Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

Team Suzuki Endurance Advanced R School iding not be on a Suzuki to participate, thought; riders of all brands are we lcome to register. Riders must be over the age of 18, and if taking advantage of Suzuki's freeto-GSX-R-owners offer, the registration must be in th e s tudent 's name. Of course, a valid driver's license is required, as is a set of full, one- piece leathers. For the non-racy types who don't already have their own leathers, these are available for rent at the school for a fee of $75 (and a crash damage deposit of$200). As expected, class day snuck up on both Paul and I quicker than we expected . "School is tomorrow, isn't it?" said Pau l. "Man , I'm feeling a cold comin g on. You might just have to go it alone, young man." Apparently, Pau l was as nervous as I. Tha t night, before I packed my riding gear, I dou ble checked with my wife to make sure that my life insurance policy was paid up... The nex t morning, a feeling of deja vu came over me as I drove up to the Pom ona Fairplex. "I've been here before," I thought. (Left) In the classroom, chief instruct or David Aldana Is colorful, animated and extremely knowledgable. The multIdimensional racer Is just at home In the classroom as he Is on the track. By Donn Maeda Photos by Ko Kagiya After a couple of quick familiarization laps, I kicked my Honda CR250 into go- ast f mode as :I began my third lap around the practice supercross track. As I approached each obstacle, I was confident and sure of how to tackle each of them. The first big tabletop - second gear, three-quarters throttle- no problem. The whoops - jumpfour in, then three, then two - and you're out. The double jump - thirdgear, halfthrottle - easy. Things were going well. So jar, I had negotiated each 'part of the track with ease. The next double jump, same thing - third gear, halfthrottle - "Aaaaahhhl" It's not a double - it's a tripl ! e As I lay on the ground next to my bent machine, I began to reflect on what hadjust happened. "Man, I've gotta get away from this jumping stuff" I thought. "There's gotta be another way to have fun on a motorcycle..." hree weeks later, I found myself clad in full road-race attire - a full leather suit, funny boots that felt like tennis shoes, leather gloves that had these little metal buttons on them, and a helmet that was so tight and claustrophobic that I felt as if I'd been buried alive. Where was I, you ask? At the Team Suzuki Endurance Advanced Riding School, where else? After relating my feelings to my editor about needing a break from the highflying, hard-crashing world of motocross, I found myself with a perfect opportunity to try my hand at the other end of the motorcycle spectrum: aboard a Suzuki GSX-R750 on the makeshift road race course at the Pomona Fairplex. When the invitation to attend the school arrived at the Cycle News offices, I jumped at the idea. "That would be awesome," I thought.""And it should be much saferwhen those guys fall, they just slide." Then reality set in. Memories of all those Havoc videos came to mind; and memories of past Cycle News "In th e Wind" items. Didn't Randy Renfrow have to get his big toe sewed on his hand after he ground his finger off in a crash? Oh, and I remember what Mick Doohan's leg looked like this past winter when I met him at a Honda RC45 intro . I think I'll pass on the "Hellraiser" cages, tharik you . What about the Kevin Atherton helm et I have han ging on my office wall ? The former factory HarleyDavidson dirt tracker had been clicking off a few lap s around Road America aboard his Ducati 888 and crashed hard. He snapped his forearm in the spill, and his helmet looks like Freddy Kruger got a hold of it. Nice. "Gee, Paul . I don't know. Maybe you should go instead." No such luck. But as any good boss would, editor Carruthers offered to join me in the class. That made me feel a little better - at least now there would be someone I knew who cou ld drive my truck home from the hospital. With m in imal experience aboard street bikes, I suppose that I was a prime candidate for such an assignment. After accepting the invitation, Paul and I received registration booklets in the mail a few days later. The first two pages included a brief biography of the man who would serve as chief riding instructor none other than the ever-versatile David Aldana. His list of accomplishments is a long one, and there is no doubting Aldana's qualifications. What remained to be seen, however, was his ability to teach. I have plenty of friends who are pro motocrossers, bu t can do Ii ttle to explain what they do to go fast. Being able to analyze and communicate how to go fast is as much a skill as is going fast, itself. The rest of the registration booklet consisted of a variety of waivers, dis claimers and agreements. A student would be hard-pressed to later claim that he was unaware of the dangers of road racing· the forms make them very clear. Gulp, One of the questions on the form pertains to your amount of race track experience. I was relieved to see a "None" Edito rs Maeda (above) and Carruthers (left) In acti on aboa rd GSXR7SOs pro vided by Ameri can SuzukI. Can you tell which Is the motocrosser, and which is the son of a World Champion? box - maybe I wouldn't be the only beginner out there . The school is offered free of charge to riders who purchase 1994 Suzuki GSXR750 or 1100 models, and at a discounted rate of $125 for purchasers of 1994 Suzuki RF600, RF900, Katana 750 or GS500E models. Returning students may also take the class for $125, while riders who do not meet any of th e requirements must pay $250. You need Well of course I had! I've covered the last five runnings of the Pomona Half Mile dirt track race. But wait, that's not it. Oh, I know! I'v e been to the Pomona swap meet before. That's why this parking lot looks so familiar! My feelings of dread were intensified when I heard that many of the top racers were thinking of boycotting the race. "What's that? They don't think the track is safe? "

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