FEATURE
TEXAS TORNADO BOOT CAMP
P66
2. SHOOTING A 0.50-CALIBER IS A
MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE
I'd never seen a 0.50-cal rifle before, let alone shot
one. Doing so will be an experience that will stay with
me for life. Now, I'm not big on guns, but I have to
admit there was a serious adrenaline rush that came
from pulling the trigger on something I'd only seen in
war movies. The wave of atmosphere and noise that
comes off the back of a 0.50-cal. bullet is nothing less
than intense. Even if guns aren't for you, seeing one of
these things in the metal and firing it will be something
that will hang around in your mind for a very long time.
FOUR THINGS I LEARNED AT THE TEXAS
TORNADO BOOT CAMP
1. I HAVE TO LOOK UP MORE
One thing I've struggled with in the past is not
looking far enough ahead when cornering. I get
transfixed on where I am, not where I'm going,
and that often leads to me falling on my face.
The 90-degree drill really helps here, making you
look way past the corner you're in, making you
smoother and faster without you even realizing it.
3. REAR BRAKE IS KING. TOTAL KING.
I'd always known this, but three-and-a-half days of
hammering that little lever on the right side of the bike
brought it home just how important the rear brake
is for smooth, fast lap times. It works in conjunction
with the chain tension, with AMA gun Jake Johnson
saying, "Imagine the chain is a rope that you have
to keep tension on with either the throttle or the rear
brake. If any slack gets in that rope, it'll whiplash back
when either the brake or throttle is applied, like in a
tug-of-war." Once this got through my thick skull and
I started thinking about keeping constant tension on
the chain, my laptimes started dropping instantly.
4. ROTATE THE HIPS
I'd always ridden dirt track the same way I road raced,
that is, I kept my hips square to the handlebars. Shea
Fouchek noticed this and told me to rotate my hips (not
my upper body) in the middle of the turn. The result was
absolutely instant. The little Yamaha turned way tighter
than it did before, yet there wasn't any more force on the
steering or the front tire. That meant I could go into cor-
ners a bit harder but get on the gas a lot earlier, as with
the front not tying itself in knots and making the rear go
light, I could hit the gas harder and get more drive. Win.
