Toni Sharpless Supersonic Road Race School | Page 3 | GTAMotorcycle.com

Toni Sharpless Supersonic Road Race School

Here was the Lombardy track setup:
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@Saitou^.~ I was at Mosport to check out the drive festival. I came by the area where you guys were doing your session. The space kind of looks small. I would have definitely prefered a go kart track over this. That said, it looked like you guys were having fun. Let us know how it went :)

If you see this message, I got a question for you. Actually two.

Did you get the optional insurance for their pit bikes? It's like 35$ I think
And, do you need an entry pass to the drive festival to get to the motorcycle venue? I was thinking it would be the Mosport Karting track but looks like it's not. I had a complimentary pass which I used today.
 
@Saitou^.~ I was at Mosport to check out the drive festival. I came by the area where you guys were doing your session. The space kind of looks small. I would have definitely prefered a go kart track over this. That said, it looked like you guys were having fun. Let us know how it went :)

If you see this message, I got a question for you. Actually two.

Did you get the optional insurance for their pit bikes? It's like 35$ I think
And, do you need an entry pass to the drive festival to get to the motorcycle venue? I was thinking it would be the Mosport Karting track but looks like it's not. I had a complimentary pass which I used today.
It was completely different but worth it. I honestly thought it was at the go-kart track but was pretty happy with it's setup. There was more training and direction involved

It was my first time doing a parking lot course - highly recommend these if you can get to one.

This was more technical than any go-kart track... everything was super tight and quick. Very physically and mentally demanding.... I'm so drained from it 🤣
Lapping, drills, some gymkana. Focus on throttle control and smoothness.
1) I wiped out in the top left corner infront of a crowd (no biggie)
2) Was able to get my knee down twice during drill practice 🥳
3) Became a lot smoother in my final laps shifting my body (left, right, left, right)

For your questions, yes I got the optional insurance (always have). It's for my peace of mind...I don't want a huge bill at the end of the day. So many in every group lowslide and drop. It's part of learning.... lol But you get better.

For the entry pass, when you signed up for the course, the school will get the event to send you a ticket (so you don't have to buy a pass).
 

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It was completely different but worth it. I honestly thought it was at the go-kart track but was pretty happy with it. There was more training and direction involved

It was my first time doing a parking lot course - highly recommend these if you can get to one.

This was more technical than any go-kart track... everything was super tight and quick. Very physically and mentally demanding.... I'm so drained from it 🤣
Lapping, drills, some gymkana. Focus on throttle control and smoothness.
1) I wiped out in the top left corner infront of a crowd (no biggie)
2) Was able to get my knee down twice during drill practice 🥳
3) Became a lot smoother in my final laps shifting my body (left, right, left, right)

For your questions, yes I got the optional insurance (always have). It's for my peace of mind...I don't want a huge bill at the end of the day. So many in every group lowslide and drop. It's part of learning.... lol But you get better.

For the entry pass, when you signed up for the course, the school will get the event to send you a ticket (so you don't have to buy a pass).
Awesome! Glad to hear that you had an amazing day.

I'm going tomorrow. Excited!!
 
It was completely different but worth it. I honestly thought it was at the go-kart track but was pretty happy with it's setup. There was more training and direction involved

It was my first time doing a parking lot course - highly recommend these if you can get to one.

This was more technical than any go-kart track... everything was super tight and quick. Very physically and mentally demanding.... I'm so drained from it 🤣
Lapping, drills, some gymkana. Focus on throttle control and smoothness.
1) I wiped out in the top left corner infront of a crowd (no biggie)
2) Was able to get my knee down twice during drill practice 🥳
3) Became a lot smoother in my final laps shifting my body (left, right, left, right)

For your questions, yes I got the optional insurance (always have). It's for my peace of mind...I don't want a huge bill at the end of the day. So many in every group lowslide and drop. It's part of learning.... lol But you get better.

For the entry pass, when you signed up for the course, the school will get the event to send you a ticket (so you don't have to buy a pass).
What's with the row of pilons and the green tape on the grass? Was that the low traction part of the course?
 
Awesome! Glad to hear that you had an amazing day.

I'm going tomorrow. Excited!!
I hope you have fun! Try not to prove anything to others there and learn. I always try to compete against myself and if I can improve a tiny bit, then that's awesome for me :)

Don't compare yourself to the kids! They are from another world!

Please keep us updated on your day tomorrow.

Oh and bring food and lots of water. There wasn't time for an actual lunch break to wander (we took our lunches when the other groups were riding).
Washrooms are in the direction of behind the trailer slightly up the hill.
 
I hope you have fun! Try not to prove anything to others there and learn. I always try to compete against myself and if I can improve a tiny bit, then that's awesome for me :)

Don't compare yourself to the kids! They are from another world!

Please keep us updated on your day tomorrow.

Oh and bring food and lots of water. There wasn't time for an actual lunch break to wander (we took our lunches when the other groups were riding).
Washrooms are in the direction of behind the trailer slightly up the hill.
Well noted, thank you so much. I'll let you guys know how it went. My only aim with this session is to (somewhat) confidently be able to lean.

Mosport today was the most crowded I have ever seen. Lots of families came out and it was beautiful weather.
 
Some photos from yesterday 😁

Tempted to book again next month
 

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So here is how it went for me:

This is the first time ever I'm taking a course that is geared towards advanced riding. It was a great experience. My expectation was that I'll be able to drag my knees through all corners at my will. Lol I failed miserably. It's me and my mental barrier plus lack of experience riding on the track. This course was a great eye-opener. What I learnt was that - I should trust myself more and commit to the corner & I should work on my body position a lot. Every time I lean beyond my comfort zone, my hands would automatically shut the throttle which is a big mistake. I think I'm also not comfortable with the idea of falling off the bike and that also hampered my learning. Again, street riding instincts kicking in.

The only positive was that I did drag my knees in the circle drill. It was not as smooth as I would have liked it to be but I was just determined to do it and not cos of correct positioning, which was exactly Toni's observation too.

I was there by around 8.45 am but today the session started a bit late, I think around 10.20 or 10.30 ish. As a result, I felt that the seat time was a bit less in comparison to what others here have mentioned. I think in a parking lot course you end up waiting a lot more for your turn because only 1 group is allowed on the track at a time. By the end, I wasn't completely exhausted but some of the other folks were. Some participants left even before the course got over. Was it worth the money, absolutely!! The instructors were great - I was alternating between Mack Weil (CSBK Junior series champ) and Andrew. Overall it's an amazing experience. If money was no object I would have taken a few more courses before the end of this season. But I'm pretty happy with the course. I did the 'Learn to Lean' course and hopefully next season I'll do the road race 101.

The pit bikes are a great learning tool and while waiting, I did end up thinking of getting a Grom or a pit bike and practice on private parking lots. You can fall off without injuring yourself and they cost very little to fix. Also, you have to exaggerate a lot more than you would on an actual bike. I got the optional insurance but I don't think it's necessary. You'll have to be really reckless and try really hard to break one of those bikes.
 
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The pit bikes are a great learning tool and while waiting, I did end up thinking of getting a Grom or a pit bike and practice on private parking lots.
Think again. With the new stunt driving laws that came into effect today, the potential cost of practicing in a parking lot vastly exceeds the price of formal instruction.
 
What I learnt was that - I should trust myself more and commit to the corner & I should work on my body position a lot. Every time I lean beyond my comfort zone, my hands would automatically shut the throttle which is a big mistake. I think I'm also not comfortable with the idea of falling off the bike and that also hampered my learning. Again, street riding instincts kicking in.

On the theme of trusting yourself, I read The Inner Game of Tennis for the first time earlier this year and it played a big part in the track riding improvements I've made throughout this season. Highly recommended - it might be the best book ever written on high-performance motorcycle riding, and it doesn't even mention bikes once.

I too would also love to have a safe, sanctioned spot for parking lot practice (on my track bike). I'd pay good money to be able to swap between the pitbike and my track bike for drills throughout the day. Ben mentioned that he'd like to see a Ninja 250 or something as an option as part of the school, but I can see how the logistics could make that difficult. At Brechin for instance, there's no skidpad or paved parking lot, so there's no paved area that's actually wide enough to do a circle drill with a bigger bike.
 
On the theme of trusting yourself, I read The Inner Game of Tennis for the first time earlier this year and it played a big part in the track riding improvements I've made throughout this season. Highly recommended - it might be the best book ever written on high-performance motorcycle riding, and it doesn't even mention bikes once.
Thanks for the reco...will definitely check it out :)
 
what bikes do they rent out as "pit bikes" ?

Im tall, lanky and old; and wondering if I'll fit ok.

the 100$ deductible is easier to swallow for the pit bikes- vs the ohvales deductible.

pit bike might be fun
 
They are mostly Yamahas - TTR110's, I think. They have some with high bars and some with low bars. The pitbikes are easier to fit on than the Ohvales. I was occasionally hitting my knees with my elbows on the Ohvale, especially on the throttle.
 

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