This series of five articles, this being the first, was submitted by Club member Ray Goppold, and was part of a handout from a track day experience Ray had many years ago at the Penguin Racing School, Inc., and is credited to Eric Wood their head instructor, and is reprinted by permission.
Part 1: Getting your head in the right place
To the outside observer, riding a sport bike is a physical exercise that requires skill, balance, precision and
perhaps a touch of bravery. Good physical condition and aptitude with the controls are certainly required,
however, any rider who has experienced the track knows that mastering the art of riding at speed is as much
mental exercise as it is a physical one. Track day riders and racers alike will agree that it is most often the
mental rigors of mastering the track that present the biggest hurdle when attempting to make progress. With
this in mind, this article will discuss the mental preparation that is essential to improving your track skills with
the greatest possible efficiency.
Power to improve
For many, the attraction of the track centers very much around the fact that the opportunities to learn and
improve are seemingly limitless. When looking at this learning process, we find that most riders are able to
make measurable progress when they hit the track with a single focus each session. When able to maintain
this focus the process of working on braking, body position or any other single technique will not tend to
cause a rider to feel overwhelmed. However, the capacity for most riders to maintain this singular focus
drastically diminishes when they have not done the requisite preparatory work. This work involves spending a
little extra time early in the day in order to make available the mental processing power needed to work on
this new skill.
Go slow to go fast
In order to have the capacity to think about any of the skills needed to gain confidence you first have to know
exactly where you are going on track. Kenny Roberts used to always say “learn to go slow in order to go fast”,
and this simple concept has many applications. When applied to learning a racetrack, going slow early in the
day will grant you the additional mental capacity you need in order to retain the information the track has for
you. Fortunately, it only takes a small reduction in speed to allow a rider to relax and direct full attention to
creating an invaluable set of reference points.
Points create the path
When there are not enough (or an absence of) reference points to create a complete picture of a line through
a corner there are several problems created. Since there are no specific points to look for down the track a
rider’s vision tends to be drawn in to the road right in front of them. This not only increases the perception of
speed but also leads.to a lack of smoothness due to mid corner corrections. To understand why this happens
one would only need to imagine the difficulty of walking straight to a target 300 feet away while looking
straight-down at your shoes. When riders become the most comfortable, they typically have a minimum of
three to four reference points per corner and are able to scan back and forth from one to the next, enabling
them to visualize a smooth path all the way from entrance to exit.
Priorities
Riders can typically learn 2-3 corners per session and should start memorizing the track in critical areas first.
Fast corners, blind areas and big braking zones should be given priority as these tend to be the areas on a
track that create the highest stress. Remember that the point of this process is to know exactly where you
will go before you get there so that both your position on the track and the timing of your inputs is set.
Uncertainty when it comes to things like brake points, tum points and apexes in critical corners will consume
nearly all of your focus and attention. The anxiety of approaching a fast corner without precise references
removes all of your filters and robs your attention from the primary goals you have set for that session.
Set the apex first
Once a rider has conquered the areas of highest stress, the next priority is to establish apexes, tum points
and brake points for the remainder of the track. When you are at your apex you should generally be able to
both see your exit point and be aimed at it (the correct trajectory). The strategy in each corner is centered
around the apex, and this should be the first reference point you seek to obtain in each corner. In a future
segment we will discuss the process of analyzing a corner to decide if the priority for your efforts will be to
maximize entrance speed, roll speed or exit speed.
Turn point
With the apex set, riders should next establish a tum point that brings the motorcycle to the apex at the
proper trajectory. A tum point that is too early will run you wide of your exit point and one that is too late will
often cause you to miss the apex. As you gain speed, this tum point is the reference that will most often be
subject to change. Apex points and trajectories tend to stay relatively constant once a corner strategy is
determined. However, as braking gets deeper and entrance speed improves, the turning of the motorcycle
tends to need to happen earlier, more quickly, or a combination of both.
Exit Point
Your cue for when to open the throttle is triggered by your exit point. As your tum point brings you towards
the apex you should be scanning up the track for your exit point. Ideally, as soon as a major part of your
turning is done you will be able to see your exit point and start rolling on the throttle again. The earlier you
are able to look up and draw the line from the apex to the exit, the slower you will feel you are going and the
sooner you will crack the throttle.
Brake point
The last point to fine tune is the brake point (if your target corner has a brake point). Many riders tend to
work on moving brake points up first, but this is a common mistake. A rider will set an early, safe brake point
when first riding around the track and this is a good place to start. In the end, an ideal brake point can be
described as one that brings you to your tum point at exactly the speed that allows you to make your apex. If
riders attempt to decide this point before establishing mid corner and exit trajectory, the learning process
gets halted as the entrance becomes a rush of scenery without a focus or goal.
Strategy Summary
When reference points are missing, a rider has to make an educated guess on where they should be and as a
result consistency and confidence drop off. Taking the time to slow down and map out your strategy before
attempting to ride hard will produce faster lap times, fewer mistakes and a vastly better mindset for learning.
Lines and references points will require less and less of your attention, leaving ample space in your head to
work on your riding…which is where we will begin next month.
All the best – Eric Wood
Penguin Racing School Inc.
Reprinted by permission from Penguin Racing School Inc. © 2026. All rights reserved.
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