Whiplash Desert Racing Round 10 QUESTIONS

[04TRX400EX]

I am thinking about doing my first Cross Country/Desert race the first weekend of November. It is a Whiplash Desert Race (http://www.whiplashracing.com/main.html) that is TBA right now but will probably be in Gila Bend, AZ. A few of my riding buddies have done past races and they say that they are a lot of fun.

My first quesion is how much does endurance come into play? The race is 100 miles long (four (4) 25 mile laps). I have never gone riding for this length of time and am unsure if I will last.

Secondly, what do you all recommend I do to my quad to better set it up for that kind of race? I know I need to get new tires because mine are really worn, and I have to have a kill switch installed. Besides that though, what else do I need? You can see my mods in my signature. Any help is greatly appreciated.

[Baracudaaa]

If you havnt done any endurance training, you are in for a world of hurt. 100 miles doesnt sound that long, but I say about 50 miles in, you are going to start looking for your arms because you wont be able to feel them! If you have any time left, I would start hitting the training hard and heavy. Go out in the desert with 2 or 3 friends and see how long you can make before you burn out.
I would also try and keep your quad weight to a minimum, stay away from heavy tires (Holeshot HDs weigh a ton)and bulky gear, all that weight will contribute to exhaustion.

[400grl]

I'm an MXer, and I raced Snowflake for the first time last year......I did great and had a blast!!! Just make sure you get seat time in before the race, make sure your THUMB is in good riding shape!!! If you loose your thumb, your race is toast - like I did this year!! I didn't ride for about 4 weeks before Snowflake, and my thumb went out on me in the 2nd lap.......

So....ride...get some seat time......I used to just go out to SW and ride on the vet track for an hour to see what it would be like to ride that long......

The truth is, in these races, you just have to pace yourself....when you feel you need a little break, slow down and relax your hands....then go again......

Also - it's very important to have the mindset that you are racing the clock...not everyone around you. Just get in the fastest laps you can get without hurting yourself, or pushing yourself to the point where you start riding sloppy and out of control....that just gets you hurt.

The Whiplash races are alot of fun........you will like it!!! :) So....between now and then....just get some good riding time in - and carb up really good the day/night before your race.....anything you eat the morning of your race won't matter....it's all about what you eat the day and night before.....

[400grl]

Get some good desert tires.....see if you can borrow a set from a friend if you can't buy them.......I ran both Snowflake races on my MX wheels/tires......no....I ran stock rear tires last year - for some extra ground clearance. That was nice....