Member Journals

Ara joined F5 last September and we saw a lot of him all through the fall schools. Earlier this week he called the office to enroll in Willow Springs and he went on to tell me he had been racing. He went for it and as a novice he was quickly moved ahead of the usual entry classes because his lap times were that good. He won his first race and took 6th in the 600 superstock race. Not bad for his first time in competition! He explains it this way:

     I've been on motorcycles since I was a little kid. My dad and I would always go around on his Honda CB750f and I thought it was the fastest thing in the world. This made me want to ride and go fast. I was not allowed to have my own bike until i was in my 20's but for good reason.

     I've always wanted to race bikes. I think it is the greatest feeling in the world. This was the reason I came to class. Because in order to race you need to learn control and in order to learn control you need someone who has the knowledge to teach you. Reg is big on throttle control and since i've started racing it has really shown me how important it is. He shows you how to ride smooth and be one with the bike. Sometimes I forget the bike is even there and that's why I wanted to write this letter.

     Basically, in short Reg helped me start racing within a year and I just want to come back and learn more.

                                                                          Thanks Everyone,
                                                                                                          Ara K.

Okay, this one's not a journal, it's a letter,
but I wanted to share it...

Hey Phil, Since you are now the official Force 5 Ambassador, I just wanted to drop you a quick note to let you know how much I enjoy and appreciate Force 5.  The 2010 riding season will be my sixth year of attending CLASS, and my forth as a Force 5 member.  The other day I attempted to count the number of times I have attended CLASS, but I ran out of fingers and toes.  The actual count is something over 35 times.  As you know, there are several reasons I keep coming back to CLASS.  These reasons include friendly, competent instructors with a focus on safe street riding, as well as a good balance of track time and Reg’s classroom instruction.

But for me, there is more to CLASS than a great riding school, and that is Force 5.  Sure Force 5 membership gets me discounts on the classes I attend, but there is so much more that can’t be quantified.  Force 5 is more than a club, the members are all part of a big family (perhaps a dysfunctional family, but a family none-the-less!)  It’s always great seeing old friends when we get to the track, and everyone is joking and having a good time.  But in addition to the camaraderie, all of the Force 5 members take their riding very seriously, and are always helpful to all riders on and off the track.  Simply said, they are just a great bunch of people and some very good friends.

And don’t forget about Force 5 day, which is always the highlight of my year.  I think it is great that Reg rents Streets of Willow and treats the Force 5 members to a free day at the track.  We ride and laugh, and generally have a great time.  About the time having non-stop fun seems to be getting a little monotonous, Reg throws us a curve and has us ride the track backwards for a session or two, and that is just a hoot.  And then there was the mock two-lap race, that was also big time fun.  Finally, Reg and Gigi buy everyone a great lunch.  It just doesn’t get any better than that.

Anyway, I know you are well aware of all the benefits of Force 5, as you are the guy that got me to join in the first place.  I just wanted you (and Reg & Gigi) to know that all of the Force 5 members appreciate the extra effort that is required to have the Force 5 club as a part of our CLASS experience.  I hope more people take advantage of it and join Force 5 in 2010.  I am already counting down the weeks until we can kick off the 2010 season at Willow Springs in April.
 
Thanks again for everything.
 
Your friend,
 
Bruce

***************

Ted Holman has been a CLASS instructor since about 1990. He keeps the troops entertained, but he also helps keep things under control. Is he "the Terminator" or the "Missing Link"? I won't tell. But I will tell you he's a great teacher and an enthusiastic part of the CLASS Team. Ted's a Force 5 member and raced the first year of the club with Reg, Fred, John and Clark on his RC51.

A day in the life of a CLASS instructor
or - who let this guy out of the cage?

I am the Clark Kent of the CLASS instructors. As I roll through the day at home and work, disorganized and chaotic, no one would suspect that in an alter life, I am a volunteer instructor for Reg Pridmore. If you were to tell someone at home that I share my knowledge of track and bike control with serious motorcyclists looking for advanced control instruction, they would nod as though they understood some unspoken, yet hysterically funny joke. Somehow I have found myself in the enviable position of riding and working for one of the most poised orators and greatest riders I have the pleasure to meet, Reg Pridmore.  His students only see us when they arrive for their day at school. I thought they might like to know what happens before, during and after their great day at CLASS.

As Reg has flat gotten tired of me wearing his rear tires out, I normally do like most of you. I get my bike prepared for the rigors of track use, going over it with a fine tooth comb and add a set of new Dunlops.  I love Dunlops, but I do manage to destroy them rather rapidly (though the new Qualifiers® are lasting much better). Reg tolerates this abuse as long as it is on my own bike. Just watch him if I walk towards one of his beloved Honda CBR1000RRs. He cracks me up as he rushes forward with his bullhorn shouting, “Not a chance mate!”

A long drive or flight to a track where Reg has arrived a day or two before is the first step. He has done the hard part of getting the bikes there and ready for the following day. The night before the school is always a great moment. That’s when some of my closest friends, fellow instructors, Reg and Gigi get together and allow us to raise the embarrassment level to new peeks while eating a great meal. I could bore you with the juvenile behavior that has caused many a bus boy extra grief, but I am sworn to secrecy. Before you assume anything, everything I know, I have learned from Reg and he does tip well!

I could bore you with the juvenile behavior that has caused many a bus boy extra grief, but I am sworn to secrecy.

The following morning, Reg is always very punctual and serious about getting to the track, ready for his students arrival. He has great pride in the way he has organized his school day and as instructors, it is our job to make his system flow as seamlessly as is possible (you may notice that none of these tasks are very complicated). I normally help with tech to make sure the student bikes are all ready for the day. It's always comforting to see the attention and detail most bikes have been given before we ever spy them.

After getting everyone into class for the start of Reg’s presentation, we normally suit up and get ready for the slow ride around. My approach to a track is to look at it as though I have never been here before, regardless of how recently I was. We line up in the hot pit lane ready for the “A” group, the riders that have done a school at this venue before. The “B” group heads out with Reg to find a safe spot to watch our groups circulate, demonstrating the “Pridmore Line”, mid-track, apex, and then mid-track again. Next up is the “B” group for the same ride. Collective panic has normally set in and we take it very easy for the first few laps. Sitting in the pits it is hard to imagine someone not believing the track will be in the same place lap after lap, but as speed picks up, you can see the tension as we enter into disappearing bends on the track. It really takes a leap of faith for new students to trust that the track has not moved since the last trip round.

The morning progresses and we spend time with students that look like they are adjusting to the track. Once in awhile, a student will pick up the pace a little too quickly in our judgment and a reminder to ease up is needed. Normally everyone wants to survive the morning and one hot pit “get together” is enough to put that little demon back into its box. About the third session out, Gary, Jim, Peter or Andy will pass, giving me the universal signal that I am number one somewhere else and we will pick up the pace a bit to ride with each other. If it is Andy, I will normally do my best to harass the poor guy into making a mistake and as I slip by, give him a warm and friendly gesture congratulating him on his riding style and ability. After a couple of laps, it is back to watching students and seeing what their needs are. As the day goes on, most students seem to want to experiment on their own, while others come up directly to talk about riding issues that need observation. This is the part Reg stresses over and over again. If you want help, grab an instructor and get it!

After lunch things usually change gears. Most of the riders have developed a sense of confidence on the track and some need to be reminded of the consequences of riding over their ability level. This is sometimes a challenge. First you have to catch up, get around and signal them to follow you.  After retreating to the hot pit lane I attempt to explain in manner that transcends the adrenaline rush and possible sense of irritation felt by the student about being pulled off the track, that they need to notch it back a bit. That’s the part that has taken the longest for me to learn. Reg says I REALLY need to work on not being such a dork.

Later in the day is when we get to relax a bit. Normally two or more of the “destructors” will start riding around together enjoying the sense of comfort we feel when riding with each other at eight-tenths speed, bar to bar, apex to apex, enjoying what has brought us to this point of being instructors for Reg. I love instructing, but when we bring all that we know, with the skills that we have come to share with others to the table, it is a magical moment. We have to stop ourselves after a few laps else Reg waits till dinner that night to pin our ears back. He reminds that we were being disruptive and forgetting that students from around the country have paid huge money to be instructed, not used as moving berms. The rare times that has occurred, I have hung my head in shame, swearing it will never happen again, (or again).

The end of the day finds us all totally exhausted, congratulating students and ourselves for having shared one of the most outstanding days ever. The students come by to talk about their day and say their good-byes, asking if there are any openings for the next school, totally pumped by their time with CLASS. We begin the process of packing up normally fifteen bikes and the classroom equipment. Gigi has usually hidden a couple of beers, and it is the most peaceful of times as we work together, getting the CLASS show ready for it’s long ride home.

Dinner that night is wonderful. Another successful school that we helped to create guided by Reg’s outline for the day. A couple of toasts and beers later, we go over the day, thinking about we could do a little better, a little sooner. Normally we are pretty whipped by the time bedtime rolls around. Hopefully, I am not rooming with anyone that snores! (apparently an aging process).

My trip home is usually one of reflection on the past few days. I have a sense of gratefulness for somehow ending up a part of such a wonderful organization run by a man I consider one of my closest friends, Reg Pridmore. If you want to meet a class act, spend a moment with Reg and Gigi. You wouldn’t forget. See you back on the track. --

Ted