DrivingRiding – at the BMW Motorrad Riding Academy

Siegfried Stohr's idea comes from afar, and almost by chance. It was 1982, the Formula 1 contract with Arrows had abruptly ended at the end of the previous season and, at 30 years old, the desire and possibilities of looking for a new steering wheel were not many. Thus was born the first safe driving school in Italy, which later became an institution, as well as the first of a series of activities of this type. From cars (see special) Over time, courses also began for Go-Karts, now "supplanted" by courses with Formula cars, and then driving courses for commercial vehicles. Only in 1999 was the BMW Motorrad Riding Academy born, in collaboration with the propeller company, which we went to discover for you.

The approach is similar to that of a safe driving course for motorists, but there is obviously less joking around with motorbikes, know the rules of physics, applied to everyday driving, it is essential to avoid hurting yourself and others, even if you drive carefully. Trivializing and taking the concept to the extreme, in the car, if we respect the rules dictated by the highway code and drive at limited speeds, even if we have no knowledge of what an apex is or how the weights move when braking or in a change of direction, our life will be the same. Not on a motorbike. The motorcycle is a vehicle that is as fascinating as it is dangerous if driven without knowing what you are doing. The driver is in fact part of the vehicle itself, its movements modify its reactions and, even at very slow speeds, you can risk falling and hurting yourself. Learning on the road is the natural path that almost all motorcyclists take, but it is absolutely not the safest to do so, is full of dangers and does not always lead to good results, because A lot of things, especially on motorbikes, they are not at all intuitive and would require a good teacher. Here we understand the reason for the success of initiatives like the BMW Motorrad Riding Academy. Let's start, obviously, from theory. Already during this phase we realize how often, even people with long driving experience, are not clear on the correct driving techniques. This is because if this is already the case in a car, on a motorbike there are other factors that influence our driving and our habits, first and foremost fears and incorrect preconceptions. For example, few people know that, in the right way, brakes are also useful when cornering. The rear brake, especially in the second part of the curve, it is a rudder with which you can direct the motorbike changing its trajectory. And the front one, used delicately, helps load the front wheel, giving it greater directionality. A correct trajectory then allows for greater visibility, tackle the route more safely and have the possibility of avoiding unexpected obstacles without taking unnecessary risks. The aim of this course is in fact to greatly reduce the risk at the same pace. But if you are good at applying what you have learned, we are sure that you will have the possibility of going even faster, always respecting the highway code, without being a danger to yourself, to those you are transporting and to others.. The bike should be just that, have fun in complete safety.

After a few hours of theory, which will give you the first ideas to be able to work on your driving technique, e.g after lunch, the practical part begins. The handling track is used, with a total distance of approximately 1.100 metres, Where the instructors observe you while you drive, initially without interfering with your habits, and then moving on to give you some advice. Subsequently we move on to some exercises, including theobstacle avoidance when braking ed exercises aimed at greater and more correct control of the motorcycle. The application of the theory will also lead you to avoid making unnecessary efforts, resulting in increase your safety and reduce driving fatigue. It ends with about an hour of track time in which you can put into practice and practice what you have learned, always under the control of the instructors, who will come on board with you to be able to give you the right information while driving.. If this might seem strange to you, it is actually the quickest and most direct way to understand where you are wrong and how you can improve.

Who is a course of this type aimed at and who could it be useful for? To everyone, absolutely everyone, without exception. It would be better to do it fresh from your license, learning safely and often more economically. In fact, let's think about how much it might cost to repair your motorbike even after a trivial fall while stationary. Besides, they are there discounts for under 21s. The usefulness is evident even for people who have already been driving for a few years, but who are aware of the limits of their driving and that therefore they can make a leap in quality with the right help. What is perhaps surprising though, and this can be confirmed by a person who has over 15 years of experience on two wheels, on the road and on the track, it's just a day of exercise among skittles and curbs, under the magnifying glass of instructors, who are almost always pilots or former professional pilots, it is really very useful for being able to refine the riding of even the most experienced motorcyclist. And if at the end of the day this was already evident to us, after a few days it was even more so. On the road we end up applying, even unconsciously, what we have been taught and the result is greater control of the vehicle and a reduction in risks.
It starts from 370 euros for the Basic course we attended, to which 180 must be added if you want to use a school motorbike. If you then want to go further and learn the driving techniques to use on the track, which are profoundly different from those to be applied on the street, are available the Advanced course, with the addition of a second day with 3 hours of shifts on the international circuit of Misano, the Evolution course, with guidance only on the track and videos to review and refine your technique, and finally One to One, where you will define the program together with your instructor.