Making a mistake on the track

[atek3]

last time I was out on the track was in july and I ran wide on the exit of turn 7 at thunderhill. I entered the corner with a bit more speed than before and after hitting the apex I saw that that my line was taking me on a trajectory that would have left the track.

I was afraid to crank it over more because I'd already scraped the non-folding peg on my SV earlier in the day and I didn't want to lever the back tire and lowside or if I didn't lowside, but didn't make the turn I'd hit the dirt at a 45 degree angle going very fast. So I pussied out stood the bike up and ran wide. I kept the bike up right and avoided crashing, but that was straight up luck.

Has anyone else been in a situation where they were definately carrying "too much" cornering speed and just said "F" it, cranked it over and made the turn? Or conversely, anyone had an "oh shit" cranked it over more and low sided?

thanks,
atek3

[fuldog]

When I find myself into a turn too hot, I almost always do exactly what you did. I've been lucky and not crashed doing this, but I know it's wrong. That's why it's important to go in a little slower than possible so you can power out. According to Keith Code what we did in this situation is a normal survival reaction that must be unlearned by practice.

[hayabusafiend]

A crash is almost guaranteed if you stand the bike up and go straight.

There's something to be said about the habit of adding a little more lean, staying on the gas and "going for it" when you realize you're in too hot.

To answer your question, "going for it" has saved my butt on more than one occasion.

[emarkham]

you'd be amazed what maintaining the throttle and dragging a slight amount of brake while looking through the turn can do. i sure was.

[DataDan]

Fixed footpegs mounted low enough to scrape are not a good idea. If you look at pro racebikes with fixed pegs, you'll see that they are mounted high enough to stay off the ground until the bike is leaned so far that the tires have already given up. Unless you can mount them higher, I'd recommend folding pegs (have you tried Gixxer pegs on the SV?) and learn to deal with the occasional harmless scrape.

[Holeshot]

I'd disagree with Hayabusafiend, that going off guarantees a crash. That being said, making every effort to stay on pavement is important. However, there are times when you're just not going to make the corner...say when the bike pops out of gear on corner entry (Laguna T5, US GP AMA practice...) or you really overcook a corner and don't have enough time to slow down (Miller Motorsports AMA T1, passing Oppie Caylor/ Tony Meiring and shooting off track).

Had I not straightened the bike upright in those instances, I most surely would have put the thing on the ground in spectaclular fashion as soon as I actually did hit the dirt, or went past the maximum lean angle.

One thing to think about: always look where you want to go and make definitive decisions. If you decided you're going off track, then do so and find a nice smooth line (with your feet off the pegs) to take.

[atek3]

feet off the pegs?

last time I ran wide I weighted the pegs and motocrossed it... had I not weighted the pegs I probably would have eaten it.

I applied light pressure on the back brake... any on the front and it would have washed out.

[Ironbutt]

Originally posted by atek3

Has anyone else been in a situation where they were definately carrying "too much" cornering speed and just said "F" it, cranked it over and made the turn? Or conversely, anyone had an "oh shit" cranked it over more and low sided?

thanks,
atek3

Yea, it's why I'm still alive and not logging into BARF from the gates of Hell.. Seriously... ......I don't think they have the network infastructure in Hell yet.

What someone else said.. Always ...COMMIT to the turn and keep looking out as far as you can see. Don't ever look away..

That funky "I'M GOING TO DIEEEEEEEE" feeling.. it goes away with trust and seat time.

If anything you'll wash low side..

which is much better than being flung off like a booger into somthing or "sticking it" "Like Beckman" into a farking wall.. Or worse..

If your commited and you stay comitted.. you'll be okay.. it's kinda like being married. Okay.. it's not even close.. I frogot where I where I was going with this but... regardless.. look, lean and give it gas..

[zeefrenchspy]

So far I'm 1 for 4 in regards to the number of times straightening up and hitting the brakes has made me crash as opposed to saved my ass. Could I have made the turn with a little more lean, possibly, but hitting the brakes hard enough to scrub your excess speed can also allow you to go dirt riding safely (as long as there's run-off)

[Z3n]

Always, always, always lean it farther and leave the throttle open. If you're that far over, touching any brake but the rear is going to screw you, and even then it's more than possible that you're going to be screwed by hitting the rear brake. My feet are on the pegs once i'm commited, so i just have to lean it in farther...You can drag pegs without jacking the bike up and off the ground, but i wouldn't make a habit of it. If you were already commited to the point of dragging pegs, then you're probably better off standing it up...otherwise, lean it in farther until shit scrapes. I wouldn't be touching the brakes in a situation like that at all. If you're of the knee dragging sort, get on the gas, get some weight over that knee, and expand your understanding of the level of lean angle that you can achieve.

Also, did you have toe sliders? Were those dragging? put my feet on the pegs in a way that when my toe touches down i'm really, really close to touching a peg, which isn't always max lean angle...but i'm using rearset plates, not true rearsets, and still have folding pegs on my bike.

I have been in a situation where i ended up coming in too fast, on the street, following a much faster friend on his own roads, which i had never ridden before, and i got myself into a decreasing radius right hander much too quickly...I knew that i could make the turn, but i was going to pass the double yellow, so i prayed it wouldn't wash out, gave it some gas, dragged knee, toe, and little bit of peg, and gassed it on out. It was a very powerful reminder to settle down, ride at 80% on the street. If you're not dragging toe sliders yet, get it in farther. I'll take my chances with the road over taking my chances with the dirt, which could have ditches, etc. At least on the road, i've got more variables under my control. I place my feet on the pegs so that i get the best possible use out of my assorted sliders, and a situation like what you're talking about is exactly what i'm prepared for....lean lean lean until your toes drag, and then get the weight off the inside peg and lean it some more.

Also, depending on the make of your rearsets, it's possible to grind a bit off of them without actually having them dig in, especially if you're on the gas. If you think you're going to drag something, get on the gas, try and lift the body of the bike a bit more, get less weight over the peg, and pray...

[Holeshot]

Dragging hard parts unweights the rear end...then adding throttle creates the accident. This idea of "when in doubt lean it harder and gas it" is recipe for an accident. A moto basic is not the add lean angle and throttle/ brake. You can do one or the other, but not both...

[Z3n]

Originally posted by Holeshot
Dragging hard parts unweights the rear end...then adding throttle creates the accident. This idea of "when in doubt lean it harder and gas it" is recipe for an accident. A moto basic is not the add lean angle and throttle/ brake. You can do one or the other, but not both...

It really is going to depend on how hard you smack them into the tarmac...if you just scrape them and slide them, it's probably not going to unweight the back end in a significant way. While adding throttle might be bad, chopping the throttle or even rolling off, or perhaps attempting to get on either brake in that situation would be much, much worse. However, in the case of the OP, he wasn't even dragging hard parts yet, he had just done it earlier in the day, which, IMHO, means that he should have leaned it in and given it a bit of gas to try and get it off the deck.

In the end, it's very situational, and in the situation that most beginners find themselves in, they're going to be benifited by leaning it, getting on the gas a bit, and they'll probably find that they weren't going to drag hard parts at all. It's certainly a common occurance among the beginning trackday riders i saw at the track...a couple of times, you'd see people just stand the bike up for no real reason and walk it off the edge, despite having plenty more lean angle to go...the mind is a funny thing when you're trying to go fast around a corner.

If you're already dragging hard parts and you're not going to make it...that's something else entirely. Until that point, i say lean it, keep the throttle open, and lean it some more.

Add to that that most of the people in that situation are dragging hard parts not because they're at max lean angle, but because they're not on the gas through a turn, leaving no ground clearence at all.

[emarkham]

Originally posted by Holeshot
Dragging hard parts unweights the rear end...then adding throttle creates the accident. This idea of "when in doubt lean it harder and gas it" is recipe for an accident. A moto basic is not the add lean angle and throttle/ brake. You can do one or the other, but not both...

sure. *if* the bike is already leaned over as far as it actually can be. some human beings can be really really bad at accurately judging subtle things like that during a "pucker moment".

i have had dito snap a shot of me while going around a corner, and i've thought "man, i've got this thing *cranked* over!" only to look at the picture later and realize there was a lot of clearance left.

there have been so many times as i've watched people in real life and on video just give it up on a turn, even though they could have made it through. you get your body and your mind in the wrong place, and suddenly, making it around that corner becomes impossible.

so let's be clear here: if the bike really is leaned over as far as it can go, if the tires are really at the edge of traction, leaning it over further will cause more problems than it solves.

but for all the off-track excursions i have ever been on, that's never, not once been true. every turn i ever stood it up for and rode off the track, in retrospect, i could have, i *should* have tried to ride through it, because the times when i did, i learned more about where the limit *actually is*, as opposed to where i mistakenly believed it was.

[Holeshot]

Good points guys. I'd agree that it's always better to keep the bike on track and attempt to make the turn. However, my thought was on the rare times when running off the track is the only option availible, in the case of severely missed brake markers, or a bike that pops out of gear on corner entry. Those situations don't allow any room for errors and additional steering, etc.

Also, let's be clear what additional lean angle allows: additonal steering. Simply leaning a bike over while not allowing the bike to steer (done so by keeping that inner arm REAL loose) will only exacerbate the issue. Remember, the tire has to turn into the turn more to cause additional steering.

I wouldn't add more lean angle if I knew hard parts were dragging. That's just me, but I'd have some interesting moments when hard parts have dragged and none of them have been fun. Certainly we don't want to chop the throttle but it is possible to roll off somewhat unless the front is sliding, and considering this scenario, I doubt that's an issue. Adding throttle is the wrong thing to do, IMO as with that, we'd need to increase steering/ add some lean angle.

[07chuck]

The short answer is:

Both you and your bike made it out whole... That is not a crash, just a trail ride(not the dirt nap)....

Knowing how/why you messed up is priceless....

Since I wasn't riding your bike I have no idea what you did "wrong?"....


Neither does anyone else....


Really

[Z3n]

Originally posted by Holeshot
Good points guys. I'd agree that it's always better to keep the bike on track and attempt to make the turn. However, my thought was on the rare times when running off the track is the only option availible, in the case of severely missed brake markers, or a bike that pops out of gear on corner entry. Those situations don't allow any room for errors and additional steering, etc.

Agreed, 100%...however, most people, especially novice trackday riders, have no idea what a missed brake marker really is, as they've not established a concrete set of markers yet. In the case of an experienced rider coming in far too fast, there's less that you can consider.

Also, let's be clear what additional lean angle allows: additonal steering. Simply leaning a bike over while not allowing the bike to steer (done so by keeping that inner arm REAL loose) will only exacerbate the issue. Remember, the tire has to turn into the turn more to cause additional steering.
Well, i anticipated that the rider would be using countersteering to lean it more, not simple trying to body english it in or something.


I wouldn't add more lean angle if I knew hard parts were dragging. That's just me, but I'd have some interesting moments when hard parts have dragged and none of them have been fun. Certainly we don't want to chop the throttle but it is possible to roll off somewhat unless the front is sliding, and considering this scenario, I doubt that's an issue. Adding throttle is the wrong thing to do, IMO as with that, we'd need to increase steering/ add some lean angle. [/B]

If hard parts were already dragging...yeah, that's a bit of a different case. All of my pegs have always been cut and rounded, or mobile, so that if i do touch a peg down, i still have some options. The concept of digging in, well, unplesent. The other thing to note is that on most modern 600's, with modern tires in good shape, most people probably aren't pushing the limits of the tires so far that adding a little gas will cause the back end to suddenly drift out, but that little gas may, just may, give you a bit more ground clearence. I'm not talking about winging it open, and probably should have clarified that...I'm talking about perhaps giving it a little bit more throttle to try and keep the parts off the ground. Again, it's very situational, but from what i've learned riding with novice riders, many of them will claim they're getting on the gas hard, when they're barely maintaining speed through the corner, much less establishing and maintaining the ideal 40/60 weight distribution on the tires.

In this situation, though, it must be stressed that everything must be done extremely smoothly. Just relax, feel the bike, what it's trying to tell you, and you'll make it through just fine.

[Holeshot]

Z3, agreed...especially with what Chuck said...I suppose we'd have to be there!

[Sharky]

The last time I ran into a similiar situation, I stuck with the corner (I was alreay dragging hard parts) and gave a like front brake to get back online. Well despite working most of that day, I lost the front and whammo, faceplant lowside. If faced with the same situation again, I'd probably stand it up and ride through the dirt (there was plenty of room and I was doing 25mph on my YSR). As HS said, sometimes standing it up is a better option. For me, hanging in there and sticking with the corner was such an instinct I failed to make the right decision.
So in the end, what's better?
It all depends I guess.

[NoQuarter]

Originally posted by Holeshot
.... or you really overcook a corner and don't have enough time to slow down (Miller Motorsports AMA T1, passing Oppie Caylor/ Tony Meiring and shooting off track).
...

you looked like a low flying jet on that one! nice dust cloud you kicked up on your route... that was a great save to bring it back and still finish 14th in a national

here's the view of that incident from a couple of seconds back:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6691546161554662989&hl=en#0h8m32s

[Z3n]

Originally posted by Sharky
The last time I ran into a similiar situation, I stuck with the corner (I was alreay dragging hard parts) and gave a like front brake to get back online. Well despite working most of that day, I lost the front and whammo, faceplant lowside. If faced with the same situation again, I'd probably stand it up and ride through the dirt (there was plenty of room and I was doing 25mph on my YSR). As HS said, sometimes standing it up is a better option. For me, hanging in there and sticking with the corner was such an instinct I failed to make the right decision.
So in the end, what's better?
It all depends I guess.
You were dragging hard parts, and decided the best idea was to start in with the front brake? Did i misread your post?

[Holeshot]

Originally posted by NoQuarter
you looked like a low flying jet on that one! nice dust cloud you kicked up on your route... that was a great save to bring it back and still finish 14th in a national

here's the view of that incident from a couple of seconds back:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6691546161554662989&hl=en#0h8m32s

Man Dave that was the highlight of last season...and we both did well.

I suppose my criteria is different than the situation above...

[Wrong Way]

My two pennies

Approaching turn 7 and exiting turn 7 you should be consistently accelerating. On the drive you should be drifting to the outside. If you are drifting too much it is because of bad body position or too much speed or both.

For that turn I would have reassessed my body position (possibly leaning in more even if it is only with my shoulder and head) and adjusted my speed by gradually rolling the throttle towards neutral input but probably still accelerating. At least that is what I have done in that turn in that situation.

[Holeshot]

Z3n, why would adding braking when dragging hard parts be a problem (relative to the hard parts dragging)? I would think it depends on what is dragging...

[GiorgioFurioso]

Top answer OP's q's, I have found myself going too hot in the corner, said FUCK IT, leaned a little more, then dragged toe then footpeg (fixed) and levered the rear off the ground going in to T14 at THill (my first time at that track). In retrospect I think I didn't need more lean angle and I would handled it differently, by moving my body around.

I have also, on a number of occasions at several tracks, gave up on a corner and stood the bike up. Not once did I drop the bike. The secret is to not use the front brake! Choose your line before hitting the dirt, stand it up, gently roll off throttle, and gently use the rear break (not necessarily in that order). Come to a complete stop and take a deep breath.

:2cents

[emarkham]

with regard to entering t-hill turn 7 and drifting wide, that used to happen to me a lot before my suspension was adjusted. it may be a mechanical issue as well that is starting the whole cycle of feeling like you are too hot... in effect, yes, you are in too hot because neither you nor the bike is properly prepared to deal with that speed through that particular corner.

[Yody]

Originally posted by atek3
last time I was out on the track was in july and I ran wide on the exit of turn 7 at thunderhill. I entered the corner with a bit more speed than before and after hitting the apex I saw that that my line was taking me on a trajectory that would have left the track.

I was afraid to crank it over more because I'd already scraped the non-folding peg on my SV earlier in the day and I didn't want to lever the back tire and lowside or if I didn't lowside, but didn't make the turn I'd hit the dirt at a 45 degree angle going very fast. So I pussied out stood the bike up and ran wide. I kept the bike up right and avoided crashing, but that was straight up luck.

Has anyone else been in a situation where they were definately carrying "too much" cornering speed and just said "F" it, cranked it over and made the turn? Or conversely, anyone had an "oh shit" cranked it over more and low sided?

thanks,
atek3

I"ve cranked it over and lowsided before like you asked.

HOWEVER, blaming the crash on running out of lean angle was not the answer. The real reason was that I was not hanging off enough for the lines I was taking. SECOND I was not setting up for the turn on time, meaning that I would scoot my ass over way too late which made me inconsistent with my hang off technique. I would get into some turns really quickly, set up too late and not hang off enough because I rushed it. Got into the turn and carried a lot of lean angle and then in a split second realized I was going to run wide, turned it in some more and low sided.

You might need some rearsets that are higher up for that bike BUT FIRST you need to probably slow down and work on your technique if you are dragging hard parts. It sounds like you are still in the C class? If you are going to have stock rearsets that are placed fairly low the KEY to this situation is to not get into it. You should be setting up way before the turn and be hanging off pretty good through the turn.

Also when going wide giving it more gas makes you go even wider. It was teh acceleration that made you go wide. IF you were in a perfect world and had great form and all, I would say to gently roll off the gas but not all the way as you have to keep some maintenance throttle. I think your problem is most likely body positioning.

[clutchslip]

Originally posted by Holeshot
Dragging hard parts unweights the rear end...then adding throttle creates the accident. This idea of "when in doubt lean it harder and gas it" is recipe for an accident. A moto basic is not the add lean angle and throttle/ brake. You can do one or the other, but not both...
Boy, do I agree with this one.
It seems that a lot of folks have never crashed from dragging hard parts. I have on several occasions, so my toes tend to hang too low. This makes it tougher to drag knee. I'm working on it, though.

Standing it up on a track (assuming no one is in the way), should be fine. Standing it up on a right-hander in the street is a bad idea.

Originally posted by NoQuarter
......here's the view of that incident from a couple of seconds back:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6691546161554662989&hl=en#0h8m32s

I noticed a slide - catch on that tape. Was that a pucker or just normal operating procedure?

[Z3n]

Originally posted by Holeshot
Z3n, why would adding braking when dragging hard parts be a problem (relative to the hard parts dragging)? I would think it depends on what is dragging...

It seems to me that if you're cranked over in a corner, with a peg dragging, getting on the brakes is going to compress your suspension, reducing ground clearence, and causing the peg to attempt to dig in. Also, if you're moving at any significant speed, getting on the front brake like that seems like it would load up the front tire, adding to the chances of washing out the front.

[slydrite]

*sigh*

soooo many complicated, wordy answers that miss the real reason, which is also the simpliest reason, why you felt the need to run off the track at the exit.....

I would put money on the fact that you turned in too early/too quickly and that your early apex caused you to have a early exit...IOW, I bet it ain't about your perceived lack of lean angle at all.....

T7 at Thill should be easy WOT on an SV650, with good tires, susp set up and most importantly, proper line....try turning in just a bit later next time and notice the difference in your trajectory after the apex and I bet you don't even get to full lean angle if on the proper line.....

[clutchslip]

Originally posted by Z3n
It seems to me that if you're cranked over in a corner, with a peg dragging, getting on the brakes is going to compress your suspension, reducing ground clearence, and causing the peg to attempt to dig in. Also, if you're moving at any significant speed, getting on the front brake like that seems like it would load up the front tire, adding to the chances of washing out the front.

This statement assumes you use too much brake. It also assumes that you are doing nothing else to stop dragging parts. I think we all understand that excessive braking while in a heavy lean is not a great idea and Holeshot said as much.

I don't know about you, but I can brake in a corner and tighten my line or I can brake and bring the bike up, thus slowing and widening my line. But I don't JUST brake.

Originally posted by slydrite
......
T7 at Thill should be easy WOT on an SV650, with good tires, susp set up and most importantly, proper line....try turning in just a bit later next time and notice the difference in your trajectory after the apex and I bet you don't even get to full lean angle if on the proper line.....
Now, this may be completely correct for the particular incident. I don't ride that bike and I wasn't there, so I don't know.

[Z3n]

Originally posted by clutchslip
[B]This statement assumes you use too much brake. It also assumes that you are doing nothing else to stop dragging parts. I think we all understand that excessive braking while in a heavy lean is not a great idea and Holeshot said as much.

I don't know about you, but I can brake in a corner and tighten my line or I can brake and bring the bike up, thus slowing and widening my line. But I don't JUST brake.

Right...but in this case, tightening your turn will increase lean angle, causing a greater chance of fixed pegs digging in, and standing the bike up a bit more is going to just cause you to run wide even more, which isn't going to be helping much when you're trying to avoid running wide in the first place.

It seems to me that a novice rider (or any rider, short of a-/b+ trackday riders, or racers, are going to be best served by staying off the front brake in a situation like that. If you're trying to scrub a little speed, great...but if you're going in too fast, going to run wide badly enough that you're considering standing it up and running it into the dirt, going for the front brake, however lightly, seems like a bad idea. Especially at full lean, when you're looking at an incredibly gentle touch on the brakes in order to avoid washing the front as a result of overbraking or simply loading the front from the braking action as a whole.

If you've got the touch for light braking, then i'm sure you'd advice will be well used. In this situation, though, i think telling someone to get on the front is going to cause a lot of lowsides.

[Holeshot]

...and it really depends on the reason for running wide as well...and the corner type. Using the rear brake slightly to tighten a line is an advanced technique, but one that work for sweepers, etc.

If you're dragging hard parts, you've got the get bike whoa'd up somehow, or giveaway some lean angle. Those are really your two options. considering we're likely talking about a sweeper type turn, using a small amount of brake to tighten a line isn't out of the spectrum. I have no idea the level of whom, nor who should not use such a technique.

[Z3n]

Originally posted by Holeshot
...and it really depends on the reason for running wide as well...and the corner type. Using the rear brake slightly to tighten a line is an advanced technique, but one that work for sweepers, etc.

If you're dragging hard parts, you've got the get bike whoa'd up somehow, or giveaway some lean angle. Those are really your two options. considering we're likely talking about a sweeper type turn, using a small amount of brake to tighten a line isn't out of the spectrum. I have no idea the level of whom, nor who should not use such a technique.

Rear brake, yes...front brake, no. You'll notice that i originally started on this line of thought after reading sharky's post, about using the front brake when getting in too hard and fast, and that's also why i specified front brake in my previous post.

Again, it's really relevant as to what kind of turn you're in. In a tight decreasing radius turn, staying off the brakes is, IMHO, the way to go. Maybe drag a little rear brake...but i'm more likely to lean it in and go for it, rather than attempting to slow down.

I was under the assumption that we were still talking about a situation where you're dragging hard parts, and in that sort of situation, i wouldn't advise getting on either brake, as settling the chassis is going to cause a greater chance of the pegs digging in. I'd maintain as best i can, try and get off the bike and on to my knee a bit more, and pray. Also, how are you supposed to drag rear brake whe you're cranked over on the right side? Any significant application of the brake lever itself will probably cause dragging, if you can even wedge your foot into the space between the peg and the ground. I've got wide feet, and i'm on my toes up on the pegs through the turn anyways, trying to tuck them up and far away from teh ground as possible, which makes it hard to drag any rear brake at all.

[clutchslip]

I really think this is one of the better discussions I have read about different techniques in a dangerous situation.

It is most fortuitous that this weekend at Thunderhill, I stood the bike up to avoid a certain (in my mind) crash into turn one.

The situation:
I was trying to carry more speed before turning into one. I was at an accurate 128 mph when I passed the checkered stripe and started to make my turn-in move. Whoops. "Too late", I thought, "I'm going to end-up wide and low-side off the outside tiger teeth".

I pulled it back-up as I gradually increased brake pressure. I went off into the mud for a little ways. I waved to the corner tower and motored-on.

Dito got it on film!!!!! I have included one shot, with his permission, to show how to stand-up a bike and get off track, safely. You can see the sequence at his site.

Please note in the photo:
A. I am standing on the pegs. NO sitting down.
B. No weight on the handle-bars.
B. The clutch is in.
C. I am GRADUALLY coming off the front brake.
D. I am GRADUALLY applying the rear brake.

No drama, no nothing. Like I said before: Standing-up a bike on the track should be a safe escape route. Ride it like a dirt bike in the dirt, for goodness sake.

http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/images/threads/000/193/419/2998201-th_turn_1__stand-up.jpg

[scalvert]

On the original poster's situation, I think there are two simple variables here: 1) line choise, 2) lean angle confidence.

I've been through T7 at Thunderhill on an SV more times than I can count. Even with a sweet tire sliding knee/peg down apex at T6 with a great drive, on an SV with flatslides and cams, T7 never feels like a real corner. I don't know that I've ever needed to even put a knee down in it.

So if to my thinking you probably were way way way off line, turning in several miles too early. If you do that, sometimes there's just no help because you've made the corner much tighter than normal and you just won't make it.

Either way, I doubt that you were at maximum lean. I've seen and done this many times myself, and newer track riders are famous for it. You commit to a corner at lean angle X, and your brain tells you that's all the bike's got left. When your line proves to be a bad one, you simply refuse to take more lean angle, even though it's there to be had. Next thing you know you're doing the 90 mph motocross.

Knowing how much cornering potential is left in the bike is a large part of why racers 1) put a knee down, and 2) use really pricey race tires. Putting a knee down gives you immediate feedback as to your real lean angle so if there's more to be had you know it. Good race tires also very rarely just dump you on your head. They give lots and lots of feedback before going away and an experienced rider will feel what the tire is doing and use that to guage how much they can tighten a line.