Freddie Spencer school

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leapoffaith241

New member
when I did the 3 day Spencer with my wife in '05, I had only been on streetbikes for 3 months (dirtbikes for 2 years though). There were two guys who had just decided to get into it and had less than a month on a streetbikes. So very little experience was needed. It taught me the right way to ride the bike and got it drilled into my head before any bad habits had set in. I still practice the techniques every time I ride!
I can't say enough about how good Freddie and his methods are. I have also heard very good things about Schwantz and plan to attend as soon as I get the time. Keith Code is another I plan to go to. IMHO, best mod you can make is to your head...not your bike!
 
Call the office. Tell them Cecil sent you. This is a very recent development so they likely haven't updated the website yet.



We discussed this with Freddie at the end of the day yesterday. He claimed that he has taught all levels at the Freddie Spencer School, from the complete beginner rider to accomplished racers. He welcomes all levels of rider.

Again, this is not the Spencer school. The on track sessions are part of a normal track day. It's not the same as his school where the class had the track 100% to themselves. You will be out there with other riders who are not attending the class. I'm not sure how well Freddie liked that, but it is what it is. By the end of the day he had things working pretty well, leading his class out and making sure he could observe all of the students' riding.

Yesterday's class was approximately 10-12 students. They went out in beginner, intermediate, and expert sessions to work on the techniques Freddie showed them. The morning was mostly class time. I was told by the students that the most important part of the class occurred in the morning class room sessions. The rest of the day was practicing the techniques and coming back in for debriefs with Freddie. I polled at least 50% of the students and didn't hear a bad thing. "Well worth the money" they said.

Personally, I just really enjoyed watching Fast Freddie ride. It's eye opening when you see a rider like that contrasted against a bunch of track day junkies and amature racers. Makes me wonder why I bother with the sport. What's the point?

We were out there with Eric Wood too. No slouch on a race track. But compared to Freddie??? Phew! There's something so graceful about the dude when he's on a motorcycle. It's a neat thing to witness and then contemplate what a Rossi or Stoner must look like from that perspective. Gives one a much larger appreciation for what it means to ride at that level. I simply can't get my head around it.
 
Thanks for the info! I will definitely look into this.. $300 for the bike isn't bad, but I wonder what happens if I drop it... better not.
 
Most of the students were fairly to very experienced sport bike riders. Several were amateur racers. However, there were a couple of riders with only 2-3 years experience on the street as well. The School divides the students up into beginner, intermediate and advanced groups. They are careful to work at the level of the student, so even "beginners" feel comfortable. If you are new to sport bike riding, then the school and the track would probably be pretty intimidating. If you've got at least a couple of years under your belt and are comfortable on your (sport) bike, then the school is definitely a way to improve your skills.

Oh, and as far as dropping the bike, its simple. You provide a $1000 deposit on the rental, which is refunded to you at the end of class as long as you haven't damaged the bike. If you damage it, the cost of repair is taken out of the deposit. If you crash a bike (yours or theirs) during the course, you're done. You do not continue the class. No refund on any unused portion of the course, either. Quick story: When our class started, we had 13 students. I was in one of the fast intermediate groups and we were going down the middle straightaway at about 80 and accelerating when the student in front of me for some unknown reason grabbed a handful of brake. We think he started to close up too quickly on the student in front of him and panicked. Anyway, he immediately high-sided the bike. No serious injuries, but spent the night in the hospital for observation. Needless to say, he was done.

The penalty for crashing a bike sounds severe, but it keeps everyone riding within their limits, and it didn't keep anyone from pushing the bike and improving. In fact, my wife got so good that by the end of class, she went from the beginner to the intermediate group, won the "Most Improved Rider" award for the class and received a free set of Michelin PP2CTs from the school as a reward! Other than that one high-side, there were no other incidents during the class.
 
+1

Not sure if I'll be able to pull it off this year, but I will definitely look more into this. Thanks for the great info!

As for crashing, I can see the reasoning behind it (ride within your own limits); however, accidents do happen and it's all part of a learning curve... Not sure if I agree a person should get kicked out if s/he drops it, but than again, one should "ride within limits"

So what you're saying that if I start at the beginner level on day one, I could potentially move up a "class" the next day based on my performance/skill? If so, that seems great!
 
The school and instructors let you choose which group you start in, and then they just advise you if/when you should move up. It is all very student-centered, with no pressure to move up. That keeps students riding within their comfort zone.
 
cool, thanks. called and chatted with marc for a bit yesterday. details are still being worked out, but they should have something up on the website in the next week or so. i'll probably be at njmp end of august regardless.
 
Well, I plan on attending those dates myself. I'll have to bring the 848 with me again. If you're not in Freddie's class, or even if you are, look me up and we'll go out on track together.

The thing works pretty well for an out of the box machine. You do get your money's worth with a Ducati Superbike. NJMP this past weekend.
 
Could not have said better, you are precisely right. I am sure you have met Nick and Ken in Vegas. I was so impressed with all of them being so humble. Thanks a bunch for this info, it is very helpful.
 
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