October 22 - Schwantz & HRCA Team Up

Doug Westly and Becky DeShazo-Westly

Former World GP Champion Kevin Schwantz is a household name in motorcycling circles, and the Kevin Schwantz School has earned an exceptional reputation over the years. Now the HRCA has teamed up with the Schwantz School to offer riding schools at a discounted rate, and that gives Members an excellent avenue to sharpen up on riding skills.

As of 2009, the Schwantz School now operates out of beautiful Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, AL. The school is also the first and only riding school recognized by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation for its commitment to safety and safe riding.

Becky and I are longtime Members of the HRCA, and we enjoyed the opportunity to attend Kevin’s program this past June, utilizing our HRCA Member’s discount for the tuition and bike rentals. And because we also serve as MSF RiderCoaches and are sportbike enthusiasts, the Schwantz School proved to be a mecca for us.

The two-day class at the Schwantz School provides sportbike enthusiasts and sport-touring riders the opportunity to work with experienced instructors and develop and hone rider skills in the controlled environment of the Barber racetrack. We emphasize that although this course is not a racing school, it also is not for the beginning rider. Most students attending the Schwantz School have at least a few years of sportbike and/or sport-touring experience, either on the track, the street or both. During our school dates, the least-experienced student had been riding sportbikes for a couple of years; our most experienced was an amateur road racer of considerable skill.

However, the Schwantz School philosophy and the instructors quickly point out that skills developed and nurtured on the track stand riders in good stead on the street as well. As RiderCoaches and now graduates of the Schwantz School, we are in agreement with the philosophy espoused by the instructors: The skills you learn and/or enhance on the track will translate directly to better street riding skills.

At the Schwantz School, students begin by discussing bike-handling techniques and skills in the classroom, as well as rules for the school and track. Next it’s down to the paddock to select a rental bike if you haven’t brought your own and get ready for the first track session. The school offers rental bikes for the course, including Honda CBR600RRs. These bikes are new each year, provided directly from the manufacturers. Becky’s CBR had a total of 171 miles on it at the beginning of the course; mine had about 400. The bikes are stock, with the only modifications being the removal of the mirrors and disabling of the lights, as well as other minor safety adjustments performed for operation on the track. Even the tires are DOT-approved sportbike rubber. This means students are operating street motorcycles with commensurate performance and capabilities.

Because of differing skill levels, students are placed into beginner, intermediate or expert classes for the track sessions. The instructor/student ratio does not exceed one to three in order to ensure plenty of instructor attention. One-on-one attention is not uncommon, and these instructors are extremely capable in their riding and coaching duties.

Probably the most critical skill emphasized on the track and in the classroom is riding in a smooth and relaxed fashion. As one instructor put it, “Suspensions are so good nowadays that the motorcycle naturally wants to do the right thing, so let it.” Students get to practice that advice and other skills in sequentially progressive lessons, with alternating classroom and track sessions that emphasize natural skills progression. Lessons follow quickly, one after another: “Look where you want to go,” “Look through the corner,” “Turn-in, apex, exit” and other lessons, including controlling braking pressure, shifting techniques, body positioning, counter-steering, body weight on the pegs and many more.

For two days, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., we went through the alternating ritual of classroom discussion, track laps and instructor debriefs for every student in the aftermath of each track session. We sat in the classroom and analyzed ourselves on the track, courtesy of the instructor-ridden video bike. By the end of each day, we were exhausted. At night, back in the hotel room, we went to sleep visualizing every corner of the track in sequence, with its turn-in markers, apex and exit points. We knew where our shift points were on the track, could tell by looking at the track when the suspension of the bike would load and unload, and could mentally picture the proper lines through the corners.
One of the great things about the school is the riding passion Kevin brings to the course. He was out there with the students on both days, leading not only the advanced riders, but taking turns with the intermediate and beginning students as well. Kevin even did a one-on-one for a few laps with Becky, including an after-session debriefing.

The school caters hot lunches on both days for the students, provides morning and daily refreshments and snacks, and even hosts dinner inside the Barber Motorsports Museum on the first night, with a private, behind-the-scenes tour of the museum as a bonus. If you’re a motorcycle enthusiast and haven’t been to the Barber Museum, it should be on the top of your bucket list.
At the end of the course, attendees receive certificates of graduation. Prizes are awarded for the safest riders, and the top award goes to the Most Improved Rider. In our class, the Most Improved Rider was none other than Becky! She started in the beginner group and by the end of the class was pacing one of the fast intermediate groups. She also won a free pair of Michelin tires to go with her award! If you’re interested in pursuing sport riding to its next level, the graduation from the course also qualifies you for your amateur road racing provisional license.

So what did we learn in two days of constant adrenaline rush? First off, no matter how good you think you are, there is always more to learn, with skills to refine and new techniques to incorporate into your riding. Second, all those lessons on the track really do blend into your daily riding. We both immediately noticed after leaving the school and climbing back on our own bikes that we had adjusted our techniques to incorporate some valuable lessons learned. You’re reminded that riding is a perishable skill. You need to continuously practice your skills and challenge your own level in terms of technique and control of the motorcycle, whether it’s on the track or the street. The time at the school also reinforced another critical thought: There is a time and place for speed, and that is on the track.

Now that we’re back on city streets and country roads, we’re even more acutely aware of the vulnerabilities of riding in public that we didn’t have in the safe, enclosed environment of the racetrack. It has brought new focus to careful street riding.

If you’ve ever thought about spending some time on the track or wondered how to continue improving skills developed through years of riding and conventional riding courses, then the Schwantz School is a must-do. The school loves HRCA attendees and really caters to its students. The instructors will show you your limits and expand them on the track in a safe arena, and you’ll have a great time to boot. Oh, and it will make you a safer rider on the street as well!

You can check out the Schwantz School at www.schwantzschool.com.