first race, any tips?

[ctdyno]

ok so this sunday (the 7th)is my first race, its a harescramble at rocket raceway in pa. ive never raced before but have been riding for a few years, any tips about harescrambles? rocket raceway? or just anythign in general? it would be appreciated
thanks

 

[JD_MXRacer]

ive never done a hare scramble but heres some helpful tips to remember.

keep weight on outside foot peg while turning
stay balanced on bike
squeeze bike with your legs (will help with arm pump)

and the most important... do not try to go out and win your first time. dont expect to win right away.

and also most important have fun!

 

[jumpingjoe628]

Having a helper in the pit area would be a good idea. He can have a fresh set of goggles and gloves ready to hand you, pour gas into the bike while you sip on some water. To stop and do all of that by yourself is a PITA. Also the first lap is a bit tight with all the riders real close by, scramble to get ahead on the first half of a lap and then settle in to a moderate pace. Force yourself to remember to breathe properly while riding. Drink alot of water during the week so you can properly hydrate your body. Practice doing dead engine starts with the bike in gear and the clutch pulled in. I don't know exactly how they will start you guys, I've never been to that track but a good start ALWAYS helps. OH and GOOD LUCK!!!

 

[ctdyno]

they start us off the bike, yea thanks, im gonna be riding that clutch the whole time on my 125 but it should be a blast, thanks for the help

 

[BSWIFT]

As stated above, have fun and try to relax(helps prevent arm pump). Ride at your abilities, regardless of the class that you are in. Check your bike thoroughly, tires, chain, all bolts and nuts. Turn your gas on. That may seem obvious but you'll be surprised what you will forget in the excitement.
Hydrate yourself several days before and take in plenty of potassium to prevent muscle cramps and fatigue. The more that you compete the better your preperations will be. Race to have fun and it will be fun.

 

[jason33]

definately relax but not too much- BREATH!!! so many ppl get tired from not breathing propperly- it will were you out quick-
have fun-
i run almost max-to max air pressure in my tires- to prevent punctures ,and pinches-
is it real rocky?

 

[Douglas777]

Hydrate in the coming days! Some conditioning wont hurt either. Exercise this week, but avoid soreness

 

[High Lord Gomer]

It's a long race and you'll have people coming up behind you that are not in your class. When they yell to let you know they want by, make it as easy as possible for them to get by or they might park you in a tree when they do pass. If the trail is wide, go as far to one side as possible, if it's very tight and you can't find a wide place in 15 or 20 seconds, pull over, stop, and let them by.

I would strongly suggest a drinking system of some sort. I prefer to fill the bag with ice and then water. I'm not big on doing Gatoraide in them because if/when they leak you are sticky and uncomfortable. Water also requires less cleanup.

 

[flyingfuzzball]

I would strongly suggest a drinking system of some sort. I prefer to fill the bag with ice and then water. I'm not big on doing Gatoraide in them because if/when they leak you are sticky and uncomfortable. Water also requires less cleanup.

it also takes gatorade an hour to acually hydrate you. water works pretty much instantely (trust me at a foot ball half the kids were puking their guts out cuz they werent hydrated and were drinking gatorade) if you are gonna drink gatorade drink it after. but always w/ water. water is the most important thing. if you are dehydrated the race will suck.

always double check everything. chances you will forget something the first time (i always do)

i dont race HS so i cant help you ridingwise

 

[JD_MXRacer]

since were on this subject what are hare scrambles? there seem to be a lot of places around me that do them.

 

[Douglas777]

since were on this subject what are hare scrambles? there seem to be a lot of places around me that do them.

its an oval track and everyone chases an electronic rabbitt around in circles for 90 laps. :nener:

 

[Rotorranch]

its an oval track and everyone chases an electronic rabbitt around in circles for 90 laps. :nener:

:whoa: :bang: :coocoo:

Rotor

 

[High Lord Gomer]

A hare scramble is usually an hour and a half to two hour race where you see how many laps you can make. In the east, the course is usually a 5 to 10 mile loop through the woods. There is usually no requirement to have lights, license, or spark arrestor.

Starts are usually done with each class lined up in rows. Each class/row usually has a dead engine start where you wait till the started drops (or raises) the flag, you start the bike, and take off toward the first turn. Having a dead engine start spreads out the riders a bit as they enter the first turn, with some left sitting there kicking and cussing their bikes. They usually start each class one minute apart. Sometimes they will do goofy things like make you stand straddling your front wheel when they raise the flag.

 

[indicaz]

according to wikipedia a hare scramble can last up to 3 hours
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hare_scramble

The most common time period for a hare scramble competition is 2 hours, and 3 hours for Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) events.

Hare scramble is the name given to a particular form of off-road Motorcycle racing. Traditionally a hare scramble can vary in length and time with the contestants completing multiple laps around a marked course through wooded or other rugged natural terrain. The overall winner is awarded to the contestant who maintains the highest speed throughout the event. [1]

Contents [hide]
1 Course
2 Categorisation
2.1 By Riders' Skills
2.2 By engine size
3 Determining the Winner
4 References
5 External links
5.1 Hare scramble history



[edit] Course
Hare scrambles are conducted on closed course tracks which can vary from 5 and 40 miles (8 to 64km) in length. The terrain chosen for these events is wooded and fairly rugged in order to test the riders' skills and endurance. The majority of the course consists of a wooded, single width trail, with occasional pasture and sand crossings. An event may incorporate a short portion of a pre-existing motocross track. The natural terrain tests the riders' abilities to navigate through obstacles such as creek beds, logs, hills, mud, rocks and ruts.[2]


[edit] Categorisation

[edit] By Riders' Skills
The competitors are typically categorized by their relative skill levels and the size of their motorcycle's engine. For example, many hare scrambles categorize rider ability by having three rider skill categories. These categories are typically denoted by the letters A, B, and C. The "A" class would be for the riders with the highest skill level. The "C" class would be for the riders with the lowest level of skill and is usually populated by riders who are in their first couple of years of competition or by riders who infrequently compete. There is usually a point system that regulates the progression of a rider's progress from the entry level class (the C class) on up to the top class (generally the A class). Generally, a very high level of skill is needed to progress through the various skill categories. Many riders never progress out of the C category of competition, and very few riders have the skill and determination to progress to the A category.


[edit] By engine size
The categories based on engine size frequently use the following thresholds of engine capacity: 0-125 cc, 126-200 cc, 201-250 cc, and larger than 250 cc (cc is the abbreviation for cubic centimeter). Accordingly, a beginning rider on a 200cc motorcycle would likely compete in the 200C class, which denotes both the capacity of his or her motorcycle and the relative skill level of the competitor.


[edit] Determining the Winner
The winner of each class is typically determined by who completes the most laps within a predetermined period of time. The most common time period for a hare scramble competition is 2 hours, and 3 hours for Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) events.

 

[midlifemoto]

eat allot of carbs the night before....spaghetti is good...your body will need the fuel and you'll burn it off

 

[ctdyno]

so i didnt finish, some cap on the bottom of the fork busted and let all my fluid out, as well as me breaking my expansion chamber, need to braze that, but overall it was fun and wasnt too bad for my first race, didnt get hurt too much, minor bumps and bruises, definitely gonna do it again

 

[BSWIFT]

All part of the experience. Glad you had fun.

 

[JD_MXRacer]

hare scrambles sound fun. i have always wanted to do some off road thing like that. like the red bull thing on nitro circus. but not that hard lol

 

[ctdyno]

so took some stuff apart and the bottom of the fork where the compression adjustment is and where my front caliper bolts to on the left fork, is cracked, uim lucky my wheel didnt fall off as my axle went through this piece too, bike bandit sells whole slide assm but thats 200 dollars, so im gonna try to go to crisswell powersports soon and see if they sell just this piece and waht the price is