IMPROVING YOUR
STREET RIDING SKILLS
AT RACE TRACK DAYS
I am always concerned with improving my riding skills.
In this age of distracted drivers everywhere, road rage
by motorists, road filled with debris and bad roads, you
have to maintain a high degree of skill to survive on the
street. The number of motorcycle fatalities and crashes
in Louisiana and the U.S. is growing and substantially
spiked up in 2015 according to NHTSA statistics.
I am 64 years and I still race on motorcycle tracks for
several reasons
I am still ride motocross on weekends at race tracks.
I still take MSF intermediate and advance motorcycle
safety courses. I recently got certified to ride sidecars.
I also started to ride at NOLA Motorsports track days.
I do this for several reasons. I ride motocross to stay in
shape physically and to improve my skills at motorcycle
control. In the dirt, you really learn about braking. After
riding in two A.M.A. Nationals in national amateur
motocross, one Vet FIM World Championship in Namur
and Donington Park in Europe, and annual World
Vet Championships at Glen Helen in CA, I keep my
motorcycle skills honed.
Doing it in the dirt makes you a safer rider on the street
In the NHTSA sponsored motorcycle accident
investigation published in the Hurt Report www.
isddc.dot.gov P. 125-129 found that most riders were
largely ignorant of basic motorcycle skills and were
misinformed. This lead to crashes. However, it was noted
that experienced motorcycle dirt riders had an unusually
good safety record and did not appear in the crash
statistics. That is an amazing statistic. But it makes sense.
Those dirt riders know how to steer and brake under
adverse conditions as they are forced to practice it every
ride in the dirt.
Then there are several medical journal articles that found
motorcycle riding actually improves your cognitive
functioning of your brain in older persons. It is a lot
more fun than Sudoku too! (Which also has been found
to improve your cognitive functions-brain skills.)
Like an airplane pilot you need “seat time” to preserve
your skill level
The more “seat time” a motorcycle rider gets, the sharper
his skills become. Motorcycles are very complex. I am in
awe of the physics of motocross bikes, sport bikes and
sidecars.
They all differ in some respects. Sidecars do not countersteer when all three wheels are on the road but do
counter steer when one wheel comes off the road. Then
the controls are reversed—which can cause a crash
if the motorcyclists do not know how to deal with
the transition. But one learns from riding all of them
in by safely pushing toward the limits in controlled
By Glenn C. McGovern
MSF Basic Instructor
and Motorcycle Attorney
[email protected]
conditions—like on a race track.
Race tracks are safer and a learning experience
Race schools at various tracks like NOLA Motorsports
is a great learning opportunity to enhance your skills
further. You may be apprehensive at operating a
motorcycle over 140 mph but after you work up to
it, your skill level has increased. You then can more
skillfully handle lower speeds with more precision and
confidence. NOLA Motorsports has Sport Track days
that offer novice, intermediate and advance riding
groups with instructors. I have started attending these on
a regular basis. While you may think of operating on a
race track on a motorcycle is more dangerous than street
riding I believe it is much safer.
1. There are no distracted drivers on the race track.
2. There are no cars to hit you.
3. You wear full leather suits, boots, full hand and wrist
protected gloves.
4. You wear full coverage helmets.
5. You wear back protectors and have CE approved
padding in your leather race suit.
6. There are no hard objects to crash into.
7. There are runoff areas and flat gravel and grass to slide
across if you fall.
8. There are ambulances on site.
9. There are flagman to control traffic and alert riders to
crashes on the track.
10. With no cars trying to hit you, you can concentrate
on your riding and learn more.
So riding on a closed course race track with some initial
instruction is a safe, prudent way to enhance your street
riding skills. Pushing your tires to the limit is a good
skill to know in an emergency. Maximum braking under
control is a very important skill and has to be engrained
in your mind to be a good rider. On a race track you get
to practice all these skills several times in each lap of the
track. The repetition engrains the skills in your brain and
muscles.
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Riding on a race track with friends is also fun and a great
learning experience. You also learn more about coolants,
tires, tire compounds, front and rear gear sprocket ratios,
tire pressures, tire temperatures and how these all can be
used to increase the motorcycle’s performance.
I urge you to get out of your comfort zone and push your
personal skill envelope. It may save your life. We now
have over two motorcycle fatalities a week in Louisiana.
There is no room for error on the street. Learn all you can
and practice your skills on a regular basis. Try riding on a
race track with some initial instruction for your first few
visits to the race track. There are also race courses offered
all across the country and at NOLA Motorsports. I plan
to attend some of those soon.
You are never too old to stop learning and never too
old to race or ride motorcycles! My personal goal is
to be the fastest guy in the nursing home! I own eight
motorcycles and seem to be acquiring more the older I
get. I love riding them all every chance I get. I do not win
a lot of races these days, but like I said when someone
asked me if I was sad I only got an 8th in the World Vet
Championships one year. I thought about it and said, “At
this age I’m just glad to be racing above the dirt rather
than being buried in the dirt!” Hey, I am praying they
open up a 80 year old expert Vet motocross class at Glen
Helen World Championships. I gotta be ready to race!
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