Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

DP Safety School (Left) DP Safety SChool Inetructor Donny Greene (center) chases 'Assoclete Editor Scott Rousseau (left) through the world-famous corkscrew et Laguna Seca Raceway during one of the school's many treck sessions. (Below) Each track session Is broken up by a classroom session where every aspect of high-speed riding Is thoroughly diSCUSSed, Including braking, cornering, and proper scanning of the road. down the road to the track. When I arrived in the pit area I was greeted by the sight of several riders tuning and prepping machinery for the day at the track. Interestingly enough, not all of them were sport riders, either, as several cruisers and some full-dress touring bikes were being readied for the school. One thing I did hear, though, was some guy spouting off about the track record. I hoped I wouldn't be in his group. After unloading my things, [ stood in the registration line to check in and then trundled the CBR over to the tech line to undergo a fairly comprehensive examination. It was deemed fit to ride. As I suited up, I noticed some rather ominous clouds rolling in on the horizon, the lots-of-rain-bearing kind. Though the school runs rain or shine, I began to wonder if I hadn't picked the wrong day to go to school. My apprehensiveness was further heightened when several of the returning students mentioned that a sports-car race had taken place on the track one day prior, which would ensure that the track was good and slick should the rain fall. It would. . Orientation began at 8 a.m. sharp, at By Scott RousseauIPhotos by Donna Rusconi M y limit on the front straight was about 115 mph, no more.' Turn two was much smoother now. J still hung on to the brakes longer than J should have, but at least I was able to get through there without double-apexing. Three, four and five were wide, fast and connected by long straightaways. The key to getting through them quickly was to keep the speed up and be light on the handlebars. Most of my passing was done there and oil the uphill in the back section. Emde was right, turn six was still a pain in the ass, blind as a bat and uphill - thank God there was plenty of runoff room, although I never used it. But tum six also led to my favorite straightaway on the course: the ultra-fast uphill to turn seven - which wasn't really a tum at all - and beyond to perhaps the most famous set of turns in all of motorcycle road racing, turns eight and eight-A - the Corkscrew. Here it comes...get ready. Yeeeeehaaaa! Nine was smoother too, but J still don.'t like it. From there, it's a hell of rush to 10 before heading to 11, slowing for the hard left, and starting it all over again ... By now, most of you familiar with my lingo should be able to guess that I was negotiating the twists and turns of the historic and picturesque Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, California. But if you also guessed that I was road racinsyou'd be wrong. So, what was I doing there? Would you believe going to school? It all started innocently enough. For months I had been logging hundreds of boring hours on the highways and byways of that jungle known as the Southern California freeway system - but I wanted more. I wanted to go to a place where I could safely test my skills as well as really ride one of our repli-racers at speed. But the highway is no race track, and [ knew that I still lacked the proper knowledge of braking, scanning, cornering and all of the other fundamentals that make up the difference between a motorcycle rider and a good motorcycle rider. I had to find a place to learn th~ things without becoming a statistic. After discussing the situation with the boss, it was suggested that I find a road racing school to better learn the skills I needed. After perusing a few brochures, I elected to pick up the phone and give Dennis Pegelow a call. Pegelow's DP Safety School operates at several tracks in the Northern California area, including Sears Point International Raceway in Sonoma, and the newly opened Thunderhill Park, north of Sacramento. For $225, a rider can come to school, learn the nuances of high-performance motorcycling and then safely test what they've learned on an honest-toGod race track. Plenty of track time is guaranteed. It was DP's "home track," Laguna Seca Raceway, that I wanted to try. And why not? Learning the nuances of road racing at Laguna Seca would be like learning motocross at Carlsbad or Unadilla, or learning how to ride dirt track at Springfield. The ·venue alone would make the experience a memorable one. Fortunately, for me, Pegelow had a spot open for one of his May sessions at Laguna Seca, and he offered it to me. But I had a lot of legwork to do if I wanted to make the class. First, I needed a bike. I had discussed the idea with a couple of the manufacturers, but the machine that I wanted more than any other was a Honda CBR600F3. I had fallen in love with the agility and confidence-inspiring manners that the F3 afforded, making it the most natural learning platform in the CN stable at the time. A call to Honda's Jim Bates, and the company graciously cleared the way. Leathers came next and were perhaps the most difficult item to procure. See, I couldn't really afford a set of roadie leathers, and I wasn't about to hit the track in my speedway set, so I called around looking some one-time loaners. Scott Blanchard of Motoport provided the hides that would save my hide in case of a fall, offering the company's one-piece Olympic suit complete with back protector; as well as a pair of its High Speed Plus gloves. Finally, Dan McClelland at Gaerne shipped me a pair of the company's trick-looking GW-l Racing Boots. I then headed north to visit my folks in Reno, Nevada. Once there, my pal Richie Thorwaldson of Big Valley Honda in Reno, Nevada, took care of the final bike detailing - which was required per DP Safety School mandate - including the removal of the mirrors and a pretty meticulous tape job on the headlight, brakelight, and signals. Now I was set. I drove for most of the night to get to the track, so morning in Monterey came earlier than expected. As I opened the curtains of my hotel room [ noted that the sky was overcast, but not threatening. At least that was a good sign. After wolfing down some McBreakfast at the local fast-food eatery (nothing like a healthy meal to start the day), I headed which time the class was introduced to the instructors and the day's events were set. Pegelow divides each school into three groups based upon riding experience: Top-level racers and vets will likely be in the A group, while the B group could be considered the transitional group. My complete lack of race-track experience placed me in the C group. To guarantee that each rider will get the most out of each session, each group is limited to 30 riders. Pegelow always assembles a group of several well-qualified instructors, and today's faculty would be no different. For my sessions, I would be matched up with no less than two former AMA 250cc National Champions, Donny Greene and David Emde. If I couldn't learn something from one of these fellows, then it was time to take up knitting. During orientation, a light rain had already begun to fall, leaving a rather sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach. My confidence level had fallen off the scale, but Pegelow was very reassuring, and he downplayed the rain, telling us all that as long as we used our heads, we shouldn't get into trouble. Nonetheless, safety was stressed to the utmost. "Although we are not here to race, everybody wins here that finishes the day upright," Pegelow said. "Even in racing, you shouldn't carry the I'mgoing-to-win-or-crash-trying attitude. That will get you out of the sport real quick."

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