Archive for the ‘Riding Techniques’ Category:
Passing 101
Unless you are Mike Alessi (on a 450) and holeshot almost every race, you have to make some passes to win. So, if you want to save your tear offs, you will have to get creative and find a way around your competitors. At the amateur level, concentration and mentality play a big part. However, line selection and commitment will make or break your pass.
Like I said, at the amateur level, racing is a little frantic. If you are behind someone, you can rev the hell out of your engine, scream in corners or anything that breaks their concentration. When they aren’t concentrating on the track ahead of them, they are going to make mistakes. Now, this really isn’t something you want to do every race, just as a last resort. Sometimes, just pressuring the rider in front of you will force a mistake on their part. Again, this is more for the amateur level because professionals are just that, pros. They are used to the mind games.
As far as line selection, you never want to follow the person in front of you. How do you expect to get around someone if you are doing the exact same thing they are? If they go wide, try to slip in on the inside and vise versa. On race day, the main line around the track may not be the best place to make passes because it gets beat up. Searching for smoother lines at the end of the day will also help you conserve energy and also keep your speed up to make a pass.
Being that the amateur races are generally shorter in duration, it is better to make passes at the beginning of the race when everyone is still close to each other. If you are going to make a pass, you need to commit to it. The longer you stay behind someone and eating dirt, the less time you have to move up in position. So if you are going try to get around someone, do it quick and do it cleanly. There’s no sense in taking out the both of you.
Tomorrow, I will go through block passing, so stay tuned!
Navigating Flat Corners
One of the great things about riding on soil is that the riders have the ability to shape the race course. Sure, this means that the track can get rough, but berms can definitely help us out. However, when we don’t have the convenience of a rut or berm, things tend to get tricky. With nothing to help catch the weight of you and your bike, a steady right hand and a little balancing act is required to get through flat corners effectively.
Because you don’t have anything to help you lean, your approach needs to be a little different. A good idea is to take a wider approach than you normally would. If you have ever watched road racing, their lines through corners are usually wide arcs. When you are still upright before the turn, this is the point where your braking should be done; your weight is vertical and your tires have the most available traction. You want to stand through the braking bumps so you ensure that your entrance into the corner is nice and smooth.
So, when you get your braking done and sit down, you want to sit right up on the gas cap. That way, you put as much weight on the front wheel as possible for optimal traction. The way in which you lean the bike over is crucial here, as well. The best way is to sit on the outside edge of the seat. This keeps your weight centered and straight down, rather than out and away.
Like always, keep weight on the outside foot peg and the outside elbow up put additional weight on the front wheel. As I mentioned earlier, a steady throttle hand is the biggest part. Slipping the clutch and getting the rear wheel rotating too quickly will just spin you out. So, you want a steady roll on of the throttle to make sure the rear has plenty of traction
Drifting out too wide can leave the door open for a pass. Keeping your elbow up and weight on the outside peg gives you the traction to power through the turn and avoid drifting out. Unlike riding through a wide arc, squaring up flat turns robs momentum and drive. It is time consuming and a waste of energy. Once you find that balance between leaning and twisting the throttle, these corners become excellent passing opportunities.
Slick and Muddy Conditions
High point was pretty crazy this past weekend. Both classes are shaping up to be epic classics and the conditions are ensuring this. The previous round at Freestone was absolutely brutal with scorching temperatures and now Mount Morris provided us with a slick, muddy track. As a Florida boy, I dread slippery conditions. The main lines were slick and as the rain fell, the course deteriorated. However, racing in these conditions aren’t as bad as you think.
One quote, that is truly an oxymoron, can be applied to these circumstances says to go slow to go fast. That couldn’t be any truer. Bombing into corners and sliding in does not work. If you do that in every corner, you need to look through this site on cornering techniques immediately. When lines get beat down and harden up, traction is scarce. Therefore, controlled braking between both the front and rear brakes is essential to ensure a smooth entrance to any corner. Chattering your rear brake helps conserve your forward drive and doesn’t lock it up. In both slick and muddy conditions, you want your corners to smooth arcs with steady throttle application. And if you are still having trouble, you can drag your rear brake when exiting corners. This will help weigh down the rear and force the wheel into the ground.
Getting on the gas is just as important as the braking. Avoid stabbing the clutch when you are leaned over or anything like that. The excessive wheel spin will spin you out and potentially send you to the dirt. So, a steady right hand in any situation will keep you upright. Another aspect that plays a role in smooth drive is your gearing. Not so much sprocket rations but the gear you are actually in makes a difference in traction. If you are too high a gear, the rear does not hook up as well. So, making sure you in a higher gear will help you get a solid, chug out of your bike will help avoid any wheel spin issues.
One important thing is stay loose. Riding tight only leads to arm pump and mistakes. When you are loosened up, you will be able to react and flow through everything rather than fight the track. Working against the course in the conditions like High Point will not work. And most important, keep it fun!
2011 KTM’s….
KTM will have linkage in 2011. The new SX350F info was officially debuted and it looks good. It should be interesting to see how the shootouts new year will end up.
Here’s the info.
I’ll have another post up tomorrow, so be sure to check back.
Maintaining a Lead
Let’s be honest now. If RV2 wouldn’t have crashed himself out of the series, the 2010 Supercross Championship would look very different. Ryan Dungey did a great job of staying consistent and maintaining a drive to keep him on the podium. Winning championships at that level takes ridiculous talent and skill. With all of that winning, both of these guys know how to maintain a lead and keep it; each and every week.
One thing that I notice between champions and contenders are that the champs never look back. They are not concerned about what is behind them. They are focused on what is ahead of them and keep their vision on the next obstacle. Even when practicing, looking back throws me off rhythm. You cannot expect to race forward if you’re always thinking about the people behind you. Like I said last week, you want to race the track and block out the competitors. Not to say that Mike Alessi is a bad rider, but when I watch him race, I can tell he looks behind him more than most riders. I’m not saying this is the reason why he hasn’t won a championship, but RV2 and RD5 don’t really look back….
When you have a nice lead on 2nd place, guarding the inside is not the best idea. Sure, you are closing the door, but it is pointless when you have the option of taking your normal line. However, once things get tighter, a lot of times, the inside line is usually a good passing option. Keeping the other rider on the outside of you allows you to choose between the inside or outside. This gives you the option to sweep out and block them from passing you.
Obviously, practicing this can be somewhat tough. Each race situation is different and anything can happen. However, just be aware of where the rider is behind you and keep your line. Riding defensively can sometimes slow you down, so just keep concentrating and racing ahead.
Racing the Track
It has been a while since I have written an article, but between exams and moving out of my apartment, I have been going like crazy. But, I have something to look forward to….nationals. This goes for professional and amateur. By now, most of the Area Qualifiers are finished up and the Regional Qualifiers are shaping up. The Area races are more like your local races with a few new people. But for the most part, you will be racing some familiar faces. However, once you get to the Regional race, there are going to some big names.
No matter what region you are from or what class you race, there is always going to be one person that everyone is worried about. I can remember when I was at an Area Qualifier a few years back and there was one guy I was always worried about. He was consistently up front and I could never catch him. So, the whole time I was on the line, I was thinking about how fast he was. I doubted myself and my abilities before my bike was even started. This negative thinking played a big part and screwed up my race.
One of my biggest problems was that I would always put the “faster” person on a pedestal. I would compare myself to them and always seem to trick myself into thinking they were so much better than me. These kids who you see on videos and in magazines are just like you. They are human and they can be beaten. However, instead of trying to race them, race the track.
That is how every great rider trains and keeps their speed up. When you stop worrying about who is on the gate with you and you ride the track, it is easier for you to get in the “zone” and settle into a fast race pace. You almost need to look at the other riders as moving obstacles. They are just in the way and you just need to get around them. That’s it. Attacking the track will help you keep your lap times down and you will always be charging when others are cruising.
If you qualified for a Regional race, congrats. Just remember that everyone on the gate has two arms and two legs like you do. Race the track and don’t worry about the other riders.
