When riding a bike (fast) around a track,
THE BIKE IS ALWAYS ACCELERATING.
Do you agree with this statement?
*This is only not true when the bike has reached its top speed before braking. For the rest of the circuit it holds true.
Generally, when we talk about acceleration, we tend to think of gaining speed, but an acceleration is actually defined:
Acceleration = change in velocity
The difference between speed and velocity is that speed has no direction, but when you say velocity, you are implying a direction. For example, a bike traveling north at 100kmh has a velocity of 100kmh north. Let’s suppose that the rider enters into a smooth corner to the right and maintained 100kmh. His speedo would register no change in speed, but his velocity would have changed to 100kmh East and to do this would have required an acceleration to the East AND a deceleration to the South. The acceleration to the East is simple to see, but the bike will also have accelerated in a Southwards direction. This is not so obvious, but if it didn’t, it would still be going in a northerly direction.
Ok so it’s a bit pedantic, but understanding this will help to illuminate a crucial part of riding.
When hard on the throttle down the straight, the bike is accelerating in a forward direction. This is obvious enough but at the end of the straight when the brakes are applied, suddenly, the acceleration is in the opposite direction, i.e. a bike braking is actually accelerating backwards.
When turning to the right at steady speed, the bike is actually accelerating to the right in a 3 O’clock direction. Conversely when turning to the left at steady speed, the bike is accelerating to the left in 9 O’clock direction.
If you are in a right-hand corner which is opening up and you are accelerating through it, the bike is accelerating in a 3 O’clock direction AND forward, the net result being an acceleration roughly in the 2 O’clock direction.
Conversely, when in a decreasing-radius right-hand corner, i.e. slowing down in a corner, the bike is still accelerating in a 3 O’clock direction AND backwards, the net resultant being the bike is accelerating in a 4 O’clock direction.
Ok great, but what has this got to do with riding?
Knowing which way a bike is accelerating is useful to figure out which direction to lean your body. On the straight this is obvious enough: when accelerating down the straight, lean forward. When braking, i.e. accelerating backwards, lean back. Your body should always lean in the direction of the acceleration.
This is helpful to know in the turns. When negotiating a constant radius turn like Turn 1, assuming that you have a bike with a 50:50 front-rear weight distribution, you should lean into the turn in a 3 O’clock direction. However, when in corner like Turn 3 at Sepang, where you can accelerate all the way through the turn, it may be beneficial to actually lean forward a bit, because the acceleration of the bike will not be in a 3 O’clock direction but probably more in a 2 O’clock direction.
So far so good, but what happens when you are in a right-hand corner which requires a bit of steady speed through it and then opens up? Well quite simply, when going through the steady speed part, your body should be leaning in a 3 O’clock position but as you pick up speed through the corner, you should move your body forward to accommodate the change in direction.
An article cannot tell you how far to lean off- you will have to learn this through experience and a bit of trial and hopefully not too much error. However, being aware of acceleration vectors can be helpful in giving you an indication of where you should be leaning.
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