Starting on Concrete???
- Thread starter Steve_R6
- Start date
- Oct 20, 2000
- 2,969
- 2
I'm still looking for my post on concrete starts but untill I find it, this ought to keep you busy.
Nevermind me looking for it. Concrete starts are not that much different than dirt. The key is to gain the most traction and get off the gate the fastest anyway so here goes.
Clean the start pad the best you can. When you get on it (bike) spin the tire just a bit to get as much dirt off the wheel as you can. Don't do a burn out, just clean the tire, a turn or two should do the trick. Here's the rest.
What I learnt from the "Dr. D" school of starts.
Take the time to prep you're starting area. Make sure the gate falls smooth and pack the loose stuff at least 15' to 20' out from the start. If possible take a gate where you are not next to a rider and lining up perfectly in the center of the gate may not be the best place to be. Get there early enough to watch how the gate person operates the gate, usually there is a pattern.
When it's time to line up at the gate, be the last one to pull all the way up but leave as much room as possible between you and the gate. Sometimes this means the person at the gate having to tell you to pull up farther.
Wait till the last minute to put on your goggles. Don't do burnout's as you're at the gate, it'll ruin all the prep work you just did. Just rock the bike back and forth a couple of times to help in packing the dirt. (Disregard if concrete)
In the final seconds before the start scoot up as far as you can on the tank, set your butt down and let the skin on your butt sort of roll back. When you take off it'll help keep your weight from an abrupt transfer and help control wheel stands. Don't look directly at the gate, watch it from your peripheral vision. Look where you want to go. Keep both feet down after making sure you are in 2nd gear and hold a constant 1/4 to 1/2 throttle. As you see the gate start to drop it's time to go WFO and control your traction with the clutch. Don't be too quick to bring your feet up, do it in a "flowing motion". The quicker you can get your bars in front of the person next to you the less of a chance you have of going down should you contact. 1st corner you should be last on the brakes and 1st on the gas, remember there is no coasting in racing, it's either full gas or full brakes. (I added that but everyone knows that would be the "perfect" race situation) (The real thing is knowing how much, when and where to do all the above.)
Oh ya, forgot to mention you should look for the shortest / straightest shot to the 1st turn. Sometimes it may be faster to take into consideration the 1st or even 2nd turn on your starts. Make sure you take a line choice that will enable you to make the smoothest / fastest transition to and through the next obstacle.
This concludes all I know about starts that I can put into words.
Nevermind me looking for it. Concrete starts are not that much different than dirt. The key is to gain the most traction and get off the gate the fastest anyway so here goes.
Clean the start pad the best you can. When you get on it (bike) spin the tire just a bit to get as much dirt off the wheel as you can. Don't do a burn out, just clean the tire, a turn or two should do the trick. Here's the rest.
What I learnt from the "Dr. D" school of starts.
Take the time to prep you're starting area. Make sure the gate falls smooth and pack the loose stuff at least 15' to 20' out from the start. If possible take a gate where you are not next to a rider and lining up perfectly in the center of the gate may not be the best place to be. Get there early enough to watch how the gate person operates the gate, usually there is a pattern.
When it's time to line up at the gate, be the last one to pull all the way up but leave as much room as possible between you and the gate. Sometimes this means the person at the gate having to tell you to pull up farther.
Wait till the last minute to put on your goggles. Don't do burnout's as you're at the gate, it'll ruin all the prep work you just did. Just rock the bike back and forth a couple of times to help in packing the dirt. (Disregard if concrete)
In the final seconds before the start scoot up as far as you can on the tank, set your butt down and let the skin on your butt sort of roll back. When you take off it'll help keep your weight from an abrupt transfer and help control wheel stands. Don't look directly at the gate, watch it from your peripheral vision. Look where you want to go. Keep both feet down after making sure you are in 2nd gear and hold a constant 1/4 to 1/2 throttle. As you see the gate start to drop it's time to go WFO and control your traction with the clutch. Don't be too quick to bring your feet up, do it in a "flowing motion". The quicker you can get your bars in front of the person next to you the less of a chance you have of going down should you contact. 1st corner you should be last on the brakes and 1st on the gas, remember there is no coasting in racing, it's either full gas or full brakes. (I added that but everyone knows that would be the "perfect" race situation) (The real thing is knowing how much, when and where to do all the above.)
Oh ya, forgot to mention you should look for the shortest / straightest shot to the 1st turn. Sometimes it may be faster to take into consideration the 1st or even 2nd turn on your starts. Make sure you take a line choice that will enable you to make the smoothest / fastest transition to and through the next obstacle.
This concludes all I know about starts that I can put into words.
Moto Squid
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- Jul 22, 2002
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You'll never pack the dirt very good, just kick the loose stuff over into the other guys line and let his hoodlums try to stomp it down :laugh:
On concrete you have to be smooth and not get overzelous with the throttle until you get onto the dirt...practice practice practice! Then it's a total game of chicken with the guys next to you. It gets really fun when you get the inside line and start pushing everyone wide :p
- Thread starter
- #4
I don't have any problems with the first turn and fighting my way through it it's just the damn start. Thanks for taking the time to write that it cleared up alot. I had my buddy watch me leave the line and my problem isn't the bike wanting to wheelie, it wants to smoke off the bakc wheel, he said there was smoke coming off of it so I definitely had it spinning pretty good. SO, should I work on better clutch control, use less gas leaving the gate, or sit further back on the seat, or a combination of all??? I'm racing 250C and this will only be the third time I'm going out to race this weekend. I blow the start every moto and it ends up killing me because the track we go to is hard to pass on. I need to get out of the gate so I can get up with the faster riders coming through the first turn and not have to fight my way all the way up every time.
The key is using your clutch to keep troaction, just feathering it out enough to get the best posible drive, I wouldn't let off the throttle, that will onyl make you lose any chance of a holeshot, you just need to keep the rev's up and keep traction with the clutch, keep your weight forward, when you get it spot on you don't want to wheelie it do you.
- Thread starter
- #6
I used to dragrace my R6, and was pretty good at it. And I think that's what's messing with me because the technique is so different. Plus it's hard to find somewhere to practice starting from concrete onto dirt, unless I pour myself a concrete pad in my backyard. lol
Great post Jeff. The only thing I would add is make sure you check your associations rules regarding the above quote. Our association does not allow any grooming in front of the gate. Getting caught get's you a stern look and talking to from the referee :scream:
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