Just got back into town yesterday evening. First, it was quite amazing to sit down and shoot the shitt with a racer with a resume like Rich's. 25+ years of racing is pretty amazing especially when you consider what he accomplished. He's got so much insight, wisdom, and knowledge it was incredible. The facilities were top notch. There is a HUGE variety of riding. Everything from a little moto, a little trail, some jumps, berms, sand, a lot of flat tracking, mud, trees, etc.... He had it all! Road everything from flat trackers, trail bikes, to 2-strokers. It was great. Never been worked so hard for four days in my life. And on the last day you had to race against yourself and beat all your previous times from the previous days. Which was a pretty cool experience given that everyone was worn down so much but managed to still dig deep and pull it out. Quite a mental aspect to the whole thing, just like racing. On every time trial test/event, we typically had 3 attempts to beat our previous times. Seems I found that one trait I possess is to function under pressure and pull it out in the end. I didn't beat one of my times on my first two attempts. It was always on my last attempt. There was a lot of pressure but I was still able to pull it out. It taught me two things. One is that is a great trait to have in some cases... but at the same time, it reinforced something I saw last season - I tend to come out of the gate a little slower than I'd like. Through his camp, I've now got some things that should now help me get off the grid faster and have my first laps as fast as my last laps and get going faster sooner.
I found my answers I was in search of which is why I took the Pro Camp to begin with. It also provide ample opportunity to explore my weaknesses which led me to realize something I wondered but wasn't sure of. So Rich has nicknames for his students many times. He said there's always at least one in the bunch... it was me this time... a throttle Jockey. The person that is either off the throttle or WFO. Now I'm not quite that bad, but it was apparent I lacked throttle control when we first started the school. One of the drills we spent some time on really helped me to understand both throttle control and the difference in traction weighting the outside peg creates. His camp really allows you to find your weaknesses quick. On this particular drill, if you didn't possess throttle control, you would QUICKLY find yourself pointed the wrong way.
His Pro Camp goes into MANY other aspects of being a successful racer (or rider, etc.), not just riding. As a racer, you are certainly aware of some of these and the fact that talent/skill will only get you so far. He goes into the other things he learned over his career that made big differences in his ability to achieve success. Things you might not even think of.
Below are some pictures I truly appreciated. They are truly inspirational! These three pictures when combined side-by-side-by-side creates his wall of fame (what I call it)...
I am VERY fired up for 2012 to get here. It will be VERY cool to see how things roll out now that I have some specific things to work on in the off season.
He does have a 2-day fun camp also. I'd certainly recommend attending one of Rich's camps no matter your skill level or desires. You don't need dirt experience, he takes you step by step through everything. You just need desire and an open mind. You will come out of his camp having learned a lot and will be an improved rider, guaranteed!!
#77 Race/Track Bike
Domn8er
Jeep Rubicon
S1000RR
Rich Oliver Mystery School Review
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His approach, his current fitness level... just outstanding! And damn can the guy flat track. So much talent! He shares a lot of what it takes to become a machine... very amazing stuff. It will certainly change my approach to racing as well as plenty other things in life!
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