A motocross holeshot should be as easy as waiting for the gate to drop and giving it a handful, right? Wrong. Races really are won and lost on the start so perfecting your motocross holeshot technique is well worth the effort.
Concrete Starts.
Concrete starts require a slightly different technique than dirt starts. Make sure the concrete pad that you'll start on is as clean as possible, some tracks will have a straw broom beside the start gate. Use it.
Be aware of whether your bike bleeds fuel out of the carby vent tubes, if it does keep your bike off the start area until your race is just about to start because the last thing you want is any sort of liquid under your wheel when the gate drops.
When your bike is in position, do a small burnout. Just enough to clean the knobs on your rear wheel, any more and you'll take the edges off your nice new knobby. Once the 30 second board is up, position yourself on the bike.
Both feet should be down and your weight should be back on the seat. Some riders like to have their left foot up on the peg ready for the first gear change but when starting on a surface as slippery as concrete you're better off have your weight distributed as evenly as possible on the bike.
If your weight is more to one side and the rear wheel spins, the bike will slip away from that side.
Once you see the 5 second board, increase your revs and with the front brake lightly applied, find the friction point in your clutch lever where the clutch is just starting to grab.
Pick a higher gear than you would if you were on a dirt start to minimise wheelspin.
Studies have shown that humans can react quicker to movement they see in the peripheral part of their vision so theoretically if you're watching the gate beside you out of the corner of your eye your reaction time will be quicker and hopefully your chances of a motocross holeshot higher. Keep you head forward over the bars and your elbows up and out, this position not only allows you to control the bike better and weight the front wheel (thus avoiding ending up flat on your back looking up at the sky) but with your elbows out you can fend off a rider beside you if they drift onto your line.
As the gates drop evenly release the front brake and fully engage the clutch, remembering there is very little traction under your back wheel until you clear the start pad. Once you do, move your weight forward (you know why!).
As the bike hooks up on the dirt grab the next gear and voila! the perfect motocross holeshot.
Be mindful of where your bike makes the most power in its rev range, too many riders hold it open for too long in each gear off the start and as the bike overrevs the power drops off. Experiment to find out where your bike makes the most power, this is markedly different between two strokes and four strokes.
Dirt Starts.
With dirt starts again prepare the surface where your rear wheel will be driving out of the gate. Kick some dirt into the rut left from previous starts and stamp it down firmly. This will give you a harder more tractable and smoother surface up to the base of the start gate. The only real difference from concrete starts is to have your weight forward on the bike and to pick a lower gear because there will be a lot more traction as you launch off the start.
Get a friend to time you trying different techniques with your starts, the stopwatch never lies.
It's been said a thousand times before but I'll say it again, there's only two parts to a race - from the start gate to the first corner and from the first corner to the chequered flag. Pull a perfect motocross holeshot and you're halfway there.
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