First attempt at a MX race. GoPro footage

[EtienneNXR]

Etienne2T I have noticed a few things about your technique that seems contradictory to your excellent result.  First, you seem to have a lot of air time, but at the same time gaining on the competitors.  I agree with 2SD that the more air means less traction (speed).  Secondly it seems as if you took the inside line on the corners while the rest took the outside line .  I presume that they took the outside line to keep their speed up and ensure a faster exit out of the corner.  Yet you seem to make up time taking the inside line.

I am by no strech of imagination a boffin in MX and would appreciate your comments.  Either way - well done.

Hey R

The airtime thing is simple really, to ride up a jump, then over and then down takes 10000000x more time than just hitting the face, flying over and landing on the downramp.

The outside lines seem way more impressive and faster, but in actual fact I've found the insides to be much smoother cause they don't fill with massive braking bumps as few people run them, and also just the fact that it makes the track so much shorter to just cut inside rather than running aaaaaaall the way to the outside. I picked up from watching one or two professionals (people who do MX as their job) going around Zone 7 that they all tend to run the insides.

 

[EtienneNXR]

Nice riding  :thumleft:

If I was involved with a vendor, like WOA for example, then I would have been speaking with you about some sponsorship by now  :mwink:

he he he

 

[alanB]

Nothing better than MX, I still dream about some of my races, back in the 80's.  Back then we would start three deep some times - blasting flat out to the first corner when you couldnt see anything (dust) with guys literally inches away from you all around was really something (and often carnage - was ridden over more than once  )

Well done Etienne on doing so well in your first major race - you should compete seriously - you obviously have the ability to do very well in the long term!

Back then we didn't have these huge jumps though!

When ever I ride a modern track nowadays its takes a while before I can jump those jumps even close to properly.  But I'm a bit more of a nervous old fart nowadays.

Regarding choosing lines through corners.

There's no hard and fast rule how to take any corner in a race. 

Generally there will be one good line through a corner, which if you are riding on your own, will be the fastest way around the track.  But that might also change as the track changes during the day.

But you are not riding alone in a race and the object is to get past the guy in front of you.  Gary Bailey wrote a book in the early 80's called "How to win Motocross", the bikes he rode then had three inch travel and weighed a ton compared to modern bikes so not all the techniques he described will be relevant but a lot of the tactics will always be relevant.

One of  his main rules was "You'll never pass someone by following them".  Which means that you have to find an alternative way around the course to the guy in front of you and that means you sometimes need to use different lines in corners to get past, you cant always pass on the straight, in fact he had another rule "Motocross is won in the corners".

When the guy in front is as good as you are, and you cant simply blast past him, then it can lead to some mental chess in which you have to try and work out where he is weakest/slowest on the track and then set up a passing move two or three corners before you actually get past - all part of the challenge and fun!

Given that Etienne did so well, he already knows most of this I think :thumleft:

 

[EtienneNXR]

Expect some of this, this coming weekend.
https://youtu.be/NcwKkwZ3Eyw

 

[keithk]

Hey Etienne ! I have just returned from overseas and just read this report , WELL DONE !! great respect keep living your dream , what a great start to your career. Keep it smooth always and ride with your head . I will definitely try to be at your next meet  :thumleft:  :thumleft: