Race help

[born2ride14]

I raced last year on my 300ex with a pipe and suspension. Well i think ever race i got last unless someone had a dnf. This year i got a good quad 250x with elkas and a built motor,so i know the bike is there. I have been working out and am still struggling. The first race of the year was a bad start,it was 95F and no breeze, bent my frame. i didnt do good on that race as the heat was getting to me. so this weekend race 2 i was riding hard but i still got last other than the people who crashed. I need tips!!!! i realy want to do good this year

[ATVMX33]

just keep practicing as much as you can!!...what class are you running???
u could also try to find a atv racing school somewhere...i did the joe byrd school in tennesse and it will make you faster

[slightlybent47]

You might look at what class you’re ridding in and maybe consider another class. Spend as much time as you can watching other riders and study how they ride. Then try to apply it to your ridding skills. Ask questions and practice as much as possible.


The best thing is to keep trying and remember this rule.
Never ride over your abilities and never ride over the limits of your machine. Work hard and it will come.

[rodeo#11]

I had the same problem, it happens when you first start racing...you can't expect to automatically be great at racing unless you have your own track and ride constantly but there is way's to better yourself. I did the following things and it really helped me alot. Like others have said watch other riders. My first year i race atv novice. I ran good with the pro class during practice but i notice there was always area's that they began to gain ground.

I watched their moto's and studied their turns and holeshots. I noticed how they would prep for jumps or be ready to turn after coming off a table. I began applying it to my riding and noticed a difference. Just study other people's body movements and don't be afraid to ask question to the pro riders. Most pro classes have some pretty cool guys in them who would be more than willing to help you learn what you need to know. Ask questions and just practice. #1 thing though is to not get frustrated when you come in last, take that as a learning experience. Yea, its embarrassing sometimes but hey everyone had to go through it so no biggie. Just practice, practice, practice! and dont be afraid to ask for advice.

[m0t0xk1d]

well i had the same problem. i never got passed when i had a good spot but nor was i fast enough to run right thru the pack. i learned the holeshot is one of the biggest things. i used to do first gear starts and my holeshots sucked bad. i would get last out of the holeshot. well i remember hearing abut second gear holeshots when i had a 65 dirtbike but being told my bike was to small for them. well i tried it an wow!!!! such a big difference on these 300s.pop it in second rev it up and sit on that gas tank. this helps so much! try a second gear holeshot i bet you it will help alot.

[XBLASTERRACERX]

I had the same problem last year. I would always get last but this year I've been doing great with the 300ex . Like rodeo said be patient and practice as much as you can, go out for late practice if they alow you. Somethings that helped me alot were doing some endurence training, watching the guys that get first in my class, and I started to push my limits just a bit further each time I raced. Just be patient, ride hard and you will get faster.:D

[SRH]

i would build a double and hit it over and over and over until i could style on it, did alot for my control and finese, then eventually when i had jumps down id learn how to corner, where to hit the berm...all that coordination...takes time just be patient and have fun, very few guys kick *** from day 1

[muddy400EX]

ride as much as you possibly can, and watch the other riders like they said. take mental notes, and try what the faster guys are doing and see what works best for you

[BakerRacing40]

stay positive and learn from each time you get out to race. watch other people and their styles how they sit, seat position, how far over are they leaning, their physical size compared to you.. etc ... sometimes i wish i had a few extra pounds for weight transfer lol.. you'll find lots of little things that might work for you and some wont. just keep working on it and watch videos.. read up on suspension, sit and look at your bike, picture the corners and imagine what the bike is doing and what can be tuned to help you. and always breathe and remember sometimes you have to slow down to be fast

[born2ride14]

hey guys thanx for all the great tips. I have my breathing down pat, and i have been practicing like crazy over the summer. I am nowwowing it down to my physical size. I will be 14 here shortly but i am still a very short 5 ft. maybe i should just keep on trying to improve until grow some more.

[born2ride14]

bump

[Robin Hood]

Seat time. The more time you spend on the quad, the faster you'll get. Go trail riding or local riding if you can.

[One_Bad_400]

when sitting in staging and if no one is looking, turn there gas off. this is a really effective stratigy. before you know it, you'll be passin them like they are sitting still :D

J/P. but seat time is your main tip. your not going to start out strong at the beggining. we all start out in last place. thats the fun of raing. slowly building up your skills and speed. before you know it you'll be podium in the pro class on a 450

[XBLASTERRACERX]

Not sure if this will help at all but here is vid of one fastest kids in the northeast on a 300ex and he is way under 5 ft and under 100lb so I don't know if you could pick up any riding techniques from him. Here is the link to the vid he is the one on the all red 300ex and black and white gear. Hope it helps

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlKEZNxH1dM

[ATVMX33]

Originally posted by XBLASTERRACERX
Not sure if this will help at all but here is vid of one fastest kids in the northeast on a 300ex and he is way under 5 ft and under 100lb so I don't know if you could pick up any riding techniques from him. Here is the link to the vid he is the one on the all red 300ex and black and white gear. Hope it helps

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlKEZNxH1dM

haha..i just rode there a few weeks ago

[motofreak2772]

Hey dude whats up?

I think a big part of last race was that double after the finish. Some tracks will have jumps like that(especially in the youth class) that if you dont jump will slow you down a lot. If you want to get faster ride with faster people. That one kid with the blaster frame is pretty fast, if you practice with him and try to follow him you should get faster too. Lately Ive been recording lap times, not only of me but other riders so I have something to compare to. I would find out my average and then get the lap times of a "B" rider or someone who was faster than me then try to get a faster lap than them. When your riding and you concentrate on the little things so you can have faster lap times you dont get as tired because youre not thinking about fatigue(if that makes sense).
When youre actually at the race the first practice I try to jump everything and get comfortable with doing all the obsticles. There is no point in trying to race on the first practice cuz its not going to be near that smooth when you race and you dont really know the track yet. Then about the second or third practice I really try to practice cornering and do a couple race speed laps. The corners are the most important parts and where most of your time is wasted so make sure to practice on them the most, but dont let the other obsticles(like the jumps) hold you back cuz like I said they kill your lap times.
Also practice passing cuz you might not always get the holeshot so you kind of want to know where your strongest places to pass are. But then again don't just wait for those spots in order to try to make a pass cuz you never know when the person in front of you is going to make a mistake.
Well thats about all the tips I can think of right now lol. That was a super long post too. If you have any questions you can always ask me or anyone else at the track, everyone has some input that can help you out. The main thing is to just practice and practice right.