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Gary Semics Riding Tip Of The Month
Concrete Starts  -  January 2011

In order to save on maintaining the starting area, a lot of motocross tracks use cement starts. Cement starts are slippery, so the same adjustments to the techniques for slippery starts are used on cement starts. If it is very slippery you sit a little farther back on the seat and keep your upper body leaning towards the back more. You straighten your arms more and make the bike pull you out of the start instead of pushing you out. In these slippery conditions you deliver less power to the rear wheel in an even smoother fashion. So don’t open the throttle too much and make sure to slip the clutch very smoothly. You don’t want to spin the rear wheel too much or you’ll loose a lot of valuable time right out of the gate. And there are a few other things to know about cement starts in order to get the rubber to hook up better. Dirt, dust and especially moisture will make that cement even more slippery. So have a broom to clean it off as well as possible. Then there is the burning of the rubber. It seems ashamed to burn a perfectly good tire but that hot super clean rubber will hook up a lot better then cold rubber. Timing is important so the tire is still warm when you start. So about one minute before the start, hold the front brake and take your weight off the bike. Spin the rear tire for at least five seconds, a little longer if you have a surplus of tires.

When you’re practicing this procedure make sure you prepare all the conditions the same as you would in the race. Clean the cement each time and warm the tire up. You want to get to know the feeling of the hookup. If you fail to prepare each practice start properly you would not be used to the hookup when it really counts, in the race.

For all the secrets to becoming a holeshot artist check out my currently 60% off - How To Win Starts DVD at; http://www.gsmxs.com/catalog/catalog_detail.asp?CID=176&CI=2915&PI=25713

Work hard and ride even harder,
Gary Semics