thinking about taking the leap.

[m4i2k2e2]

i bought my 99 cr250r about a year ago. its now currently in good working order. even since i have bought i took very good care of this bike. im thinking of racing. i feel ok on the bike. theres a couple pits near me that i have been practicing at. one of the pits is complete whoops. a few berms and jumps here and there. another one has a better selection of berms and whoop section leading into berm and then whoops after the berms. so i feel ok in that department. but, there is a track near my house that they hold races at. now, i have never ridden an actual track. they dont open the track to the public you can only practice there one you have signed up for the race. im a bit worried about getting in over me head, you know being the last guy out there holding it all up. should i go to the track for a day and watch the races and see what the track is all about? what advice can you guys give to me for this situation. i dont care about winning, i have always wanted to race dirtbikes ever since i was a little kid. i just wanna have fun. i dont mind bumping elbows and being agressive either. maybe some tips to get going, what did you guys do. thanks for any and all help.
-mike.

 

[Racerboy]

I say just get out there and do it! I think you will have a blast! Don't worry about holding it up or anything, just go out there and ride how you are comfortable. Try not to get too caught up in the moment and ride over your head and crash.

 

[russdaddy]

where a cape it'll look extra sporty lol jk i say just give it a whirl :ride:

 

[m4i2k2e2]

thanks guys. ill try not to get ccaught up in the moment and mess myself up. maybe i will where a cape to.

 

[High Lord Gomer]

The two most important things to remember... Don't ride beyond your ability and hold your line (don't try to get out of anyone's way...if you maintain your line and stay predictable, the fast guys will get around you).

Also...

http://www.dirtrider.net/forums3/showthread.php?t=161978&highlight=first+race

http://www.dirtrider.net/forums3/showthread.php?t=148012&highlight=first+race

 

[YamaB]

That is really odd that they don't hold practice days... Maybe you should first attend the races so you can at least get a feel for the track?? Otherwise, I would definitely give it a go. The worst that can happen is that you finish in last place... You are guaranteed to have a great time (provided you don't get stupid and hurt yourself)...

 

[biglou]

The worst that can happen is that you finish in last place.

been there, done that, many, many times. still always had an awesome time. :cool:

 

[rmc_olderthandirt]

Like YamaB said, I am shocked that the track doesn't have open practice days.

The tracks near my house have race days where there is a little practice time before the races start. Race day is usually on the weekend. But then there are a couple of days during the week that the track is open to the public. Costs $25 to ride but all it takes is to pay the cash.

I would recommend finding a track that you could practice on before race day as it might be quite an eye opener for you. Out here in California we have a lot of state owned off road recreation areas and many of these will include a "MX track". The tracks are generally pretty wide open, will have a few short table tops and maybe a double. They may water the track once a day and the conditions are usually pretty hard pack.

Then there are the private tracks. These tracks compress the same distance into 1/8th the area, which means if you lose control and blow off the course end up on a different section of the course, probably going the wrong way. they water the heck out of the course, which makes it soft which results in deep ruts in fairly short order. And the jumps are bigger. Way bigger. At the state park the double jumps are something that you could roll no problem. At the private track the doubles are something that you really want to clear.......

For example, at the Santa Clara MX track the main table top (in front of the bleachers) is at least 50 feet across. Rolling it is no problem at all. Landing 20 feet in is okay. Landing at 50 feet, on the down slope, is sweet! Landing at 49 feet is a bitch.

There is a double that I have never managed to clear, and attempting to jump it generally results in a crash. There is another double that is so sweet IF I am wound up in third gear going up the face. If the rut in the corner has me off balance, however, I'll hit the brakes and roll it as it can really hurt to land a few feet short on a double. They change the course up about once a month and it takes me a few slow laps around to figure out what jumps I can attack and which ones I have to be careful on.

The track can be a blast and I encourage you to enter a race, I just suggest that you might be a lot happier if you could get the hang of the doubles before race day.

Oh, and have you tried any rhythm sections yet??

Rod

 

[m4i2k2e2]

no i have not tried any rythm sections. im gonna ride one of the more technical pits we have (which isnt very technical) get some practice time in. i think i was misunderstood or maybe i typed it wrong. they hold practices the day before the race and i believe the morning of the race. but, only people signed up for the race can practice. it is never open to the public to ride during the week. im gonna go there on 9/20 watch the races, inspect the track and see if i its possible for me. i also have to talk to the official to see how it works for a one day race pass so i dont have to sign up for the whole season. i read some rules and it stated that i could do a one day NCSC pass, so im gonna check it out and see where it goes. thanks for the great responses, also for those two links.
-mike.