The Corkscrew, by Stoner

[Slide Panda]

Skimmed from Hellforleather

http://hellforleathermagazine.com/2010/07/photo-casey-stoner-tackle-the.html

[Goat_Herder]

Are we still too early for this?  We don't even have a confirmation on the Ducati-Rossi deal... 

"Honda rider Casey Stoner's line is perfect, but if you're Ducati's Valentino Rossi, you can just cut through the dirt"

[spolic]

No, this picture illustrates how slow Stoner really is.  He is actually lapping himself!

[SacDuc]

Look at the seventh, eighth and ninth Stoners from the right. He is already crossed up and yanking that bike over. That just impresses me. I would bet for most rider's (say almost anything below professional) the bike's centrifugal force has already brought the bike up before the rider can even assist. But look at Stoner get on pulling the bike over for the next turn that early. Very cool sequence of photographs.

 


sac

[avizpls]

^ Thats what I got out of it too. 

[derby]

Look at the seventh, eighth and ninth Stoners from the right. He is already crossed up and yanking that bike over. That just impresses me. I would bet for most rider's (say almost anything below professional) the bike's centrifugal force has already brought the bike up before the rider can even assist. But look at Stoner get on pulling the bike over for the next turn that early. Very cool sequence of photographs.

 


sac

i'd say that's the case for most street riders. once you get on a track, you actually have to make the bike do something at speed and you're more likely to be on the "wrong" side of the bike fighting to get it to switch direction.

[SacDuc]

i'd say that's the case for most street riders. once you get on a track, you actually have to make the bike do something at speed and you're more likely to be on the "wrong" side of the bike fighting to get it to switch direction.

You are likely right. Having never been on a track I guess I wouldn't really know. It must take just amazing timing/judgment to do that at speed. Pro or Am, I'm impressed.

Derby, you've been through the corkscrew plenty of times, yeah? Is my assumption that your front end gets quite a bit lighter thereby making pulling the bike over that much harder correct?

sac

[Turf]

No, this picture illustrates how slow Stoner really is.  He is actually lapping himself!

There is a ton of bad shit you can rag on stoner for, slow isn't one of them

[derby]

Derby, you've been through the corkscrew plenty of times, yeah? Is my assumption that your front end gets quite a bit lighter thereby making pulling the bike over that much harder correct?

i've only been through it twice and, unfortunately, not at "fun" pace...

i think some of the sfo guys have done trackdays there and could provide some insight.

[Betty]

... and still no mention of the billboard in the background

[Spidey]

You start turning the other direction as soon as you hit the apex at the top, even though your front end isn't planted (which makes it EASY to crash).  But because of the drop and the speed you're traveling, you can't move as fast as you want.  You're already a little bit down the hill before you actually get crossed up.  The really hard part is that as you get in faster and faster, you take the first apex with more lean angle, and you have to flick it over harder.  In fact, when you first start riding the corkscrew, most people start standing the bike up well before they get to the first apex.  That allows them to come into the turn already stood up (and moving slower) so they don't have to flick as hard in the other direction.  As you get faster and faster, you learn to trust your line and how quickly you can get the bike from full right lean to full left lean.  But it's still really hard to commit to full lean going in to the first apex knowing how hard you going to have to flick it over to the right.  It's also blind, so you have to commit to going in at full lean and trust that your trajectory is right.  It's pretty make the beast with two backsin' scary.  

[derby]

 

[SacDuc]

You start turning the other direction as soon as you hit the apex at the top, even though your front end isn't planted (which makes it EASY to crash).  But because of the drop and the speed you're traveling, you can't move as fast as you want.  You're already a little bit down the hill before you actually get crossed up.  The really hard part is that as you get in faster and faster, you take the first apex with more lean angle, and you have to flick it over harder.  In fact, when you first start riding the corkscrew, most people start standing the bike up well before they get to the first apex.  That allows them to come into the turn already stood up (and moving slower) so they don't have to flick as hard in the other direction.  As you get faster and faster, you learn to trust your line and how quickly you can get the bike from full right lean to full left lean.  But it's still really hard to commit to full lean going in to the first apex knowing how hard you going to have to flick it over to the right.  It's also blind, so you have to commit to going in at full lean and trust that your trajectory is right.  It's pretty make the beast with two backsin' scary.  

Egads. So what the hell do you look at? What are your eyes doing since they can't see track? I mean, if you're already wrenching the bike over to get into a turn you can't see yet what do you focus your eyes on to keep them from wandering. I presume the motogp guys just shut them and use the force.

sac

[derby]

Egads. So what the hell do you look at? What are your eyes doing since they can't see track? I mean, if you're already wrenching the bike over to get into a turn you can't see yet what do you focus your eyes on to keep them from wandering. I presume the motogp guys just shut them and use the force.

sac

my guess is there is a reference point to focus on...

there was a track i used to race at that had a blind-entry turn and my reference point was a radio tower on the adjacent property; point the bike at the tower and twist the thottle.

[Triple J]

Egads. So what the hell do you look at? What are your eyes doing since they can't see track? I mean, if you're already wrenching the bike over to get into a turn you can't see yet what do you focus your eyes on to keep them from wandering. I presume the motogp guys just shut them and use the force.

sac

Like Derby said...you just pick something to look at. Lots of tracks have blind corners due to elevation change. The Attitudes at Miller for instance, are like a mini corkscrew. You just make sure you hit the first turn's apex, and focus on something in the direction you need to be going at that point. I can't remember what I focus on at Miller...but I know it is something.