TWMX: 101 Tips From the Pros

[crfjedi393]

Wherever you are in your quest for more speed, some of these will "speak" to you. You can't digest them all at once but working on one or two of them at a time will make a difference.
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1. LOOK AHEAD
"Don’t get caught staring at the ground in front of your fender. Try to always look ahead when you are riding, as doing so will help you anticipate the obstacles that are approaching." - Ryan Hughes

2. STYLE FIRST
"If you are a beginner, concentrate on developing a good, correct riding style. Watch the pros and do what they do. If you have a good riding style as a base, the speed will come easier." - Josh Hansen

3. FLOW IN SAND
"When you are riding a sandy track, the key to going fast is to flow through all of the corners and tricky sections. Sand sucks up all of your forward momentum, so using a cut-and-thrust riding style just doesn’t work." - John Dowd

4. SET UP FOR OFF CAMBERS
"You want to sweep around off-camber corners as wide as you can, because you are more likely to lose traction with one or both of your wheels when making a tight turn. Patience and throttle control are more important than raw speed." - Branden Jesseman

5. PREP YOUR GATE
"Once your pick your starting gate, take the time to prepare it. If it is concrete, sweep absolutely all of the dirt and dust off of it. Make sure that there is no dry mud underneath your fenders that will fall on it when you rev your bike. If it is dirt, pack the dirt hard so you are not starting in loose pebbles that will make you spin." - Ernesto Fonseca

6. DON'T FOLLOW
"Rule number one has always been not to follow. You have to plan ahead and try different lines. If the guy you are chasing is cutting to the inside, go wide and try to slingshot past him. If he is railing the outside, try to cut underneath him. The bottom line is that you will never pass someone if you are doing exactly the same thing. In this shot, I squared off the corner earlier than Cobra and ended up racing past underneath him." - Kevin Windham

7. GO OUT FAST
"Finish your raceday practice session hard and fast, at full race speed. That way, you will leave the track on the same note you want to re-enter it at. Never cruise your last few laps of practice." - Ricky Johnson

8. PRE-RACE CHECKLIST
"The day before the race, I make sure that all of my equipment is in order. If you pack your gearbag the morning of the race, you are bound to forget something. If you can, it also helps to load up your truck the night before and park it in the garage, so you don’t forget your gas can or stand." - Nick Wey

9. STAY LOOSE
"The looser and more relaxed you can keep your body, the better you will be able to react with body positioning to different things you bike might do. Whether it is shifting your weight to gain better traction or to correct its flight path mid-air, it all comes easier if you are loose." - Sebastien Tortelli

10. TOES UP IN RUTS
"When there are deep ruts that you have to ride through, it is important to ride on the balls of your feet, or to consciously point your toes up, so that you don’t catch them on the sides of the rut. It also helps to point your toes inward, towards the bike." - Kevin Windham

11. KEEP YOUR SHOULDERS PARALLEL WITH THE BARS
"When you corner, always keep your shoulders in line with—or parallel with—your handlebars. If you always stay in line with your bars, you will never have a problem in corners, rutted ones, especially." - Broc Glover

12. DON’T FEAR THE RUTS
"If a straightaway is rutted up, lots of riders will go around them, thinking it is faster. Wrong! Attack the rut! Get your front end light by gassing it hard and leaning back. Look past the rut and don’t get caught staring at it—this will cause you to choke and get cross rutted." - Scott Sheak

13. STEER WITH YOUR BUTT
"When you are powering out of corners, push down with your butt on the seat, not towards the outside of the corner. This will help the bike get traction and drive forward. Pushing out will make the rear tire slide." - Sean Hamblin

14. ONE-MOTION CORNERS
"Making a smooth corner is best accomplished when you can do several things, all at once: let off the brakes, sit down and lean the bike over. When you sit down, the suspension will compress, which will in turn make the bike easier to lean over." - Ryan Hughes

15. LEARNING A NEW TRACK
"On raceday at a new track, concentrate on the dangerous obstacles first, then worry about going fast. Once you have found your pace, concentrate on finding alternate lines for passing, then practice hitting those lines fast." - Ricky Johnson

16. OUTSIDE ELBOW UP
"When you are making a turn, be sure to keep your outside elbow up. Doing this will help get weight on your front tire and it will then get better traction and keep you from washing out." - Travis Preston

17. DON’T GIVE UP
"Even if you don’t win, you can be satisfied with yourself as long as you give everything you have and never give up. If you are racing, there is no letting up or settling. Race hard to the checkered flag, even if there is no one around you." - Mike Brown

18. RESIST THE BRAKE-TAP
"Tapping the rear brake in the air to bring the front of your bike down was trendy back in the day, but you should learn to drop the front end of your bike using body English. Tapping the rear brake costs you a millesecond each time you do it, because you have to regain forward momentum with the stopped wheel once you touch down." - Grant Langston

19. PLAN YOUR SIGNALS
"If you are going to go through the trouble to have someone pit board for you, figure out what you want to know and talk about it. I like my mechanic to tell me how far ahead or how far behind I am, as well as how far into the race I am. Sometimes, the encouraging messages help, but more than anything I want to know where I stand." - Mike LaRocco

20. SIT CROOKED IN CORNERS
"Don’t be afraid to sit on the corner of your seat when making a corner. Sitting on the upper edge of your seat when you lean the bike over can help the bike dig for traction, and get the bike laid over further for a tighter turn." - Tim Ferry

21. SET UP FOR CORNERS
"If there is a corner following a jump, you can sometimes set up for it ahead of time by angling your takeoff so that you land in the direction of the turn. If the corner is really close, sometimes I will even sit down in the air and get my leg out in preparation for the turn." - Kevin Windham

22. PLAN AHEAD
"Passing is a lot more strategy than anything else. When you are chasing a rider, you will figure out the sections of the track that you are stronger in. Plan your passes one or two corners ahead." - Grant Langston

23. BE CREATIVE
"Be creative with your lines, don’t just settle into the same lines that everyone else is taking. Look for other parts of the track that you can take advantage of, especially in really rough sections. Chances are that there is a smoother line somewhere off the main race line." - Michael Byrne

24. LEAD WITH YOUR HEAD
"Ride in the center of the bike, but lead it with your head and upper body. Ricky kind of leans back and pins it, but for me it works best if I get up, clamp onto the bike with my knees and get my upper body up and over the bars." - Kevin Windham

25. ELIMINATE COASTING
"I see a lot of amateur riders brake way too early for a corner, then coast into it before getting back on the gas. Instead, charge harder into the turn, brake later and eliminate that gap in between the time you are on the brakes and getting on the gas." - Josh Hansen

26. BRAKE SLIDE
"Brake sliding is a good technique for hard-packed bowl turns. Pull in the clutch, lock up your rear brake and twist your body to nudge the bike into the slide. Be ready to let the clutch out when your bike has changed directions sufficiently." - Matt Walker

27. WORK THE SIDES
"When you are faced with a super-rough straightaway or sweeping corner, look to the outsides of the track for smooth lines that might allow you to miss the bumps. Sometimes, crossing over the same bumps, at a different angle, makes them less brutal." - Steve Lamson

28. FOCUS ON TURN ONE

"At the start of a race, once the gate drops focus on the first turn and where you want to go. Don’t become distracted by the riders on the sides of you." - Ernesto Fonseca

29. HEAD TILT

"One of the best things Gary Bailey has taught me is to lead into a corner with your head if you are having trouble. For some reason, if you tilt your head to the inside, your body and bike will follow. Try it!’ - Sebastien Tortelli

30. VISUALIZE THE HOLESHOT

"After you have prepped your gate, sit there and visualize yourself getting the holeshot from a spectator’s perspective. Then, start over and visualize getting the holeshot through your goggles. Seeing it and feeling it can oftentimes be half of the battle." - Ricky Johnson

31. SLIPPERY HEAD "I like to spray the top of my helmet with some sort of non-stick cooking spray because it helps keep mud from sticking to it. At muddy races, the mud that cakes up on the top of your helmet can get really heavy. Doing this also makes cleaning up your nice paint job a lot easier." - Matt Walker

32. RELAX YOUR GRIP
"If you are a rider who struggles with arm pump, relax your grip on the handlebars every time your bike leaves the ground. This will help you loosen your overall grip and help alleviate arm pump." - Stephane Roncada

33. LEARN FROM OTHERS
"Before practice, chances are good that you’ll already have an idea of who the fastest riders are. Follow them in practice and study their lines. Try to run their pace and get a feel for how much you have to step it up to win." - Michael Craig

34. STRAIGHT INTO RUTS
"In sections like this one, with deep ruts entering a corner, I make sure to get my bike lined up perfectly straight with the approaching rut. You can’t expect to go through the rut smoothly if your front wheel is in it, but your back wheel is in another or sliding across the top of the ground in between. Get your front wheel light, gas it hard and look towards the end of the rut, where you hope to be." - Nick Wey

35. CUT THE RUT
"If there is a really common rut that everyone is using, it will usually get all whooped out at the end. If the rut isn’t too deep, try to cut the corner tighter right at the apex and start an alternate, tighter groove. Usually, you can start a new rut by hitting the same line three times in a row." - Steve Lamson

36. ELBOWS OUT RACING
"If you are racing side-by-side with another rider, be sure to keep your elbows up and up, so that it is them—not your handlebars—that will make contact with the other rider. If you tangle handlebars, you’re most likely going to crash." - Branden Jesseman

37. SCRUBBING SPEED
"There is no reason to hit any jump perfectly straight. By turning slightly on the face, you can angle your bike to jump lower which helps cut down your airtime. This technique can also allow you to approach the jump faster, yet scrub enough speed off to not overjump it." - David Vuillemin

38. REST BETWEEN MOTOS
"In between motos, I make the guys on my team lay down and rest. Be sure to hydrate yourself and even eat something for energy. Get out of your gear if it is hot and lay low to conserve energy; don’t walk around in the sun." - Michael Craig

39. FIRST PRACTICE SETS THE TONE
"For me, I have found that my first practice session of the weekend usually sets the tone for how my race is going to go. Don’t take too long building up your race pace, because it may never come." - Brock Sellards

40. STAY LOOSE IN MUD
"The key to going fast in the mud is staying smooth and fluid. Making quick directional changes is not good—you have to flow around the track. Look further ahead than usual to see if there are big puddles or other riders crashed. Ride slower and pace yourself." - David Vuillemin

41. BURN RUBBER
"I know tires are expensive, but if you really want to get a good start on a concrete starting pad, you should hold your front brake, put your bike in first gear and do a five to 10 second burn out about 30 second before the gate drops." - Nathan Ramsey

42. MAKE THE MOST OUT OF PRACTICE
"Some people say that getting time on the bike is the most important thing when you are practicing, but I like to give it 100% every time I am on the bike. If you don’t practice at 100%, how can you expect to comfortably race at 100%?" - Ricky Carmichael

43. RIDE TALL IN SAND
"On sandy, whooped out straights, ride a gear taller than you normally would, because it will lighten the load on your rear suspension and keep the bike from swapping. Stay light on the bike and keep your elbows and knees bent to help your suspension absorb the rollers." - John Dowd

44. RIDE WITH YOUR LEGS
"Squeezing the bike all the time with your legs is important, and pressing down hard on the footpegs on straightaways will help the bike stay on the ground and get good traction. Make your legs strong at the gym, and it will help you save your arms when you ride." - Stephane Roncada

45. DON’T SOUND FAST
"The biggest mistake I see amateur racers making is riding in too low a gear and revving their bikes out. Basically, they are trying to be aggressive, and they think that if they sound fast, they will go fast. Shift up! Ride smoother! Make less noise!" - Brock Sellards

46. WATCH OTHER RIDERS
"Even if you are not riding, just watching other riders or races on television can help you improve your technique. Pay attention to more than how big they jump: watch their braking points, how they apply the throttle, or even when they sit and stand on their bikes. Paying close attention can teach you a lot." - Branden Jesseman

47. DRY HANDS
"If you take a jacuzzi the night before a race, keep it short because it will dehydrate you. Also, never soak your hands in one, because it will soften the calluses you have worked so hard to build up and they will fall off." - Ricky Johnson

48. GO SLOW TO GO FAST
"It’s an oft-used cliché in racing, but totally true. Sometimes, being more technical and precise through a section will produce faster lap times than charging in wide open and out of control. Trust me I’ve learned the hard way!" - Ryan Hughes

49. BE AGGRESSIVE IN SAND
"When riding in sand, you must be much more aggressive in the corners than you would normally be in other conditions. Sand sucks your bike down and works like an automatic brake system, so you can’t let off the gas at all unless you want to slow down. You have to actually get on the gas much harder and much sooner when negotiating a deep, sandy corner, and maintaining the rpms of your bike is crucial. Every shift must be timed perfectly, and you need to use lots of clutch to keep the bike on the pipe." - Grant Langston

50. FRONT BRAKE RUT READY
"I like to keep my finger on the front brake when I am negotiating tricky ruts, because a little front brake can help you in case you start to ride out of it or get cross-rutted. Sometimes, if the rut is really tight or in an off-camber section of the track, dragging the front brake a little bit can help you keep the front tire from riding up the sides and out of the rut." - Ernesto Fonseca

50. LEARN DURING PRACTICE
"Never try anything new at a race, whether it is a riding technique or a piece of equipment. Do all of your testing and learning on practice days. Everything should come naturally and feel comfortable on race day." - Tim Ferry

51. SIT DOWN FOR OFF CAMBERS
"Unlike other turns, an off-camber corner requires you to sit down much earlier, so that both of your wheels can grab traction. Don’t attack; you must flow though these types of turns with a relaxed approach." - Sebastien Tortelli

52. SIT DOWN FOR OFF CAMBERS
"Unlike other turns, an off-camber corner requires you to sit down much earlier, so that both of your wheels can grab traction. Don’t attack; you must flow though these types of turns with a relaxed approach." - Sebastien Tortelli

53. BOTH FEET DOWN
"On starts, I leave both feet down because I am less likely to lose my balance when I blast off the starting line. I also like to shift with the heel of my boot, but you should practice doing that before you do it in a race." - Josh Hansen

54. MENTALLY RIDE THE TRACK
"After practice, or in between motos when you are relaxing and cooling down, close your eyes and ride laps around the track in your head. Think about the lines, the bumps and the jumps. It will keep you sharp." - Brock Sellards

55. SEAT BOUNCE FOR MORE HEIGHT
"If there is a jump right after a tight corner, use the bike’s rear suspension to help pop you up higher. Stay seated in the center of the bike, lean back a little and be ready for the rebound of your bike’s shock to kick you straight up. This takes practice, and is an advanced technique." - Ezra Lusk

56. EAT RIGHT
"I am not a big diet guy like some of my competitors, but from Thursday on I stay away from red meats. Instead, I eat a lot of chicken and pasta. Most of all, I drink a lot of water in the days before the race to get my body properly hydrated. You can’t just go and drink a ton of water the night before; it takes days." - David Vuillemin

57. SIGHTING LAP
"I have seen riders unload their bikes, get on the track and ride wide open right from the start. Even if you are a total local at a track, this is a bad idea because there may be new obstacles or bumps that have formed since you were last there. Always take time to see all there is too see." - Scott Sheak

58. LOOK AT THE END OF THE RUT
"Deep ruts in corners can be tricky, but one tip that is helpful is looking at the end of the rut. If you stare at the rut right in front of your front tire, you are more likely to lose your balance. Look at the end of the rut, or the exit of the corner, stay loose, and that is where you will go!" - Sean Hamblin

59. STAY POSITIVE
"Keeping a positive attitude is important on race day, even if the weather is bad or the track is crappy. They always say that everyone has to ride the same track, and it is true. Instead of dwelling on how much you hate the track, concentrate on what you can do to get around it quickly." - Ricky Carmichael

60. INSIDE LEG
"When you get your leg out in a turn, keep in mind that it is out there for balance, and just in case you need to take a dab. Don't drag or slide your foot on the ground, because it will cause you to lose your balance and increases your chances of spraining your ankle or blowing out your knee." - Kevin Windham

61. UPSHIFT FOR WHOOPS
"You never want to be halfway through a set of whoops and have your bike run out of power or hit the rev limiter. I always upshift once or even twice before entering a set of tricky whoops that you can not jump through." - Tim Ferry

62. SLIDE THE FRONT BRAKE IN
"I like to position my front brake master cylinder perch closer to the center of the handlebars. This gives me more leverage at the end of the lever. I also run my front brake lever higher than the clutch, because twisting the throttle often has your hand more horizontal." - Grant Langston

63. PRACTICE CORNERS
"Anyone who has seen me race outdoors knows that I make up most of my time in corners. Lots of riders spend lots of time practicing jumps because they are fun, but practicing corners is more practical. It’s not as fun or glamorous, but it will pay off on race day. Becoming comfortable and confident in the way your bike slides as you power out of a turn is important if you ever intend on getting aggressive in turns." - Ricky Carmichael

64. PRACTICE RESTARTS
"If you ride a four-stroke and race, you should be comfortable with the starting procedure in case you stall it during a race. Lots of guys panic when they stall the engine during a race and they blow it. Stall on purpose a few times and figure out your own bike’s routine." - Brock Sellards

65. BRAKING ON JUMP FACES
"If you are completely comfortable on a certain jump, you can actually fly lower and go faster by approaching it faster than normal, then braking hard on the face so that you still leave the jump with the same overall speed needed to clear the obstacle." - Mike LaRocco

66. WEIGHT THE OUTSIDE FOOTPEG
"When cornering, make a conscious effort to weight the outside footpeg with your boot. This will help the bike get good traction, as well as help you get the bike leaned over to make a good directional change." - Ryan Hughes

67. WALK THE TRACK
"If you have the opportunity, take the time to walk the track. At Nationals, I always walk the track after our Saturday practice sessions to check things out. You will be surprised at how much you see and the lines you will find." - Michael Byrne

68. WATCH YOUR OPPONENT’S GATE PIN
"At the start of a race, never watch your own starting gate, because it is the last thing to move when the starter pushes the release lever. Instead, focus on the little pin that holds the gate next to you up because that is the first thing to move." - Nathan Ramsey

69. GRIP THE BIKE
"You should always grip the bike, whether it is with your knees or lower legs. To see how hard you should grip your bike, put it on the stand, grip it with your legs and lean back without your hands on the grips. You should always squeeze hard enough to hold yourself up without your hands." - Jeff Emig

70. THERE’S NO TRACTION IN THE AIR
"It’s an old saying, but it is totally true. It pays to get back on the ground and on the gas when clearing another obstacle is not required. Jumping really far just for the sake of catching air is actually slower." - Mike LaRocco

71. PRACTICE STARTS
"Practice starts every time you ride. If you are racing, get out on the starting area and do three or four practice starts there, too, because every start is different." - Michael Craig

72. FEED THE POWER
"A common mistake that riders make is cracking the throttle wide open as they exit corners. Rolling the throttle on smoothly will provide more consistent traction, less wheel spin and require much less energy." - Tim Ferry

73. RIDE THE BALLS OF YOUR FEET
"A lot of boots nowadays have replaceable arches, but that’s not where you should be standing, anyway. Try to ride on the balls of your feet. That allows your ankles to work with the suspension." - Jeff Emig

74. FRONT BRAKE RUT SAVER
"Sometimes, if you come into a rutted corner too hot and aren’t lined up perfectly, you can tap your front brake to help keep your front wheel from riding up the sides and out of the rut." - Mike LaRocco

75. STAND UP
"I see a lot of novice riders sitting down way too much. You should always try to stand as much as you can: sit down at the last second when entering corners and stand up as soon as you can when exiting them. When you stand, you can use your legs as additional suspension." - Ryan Hughes

76. ONE-FINGERED CLUTCH
"Some riders say that using only one finger on the clutch helps you be smoother with the clutch, but personally, I switched to one finger is because it gives me one more finger on the grip, holding on. Having three fingers and your thumb gripping the left grip is a lot more secure than two fingers and your thumb. I like to use my middle finger, but some riders use their index finger. It’s all what you’re comfortable with." - Ricky Carmichael

77. WEIGHT THE REAR IN SOFT STUFF
"In contrast to the way you ride hard-pack terrain, sandy, loose tracks require you to lean back and steer with the throttle. If you get too far forward in sand, the front end will knife and tuck out from under you. Lean back and gas it hard to corner in the soft stuff." - John Dowd

78. LET THE BIKE PULL YOUR FEET
"Instead of hanging off your bike and letting it pull you by your arms, lean forward and grip your bike with your thighs, knees and lower legs. Your legs are much stronger than your arms, and riding like this will help you conserve energy." - Erik Kehoe

79. DON’T OVERREV YOUR BIKE
"Some people think that you need to overrev your 125 to go fast, but it is more important to keep the engine in the meat of the powerband. When you overrev your engine, it puts a bind on the chain and rear suspension, and doesn’t allow the shock to work properly." - Michael Byrne

80. BRACE YOURSELF
"When you get on the brakes hard for a corner, there is a right and a wrong way to do it. Just like when you accelerate out of a corner, you want your tires to get the most traction possible. Brace your upper body behind the handlebars when you get on the brakes, and squeeze with your lower legs and force the bike into the ground. If you just slam on the brakes and don’t help the bike get stopping traction, you’ll just slide or skid into the corner." - Tim Ferry

81. USE THE RUT
"A lot of riders hate ruts, but you have to love them. A rut is a traction tool, and it can allow you to rail a corner faster than if it were flat. Get your inside leg up and out of the way—dragging your foot is the worst thing you can do. Use the rut to accelerate hard out of the corner, because it will keep your rear wheel from sliding out." - Jeff Emig

82. WORRY ABOUT THE WHOLE TRACK
"Lots of amateurs show up and worry about one big jump. They spend all morning concentrating on clearing the one big jump and don’t concentrate enough on the rest of the course. Entering and exiting corners properly is more important than one darn jump." - Brock Sellards

83. INSTANT STOPPING POWER
"I like to run both my rear brake pedal and front brake lever with as little play as possible, so that I have instant stopping power. I prefer to run my pedal higher than the footpeg, so that I never drag it on accident." - Mike LaRocco

84. BODY ENGLISH IN HARD PACK
"Going fast in hard-pack conditions requires way more rider input and body English. Stay forward to weight the front end when entering turns, and lean back when exiting. This will keep your front wheel clawing for traction going in, and the rear gripping the ground on the way out." - Ryan Hughes

85. TIGHT EYES
"Even though it may feel less comfortable, make sure that you have your goggle strap nice and tight. Once you start to sweat, the foam will compress and if you don’t have the strap tight enough the goggles won’t seal against your face and this will let dirt and mud in." - Matt Walker

86. WATCH AND LEARN
"When there is a tricky jump on a track, you can usually figure out how to do it, just by watching. Find someone of your similar ability who is jumping it, then listen to his engine to figure out how much gas to give it. Watch his body English to see how the lip of the jump throws him. If you can swallow your pride enough to ask for advice, do it!" - Scott Sheak

87. ATTACK DOWNHILLS
"I know it’s scary, but try to attack downhills as if they were normal straights. Ride a gear higher and try to wheelie over some of the braking bumps on the way down, and brace yourself for the bumps at the bottom. If I know that a big downhill is coming, I take a deep breathe at the top and relax my grip on the bars." - Tim Ferry

88. FLOW THROUGH CORNERS
"If you can, try to flow through the corners, rather than racing in hard, slamming on the brakes, then having to build your momentum back up. Sometimes, if you charge into the corner a little slower, you can flow through it and actually carry more momentum out of it." - Michael Byrne

89. BE AGGRESSIVE
"In a race, the first few laps are critical if you want to do well. In the beginning stages of a race—especially if you have gotten a bad start—the majority of your passes can be made. Don’t follow those ahead of you, or wait for an opening; make things happen!" - Grant Langston

90. ONE FINGER CLUTCH CONTROL
"Using just one finger on the clutch is better than two because it allows you to disengage and engage the clutch more smoothly. When you use more than one finger, the action tends to be more jerky and less fluid." - Jeff Emig

91. ATTACK DOWNHILLS
"It can be scary, but attack steep downhills as if they were flat straightaways. Ride a higher gear than normal, so you have some power on tap to gas it over bumps. It also helps to take a deep breath and loosen your grip just before you start to descend." - Mike LaRocco

92. FOCUS ON THE START
"When I roll up to the starting line, I don’t think about anything else but getting a great start. I think about how I will release the clutch when the gate drops and I think about my shift before the first corner. Getting the holeshot requires focus." - Michael Byrne

93. MIND GAMES
"It doesn’t work that well at the professional level, but amateurs can oftentimes be forced into making a mistake if the rider behind him screams or revs his engine when entering corners. Braking someone’s concentration can have positive effects for the pursuer." - Grant Langston

94. PREJUMP
"On rough outdoor tracks, the faces of the jumps will often get chewed up from riders blipping the throttle. Find a small bump on the face to use as a prejump, and clear the kicker at the top of the lip. Hit the jump with your legs locked, and ‘bunnyhop’ off the jump before the lip." - Jeff Emig

95. TAKE UP THE SLACK
"On starts, I let the clutch out just enough to take up the slack in my chain. I also hold the front brake at the same time, and this gets the bike sort of ‘preloaded’ and ready to explode off the starting line." - Steve Lamson

96. FLAT TRACK CORNERS
"Dry, flat corners are tricky and they require finesse. Get all of your braking done before you sit down to make your direction change. Sit towards the front of the seat, almost at the gas cap, so you can lean forward and get weight on the front wheel so it hooks up. Weight the outside peg and hold your inside leg up and forward. Don’t slide it on the ground; use it for balance. Feed the throttle on smoothly when you feel comfortable." - David Vuillemin

97. KEEP THE MUD OUT
"At muddy races, there is nothing worse than having water and mud squishing around in your boots. I always use duct tape to seal off the top of my boots to keep all of that stuff out." - Matt Walker

98. USE THE ENGINE BRAKING
"If you ride a four-stroke, take advantage of the engine braking when slowing down for a corner. Engine braking, combined with the front brake, can virtually eliminate the need for the rear brake on hard-packed tracks." - Doug Henry

99. HOLD YOUR LINES
"If you are being pressured in a race, many riders tend to guard the inside line, even if that is not their regular line of choice. It has been my experience that holding my normal lines works better, because guarding the inside or trying to block the rider behind you will just slow both of you down." - Grant Langston

100. BRAKE LATE
"Practice braking later and later as you dive into a corner. I like to use some sort of marker on the track: a rock, a bump, whatever. Out-braking your competition can help you make a pass, and it can also help cut your laptimes." - Mike LaRocco

101. HAVE FUN!
"The most important thing for me is to enjoy myself. If you are getting burnt out, take a break. Motocross takes dedication, but you have to keep it fun and enjoyable!" - Ryan Hughes

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[Aus_Rider_22]

Good to see they throw stuff back up!

That article with tips was in a TWMX mag that i have from 3 years ago!

[MotoMan]

This was posted already.

[triplendo]

Yeah man, Maybe if I keep reading it I'll remember it when I get to the track!

[Florida 393]

These are good basic knowledge points. We all should have these in our brain after a few years, 34 did the trick for me. Print them out and put them on the garage wall, I am.

Bill

[ekholms-mx-farm]

Awsome info. I just wonder how much aplies to quads. Besides the obvious ones.