Like I said to Tim the other day. You only 'rent' pace in my book. Whilst there is such a thing as a natural ability ofcourse and I don't personally believe you can teach someone 'feel'. With good amounts of seat time and a good development path you too can become very quick and even surpass those of 'natural abilities' whom are not as dedicated/have the right direction/amount of seat time. You do get some freaks of nature though who can not ride for years and then get back on and still go very fast. But as a % I would wager they would still have lost a good proportion of their pace. It's like someone who's not ridden for ages doing a 48-50 around Jerez which is quick! But that same person may have been doing 45's years ago. Monners would be an example of this on this forum. He did a 49 I think at Jerez, the beginning of last year. Not to be sniffed at. He hasn't ridden at all on track since then. I'd be amazed if out of the box he could pull a 56 right now. It's like fitness... if you don't use it.. you loose it. I wouldn't even know where to begin in terms of how much I have lost from my relative bag of talent. Probably more than 5 seconds a lap maybe? who knows It's a funny old thing riding. I reckon I could get back in to a race car and would only be a few tenths off of what I used to do. But on bikes those tenths are seconds and usually multiples of! I put it down to the feel connection..
I'm finding age is a factor. Not so much from the inevitable drop off in reaction times, or for the greater fear of breaking yourself if you fall off, but losing flexibility. Riding "fast*" requires you to move about the bike quickly and accurately - which obviously isn't something you need to do in a car. If moving around is not as fluid as it once was, it will have a big effect on your timing and inevitably your lines and lap times. 10 years ago (in my mid 40s) I did a lot of track days, and dipped into the 1' 40's at Almeria (*fast for me). I doubt I could think about doing that again without some real focus on my body. In the intervening years I've been back a few times, with more horsepower, more electronic aids and slower times.
Definitely a factor mate. It’s also how much you want it ! when I was younger and braver I didn’t care much for the potential dangers. These days I just think “what’s the point” “is it worth it” I’m only 30 haha. Although I feel 60
Agree with this. Watch how quickly a MotoGP rider shifts his weight about. My knees won’t have it these days, no way. I always had great upper body strength and I find I’m shifting my weight about much from the bars than with my feet. Which is wrong. But fuck it. The knees are fooked!
Many years ago on one of my first Euro's at Jerez Leon Haslam and Jeremy McWilliams were instructing, both on stock GSXR750's, end cans, possibly slicks I don't recall. I think it was a pacedays trackday, everyone has a transponder for the 3 days and on the last day you can enter several races depending upon your fastest time. Several interesting things that I recall from that track event: - 1. I was on my 999R - It was the year Haslam was riding the Renegade Ducati's so we were having a good conversation and ended up doing a session with him, my 999 would outgun the GSXR in a straight line, but he would still be on the gas when I was braking, backing it in for al to see. 2. He took my R out for a few laps, wheelied it down pit lane then off he went, he did a handful of laps and commented how much more initial grunt it had over his 999RS, at the end of the day I collected my lap times and couldn't understand how I'd gone 10+ seconds quicker for 3-5 laps, it then twigged... impressive on a bike he's never ridden until that point. 3. The final race on the last day Haslam and McWilliams and something like the 38 fastest guys did a 30 min race, needless to say Haslam/McWilliams blitzed the field, but they were something like 7 seconds of a MotoGP qualifying time on a pretty much stock 750.
It's astonishing how much better the pro's are. It's often turn key pace as well on anything which is most impressive to me. Funnily enough last time I was at jerez Hicky & Laverty were both about, I know the pair of them reasonable well. They were out on road bikes and slicks that were on the cords. Hickmans brake pads actually fell out (seriously) at the end of the back straight and he bailed off, surfing the bike in to the gravel at Pedrosa's haha. I still give him shit about that. He was straight back out on another set of borked pads that he blagged from his cousin in the next session the nutter. Doing 50's with no brakes and totalled tyres whilst spending the majority of the time on the back wheel everywhere. The real shocker is when you see what the kids on 125's and 250's are doing...
Similar thing at Valencia a few years ago, on the last day the Moto3 teams rocked up and they had track time that evening while we were packing up, not only is it impressive to see the bikes up close and the gear they bring, but watching them into T1 at Valencia, they literally close the throttle and tip in, whereas we're on the brakes at the stantion for what seems like an eternity, mighty impressive and why I always say to people get a small bike and learn to go quick on that rather than jump straight on a 600/1000cc
