Follow us, trust us...Let's start with your first question about the Penguin Roadracing School: Why "Penguin?" Founder Jerry Wood came up with the term while racing two-strokes in the 1970s. Roadracing was a mystery to most people back then, incorporating all sorts of techniques and technologies that Wood and his friends were steadily exploring. Each saw himself as the first in a line of penguins: Once he jumped into the dark, icy waters, the others followed. Longtime instructor Steve Noguiera put it concisely: "Follow us, trust us." Fittingly, it rained at the school I attended.
As the oldest motorcycle roadracing school in the country, Penguin (www.penguinracing.com) offers its students 35 years of experience, knowledgeable instructors, a focus on track safety and enjoyment, plus plenty of riding time. Penguin has a long list of successful alumni, from motorcycle-racer-turned-NASCAR-driver Dale Quarterley to the late Randy Renfrow, as well as Freddie Spencer, Jason DiSalvo, John Hopkins and the Hayden brothers: Roger, Tommy and MotoGP World Champion Nicky.
One-, two- and three-day programs are offered at New Hampshire International Speedway and Homestead, Florida. I signed up for the two-day curriculum at the former and opted to rent one of the school's bikes, which added $450 on top of the $500 tuition. That's not cheap, but it was nice to have someone else's machine to thrash.
At registration we were broken into three groups-licensed racers, experienced track riders and neophytes. Next came a classroom session devoted to safety, which the Penguins take very seriously. Following the class were two guided track sessions, wherein each student had the opportunity to follow an instructor and observe the correct racing line. The typical New England rain resulted in numerous crashes and red flags that cut our sessions short, but once the skies cleared and the track dried, we got down to business.
Getting comfortable with a new bike was daunting at first. My rented Ducati 900SS was a vibey, snatchy, torquey little beast-completely different from my Yamaha FJ1200. I had trouble adjusting to the twin's aggressive riding position and untimely rev limiter. My braking and gear selection needed the most improvement that first day, but I got a little better each lap. Of course, whenever I thought I was riding well, Steve would blow by on the outside of a corner to show me what these bikes can really do.
Unlike other racing schools and track-day organizations, Penguin offers its students the opportunity to pass other riders wherever it is reasonable and prudent. In other words, overtaking is allowed but dangerous passes are strictly forbidden. The instructors stress the notion of riding at your own pace
I awoke the next morning refreshed but disappointed by more rain. The infamous track walk became a track drive, with Jerry skidding the van through the wet turns, working the steering wheel like an F1 driver and generally scaring the hell out of us-all while lapping quicker than many of us could on bikes! With the wet track I focused on body positioning and riding the proper line. Back in the classroom, one of the instructors mentioned that moving around on the bike correctly will fatigue your legs and knees. Mine were aching after 10 laps-good, I thought, more progress.
A dry line appeared under the late-afternoon sun, and after practicing in the wet all morning, I was running a much quicker pace. Finally I was able to put what I'd learned to use and explore some of the Ducati's potential. When the two days were over, I only had one question: How soon could I come back?
By Kyle Saltzman
Enjoyed this Post? Subscribe to our RSS Feed, or use your favorite social media to recommend us to friends and colleagues!