Professional racers are faster because they know more, right? In reality, many factors make up speed on track. I’ve always looked at racing success through the lens of becoming a complete athlete, with technique, physical fitness, and mental preparation being the three major tenets. All are important, and all constantly feed and loop into one another.
When it comes to technique, working with a professional driver or rider isn’t all that different from working with a rank novice. Speed and nuance are the only real differences. Fundamentals are still the focus, regardless of the on-track experience or race wins. Only the degree of application changes.
Proper fundamentals should scale, from novice to professional, regardless of skill level or speed. It’s why a professional can jump into or onto your vehicle and almost immediately produce a cleaner, quicker lap time. They aren’t using some secret set of techniques reserved for professionals. They’re simply better at executing the fundamentals.
Recently, I was asked to take a look at MotoAmerica Twins Cup competitor Sonya Lloyd. Sonya, 24, is a former amateur flat-tracker and came to road racing through the Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. program, where she finished second overall. She has also contested the FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship.
Sonya had listened to my podcasts and read my Substack column, but she’d never received any formal in-person training. Everything she knew about my approach to motorcycle riding came from what I had published. For the most part, then, she was winging it. And while she is qualifying for professional grids, she hasn’t reached her goals.
