xc racing tips?

[trailrider894]

anyone have any good xc racing tips on actually racing and any tips on doing stuff 2 your quad?

trees dont move

[toprat]

Go FAASSSSSTTTTTTT!

[trailrider894]

i was possibly thinking more like along the lines of things you have learned about it from experience.

[coryatver]

silicone or lock tight everything. Go over every nut and bolt on your quad before every race. If any parts are wore out or starting to wear out replace.

Run stock parts. Don't get aftermarket it looks fancy and trick but most of the time stock is the best. If you have to Only run race proven aftermarket parts.

don't ride over your head. you will get hurt, or crash and break your quad. You have to finish the race to win. Learn from the better more experienced riders. Follow there lines, and what they do at races and how they set up there bikes.

and most important be in really good shape and eat right

[SPDSNYPR]

Originally posted by coryatver
and most important be in really good shape and eat right

Crap . . . no chance of that for me!! :(

[gpd005]

ride with people faster than you, it will make you faster!


If you are riding by yourself and your are riding comfy in 2nd gear. Click it up to lug it around in 3rd and before you know it 3rd will feel natural and you can click up another gear.

Originally posted by gpd005
ride with people faster than you, it will make you faster!

easier said than done, it isnt always easy finding someone faster

[flauge]

Dont forget a camelbak. I messed up and ran my first one without it in the 100 degree heat. Im suprised I finished. lol
Also dont push yourself too hard, be smooth... You'll wind up doing better in the long run.;)

[powermadd400ex]

Originally posted by toprat
Go FAASSSSSTTTTTTT!


not quite, pace yourself. there are ALOT of people that go all out on the first lap, tired the second lap, and drops out on the third. and dont grab the holeshot your first race. dont ride to close to a person because if they crash you will to, and it'll rob you of time.
camelpack will be your best friend! haha

[LeGaCyGiAnT124]

Here is what I have learned. Buy a set of Scott Roll Offs goggles for the mud races or not, they are 10X better than Tear Offs. Get a camelbak, water is your best friend and helps you hydrate obviously. Get handguards for the mud races. I am talking the full ones that go over your hands such as powermadd gauntlets. Just pace yourself and have fun, don't think about it. Do hand excercises to prevent the dreadful arm pump, a thumb extender helps a ton!

[flauge]

Originally posted by powermadd400ex
dont ride to close to a person because if they crash you will to, and it'll rob you of time.
Thats another good one! I did this on the last race I did and it wasnt pretty. lol THe dude ahead got caught up on a tree and I t-boned him going pretty good in 3rd gear. I hit him so hard that it bent his nerf bar almost to the ground.:scary:

[SPDSNYPR]

I rode my very first XC race a few months ago. I had a ball. I'm not an expert by any means, but I learned a few things.

First - I listened to people who had run before. Every one told me to go out and ride non-stop for practice for the length of the race. I did this several times trying to learn a good pace. I rode a bicycle a few times a week for conditioning.

I didn't try to go balls to the wall during the race - I went at my pace. Especially the first lap to learn the track. I found out you will have to be patient on bottle necks - don't come into them too hard or you'll crash.

On the holeshot - I hung back, and went around the giant pileup that occurred - automatically passing more than half the pack.

I wore a camelback, but never even thought to take a drink the whole race. I was hanging on too hard. :D

I wore out my swingarm skid in one race - I bought a bigger, thicker one (great investment).

I thought I was dead last on my first race - but just like all the people I talked to had said, I kept my pace and kept going, and I finished exactly in the middle. Could be luck, but it made me happy. I plan on doing more this season as time allows.

[powermadd400ex]

Originally posted by flauge
Thats another good one! I did this on the last race I did and it wasnt pretty. lol THe dude ahead got caught up on a tree and I t-boned him going pretty good in 3rd gear. I hit him so hard that it bent his nerf bar almost to the ground.:scary:


i did the same thing at my first race at villanow. the first turn a guy clipped a stump and put me in the bushes. took atleast 5-10 minutes for me and a track helper to get me and the quad out. took the guy that hit the stump about 2 minutes :p

[flauge]

Originally posted by powermadd400ex
i did the same thing at my first race at villanow. the first turn a guy clipped a stump and put me in the bushes. took atleast 5-10 minutes for me and a track helper to get me and the quad out. took the guy that hit the stump about 2 minutes :p
U do SORCS? Thats one of the races I couldnt make it too. It was too far for me and gas prices were hurtin me back then. lol

[powermadd400ex]

Originally posted by flauge
U do SORCS? Thats one of the races I couldnt make it too. It was too far for me and gas prices were hurtin me back then. lol

yessir, you didnt miss much. it was horrible. dust was piled up to the middle of my shins, and im 6'1".
alot of people had engines lock up on them at that race.
what class are you racing this year?

[motoboy66]

One of the best peices of advice I can give, and was given from other racers, is to ride to finish, not win. If you don't finish, you will never win.

Always look where you want to go, not at the trees your going between. If you look at the tress, you will be sure to hit one. Kepp your eyes down the trail!

When a faster rider passes you, try and watch how they handle the trail, there is a reason they are faster, and you will learn a lot from seeing how they handle things.

Now bike setup.

Steering stabalizer is a must, at least where I race.

6 ply tires. The stock Honda rims are pretty strong, so tires should be enough.

Have the your quad ready a night or 2 befor the race, that whay when yuo get to the track, you dont have to worry about the quad.

Handguards. I raced a few without them, but would not even think about it now. I have Cycras on my quad. I found that the kind that have two mounting points work best. I have no trouble hitting small trees with mine.

Rider

Drink lots of water starting a few days befor the race. This helps a lot with hydration.

I do use a Cammel Back, and would recomend getting one. Sometimes the best thing for me is to just get a drink during the race.

Riding a lot is the best thing you can do for conditioning. However it doesn't hurt to do endurnce tpe cardio, bike, running, rowing.

If there is anything else you have questions on shoot me a PM, I'll try and help you out. I'm not an expert by any means, but have been racing XC on a 400EX and now a 450R for over 8 years.

[flauge]

Originally posted by powermadd400ex
yessir, you didnt miss much. it was horrible. dust was piled up to the middle of my shins, and im 6'1".
alot of people had engines lock up on them at that race.
what class are you racing this year?
Most likely B-class, but I might stay in C for the first race this season just to see if I still got my mojo. haha... Its been a minute since I seriously rode.:p

[powermadd400ex]

Originally posted by flauge
Most likely B-class, but I might stay in C for the first race this season just to see if I still got my mojo. haha... Its been a minute since I seriously rode.:p

haha i hear ya man.
is the first race this year high point?
ill be in C the first couple of races to see how i stand and if i fair well, ill step up to B.

[BossHogg420]

not sure where the first race will be...have they announced the schedule? i know there doing a winter series with a couple races in Hiawassie and somewhere else gonna try and get to the hiawasse one

[powermadd400ex]

Originally posted by BossHogg420
not sure where the first race will be...have they announced the schedule? i know there doing a winter series with a couple races in Hiawassie and somewhere else gonna try and get to the hiawasse one
lucky
i would love to go to hiawasse. i would be there if it wasnt 3.5 hours away. :ermm:

im guessing the first race is high point cause thats where it was last year i believe.

[BossHogg420]

how is hiawasse 3 hours a way dont u live in north ga i know it would prob be all back roads but is it really 3 hours?

[powermadd400ex]

Originally posted by BossHogg420
how is hiawasse 3 hours a way dont u live in north ga i know it would prob be all back roads but is it really 3 hours?

my bad i meant 2.5 hours..mispell :p
but if i had my license i would be all over it, but my dad wont drive me that far.

[flauge]

It would be 3.5 something hours for me b/c Im like an hour below Augusta. :scary: I would like to go to it tho.
But Im not sure where the first ones gonna be, the schedule is different every year. Last year the first one was High Point and the year before that it was Aonia Pass. The schedule should be out soon, probably after they have the awards banquet. I have heard that there might be a few new places.:cool: