I’ve been working with Kenny and his Dad, Eric, for a few years now. Kenny is moving from Kart track bikes to full size track bikes and we have been up grading his suspension. We are also working on his communication skills as they apply to working with his crew chief.
On this test day at a top secret Kart track we did a little test after dialing in the bike and rider. I sent Kenny out for a few laps at a time with the settings mess up in a way that I knew what he would feel then listened to how he explained the feel of the bike.
It’s the job of the rider to tell the crew chief what he or she feels. It’s the job of the crew chief to understand what the rider is saying. To make this understanding come about a little work is required from both.
In this photo I’m making changes without Kenny knowing what they are. Then he will do 2 laps and report back.
The last test was the toughest one, I messed with the bikes balance. When Kenny was riding Eric asked what Kenny would feel and I answered. When Kenny came he said almost word for word what I said he would.
Now Kenny and I know we are speaking the same language.
Data systems were developed because crews could not get good info from most riders. When Kenny gets on a bike with data and what he says matches what the data says you can be sure his crew chief will be happy.
By the way, Kenny won his races the day after this test.
Kenny Anderson, is sponsored by Lindemann Engineering.