Back around 2003/04 I got back into street riding primarily to commute. I was lent a copy of Reg Pridmore's book, "Smooth Riding the Pridmore Way", and it resonated with me. This past Sunday, I was finally able to attend his CLASS motorcycle training at Willow Spring's Streets of Willow track. Between the time I first read his book, till this day, I've realized that motorcycles ARE my passion. I bought my first motorcycle when I was 15 and in no time I was racing motocross with it. Fast forward to today, and I'm working toward my goal of racing my '97 Honda VFR in the AHRMA's series, and this class is one step in that direction. No matter if you are just an enthusiastic street rider, or a trackday junkie, this class can teach you some finer points to riding a motorcycle smoothly and quickly. I wish I could give CLASS 10 stars! read more

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This is best place to improve your riding skills. A great staff that is helpful and enthusiastic in helping you become a better, safer, smoother and smarter rider. Lots of riding time that also includes classroom time to learn and apply practical and safe techniques for riding. Riders are grouped into an A and B group depending on your riding level. Instructors follow the riders and offer comments on your riding during a break. There are plenty of instructors that help each and every rider. Safety is of extreme importance and you are warned that if your are unsafe among other riders, you will be asked to leave. Reg and Gigi are the best in accommodating each and every rider. read more

Fantastic way to become a better rider - be it on the track or on the road. Great instructors, and a lot of fun amongst other MC enthusiasts :) read more

The best riding school, and I've taken classes with 3 other organizations. I have a lot of fun at CLASS while getting in more riding than my body can handle. And I always learn something, which is the most important part. read more

Reg Pridmore should rename his CLASS Motorcycle School either Squeaky Wheel Motorcycle School or CLASS Motorcycle Workshop. Schools typically teach a curriculum of skills and concepts, test to confirm learning, and move on. Learning at Reg's organization, on the other hand, is (at least based on my experience) driven almost entirely by student questions and requests for help. Be a squeaky wheel with good questions in the classroom and demand on-track coaching and you'll get good answers and good coaching. Sit quietly figuring you'll start by learning the lessons your instructors have prepared or wait to be corrected on the track and you'll probably walk away unhappy. Students are divided into A, B, and C groups depending on speed, with groups alternating between classroom and the track. Classroom sessions are mostly led personally by the charming, articulate and incredibly knowledgeable Reg. Sadly, despite some cool posters and diagrams, they are mostly devoid of content. You get generalities ("expand your envelope of attention") and almost casual reminders of key riding concepts ("be on the gas at the apex") that are useful only if you already understand them well. Suffice it say, paint-by-numbers riding isn't Reg's thing. HOWEVER... if you are willing and able to ask highly specific questions you will get great answers. On track instruction is similar. Reg has a staff of on track coaches (there were probably about 8, which with maybe 30 or so students on track at any one time isn't a bad ratio), all of whom seemed very competent. As far as I can tell, if you aren't a real danger to others (or probably a superstar) you are going to get ignored. However, if you are willing to go over to the coach's staging area in the pits and say "hey, look, I need some help here" you can get pretty good instruction, I know I did (thanks, Fred!). Many schools feature exercises to build specific skills ("here are some cones - we'll teach you to shift your weight going through them the same way you would on the track" or "practice body steering on this bike with handlebars fixed in place to learn what body steering can and can't do"). This is not a major part of CLASS. There was only one off-track exercise, a smooth braking drill. Unfortunately, it was never explicitly tied into any street or track techniques, though those in-the-know probably recognized it as an essential part of trail braking. And it was cut short due to a conflict with the B group's on-track session. The school requires you to bring your own bike and charges around $300/day (generous group discounts available) versus say $1000/day for bike inclusive programs at the California Superbike school or Yamaha Champions Riding School at Miller Motorsports. A mixture of good bargain, wasted opportunity and great potential, CLASS is a difficult experience to review. There is great knowledge to be had and the price is right. If you understand its a workshop, have enough insight into what it is you don't know to be able to ask the right questions, and are capable of being a squeaky wheel you'll have a rewarding experience. If you are the kind of student who wants structure, or expects a school-like experience, CLASS isn't for you. A couple of notes - The website makes a huge point of saying you need tires with 90% of tread remaining. What they really mean is that you need enough tread to survive a day at the track. I was a little worried because I had a few hundred miles of sports riding on my tires (so maybe 75% left) but it wasn't an issue - They do not use the traditional flag system to control the track. Rather, when its time to come in your signaled by instructor bikes parked facing traffic. I think simple is good, though I can see hard-core A group riders not being comfortable with this. read more

SUMMARY: Grab the instructors for as much 1-on-1 as you can, it will make the CLASS class so much more worthwhile. Any of the instructors can teach you *something*, no matter your experience. If you want to learn passively, then this is not a good choice. Speak up during class room instructions, and grab instructors. The 3 star rating ("A-OK") is because the class room instructions seemed heavy on concepts but light on providing solid examples on when and how *you* can apply them. There was no booklet or hand-outs to follow, so everything was lectures, with a few posters and whiteboard drawings to emphasize major points. They brought up concepts, and would explain them, but being mostly verbal, did little to give concrete examples. For instance, body positioning was illustrated with a poster that showed good and bad positioning, but I personally would've preferred someone get on one of the bikes sitting right there and demonstrate it, or even invite some of the students up a bike to demonstrate their body positioning and then help them correct it on the bike so they have an idea of what it feels like on the bike before they go out on the track. When I went in late April, there were about 50 of us students, with about 35 or so in the B group and the rest in A. There were only about 8 instructors so while it was a decent ratio, it could get tough to grab an instructor for more than 1 session. If you go, I would suggest you grab an instructor on your very 1st session, ask him/her to tow you around the track and show you the lines, and then grab instructors for as many sessions as you can. The 1-on-1 instruction is awesome if you get it. Recommended if you want: 1) A nice, gentle and *safe* introduction to the track without a lot of the aggro, ricky racer types that you might see at "pure" trackday events. 2) Learning from one of the AMA's racing legends, Reg Pridmore and listening to some of his anecdotes and stories. His wife Gigi is an absolute sweetheart of a lady and a great instructor/rider. Not Recommended if you want: 1) Structured learning environment in the class room. 2) A high instructor:student ratio. 3) Strictly trackday or race-specific instruction (unless you get it 1-on-1, which can by iffy, see #2). 4) If you haven't done any other reading, watching of videos or other trackdays and learned and *practiced* the major concepts like counter-steering, body positioning, throttle control, brake control. This review was for the CLASS instruction at Sonoma Raceway (formerly Infineon, formerly Sears Point), though CLASS conducts training at various tracks around the USA, so check out their website for the latest schedule. Look up the other Yelp reviews for Sonoma Raceway but any trackday is a fun day; try them all and find the ones that you like! read more

12 or 13 days with Class and I still look forward to starting the next lesson. There are many left. What will you learn in CLASS today ?

I attended two days back-to-back at Southern California's Streets of Willow track at the Willow Springs International Motorsports Park. Practicing the skills on a more challenging venue with tight corners, elevation changes and off camber turns really reinforced the points Reg was passing along. I'm a frequent A-Group rider searching for any skills to improve my ability to ride safer. It was Mothers Day so the groups were small, actually we were spoiled and enjoyed a 2-to-1 instructor to student ratio, which naturally meant attention that is more individual. My learning method is visual and conducting a cycle of watching-doing-correcting was fully supported by the Class Team.The mental training to "Just SD" (slow down) while practicing pertinent skills was an excellent reminder, especially for someone on a liter bike like my S1000RR. I am not saying he wanted everyone to ride slow, rather Reg wanted to demonstrate there is an appropriate speed for skills training no matter what level rider you are...and most of the time the speed is slower than our egos believe. That was a huge take away for me. It is easy to attribute the following newly gained skills to the Team at Class Motorcycle School: - Confidence using engine braking in tandem with wheel braking. - The safe use of soft breaking while turning, a scary concept at first. - The inverse interlock of the throttle to front brakes. - The effect of foot peg pressure to control turning radius and lean angle. Hats off to Reg for assembling a crew that are warm, specific, and very patient. Even his wife and brother, both skilled instructors, helped to smooth out my rough and unsafe practices. read more

I have attended 4 Class schools (Sonoma Raceway twice, Willow Springs and Laguna Seca) and each time I learn more and more. If you've ever been intimidated by the thought of a track school, fear not -- CLASS has a very calm, unhurried approach to getting everyone on the track. Reg, Gigi and the staff really seem like a family, and they include their students as part of that family. By far the best way to learn your way around a track is to follow one of the instructors for a couple of laps to see how they get around the track, and then try it yourself. Or you can have the instructor follow YOU around the track and get immediate feedback on your riding technique. I recommend CLASS to any rider who wants to become a better rider, without having to put up with the instructor egos found at some other schools. read more

My "Woohoo! as good as it gets!" is actually a review of my experience when I (unfortunately) had to return a gift certificate I'd purchased as a Christmas present. I had spoken to Gigi by phone and she was very helpful in describing what was entailed and it sounded GREAT! My giftee gets to ride THE CORKSCREW at Laguna Seca? How cool! Plus, the way the riding was described, it sounded like he would get plenty of actual riding time. The recipient of the gift was not able to do this sort of class right now, and we weren't sure how long it would be until he would. It's a long story, but the best part of it is that GIGI DIDN'T ASK WHY - she politely (and very quickly) refunded what I'd paid to my credit card. She didn't grill me about why or hesitate for a second. So, if you're considering a gift of this sort, but you're hesitant that a physical or work schedule limitation would keep your recipient from being able to use it in the upcoming year, don't be concerned. Returning it was a breeze. For that reason alone, when he is able to this, CLASS is where I'll go. read more

I can't say enough good things about this organization. It started with a small seed at Laguna Seca last year. I just did two days at Sonoma Raceway this year. I'm now a full-fledged racetrack junkie, all due to the expert advice and guidance of this team. If you've never been to the track but always wanted to try or even if you are a seasoned track veteran, this is your crew and you won't be disappointed. Trust me! read more

I have twice attended 2-day CLASSes with Reg at Laguna Seca and it is phenomenal! Reg and his instructors have a great attitude, which I think is really important. I have learned to dramatically improve my technique, level of safety and speed. It's not for the raw beginner, but rather for those with at least a basic level on up to the really fast, experienced riders. I highly recommend it... It just might save your life! read more

Had the pleasure of attending Laguna on the 21st as well as S.O.W on the 28th. I'm constantly learning something new that not only helps me on the streets but on track as well. Big thanks to Gigi for squeezing me in, to Reg for sharing his endless knowledge, and the instructors for helping me (especially with turn 4). Highly recommended for all riders who would like to improve being smooth with no pressure, negative criticism, and always a very positive attitude. See you on May 7th. Smooth is fast! read more

Had an amazing experience at this school. Worth every penny. I took part in their Labor Day class at Streets of Willow. Lots of my classmates were repeat students, one told me he's taken the class over 10 times. As a new rider it was a lot to absorb, but I felt safe, had fun, and came out as a way more confident rider. Wouldn't hesitate to take the class again. read more

This class was awesome. I can't say enough positive things about my experience. Reg and his team really know their stuff and they are patient with new track riders. I had so much to learn and Reg's team was great about providing feedback and offering suggestions to improve my lines. I would highly recommend this class to anyone that wants to improve their riding skills and if you like to go fast you can do that too. I am all in and plan to attend the next class at Sonoma in April. Hope to see you there! read more

Great class, wonderful staff, super informative, had a blast. Highly recommend all skill levels attend...part "how to and what not to" then take all that directly to the track and apply...certainly gonna attempt to make CLASS (at least) an annual event... read more

Although I'm not and instructor or affiliated with Class I might be slightly partial by my review as I have attended about fifty Class events over the years and drove home with a grin on my face and new ideas learned every time. They know how to guide beginners and teach and old dog like my self after a lifetime of riding new tricks. I guaranty you can expect to become a safer, more competent rider by better understanding and learned skills after the first day in Class. Class is not a racing school, it's a friendly group of very knowledgeable helpful instructors that enjoy nothing more than seeing riders catching on and being able to ride safer and better led by Reg. I know coming to the track for the first time can be intimidating, think of it as a safe haven from traffic, trucks, blind corners, etc, where very few of us are enjoying an opportunity of going in the same direction without any distraction focusing on the same thing - riding. I could ramble about Class all day, but just one more thing, two groups only not three so there is already 1/3 more track time than most organization, and compare to other schools Reg's is definitely is the best bang for the buck. read more