Finding my Mojo in the Land of Lost Wages

by Mike Solis
from the October issue of CityBike Magazine

Former world champion Freddie Spencer, on the gas at the Las Vegas Speedway

Three years ago, I spent my weekends collecting trophies on my Suzuki SV650 racebike, going head to head with riders who were proven champions. On familiar tracks, my lap times on my 75hp Suzuki were fast enough to put me on an AMA 600 Supersport grid. I was brimming with self-confidence, momentum, and support. My future in club racing looked bright, until one morning at Willow Springs when it all literally came tumbling down. While leading my race, a big highside landed me in the hospital for half a week, leaving me with a broken ankle, a bad concussion and out of action for the months that followed.

I didn't let that stop me, despite being eliminated from numerous championships due to missed events. Unfortunately, my first attempt at a comeback ended in the dirt during the Laguna Seca Pro Thunder event. My second attempt ended with a lowside in Turn 4 at Willow Springs several months later. Additional attempts to rediscover my speed at during open practice days ended in the dirt as well. My confidence plunged as my frustration and repair bills soared, prompting me to seek help in rediscovering my lost motorcycle mojo. I had always believed that riding confidence was a lot like sanity - when it's lost, professional help in a structured environment is often necessary to rediscover it. Especially in extreme cases. Going from rubbing elbows with champions for race wins to being strafed by street riders with titanium sparky knee sliders, my case qualified as extreme - it was time to go to school.

When it came time to choose a program, I researched and compared what each had to offer. I figured I initially made my break from club racing mediocrity after reading a magazine article about Freddie Spencer, where he described his smoothness with the controls of a motorcycle. If I were to attend Freddie's school, I would not only be setting out to solve my current problem - I would also be exploring the solution to my original problem. The arrangements were made, and before I knew it I was off to Vegas.

Upon our arrival at the school, Freddie had each of us introduce ourselves by telling the class a little bit about ourselves. I felt a little out of place, being the only motorcycle parts salesman in a group of doctors, entrepreneurs, and venture capitalists. Not that it was a bad thing, as it really wasn’t that different from being the broke guy who slept in a tent in between mega-buck motorhomes at AFM race weekends. I was also the only racer in a class comprised mostly of new track riders. But I after learning about the different factory riders who also took the same course, I felt a little more at ease.

After the introductions, we did a few laps of the road course in Freddie's passenger van with instructors Nick Ienatsch and Jeff Haney. We watched from the comfort of the air-conditioned van as Haney demonstrated the right and wrong ways to handle different corners. Ienatsch led us around the course, explaining both the optimal way around the track, as well as common rider mistakes.

Track time started with a number of different drills, conducted under the watchful eyes of Freddie's staff. After a brief demonstration, we would execute the drill on a particular part of the course. Jeff would observe how we handled the drill, using a radio to notify Nick of what we did and what we needed to work on. I had attended a number of good riding schools, but the amount of attention and feedback we received was a level above anything I had experienced in the past. Then again, with a student to instructor ratio of 10 to 4, I wouldn't expect anything less.

In the classroom sessions, Freddie explained his method of turning a motorcycle, dissecting it into a step-by-step process. The mechanics involved were also broken down for us, giving us a better understanding of what was happening with the tires and suspension. At other schools where riding techniques are scrutinized and presented in a step-by-step manner, I've seen students riding in a similar, non-fluid, segmented fashion. Step one, knee here. Step two, push here. Step three, brake here. The students in Freddie's school exhibited no such characteristics, a testament not only to Freddie's approach to riding, but the manner in which it was his methods were presented.

The last session of the day was perhaps the biggest eye opener of the program. We were videotaped by Haney, whose bike was equipped with an on-board camera. After the session, we returned to the classroom and reviewed the footage, where the instructors reviewed and constructively criticized each student's technique. For most of the students, it was a rude awakening of sorts. Most were able to immediately see how little they were hanging off of their bikes, or how tentative they were on the bike.

I approached the videotaped session (as well as the rest of the day) with the idea that I would ride in the manner I found to be most instinctive, incorporating elements of what they taught me into a system that worked for me in the past. Thanks to the videotaped session, I was able to see the shortcomings of that system. I was faster than other students, but only because I was more comfortable than they were at the edge of traction. Nick and Jeff pointed out several places on the track where I was off line, loading the tires excessively and placing myself at greater risk than was necessary. At that point I realized that I would have to heed Nick's advice at the beginning of that day, and forget what I had learned prior to the school. Sort of like what Yoda told Luke Skywalker - "Unlearn what you have learned." What held me back was attempting to retain elements of my original style - in order to maximize what I could learn from the school, I needed to follow the advice and instruction much more closely than I had been doing, regardless of whether or not it agreed with what I thought was "right" beforehand.

The analysis of my videotaped session also helped me come to a realization; racers like me who have achieved success at the club level had to be the most difficult students of all. Many of us have established certain styles that worked well for us, well enough to win races at the level we competed at. We stick to those methods, priding ourselves on finding a certain degree of success with them. In many cases, including mine, those methods fall a little short of perfect.

The next day, I made it a priority to knock my speed down a notch and follow the instructions to the letter. I gradually picked up the pace over the course of the day, making sure not to deviate from the lines or technique demonstrated to us. Slowly but surely, everything began to sink in. The lines and different body positions demonstrated to us started to become second nature as my riding began to feel both smoother and more precise.

After a second videotaping session during the final on-track session of the day, we retreated to the air-conditioned classroom to review and analyze our techniques one more time. The review session allowed me to see the improvements I made with my body position, lines, and preciseness - especially when it was compared to the sloppy, ragged manner with which I rode on the first day. I felt as though my riding arsenal had been both re-formed and re-armed as a result of the techniques presented to us during the two-day program.

In addition to showing students new techniques, the school also provides an understanding of what a motorcycle is doing. We learned how the tires, suspension, and chassis react to different rider inputs, as well as how we want them to react. That knowledge, in conjuction with the skills and techniques taught by the school, helps build confidence, one that can be applied to almost any situation. Whether riders want to improve their lap times, negotiate tricky corners, or successfully deal with road hazards, it's not happening without confidence. The dictionary defines mojo as a magical, mystical power - most experienced riders and successful racers will agree that confidence is the key ingredient. My riding might not have felt unusually magical after completing the school, but I did rediscover an enthusiasm for it. There were a number of skills I learned at the school that I wanted to continue to develop, but on a familiar bike, and in a familiar environment. On the flight home, I found myself mentally rehashing those skills, waiting eagerly to apply them at my next on-track opportunity.

I found that opportunity a week later during an open trackday at Buttonwillow Raceway. On a familiar bike and a familiar track, I'd be able to add the element of speed to the whole equation - something that has always worked well for turning the pimples of my riding imperfections into full-on tumors. Familiar or not, certain turns at Buttonwillow still mystified me, despite almost five years of experience on its sinuous layout. I saw those turns as challenges - ones I was anxious to take on with my revamped skillset.

Towards the end of the day, I took part in a high-speed game of cat-and-mouse, mixing it up with a group of three AFM racers. Using the peg weighting and trail braking techniques I learned at the Spencer school, I was able to make time on them in certain turns that used to just baffle me. With those techniques, getting through those problem turns on my own felt good - but being able to use (and pass) other riders as rolling reference points felt even better. I may not have completely regained my mojo as a result of the Spencer school, but the confidence and understanding it gave me definitely pointed me in the right direction. More importantly, I was having fun on a racetrack for the first time in years - something I had almost completely forgotten about in this whole quest to rediscover my speed. There was no pressure, no stress, no championship points - just plain old fun.

And that's what it's all about, right?

Mark Foster, AFM Formula Pacific race winner - After breaking both legs, 6 ribs, collapsing a lung, dislocating the front of my chest, knocking myself out, and being in intensive care for a week, I had to deal with the mental side. I felt like my youth just left me that day, I don't know that I ever really quite recovered. I wasn't sleeping at all, so I went to therapy for six weeks. After that time, the doctor told me, "Dude, you're fine, I should be seeing you." But it's still in the back of my mind, you know?

Michael Earnest, AFM 600 Superbike and 600 Production championship points leader - I use them as learning experiences, as lessons - Why did I do it, what could I have done to prevent it, not focusing on the catastrophe of it. I think a lot of people psyche themselves out. They tell the story 50 times or something and by the 50th time it's gone from 35 mph to 135 mph! And of course you can't go fast after just barely surviving a life-threatening 35 mph lowside!

Richard Thorwaldson, former Factory Suzuki Motocrosser, current AFM fast guy at 58 years of age - Motocross crashes never bothered me, because you're crashing your brains out all the time! But I did have a big one at Willow Springs; my whole back was black and blue afterwards. I wasn't sure why it happened, and that ate at me. Finally, I just blamed it on something else! I had been around the corner 1000 times before and after, harder and faster than I did when I fell, I figured somebody had to have put oil down!

Jason Pridmore, AMA Formula Extreme Champion - You have to be honest with yourself. I've always dissected exactly what happened. If I know it was something I did, I made sure to not do it again. It's just a matter of being honest with yourself, and figuring out what went wrong. Once you figure that out, it's a lot easier to get back on.

Aaron Gobert, Factory Yamaha rider - Always believe in yourself, and just remember that if things go wrong and don't go your way, it's always going to come back to you. It's unfortunate, but it will come.

Jason DiSalvo, Factory Yamaha rider - After one big crash I had, I took some time off to think about it, then I just sort of put it out of my head. Eventually I came back, but it was definitely tough mentally.

Jamie Hacking, AMA 600 Supersport championship points leader - If you talked to me a couple of years ago, I could give you pages about it. But right now I really don't have anything to tell you!

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