Blogging on a Race Track / Target Fixation

2012-05-30 80

Want to remind you guys I've been to that track 5 times in the last 2 years or less. A lot of the other guys on that track go 5 times every month. But I plan on going there at least twice a month in the future.

And for all you ignorant fucks calling me slow..etc. You don't know how fast I'm going. You don't know my lean angle. You don't know when my rear is sliding out or not.....in short...you don't know anything. I was there with a friend who races and is fast. By the third session I was pacing him. At the end of the day he complimented me and said that I improved a lot in one day and that I was "really cooking". So....I think I'll take his word over yours.

Another thing....back when I use to put up go-kart vids....same thing...people insulting my "line" and talking about apexes. Meanwhile.....I was entering races and coming in first. So yeah.....unless you've been on that track....then keep your advice to yourself.

Two things happening with me being scared of the straight:

"Target fixation is a process by which the brain is focused so intently on an observed object that awareness of other obstacles or hazards can diminish. Also, in an avoidance scenario, the observer can become so fixated on the target that they will forget to take the necessary action to avoid it, thus colliding with the object.
This is a common issue for motorcyclists and mountain bikers. A motorcycle or bicycle will tend to go where the rider is looking; if the rider is overly focused on an obstacle, the cycle can collide with that object simply because of the rider's focus on it, even though the rider is ostensibly trying to avoid it.
The term "target fixation" may have been borrowed from World War II fighter pilots, who spoke of a tendency to want to fly into targets during a strafing run. For instance, it is believed that a previous head injury to Manfred von Richthofen, the Red Baron, caused the famed flying ace to develop that process that caused him to disregard proper caution and become an easy target for Allied forces to fatally bring him down.
Target fixation may also refer to a phenomenon where a skydiver may forget to pull the ripcord because he or she is so focused on the landing area."

....and Looking Through the Turn

(and now this is me writing....sigh)By looking at the road ahead of me it becomes shorter and shorter and creates tunnel vision.....which exaggerates the feelings of speed/terror. But by looking into the turn at an almost 90 degree angle to the bike. You dispel the psychological problem, lose the feeling of excessive speed and focus on the opening turn.