THE NOTEBOOK

Taking the time to mentally prepare before you get on the bike is only one part of the equation, because it’s almost as important to sit down after you ride and think about various scenarios or techniques that just occurred on the track.

A handy tip is to grab a notebook and use it each time you ride, drawing your own track maps and marking down any brief notes that you may have thought of during the day.

What this does is assist you in memorising the circuit layout and your gear change points and reference points, because when you write something down it usually lodges it in your mind a lot better than simply thinking of it.

Another added bonus is that when you return to that same circuit next time you can easily refer to your own notebook and use it as a guide to fast track your warm up process early in the day.

These are all things that the successful racers actually do, so give it a shot and see if it can help take you on the fast track to better riding.

Have you ever noticed sometimes when the television cameras are working their way through the grid before a MotoGP or world Superbike race that some riders just don’t react at all? While some wave and smile for the cameras (usually the ones up front), others are deep in thought visualising the race ahead.

Mentally preparing properly can provide great reward if done correctly, and this is why you’ll usually see the guys at the back of the grid thinking much harder than the faster guys at the front — basically because the guys at the front of the field are confident and ready to go.

That doesn’t mean that those riders on the front few rows don’t mentally prepare, because they would’ve already done the majority of their mental preparations earlier in the weekend (or in the pit garage before the race). Meanwhile, the guys at the back are searching for last minute answers, focussing to the point that they don’t even realise there’s a camera on them.

But how do you mentally prepare to ride a motorcycle exactly?

First things first, mental preparation is key to assisting you in getting ready for battle against your competitors in a race, or against the cages in the real world. It is mostly achieved by concentrating to a point where you begin to visualise your ride ahead — which is extremely helpful when riding on a circuit and looking to go as fast as possible.

Sit down (or do some light stretches) with as minimal distractions as possible and begin to go over the fundamentals of riding — think of techniques that you have learnt in your riding experiences including your body position, visual skills, throttle application, gear changes, etc.

This will keep them fresh in your mind and help make you consciously think of these techniques as soon as you’re on the bike.

For the track, try to get your hands on a track map and go over it, marking your gear changes, braking and reference points, and any other notes that you may think of. If you don’t have a track map available, close your eyes and visualise the circuit very thoroughly.

This is where reference points come into play, because if you have many in your mind and know the circuit well, it is possible that you can time a lap with a stopwatch as you’re going over it in your mind and almost match what you actually do on track (no joke).

When mentally visualising the circuit, it needs to be as detailed and accurate as possible to get the best results. Begin visualising at the start/finish line and work your way through a lap, thinking of your braking points, turn-in points, apex points and acceleration points, just to name a few.

Don’t forget to note any rough sections of the circuit, or even sections where you may drift out over the ripple strip on the exit of select corners. Continue this all the way until you reach the end of the lap and do another few if you have the time. It all helps prepare you for the session ahead.

Once you have focussed on the riding fundamentals and circuit character before you ride, you’ll find that you’ll be much more prepared when completing your first lap of the day.

But don’t limit it to your first ride of the day or weekend. Continue to do it in between sessions, looking for that extra tenth of a second to improve your laptimes and results. This is what we usually see on the grid during race telecasts as the struggling riders desperately try to find ways to go faster.

Visualising the track in between sessions is also a perfect way to learn a new track faster if you only have limited time there on a race weekend or at a ride day.

The riding fundamentals mentioned above are still great to think of before a ride on the street, even if you aren’t exactly looking to go fast or don’t know the roads that you’re riding on. They’ll help you be more alert once you get on the bike and could help avoid an accident if you have a moment early on in the ride.

Like stretching, mentally preparing is usually one of the afterthoughts for most riders as they rush to get ready to ride. It’s common for riders to simply forget or run out of time even if they did intend on having a good think about the ride ahead.

From now on, make the time and ensure that you have an extra 15 minutes or so up your sleeve to think about riding before you even get on the bike. The rewards for taking the time to prepare will be massive.