When looking for a place to ride on free weekends, It's good to know that the MotoWeatherman is looking out for us motocrossers;

Also helping me make better decisions on selecting the right track location to train based on the expected weather conditions.


Training with  Travis Preston and my  Sportscreen Race Team FSRS Racing at Amelia MX in Virginia in the summer of 2011

When it comes to cross training for motocross it seems that the overwhelming choice for most trainers is cycling. It's a great low-impact training tool for boosting leg strength, stamina and cardio fitness, and it's something that you can do nearly anywhere and on a limited time schedule.


Working with Cameron Stone #702,  an AMA  Professional  Lites Class Racer at  a private track  in Cleveland, TN and Chattanooga MX  during the summer of 2011
Pitboard Essentials:
The pit board can and should be used by every serious rider or anyone that wants to see improvement in their riding and racing performance.  Your pit board can help you in the middle of that big race! When utilizing the pit board during training sessions and races a few basics need to be covered. First, the person holding the pit board should know where to stand. At races “mechanic’s” areas are typically designated and give the best access to the track. However, on practice days you and the person whom you’ve recruited to hold the pit board need to decide on a safe area where you will be able to take the time to read the message. This place must be safe for the person with the pit board; it can at the end of a smooth straightaway or on a safe floating-style jump. You also need to determine the height you can most easily read the pit board. Some riders like their boards to be held low or high and this can vary depending on where on the track the board is being displayed. The basics are easy but the messages written on the pit board need careful attention. The person you designate to run your pit board needs to have a thorough understanding of you as a racer as they are acting as your coach. They need to know whether you are motivated intrinsically or extrinsically. An intrinsically motivated person is someone who desires to be good at something; in this case riding a dirt bike. In contrast an extrinsically motivated person is motivated by the results of an action. Knowing which category you fit into will help the person writing on your pit board write messages that motivate you. For instance an intrinsically motivated rider will respond better to seeing his or her lap times improve over the course of the race than seeing a message like “Get top 5.” The latter message could be appropriate for a rider who is extrinsically motivated by the contingency money awarded to the top finishers. Not all messages written on a pit board are acceptable as this mechanic found out after being fined by the FIM for writing "Clean Him Out". The actual content of the message isn’t very important as long as it is something you feel is helpful or motivating. There are a few caveats. All messages should be phrased in a positive manner. For example, “race ahead” is much better than “don’t let them pass.” The negative message puts emphasis on a negative outcome. The positive message emphasizes something the rider has control over. Also, pit boards are great for addressing technique during practice, but they should not be used in that way during the race. The rider should be focused solely on racing. Racing is not a time for analysis With careful planning, the right person with the pen and a little practice, a pit board may be what your program needs to reach the next level. If you have a solid training program and all the other training tools, it is time spend $30 on a pit board. The help you get from a pit board will get you closer to your goals.


Rusty taking a good look at my gear in the pits and giving me some last minute pre-race instruction in 2008.

Seat Bouncing:
Seat bouncing is a good technique to use when you're approach into a jump is short and you need more height and/or distance and/or don't have time to stand up for the jump. Since you're sitting on the seat your body weight is going to go straight into the bike and therefore compress the rear suspension more, causing it to rebound harder and give you more lift (airtime) out of the jump. If you were standing your legs could absorb some of the compression and rebound, keeping you lower. When seat bouncing clutch and throttle control are very important and usually pulling back on the bars at the right time is also important for these two things are what control whether your front end is high or low. You see, you have to deliver the power to the rear wheel just right with the clutch and throttle as that rear wheel compresses into the jump and rebounds out of the jump. This is an advanced technique and even then can only be used on short approaches where you're accelerating all the way through the compression part of the jump. The jump face also has to be smooth with no kickers in it. 


Marcus Thompson having a trackside chat with me during a training session at a private track in Tennessee during the spring of 2010.

Basic Jumping Techniques:
To execute the proper basic jumping technique you should be standing in the central body position. As the rear wheel rebounds from the jump you have to nudge your body position back, which will also cause you to nudge back on the handlebars. The steeper the jump face is and the faster you hit it the faster and harder you will have to nudge back in order to make the bike fly level or how you want it to fly (front end high or low). Okay so that’s how your body movement controls the jump now let’s take a look at how the throttle controls the jump. You see when you throttle off of a jump (accelerate off the jump) the throttle will also keep the front end up. So the more you throttle off a jump the less you will have to nudge back with your body movements. And vice aversely when you chop the throttle off as you rebound from the jump the more you will have to rely on your body movements. Two common problems many riders have is either jumping with the front end too low or too high. So now you can understand that if the front wheel is too low you’re not using enough throttle and/or you’re not moving back as you take off. If you’re jumping with the front end too high you’re using too much throttle and/or moving back too much. Good luck, landing too much on the front wheel and going over the bars is one of the worst ways to crash.

Jimmy Albertson giving
me a "HIGH FIVE" after performing some training techniques at his camp in the Fall of 2007 at Legends Raceway Park in Halfway, Missouri. Greg and Jimmy spent alot of their time working with  me over several days to give me a better understanding of racing and the effort involved.


Travis Preston working with the FSRS Race Team on starts at Amelia MX in July 2011
How to get the Holeshot:
Starts are sort of like gun fighting. A gun fighter has to be quick on the draw but at the same time he has to be smooth and have a good aim in order to hit the target before the target hits him. In motocross you also have to be quick and at the same time you have to be smooth with your clutch and throttle control and your body movements. If you mess up at least you won’t get shot but you may get run over in the first corner. There are three important aspects of the start. The single most important aspect of the start is the clutch. Excellent clutch control is the key. The other two aspects are throttle control and body movements. Let’s look at each one separately and all the detailed techniques that go with them.  Following are all the techniques that go into clutch control. You have to hold onto the grip and control the clutch independently. This is true for when you’re riding on the track as well, but for the start clutch control is even more important then when riding on the track. Therefore I teach using your three outside fingers on the clutch while you hold onto the grip with your index finger. This way your three outside fingers will allow you to have good strong clutch control while your index finger can pull your body position forward as you shoot out of the gate. If you didn’t use any fingers on the grip you couldn’t pull and hold yourself forward. Or if you only used one finger on the clutch you wouldn’t have good strong clutch control for a perfect start. With your three outside fingers on the clutch pull the clutch in and select first or second gear. Then let the clutch out until it just starts to engage. Then pull it back in just the slightest bit under engagement. This is where you want to hold the clutch. This way it will begin to engage as soon as you start letting it out. With this clutch setting technique you will know that the bike is in gear and your clutch will be set and ready, not too far out and not too far in, but just right for the real thing hole shot. It’s very important to control the clutch all the way out. Don’t just start slipping it out then let it go. And don’t release the clutch in a jerky motion. When done correctly it’s just one controlled smooth release all the way out. You are pretty much holding the throttle in one position according to traction and feeding the power to the rear wheel with the clutch. You see, when you feed the power to the rear wheel with the clutch the response is instant. If you rely on the throttle the power has to go through the carburetor and the response at the rear wheel can be delayed and not as actuate. Even after you are pretty far out of the gate, if the front wheel starts to raise slip the clutch a bit to bring it back down. Control the clutch all the way out at all times during the start. There are usually ruts behind and in front of the gate. Make sure you are lined up straight in the rut. If you are a little crocked or the rear wheel is not all the way down in the center of the rut you are going to get sideways and loose a lot of time right from the get go. It helps to prepare the rut before you set your bike in there. Kick the dirt around and make it smooth and packed. Build up a little ramp at the front of the rut where it meets the gate so you get better traction as you spin over the gate. While seated in the proper position, grab the handlebars with a lot of over grip. This is important so you can keep your upper body open and work from over the handlebars not behind them. This will allow you to get more of your body weight up and over the front of the bike enabling you to keep the front end down more effectively. This open body position will also give you better leverage for moving your body position from side to side across the handlebars, which will give you the control to keep the bike going straight out of the start. This body position will also give you better leverage factors between your body and the motorcycle. If you fail to do this and start with a low grip you will have less control.


Shae Bentley working with me at Bremen MX in 2009.


This game has really helped me visualize smoother and faster lines around the track. It improved my ability to think ahead while racing around the track.


Clutch In or Out While Braking:
The rule of the track here is to leave the clutch out while braking so the engine helps slow you down and helps control the braking process.  It’s kind of like anti lock brakes.  The best stopping power is just before the rear wheel locks up and that’s just what leaving the clutch out will help you with.  This is done when you’re still carrying some speed into the corner.  If it’s a tight corner where you’re going to be slowing down to a slow speed in the middle of the corner and/or if you’re going to do a brake slide than you have to pull the clutch in so you don’t kill the engine.  I’ve seen this technique of leaving the clutch out while braking misused and abused by a lot of beginner riders.  Every time they apply the back brake they put the clutch in.   They do this because they don’t have good braking control and by stabbing the rear brake on they would stall the engine.  Sometimes making it stall even easier by being in too high of a gear.  It’s really the same technique for 2 strokes and 4 strokes.  It’s also the same when exiting a corner with 2 or 4 strokes.  The 2 stroke does depend on the clutch more than the 4 stroke but if you’re pulling a high gear out of the corner even the torquey 4 strokes can use a little help from the clutch.  A good rider can make his bike drift slide into a corner real pretty like by leaving that low end lever out (the clutch).  When a rider pulls the clutch in while braking at speed he’s taking a chance of sliding out too much, then his automatic reaction is to let up on the rear brake too much.  This causes the bike to straiten up and then he hits the rear brake again and so on and so on.  This is especially the case on a high speed slippery approach to a corner.  Learn to feather those controls or lock them up and every thing between.  It takes a fine feel to go fast.    

How Many Jumping Techniques There are 6 ways to jump: Launch it.                                          L = aunch Absorb on the throttle                     T = hrottle Absorb on the decel                       D = ecel Set Bounce                                       S = eat Whip                                                  W = hip Scrub                                                 S = crub
# 1     Launch it means - to get more height and distance.
# 2     Absorb on the throttle means - to absorb the jump in order to stay low but still get good distance.
# 3     Absorb on the decel - means to absorb the jump as you are slowing down in order to stay lower and get back on the ground fast.
# 4     Seat bounce means - to jump as you are sitting on the bike.
# 5     Whip means - to throw the bike sideways off the jump.
# 6     Scrub means - to slide the front wheel off the top of the jump. 

Fast on the Straights
Straights are usually the easiest but because of the speed you can really crash hard.  Of course most of it depends on the soil condition and the room you have for mistakes.  If you’re speeding through the trees over rocks, tree roots, ruts and mud you better keep her under control the entire time.  Another straight condition may be over big uneven bumps.  Whatever the condition are following are some key points. Scan the ground as you’re going along and see all the details.  At the same time keep your focus out far enough ahead of you that you are ready for what’s coming up.  This takes the kind of concentration to light a news paper with a magnifying glass in the sun. If it is at all rough you should be standing on the pegs in the central body position and make the bike go exactly where you want it to go.  The thing that is most likely to through you off course is hitting something with your front wheel that you didn’t see.  Stay in the right gear (in the meat of the power) and if it’s really technical keep your foot on the rear brake, not just to slow down fast but to give you more control.  Think about it; the only control you have over the M/C is body movement and the five controls (front and rear brakes, clutch and throttle and the gear shift).  What else could there be?  But there are 47 Absolute Techniques that go into these two categories.  Check out my Motocross Practice Manual for all of them.  Going fast on the straights is kind of like jumping doubles.  You don’t jump distances you don’t have control over and you shouldn’t do speeds over rough ground that you don’t have control over.  If the fear is there it’s most likely there for a good reason.  When you get enough seat time and confidence the control will be there and the fear will not.  In the mean time you may consider paying attention to that fear, it’s a survival instinct.  The Art of Cornering Cornering is an art form.  To get really good at it you have to have a lot of talent, know all the techniques inside and out and then practice it frequently in many ways over a long period of time. There’s much more to cornering than just leaning over and going through the turn.  There are things like the angle of the corners, whether they’re banked or off-camber, sharp or sweeping, and the conditions of the track. Then there are the techniques of cornering between the rider and motorcycle. There are even techniques that affect the handling of the motorcycle in the corner. These techniques make the motorcycle either hold the track or brake loose and pivot, slide through the corner. In order to do a corner fast you need to carry as much speed as possible and as long as possible into the corner, slow yourself down just enough to still have control at the exit dex, (the exit dex is where you go from braking to accelerating) and then get on the gas as soon and as hard as possible. In order to carry a lot of speed into the corners, you need to have a fast and late approach dex (the approach dex is where you go from accelerating to braking).  With this in mind, we can understand that a very important part of cornering is braking. To be good at cornering, you have to be good at braking.  Of course, all through the corner, you have to maintain complete relaxed control. Tightness and mistakes will only make you tired and slow you down, if not make you crash. Remember, you can only try as hard, and go as fast, as you can do the basic techniques correctly and maintain relaxed control. So, if you’re tight or making mistakes, you will benefit by slowing down, which in turn will allow you to learn how to go faster.                       Getting Good Starts w/  by The "Professor" Gary Bailey I am guessing that everyone knows the importance of a good start, so let’s take a look at a sequence of photos to learn what to look for and why. The photos we will use to study are from the Southwick National. If the saying "history repeats itself," is true, you should be able to look at the first photo and determine which riders got a good start. At an outdoor national, just before the riders come out for their moto the start area is groomed, making what the riders did on their practice start for the site lap clearly visible.In order for this photo study session to work, you must resist the temptation to scroll down and look at all the photos. Start by looking at this first photo and see how many of the top three riders you can pick. Keep in mind where the riders are lined up, and what their practice start looked like. There is a left hand turn at the end of the start and one rider will come from the far outside, out of this photo. So pick your top three with what you see here. Photo 1 - I am only giving you a look at the lines for now, so that’s all you have to go on. Here is what I am looking for and why. I think you need to have a good reaction for sure, but let’s go beyond that. Without good technique and being consistent the reaction won’t mean much. It is important that you get good traction and that you go as straight as possible. The shortest distant between two points is a straight line. Every start is a little different as to how far you will lean forward or where you will sit on the seat. It is also important as to where you have your RPMs. Here is what I recommend. Don’t let the bike bog: I like a little more RPMs rather that too little. What is very important is to keep your feet locked into the bike in front of the foot pegs. This will keep your legs in tight and your feet won’t be flying around. Holding the feet in will help keep the bike straighter coming off the gate. As far as when to pick up your feet, some riders like to keep them down and do a shift with more of the inside of their boot while keeping their feet down. I like this way best if you can learn that shift. Why? Because you can hold that start position all the way down the start. Others like to pick the feet up as soon as they get over the gate. If you do that it’s a good idea to pick them both up at the same time to keep the bike in balance. Now, let's analyze the rest of the sequence of photos and see if your instincts were correct in picking the top three. Photo 2 - I like #10, #24, #14 ,#101 and #55. WHY? Because they all look in control. WHY I like 10 and 101 best is the traction they are getting. Photo 3 - At this point I like #10 and #24 because both feet are in tight to the bike and they look in balance. #55 looks good but may have lost some traction. Photo 4 - At this point I like #24 and #101 for control and straight line, but I like #10 for the traction. Photo 5 - In this shot traction is the key. Check out #10, #24 and now #41 how they are hooked up. #101 is coming on the inside but may need to brake harder for the turn. Photo 6 - The #10 bike has good traction and is still on the gas. The #24 bike has the best line for the turn, and the #101 bike looks good if he wants to take everyone out, but he will need to brake harder. Photo 7 - WHY I like #24 at this point. I like the fact that he is settling down and can start laying the bike over and commiting to the turn with control. However #10 is still on the charge but on the outside. Photo 8 - At this point #24 is in control, #10 is a little upright and the front end is pushing, where #24 is more over the front with better traction on the front. And look at #397 coming from the outside. Photo 9 - WHY I like #24. He had not only the best practice start but he did all the right stuff when he needed to. From the reaction, to the traction, to good form and control, to the holeshot. So how did your analysis of the first photo work out? Well, from the first photo, it looked to me like it was going to be #10, #24 and #14. The #10 and #24 were spot on and #101 came on strong, while #14 didn’t make it happen this time. The next time you are at a race have a friend take a sequence of photos of your start. Study what the fast guys did and compare it to your start. With a little practice, you will soon be able to use all those photos to analyze your riding and make improvements. 


Looking to do some Florida winter training: