Today California Superbike School operates on a truly global scale, with courses in America, Australia, Europe and Africa, and its teaching methods have been refined to coach all riders in the art of cornering.
Keith Code recognised that corners are where time is won and lost on the track. On the road, meanwhile, corners are all-too-frequently the scene of serious accidents. So Code devised a system for teaching the theory of cornering and then getting pupils to put this into practice, one step at a time.
California Superbike School’s UK operation opened in 1996 and now operates at prestigious circuits across the country. A day at the school is a full one, with classroom sessions starting at 8:00 in the morning and the final debrief at around 5.00pm. There are five classroom based technical briefings, each followed by a track session, which means there is plenty of track time. Every rider is assigned a fully qualified Riding Coach for the whole day, who gives a personal debrief at the end of each track session. It is an intense learning experience, but conducted in a relaxed and easy to learn atmosphere. By deconstructing your riding technique and re-programming your skill sets the California Superbike School effectively teaches good cornering habits, upon which students can build every time they go for a ride. On any day you will find a mixture of men and women, track day addicts and regular road riders plus a sprinkling of racers too.
There are four levels available, each taking a day to complete, and all students start at number one, progressing through from there. It is not uncommon for riders to book levels one and two on successive days, as these teach the core attributes of cornering stability and visual skills. In order to qualify as a riding coach it is necessary to pass all four levels, and that’s just for starters!
Prices start at £342 per level and there is an option to hire a fully prepared Yamaha R6 and Alpinestars race suit if required, although it is not necessary to own a sports bike to attend, and pupils have arrived on everything from a BMW R1200GS to a Yamaha T-Max scooter. For the price of a sports silencer or race style helmet, California Superbike School will teach you how to corner with confidence, which is a skill for life.
Still not convinced? This year’s star pupil is Leon Camier, 2009 British superbike Champion.
