i used to be able to ride a bike.....

[CapeDoctor]

well, more like, i used to be able to ride a bike really fast, and still keep my shit together, for the most part.
virtual bikes btw, not real ones - i loved the old GP500 game, and especially the fact that i had it so sorted, that i had set new records on every single circuit (original) on the highest sim settings.
playing GP500 today, it certainly shows it's age, and even the physics appear somewhat limited, after being thoroughly spoiled with GP Bikes.
however, with all the awesomeness that GPB brings, maybe my tender age of 49 is beginning to tell, it seems that the more i've been practising, the more i've been falling. 
i'll use the past 3 days of attempts at Laguna Seca as an example.
i've never been a big fan of this track, but i have found in the past that i often get better times on some tracks that i don't like, because i'm more focused on it. but Laguna these last 3 days...man....
here's more or less how it's gone.
fired up Laguna for the first time on GPB.
out lap - no issues at all, a little wide on one corner, but otherwise not a problem. (bike is RGV250 in this case)
first flying lap - 1m32s.something.    thought to myself; that's not too bad, i should easily do 1m30, at least.
annnnnd, no, sorry, the tale then just gets ridiculous.
since then i have done over 4 hours in total, lost track of how many laps, but other than decent outlaps, i was dropping the bike at least once on each and every lap. from either just pushing too hard, not pushing hard enough, worn tires, cold tires, dropping it into one corner on the one lap, dropping it out of that corner on the next lap. next lap, next corner. losing the front end in a spot i never lost it before.on and on like this, and after each session i just give up in frustration.
odds are, you'd say, that sooner or later, i must get that one good lap in. i'd agree.
reality, however, had other plans, as many otherwise potentially perfect laps were spoiled by real world interruptions, telephones, and so on.
one instance that tripped my poor brain was exiting the final harpin onto the start straight to finish a definite 1m30s lap, possibly high 1m29, and my controller cable got snagged under my foot. as i leaned the controller slightly, the unexpected extra resistance caused me to go wide and drop the bike.
another time - this more regular for me, but will surely interest some of you - i had to jump up from the keyboard in a huge hurry to close the window, to stop a baboon from climbing in. lol
this is how it's been going.
anyhoo, i'm a cup half-full kinda guy, and am still gonna give it a few more goes.
the real depression kicks in, when i was doing a few more crash-prone laps around Laguna online, still hunting that elusive 1m30s lap.
a guy by the name of nurb pops in, says hi, goes out and does one flying lap of 1m25s, says goodbye and leaves for another server.
man, that's depressing stuff.
i used to be able to ride a bike....   

[Napalm Nick]

Hahahahhhehhehhee!

I don't think i will complain about a wasp trying to get in the window again 

Keep practicing mate its a difficult track, i had a go last night and suffered a similar fall-fest . Dont let the aliens phase you 

[Become dust]

sounds rough, i struggle to just stay on the damn track

[Warlock]

GPB life is hard Cape    hehehe.

[CapeDoctor]

this reminds me - one of the greatest things about GP500, that helped me the most to get my riding style perfect, was the ghost bike.
i would chase my ghost around endlessly, constantly improving on the ghost time, until it was literally not possible to take the bike around any faster.
what i would give to be able to chase my own ghost around in GPB.
i know dear PiB is steadfastly against this idea, but i reckon it would be epic, and a definite motivator to keep me chasing down better times, and overall improving my technique.
yar...enough babbling from me, off for another round at Laguna.... 

[Grooveski]

Bet you're a second a lap quicker tomorrow.   
First day times anywhere mean nothing.  Y'gotta sleep on it. 

High 33's here first practice.  Scared to touch Warlock's Brno geometry - any time I do I start falling off. 
...more.  Falling off plenty just from falling off. 

[Grooveski]

i would chase my ghost around endlessly, constantly improving on the ghost time, until it was literally not possible to take the bike around any faster.

I'd back off before the line sometimes to let the little bampot win just because he was hotter in the first couple of sectors and I wanted to chase it again...
...or if I'd done a questionable(hard to repeat) manouver to beat him.
....or...
Still have the ghosts from pretty much every practice session I ever done.   

[CapeDoctor]

starting to get it together, at last.
did 3 consecutive mid 1m33's, and then decided to push harder, and had already shaved off almost 2 seconds on my time, before binning it again.
but no worries, that was the confidence booster i needed.
i don't know about 1m25's just yet, but i'll settle for 1m30s, which is imminent

[CapeDoctor]

of course, i have to remind myself that it was almost 20 !!!    years ago that i was kicking ass and taking names in GP500.
now, i'm older, apparently wiser, certainly a little slower, not as sharp as i was back then.

ahh yes, that must be it..... 





have a great week, guys, gals n others!

[tchemi]

Hey Cape !

You are right and I understand your feeling (But please, try to be more concise next time ^^).

The fact is, the GP250 is a bike that doesn't forgive mistakes. It has to be riden on the exact perfect lane and be braked at the exact place and so on...
Plus, Laguna seca is a bi*ch of a track. It is not consistent, you can take a turn 20 times and never take it the same way. Plus, with all that uphill and downhill, it gives hard times to gpb cores.
I've riden with the GP250 for quite a long time now. Friday, I wanted to take a break and went on imola with WSBK 2015 bike and I made some laps with theCrivi. (Very nice moment mate )

MAAAAAN !! You can't imagine the gap I have made in term of skill. I can enter every corner so much later, with just the perfect amount of brake input, sliding the rear. I go out of narrow turns with ever powerslide or wheelies. Those bikes are so easy to get back when you make a mistake. I'm like a stunter making the show on every corner, burning rubber like if there was no tomorrow. I feel like I am a good pilot (even if that's not true, this feeling is great )

You will have hard times with the tiny quarter of a litter, especially on Laguna Seca. But once you will get out of it, you will find that your skill has increased a lot !! 

[Become dust]

my best time is 1'35m on a 2015 Yamaha YZR

on Victoria circuit. I really want to try and beat that "record"

[Blackheart]

...1m25s...

Are u sure that it is a legit lap? 

Here a my lap (the 4th) but im sure that i can improve max 2 seconds because its a short track 

https://www.youtube.com/v/DdlCYLCrQ9o

[Become dust]

it's so fascinating to see you guys go below 1'35 on certain tracks. in a number of tracks I'm lucky if I can go below 1'40 even on a fucking motogp
they say practice makes perfect I don't want to sound lazy or jerkish but it somehow feels... repetitive just doing constant laps, I need a strategy of improvement but IDK wtf it is :/

still very impressive on a gp250

[CapeDoctor]

Are u sure that it is a legit lap?

Blackheart, some other guys asked me the same question when i was online at Laguna a few nights back. 
they were flying, and only getting high 1:29 and 1:30's
it is possible i got the figures wrong, i guess, but i'm pretty convinced i saw it as a 1:25.9 something.
i didn't watch his lap, nor did i make a replay.
if i was mistaken, and it was a 1:35, then guys can relax, lol.
that said, i am still convinced it was a 1:25...i remember my heart sinking when i saw it. he literally did one out lap, then this flying 1:25 lap, then said cheers as he was off to race at Mugello next.
i guess it's not possible to check the server records/logs at all...?
or, someone could get in touch with nurb and just ask him?

as i haven't raced at Laguna in quite some time, i didn't realise at the time how significantly fast that time actually is, lol.
i mean, although i fall a lot more than needed, i can hold my own with these 2 stroke 250's, i think.
currently, my best time is only just into the 1:30's, but for a realistic race pace, i'm more like a 1:35-36s.

[Blackheart]

I tried to push at the limit and my best now its 1.29 (perfect lap for me) 

Imo if the lap was the first (1/1) was 1.35 because also my first lap are 1.35/1.36 from the box