2018 coaching with OTP schools

Fireman

Well-Known Member
Good afternoon everyone. This season OTP schools is looking at coaching on the EMRA race weekends. Myself and Brad Gavey are looking at being available to ride with our students in a 1 on 1 environment during the Friday or Saturday practice days, and then spend the next day in the pits with our students helping them perfect their race craft and helping them improve when it matters most... During a race weekend.

I have a list of dates that I am hoping to put out ASAP, however with the current AGM and rule change meeting coming up, we are running into some discussion.

There is discussion right now in regards to making race bodywork mandatory for 2018. I absolutely see the reasoning behind this discussion. Unfortunately if this rule applies to all bikes including instructors on track, we will not be able to move forward with this program.

I am looking to the membership to see if there is any objection to allowing OTP coaches on track in 2018 to coach with stock bodywork on their motorcycle? The bikes will have engine case covers, safety wire, Shark fins, no coolant and be fit for race tech in every other way.

I am looking for some input so that we can try and present a case to the 2018 Executive to try and move this program forward.

thank you for your time

Justin Knapik
 

toybm

Member
Interested. How much would something like this cost and do you have a curriculum of sorts? You can PM me the info if you wish.

Maybe i can start dropping hints for this as a xmas present .
 

Fireman

Well-Known Member
Likely we are looking at 500.00 for the practice day and 650.00 for the weekend

Right now I am hoping to get input to see if the club members feel there is any issue with a motorcycle with stock bodywork instructing during a EMRA trackday, or practice. If there is support, it will help me present a case to the Executive in the event that the bodywork rule is implemented in 2018.
 

yak

Well-Known Member
Justin

What is the motivation behind the proposed aftermarket body work rule change?

If I manage to get back on the track next year I would not object to a bike that passes 2017 tech rules being on track.

The questions I would have would be related to how traffic is dealt with and which practice session the on-track work would be done in. I am sure with your experience that any concerns/issues could be resolved.

Regards,

Todd
 

Fireman

Well-Known Member
Hi Todd. To address your question about traffic, there would only be 2 additional riders on the track. 2 instructors. They would be riding with their racer who is being coached. So additional space on the track will not be a issue.

This is a program built to be able to help coach our racers in their own race groups on a race weekend.

I have been asked for years to do something like this for lots of our racers. Many of my instructors have asked for this kind of instruction to help them find time as well. Until this season, I have not been able to offer that due to racing myself.

But I digress, I just want to touch base to see if there is any objection to stock bodywork (which has been allowed since the EMRA's inception) being allowed in 2018 on a instructor bike in the event that the rule change goes through.
 

blam

Administrator
Justin

What is the motivation behind the proposed aftermarket body work rule change?

Todd,

I could be wrong, but I believe this stems more from a requirement to have a belly pan that can contain fluid, in which case, "naked" bikes would be exempt, as they don't come with belly pans.

it may also have to do with headlights still being left in on race bikes.
 

DEFBOY35

Well-Known Member
Todd,

I could be wrong, but I believe this stems more from a requirement to have a belly pan that can contain fluid, in which case, "naked" bikes would be exempt, as they don't come with belly pans.

it may also have to do with headlights still being left in on race bikes.
A naked bike still needs to have some sort of catch can and containment in place.
 

yak

Well-Known Member
Thanks guys.

I believe that capturing oil in a bellypan with consistency is pretty challenging. There are other reasons to consider aftermarket bodywork but on the subject at hand whether it is instructors (or new folks on a budget) I wouldn't go down the path of mandating aftermarket bodywork.
 

fast316

EMRA Executive Member
Thanks guys.

I believe that capturing oil in a belly pan with consistency is pretty challenging. There are other reasons to consider aftermarket bodywork but on the subject at hand whether it is instructors (or new folks on a budget) I wouldn't go down the path of mandating aftermarket bodywork.

My experience has been that a sealed lower belly pan provided by the race fairings on my 600rr was highly effective in capturing oil from an blown engine. So much so I kept the rear tire as not a drop of oil got on it.

Just as an FYI. On the last race weekend a rider forgetting to tighten their drain plug, on a bike with OEM lowers, dumped all the oil in their bike between corners 7-12. The delay to clean the oil spill was lengthy 2.5 hours then a further hour after the day to clean the track again. Hundreds of dollars of floor dry were used, not mention thousands of dollars of track time lost to this. It also led to lengthy discussion with track management as to what is being done to contain oil spills in regards to motorcycles. In the track rental contract there is a fine for spilling oil on the track that the club was lucky to avoid. Worst of all 3 other riders went down. Luckily again damage to bikes was minor and riders were not seriously injured. All of this could have been greatly reduced or entirely avoided had sealed belly pans been required.
 

yak

Well-Known Member
Jon

Thanks for the info.

I also recall watching an incident on which an oil filter seal failed on a bike with an aftermarket fairing going into turn 1 at Stratotech. It wasn't on a Honda and it wasn't pretty for the following rider.

Cheers
 

fast316

EMRA Executive Member
Jon

Thanks for the info.

I also recall watching an incident on which an oil filter seal failed on a bike with an aftermarket fairing going into turn 1 at Stratotech. It wasn't on a Honda and it wasn't pretty for the following rider.

Cheers

K and N oil filters were also banned this year. After another leak. Fortunately the bike had a sealed belly pan and the oil was contained. No one was hurt and down time on track was minimal.

So the action taken earlier this season and proposed action now are consistent with each other. They are also consistent with most other clubs. Taking action to greatly reduce the risk of future oil spills on track is what is in the best interest of safety for the club as a whole.
 

blam

Administrator
Jon

Thanks for the info.

I also recall watching an incident on which an oil filter seal failed on a bike with an aftermarket fairing going into turn 1 at Stratotech. It wasn't on a Honda and it wasn't pretty for the following rider.

Cheers
todd,

i dont disagree that a mandatory requirement for aftermarket fairings may deter new racers. fact of the matter is, if you're racing in competetiion, you should really have the right equipment to do so, which is proper fairings for competition.

having said that, regardless of how many checks we put in place, we will never 100% take all risk away. the best we can do is put in as many reasonable steps as possible to mitigate risk.

we also had another incident this year where a bike had coolant in the system (another topic so lets not go down that road) crash and somewhere around 1L spilled out. luckily, the belly pan contained it and we were able to dump the coolant out of the belly pan before loading it on the crash truck. if it had OEM fairings, there is no doubt in my mind we would have had coolant on the exit line of turn 6.
 

Framer

Member
yes, thats correct, as per the current rule book.

A question on this. So we have a few mortard style bikes and an SV or two that run without a belly pan. I'm wondering how that works with respect to the rule book? I bet an oil spill from one of those bikes would be as potentially dangerous as from any other bike, but maybe this is covered off in the rules somehow or maybe it has been discussed in the rule changes thread. It's something I've wondered about though.
 

blam

Administrator
So we have a few mortard style bikes and an SV or two that run without a belly pan.
if they are not manufactured and sold with a belly pan, they are exempt from requiring one, but still require a catch can

yes, you are correct, a spill from one of them would be very bad. but not much we can do if belly pans are not commercially available. this just goes back to reducing risk as much as practicable. mandating these guys have custom belly pans is not really practical.
 

Fireman

Well-Known Member
I wanted to open this dialog to see if there would be any issues with a instructor teaching on a practice day with a OEM lower in the clubs mind. I am hoping that the increase in rider safety and skill from a program such as the one I am trying to put together , outweighs any of the risk of having a race prepped bike, with a OEM lower on it.

Unfortunately I cannot modify the bodywork on the OTP instructor bike, and I will not be able to attend the AGM to plead my case on Saturday.
 
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