Red Rider 53

~SPONSOR~
Jan 16, 2003
282
0
I'm not a whinner but I have a problem. I have bought all my bikes and I know have a CR80RB. Fifty minutes away from our house every other Friday night is a fun little motocross race. It is not serious at all there are not even any woops just a few tabletops but mostly just a fun little flat track. It is not very serious racing at all, they're just guys (and girls) out there on Friday nights that just want to have fun. I want to get good and have fun so I want to go race. It improves my skill and I have fun. But dad thinks it is way too dangerous and in a few weeks I'll have a bike (he says that every year) and we're gonna go take our bikes fishing and on trails, your not good enough to race. Sure trail riding gets time on the bike but you don't get as good. And yes I would probably come in last the first race, so what! He says I crash to much on the trails anyway, now you want to race? I crash on the trails because I don't have anyone to ride with and I can only go so far and I get bored and start doing stupid stuff. I really want to race and I want to build skill. And most of all I want to go out there with the rest of the dirt bikes and have fun. If I sound like a whinner I apoligize, but if there is any advice on how I could greaten my chance to race I would love to hear it.
 

xr100ider

Member
Jan 31, 2003
179
0
actually, your dad may be right....if you are always crashing on the trails, you will want to work on your riding to become a better rider. since you get bored all the time and do stupid stuff means you need to concentrate on your riding more and stay focused on what you are doing. in a race situation, -especially for some one new to racing- it is easy to get nervous and get a bit twitchy. combining that with not being focused on what is going on around you is an easy way to go down hard should something go wrong. odds raise against you once we add in the fact that you have no experience riding in traffic with other bikes coming to within inches of you in turns, off the start and even after falling. it is very easy to be run over once you fall.

what i recommend is to not start racing, but just ride around with those other guys (and girls) and get used to riding with other bikes all around you. it doesn't have to be competitive, just some fun riding around. during a race is a terrible time to hone your skills. you may learn something new, but it may also be a lesson in pain....
 

gutzi

Member
Apr 20, 2000
7
0
I don't know if this will help. One of the reasons I prefer to have my son race is there is always an ambulance at the track.
-Paul
 

Jasle

Sponsoring Member
Nov 27, 2001
1,358
0
I also like the abundance of people at the track to help out in situations. If your 5 miles out and crash and break a leg you have to ride, crawl or limp back in. At the track you just sit there and the ambulance shows up.

But i don't reccomend you just go race. You need to spend SEVERAL weekends practicing at the track. Maybe even take in some lessons from a local pro. You can usually find a pro that charges next to nothing.
Many parents don't have a problem letting their kid go play football or baseball. Statistically more kids die every year playing baseball than MX.

Also go hang out at the track and watch the races, maybe even bring dad along. If he sees your serious he might change his tune. If you offered to do odd jobs at the negihbors to help pay for the bike this might really let him know you are serious about racing. Or at least paying for your protective equipment. Minimum you should have boots, gloves, roost protector, MX pants, jersey, shin-knee gaurds, elbow pads, mouthpiece, neck protector.

And lastly trail riding has squat to do with track riding other than your on a bike and in the dirt. You develop different sets of skills doing both types of riding. But just because someone is a good trail rider in no way means they will be a good track rider. And the same goes the other way. You will become a better trail rider by riding the track because you will gain more knowledge of how your bike reacts. i know I'm kinda saying contradictory things here but basically I'm saying just because your falling down on the trails doesn't mean you will be falling down at the track. Usually tracks are groomed better than any trail. Large rocks are removed and things like tree's don't creep up and smack you on the track.

GO FOR IT.
 

pyrofreak

Member
Apr 9, 2003
819
0
Actually, i have never actually seen anyone get hurt while riding. I have seen many, many injuries in soccer tho, i have seen a few broken legs, and hat not, and even in baseball, yet another broken leg. I myself have broken both arms BMXing, i guess sometimes things become to easy and you do stupid $hyt. But when it comes to motorcylces i guess that you just cant step over that fine line of respect.
 

Jasle

Sponsoring Member
Nov 27, 2001
1,358
0
Well I have actually been unfortunatley to see a rider crash and die racing MX. The problem was mostly that he crashed and had a concussion the week before and was wearing the same helmet the next week when he crashed and smacked his head. The foam was already compromised from the previous weeks crash and he suffered massive brain damage and ultimatley died. So it does happen. But we race on average of 40+ weekends a year for the past several years so odds are i'm going to see some injuries. But numerically speaking more injuries happen in other sports.
My sister is an ER nurse and almost always the injuries they see from Motorcycle riders are weekend warriors that are just out trail riding and not wearing protective gear. None of the head injuries she has seen has been wearing a helmet. DUH! She doens't like the fact that I let my 7 year old race and my 3 year old ride. In 3 years of my 7 year old racing he has only broken a collar bone. But he wears helmet, neck support, special pad under roost protector, elbow pads, knee pads, quality boots, mouthpiece, ear plugs, kidney belt, a football rib pad. The three year old is hilarious. He is decked out so much he can barely walk but he climbs on the pw and goes for it. He wants to race but we said not until he is 4. Thats the one that scares me. No fear at all. At least the 7 year old is a little scared of the bike. At least enough not to get stupid.
 
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