STAR School at HPR

[acrovixen]

For all you lucky souls privileged enough to go to the STAR School at HPR this weekend, have an amazing time! And know that there are a couple of very jealous peeps in Vegas who really wish we could be there...

Looking forward to some great stories and photos!!

[Ninja2]

Thank you for thinking of us, Lisa.
Getting ready to head out there now. Will let you know how it went.

[blaircsf]

The STAR school at HPR was great. Learned a lot, had a lot of track time to practice, and just generally had a good time. All of the instructors were great, very knowledgeable and willing to share insights as well as answering questions. Overall it was well worth it, and I wouldn't hesitate to attend another one. Hope to see them at HPR next year.

[Ninja2]

Not sure where to start, so I will start with thank yous - felt like I had a whole pit crew out there... . Everyone was helping each other out. It was great!
- Thanks to Mike for hauling my bike and all other mechanical support.
- Thanks to Blair, Ken and T-Jolt(? -sorry, I forgot your name) for fixing my hot bike so I didn't have to cut the school short by one day.
- Thanks to everyone who brought this school to my attention and encouraged me to go!

Day 1: Jason did the classroom sessions for both, advanced and street. I was in street. He started off with RPM management. We then went over lines, body positioning and braking. In the afternoon we looked at the track in more detail, you could go 2 up with Jason, and practice. As described by Clarkie and others already, there will be a lot of feedback: http://www.cosportbikeclub.org/forum...highlight=star
Thanks to Acrovixen, I brought a notebook, and used it quite a bit!

Day 2: We started off watching STAR instructors go into turn 1. I stand corrected, we watched and heard them back it into turn 1. Never knew what that meant until STAR. We then continued with more classroom time, and then got a whole lot more track time. On the second day I finally had enough courage to do a 2 up with Jason despite Jason telling me about brake failure earlier in the day and my pit crew urging him to back it into corners with me on the back.

Overall, it was worth the investment. My speed may not have increased drastically. However, I have no doubt which gear I need to be in where at any time on the track, and feel a lot more comfortable. I think my biggest improvements were in turn 4 and 5.

If STAR comes back next year, I do plan on signing up again next year. Living in Colorado, we are blessed to be this close to the school when it comes to HPR. There were riders who had to travel quite a bit to be able to attend.

PICS:
2 up with Jason, holding on to dear life - they actually mounted handles to the tank for folks to hold on. I do not think I could have held on for more than two laps. I could not even tell when he shifted other seeing him pull in the clutch or letting it go.


And me coming out of 4 and going into 5:

[garyC]

Ninja2,

I was at the STAR too. How did you get your photos so soon? I thought they would be mailing out CDs.

Great pictures. You should bid on Jason's helmet. I think it is the same one in your two-up photo.

-- Gary

[Clarkie]

Great to hear you all had an amazing time, as you now know, it isnt just a track day as it's more of a teaching seminar on two wheel

[acrovixen]

So awesome and I'm so thrilled to hear you guys all had fun!! Great pics, Ninja! I'm seriously hoping that Team Clarkie can make it next year - we both REALLY want to come up and ride HPR. Can't wait to see more pics!

That 2 up ride is kind of a heart stopper, isn't it?

[OUTLAWD]

I brought a notebook, and used it quite a bit!

told ya so

[rybo]

So the better part of a week after attending the STAR School I think I'm almost ready to write about it.

I approached this program with some trepidation. In speaking with several students from the past two years I got mixed reviews and had pretty much decided that I wouldn't attend. Then Aaron had to go and post his review on here and in the MRA forums. It's no secret that I hold Aaron and his opinions on all things motorcycle in high regard, so I sent him an email about it. A couple messages later we got to the core of the issue for me. This is not a school where the instructors hold your hand and guide you through the process, it is instead a school where you get out exactly what you put in.

The lecture sessions with Jason were both informative and entertaining. He used metaphor and stories to make his points about riding and was able to dissect riding into tiny little digestable bits. For me the breakthroughs came not in great big things, but little things that I either KNEW I should be doing, and wasn't, or in doing things I was already doing in a slightly different way. The coaches were observant and attentive, but it was on the students to seek out their knowledge and help. When I asked for help I got well thought out, and rational direction, things I could apply in my next session to help make more sense of where I did well, and where I could improve in my riding.

Jason's take on line selection was particularly interesting to me, and I'm glad that I didn't immediately dismiss it based on my previous experience at HPR.

All in all this was an excellent program, and I'm glad that I attended. The skills learned will be put to the test at the next MRA round, HPR on the 27/28. I can't wait.

Aaron, thank you for the encouragement. I hope that I get to ride with you and Lisa soon.

Scott

[Clarkie]

No problem Scott, I am glad you got a lot out of going. The thing to remember is, we are all adults and the STAR School is designed for adults. If you want to get something out of the STAR school you need to be proactive, plan, ask the right questions, and the STAR school instructors will help you acheive your goals. Kind of like being an adult really.....

If you want the instructor to hold your hand and guide you through their school you are approaching it all wrong. Shit even in school you get the option of learning things or just sitting there in class, for me it was the same way with the STAR school which is why I personally got so much out of it. I wanted to learn, wanted to improve, and got more out of it than I thought possible. It is as simple as being prepared and taking a notebook as Lisa said, if you expected someone else to take notes for you, it shows your approach to the STAR School.

It would be like playing football with your friends, or going to a football clinic

[Ninja2]

Gary, they burned CDs on the spot. So I just picked it up there.

The ride was more of a test of my arm strength than a heart stopper to me. Maybe I am just out of shape.

[t_jolt]

Gary, they burned CDs on the spot. So I just picked it up there.

The ride was more of a test of my arm strength than a heart stopper to me. Maybe I am just out of shape.

I also believe it was $100 for your pictures IIRC.

[garyC]

Gary, they burned CDs on the spot. So I just picked it up there.

The ride was more of a test of my arm strength than a heart stopper to me. Maybe I am just out of shape.

I filled out the form and provided my CC info. I didn't think they had completed sorting photos by the end of the class, so I left. I am sure a CD will arrive in a few days. I will post some photos then.

Along with holding on when going on a ride with Jason, holding your breath adds to the fatigue. When I went for ride, I think I was holding my breath for much of it.

-- Gary