from watching or talking to that coach or fast guy). If I know what I need to be doing, and how to do it, all I need is some time to take that from my brain to my hands (and feet and butt and head and elbows and knees) to make me a better, safer, faster rider. I haven't been a coach or an STT Novice rider, but this is what I think based on watching Novice group, and talking to my friends. Thoughts? Criticisms?
First of all, lol! Funny quote! Second, I agree that the STT system isn't perfect, but one of the great things about STT is that they are very flexible in terms of the needs of the TD rider. Even in Group 2 of Novice, we had the choice of attending class or not since fellow riders and I in our group felt we were adequately fast enough to be left alone on the track! If you don't want a strict format, go to the friday evening sessions at Gingerman Raceway! In novice, they just let you go as long as you give enough room as you pass at Gingerman. If you're too fast, then they will kick you out of novice and bump you up to Intermediate.
Yes we do.. Also pending on how the groups are we usually give the at pace groups 1-2 a Hall pass to skip the classroom after the first 2 classes. They all need to abide by the rules of each session however...:thumb: It works well in the South..
You just don't realize how important and beneficial the follow-the-leader group drills are until you try to ride without them. Been there, done that. When I first started on the track, my first weekend was with STT, it was great. My 2nd weekend was with another org...at Barber. Those of you that have been there know how difficult Barber is to learn. Almost every corner is blind at some point. I didn't know anything about differences between orgs or any of that. So when it was time to go out, I was expecting to be put into a group and led around at a reduced pace so I could learn the track. It didn't happen. The green flag dropped for the first Novice session of the day and people tore out of hot pit like it was Superpole. I was completely lost. It was absolutely miserable. I never thought I could use "miserable" to describe a day at the track, but it was. I had no idea where I was going, people were blitzing me while I was trying to figure out if the next turn was left or right, not a single CR would give me a tow, even when I specifically asked for one. It was very stressful. The follow-the-leader drills are great for several reasons.
Going at a reduced pace can be very beneficial. At the Speed Academy, one of the first things we tell people is that they should be riding at a 6 out of 10 pace. Above that, you aren't learning...you are surviving. Often times people will try to push at the school, go fast for the video sessions etc. There are even some people who have purposely tried to outride/pull away from the person trying to video them (and a few have crashed trying to do so). The thing is, they are only hurting themselves and their video session/review by doing so. The goal isn't to go fast, it is to do it right. If you do it right, the fast will come naturally. Aside from some mechanical issue, nobody should crash if they are truly riding at a 6 out of 10 pace. When riding at a reduced pace, you can focus on the fundamentals, BP, perfect lines etc. Then when you do try to go fast, muscle memory will set in and you wont have to think about the fundamentals...they will just happen. I personally take advantage of the time riding at a reduced pace to focus on my own fundamentals and it has helped me tremendously. Something to keep in mind, aside from the follow-the-leader times, there is no speed limit in the Novice group. There is a 6' passing rule, but no speed limit. In other words, as long as they obey the passing rules, somebody could "legally" run a lap record pace in the Novice group if they were capable of doing so. Obviously they would need to be bumped up, im just sayin'. You (read: anybody) can ride as fast as you want once "turned loose" as long as you ride within the rules of the group.
BUT, they don't know what they don't know.... Having done some coaching it is a real thing that people think they are doing one thing but really doing another. This is another reason follow the leader works well. If it is truly holding someone from having a good/safe time they need to talk to the staff about a bump up. That being said, starting at the beginning is the best.
Exact same experience I had at VIR South. I was still fairly new to the track but had two weekends at the same track. I didn't want to sit behind an instructor for several sessions, I wanted to work on things at my own pace straight away and signed up with a different org. Unfamiliar with a new track, the org, and its rules the day was terrible. First session I expected a follow the leader, no passing but in their B group people were passing me over the blend line right out of the pit :noidea: I asked a CR for help and his advice was pin it on the straight in 6th and gave me a very rough brake marker, asked to follow him, he said he would find me, never did. Only 3, maybe 4 CRs with the 4th being the director bouncing in and out of the group. IMO they didn't have nearly enough CRs for the size of the group. STT always has plenty of CRs and I really like it and think it's important. I'm pretty sure we are talking about the same organization unfortunately. Sad that we had nearly exact experiences probably years apart.
Yep, I went through the same thing. I did 3-4 Speed Academies as a customer before joining the Staff. At the first one I was sure I was doing stuff but the video told a different story. The video review sessions are awesome.
I've been lucky enough to help coach STT, when we did NOLA the Sunday group was much quicker that the Saturday group, in turn they were allowed to come up to speed much quicker. I think our 1st or second session had them up to 140ish on the front straight. That being said, the entire group was quick so we did not have to worry about having one group pass a much slower group and scaring the daylights out of them. Personally I have ridden with STT many times over the years, the approach to CR's is outstanding compared to other vendors.
I went to a TD that was sponsored by a local shop this summer. Not a track org. They had 4 groups, the lowest being "street", followed by Novice and so on. All of the "street" group had never been on a track, and most were new (under a year or two) riders. It was a great thing for them, and I will probably introduce my son to the track in a setting like this. The bad thing, and everyone here will agree, is that our sessions were 15 minutes all day.
Nesba did it, and there was still more crash truck use in intermediate......which is based on experience riding with all orgs. "I" always leads the way on crash truck deployment, regardless of the org. Typically the slower paces in "B" or "N", even when "let loose", make for far less spectacular crashes. Im not saying "less" crashes, but less crash truck necessity due to the severity of the incident.