I just don't get it

[KXKen]

I just got home from Red Bud (sort of minnie vacation). I can't believe how fast Mike Brown is. Anybody that's been to Red Bud knows about the wide turn by the grandstands. When MB went threw that section he had the throttle WO from the approach all the way to the exit. I sat there for about 5 laps just to see him come around every lap. Are these guys super human or what? How do these guys go so fast?

What a great time!!

 

[wardy]

practice

practice,more practice.....and yet more practice.

to give you an idea ken, tom hofmaster rode i bet every day for a long long time. his dad would call me in the morning or afternoon no matter i still herd a bike in the background. i would imagine that many of us riders hell even me that has rode for 27+ years, couldn't match the hours those young men have on a motorcyle. NOt to mention the desire, dtermination etc etc.

i don't know to many pro riders personally like i do tom, but i have witnessed his climb to pro status and observed the effort. it is pretty amazing to see a 14-16 year old, go to work basically and have the self starting attitude.
many of the young riders today think they clear a triple and they can win, wake up calls come early for those riders!

 

[KXKen]

Wardy, I'm sure these guys work very hard at what they do. I guess the fact that it seems so hopeless to ever be this good is kind of a drag. I'm 39 and (work a regular job) I've excepted that fact that I'll never be that fast but that doesn't make it easier to deal with.

 

[dirt bike dave]

Hard work and determination are hugely important, but without enough natural talent you'll never be a top pro IMO.

There was an article in Car & Driver years ago about Indy Car drivers. The Indy teams put the drivers through all kinds of medical tests. The verdict was the pros are different than the rest of of. They ARE 'superhuman' in their sensitivity to what the vehicle is doing and in their ability to quickly react and instinctively make very small adjustments.

IMO it is similar for motorcycle riders. Naturally talented riders have a much better ability to sense the limits of the motorcycle, so they are able to ride closer to those limits without crossing them.

The average guy needs to leave a big safety margin because he lacks the pro's ability to sense and adjust to the bike.

 

[HiG4s]

I don't know about that. With enough practice and determination, starting at a young enough age, just about anyone can do the seemingly superhuman.
There is a tribe in Africa who's entire culture depends on trading things like rice and grains. From a very early age they hand carve a wood bowl and learn to measure weights of grain without any measuring device. When modern man brings their balance beam and electronic scales with them to trade with the tribe they laugh at them because everyone over the age of ten in the whole tribe can tell a kilo of grain within 10 grams just by holding it in their bowl. To me this shows that this superhumam sensitivity can be learned. I think the real thing that seperates the best from the rest, along with desire and practice, is the ability to continue to push the limits without being overly cautious of the impending doom that can come from a mistake. There is a serious balancing act between having the guts to take chances and being foolish. If you never press the limits you never get better, if you press them too far you may never get older.

 

[MarksCR250]

Talking about if incredible skill is learned or is in part inborn:

Well theres lots of combinations arent there, but there IS such a thing as a natural aptitude towards certain activities (the area of 'child prodigies' comes to mind.) But even someone with natural gifts has to work incredibly hard to be a champion though, dont they. I think you could take a child and even without them being gifted, you could make a fine racer (or grain counter) out of them.. but they perhaps wouldnt have been interested in that activity without being induced into becoming good at it, and even being a 'fine racer' is different than being a true champion. But when a child is naturally gifted they often *of themselves* seek out chances and opportunities to learn and get better and compete and win. And dominate. At the highest levels of professional sports (and lots of other things) you as a rule find people who have natural talent that has been worked and worked and worked to a fine point. Simply 'trying hard' isnt enough to succeed at the highest level. Mike Brown is amoung the worlds best at what he does. More power to him! :)

 

[Saratoga]

The top pros were taught the proper skills at a young age. They had support from parents, lessons from pros, and all the other resources. Pros ride different than the average Joe. They hold the bars different. use the brakes different, clutch, suspension, everything. Thats why it seems inconceivable to a spode that they can go so fast. If they rode like a spode, they couldn't go as fast as they do. Natural talent is important, but doesen't mean much if the the rest is not there.

 

[Okiewan]

I'm 39 and (work a regular job) I've excepted that fact that I'll never be that fast but that doesn't make it easier to deal with.

Why would that bother you? It's no different than not being able to play any sport as well as the pro's. Would it bother you that you can't play bball like Jordan? Can't hit like Sammy?

Find your limit and ride close to it; it's the same rush the pro's get, makes no difference that it's not as fast. Just have fun with it.

 

[KawieKX125]

I also feel that the skill and practice is a big factor, but mental strength, specifically confidence is a huge factor. Have the confidence that your bike and you can go fast helps a great deal. Having no fear helps in cornering too. There is an MX video, not sure which one, that shows RC going WFo aroung a flat sweeper. The front wheel washes out and he just keeps the throttle on, he does not even flinch. I know in that situation, my feet would be out dabbing and the throttle would be shut.
Pro's are superhuman IMO.

 

[HiG4s]

I was watching the road races at Laguna Seca on Speedvision yeasterday and Matt Miladin was in third pushing to catch the leaders. He came off a left heand turn (11 I think) a little hot and the bike when up on to the striped warning curb. Well these guys do that all the time, but while his front tire a smoot transistion from the curb to the apron of the straight his back tire slid all the way over into the sand. It swung about 45 degrees to the right before coming in contact with the apron. The bike jumped a foot up and back to the left. When the back tire came back down the bike lurched into a wheelie which Matt rode for awhile down the apron before the front came down and he casually steered back onto the track losing only about five hundredths of a second on the guy in second. He definetly did not let off the gas. Talk about guts and confidence.

 

[Saratoga]

As Okiewan said: riding close to your limit is the same rush the pros get. I recently took a lesson from a top 20 outdoor pro and he said exactly that. Watching this guy ride was amazing. I couldn't believe how fast he could attack the track. He said it doesn't feel like he is going real fast just like I feel like I'm not. Even though he goes much faster than me the feel of the speed is the same.