Choose the highest gear you can and use the clutch to keep the revs high without bogging the bike down. You need to grip the throttle so your wrist is arched up slightly so you can hold the throttle wide open once you clear the gate and get decent traction. Remember to use the clutch to keep the front under control.

If there are ruts in front of your starting gate pack them with the hard dirt that you can break of the edge of the rut. Don’t just fill it with soft stuff because it will not work. You want a smooth line in front of you not a hole.

Stay back from the gate so you can keep the bike ready to pounce. Once you see the 30 second board let the clutch out far enough so the bike starts moving forward and use the front brake to keep it from leaving just yet. This will also tension your chain so there is no delay in getting power to the ground. You can get the feel of this before the start by doing short wheel spins.

Some riders watch the gate or pin beside them out of the corner of their eye, not looking at it directly, others prefer to look directly at their own gate. Also pay attention to the gate your choose, the quickest line to the first corner is not always the shortest. Look for a smooth path if the main line is chopped up or other obstacles exist.

You must attack the first corner aggressively, getting a great start will mean nothing if you can’t brake late into the corner and get the best line out of the corner. Your attitude is also important, know that you will get the the first corner before anyone else. Do your homework and practice and make sure your bike is well maintained.

If you’ve been following the 2008 AMA motocross season so far you would have seen Mike Allessi grabbing the holeshot in nearly every moto. Mike is the second fastest motocross rider in the championship and puts himself well ahead of the pack week after week. Not far behind but a little less consistent in getting to the front of the pack in the first corner is James Stewart.

Gate drop reaction

In order to get the jump on your competition at the start of a motocross race there are a few things to remember which will help you get the jump on the other riders.

Body position

Make sure you keep your weight as far forward as possible and evenly balanced on the bike. If you have trouble touching the ground with both feet you can use starting blocks which are required to be certain dimensions set by various racing governing bodies. If you are not balanced correctly the bike will jut to the left or right and you may lose control.

Gear selection

Choose the highest gear that you can get your bike momentum up as quickly as possible without shifting through the gears. Some riders start with their feet on the ground in front of the footpegs and shift up a gear with their heal when they are moving their feet to the pegs.

Throttle and clutch control

You should use a smaller amount of throttle the higher the gear you start in. Try your starts in different gears and amounts of throttle until you are happy. When you start, use the clutch to control the lift in the front end rather than backing off on the throttle.

Chain tension

Keep your fingers on the front brake and slightly engage the clutch in order to put tension on the chain so when you release the clutch the bike will start moving forward instantly.

Gate drop

Some riders watch the pin on the side of the gate, some watch the gate itself. You should be aware that you will react to something you look at indirectly using peripheral vision, quicker than looking straight at it.

First corner braking

One thing is for sure, if you watch Alessi and Stewart you will notice that for most start they are not very far ahead of the pack along the straight before the corner. It is the last 15 meters or so before the corner that they split away from the rest of the riders in the field. This happens because the brake a lot later then the other riders in the race going into the first corner.

So whats the secret?

How do the pros do it so well?

Correctly timing jumping distance depends on the type of dirt bike, slope and height of the jump face, approach speed, gear and body position. When learning a new jump take a few laps to roll the jump until you are comfortable with how the bike handles. Look for ruts or kickers that might make the bike change direction erratically.

If you can cruise over the jump and land at the base of the next obstacle then it should be easy to clear it.

Take some time to watch other riders who are clearing the triple or rhythm section. Try to work out what gear they are riding in, what speed and how much throttle is required to time the jump correctly. Speak to other riders at the track to find out how they approach the obstacle.

Make sure your body is in the correct position when approaching the ramp. Body centered on the dirt bike, gripping with your knees, elbows out, chin over the bars.

Remember not to attempt any jumps if you are not 100% sure of your ability and your motocross bike. If you think landing that triple will make you a better rider it won’t. Motocross and supercross is won in the corners, just watch the greats of the sport.

How do the pros do it?

Years and years of practice!

Unless you’re showing off some freestyle tricks mid air, you should always keep both hands on the handlebar grips. If you don’t do this, you will need to make a more concentrated effort when you apply the clutch or brake. This will result in you not using the controls any where near as much as you should be. You need to take the time to force your self into the habit of using one finger on the brake and two on the clutch. When you do this you will have increased stability and control over the bike.

2. Ride on the balls of your feet

When it’s safe to do so you should have the balls of your feet on the pegs as it will allow you to absorb some of the bumps on the track and aid the suspension. When you not shifting gears or braking you should be moving on the pegs. You shouldn’t be on the balls of your feet landing from a large jump as you could seriously injure your ankles. Only get up on the balls of you feet when it is safe to do so. You should move around on the pegs to see what works on different parts of the track, don’t wear groves in your boots from sticking your feet in the same position everywhere on the track.

3. Use you brake to smooth out the ride

The smoother your lines are the less energy you will use and the quicker you will go. You can stop the rear wheel kicking up by draging the rear brake. This technique is useful over braking bumps, don’t freeze on the bike, think about what’s happening and use the brake to control the effects the track has on the bike. Draging the brake will reduce the amount of spring the suspension has effectively reducing the rebound.

4. Don’t use the clutch when changing down

On modern motocross bikes you do not need to use the clutch when shifting down gears. Don’t make the mistake of pulling in the clutch and coasting into corners. If you leave the clutch alone when down shifting on a 4 stroke you will have additional stopping power from the engines compression effectively braking the dirt bike. This technique depends on the corner and will not work for brake slides as the bike will stall.

5. Maintain the attack position

Elbows up and out, chin over the bars, standing on the pegs, knees slightly bent and always leading with your head. If you are not in the correct position on the bike you will have less control. Put the dirt bike up on a stand and practice moving backwards and forwards will standing in the attack position. As you move forward lead with your head and raise it up over the bars, as you move back push your rear back and lower your head. Practice sitting, always keeping your elbows up, and standing and moving around on the bike as if you were riding on your local motocross or supercross track.

6. Weight distribution when acceleration and braking

When you accelerate the power of a modern dirt bike will force you back towards the rear. To counteract this you need to get your weight as far forward as possible, how far depends on the bike and the amount of acceleration. Check out riders like James Stewart when the accelerate out of a corner, pro riders are practically sitting on the fuel cap. When braking you need to keep your weight back towards the rear to balance the bike. If you get your weight in the wrong spot the bike will not be balanced correctly and the ride will be a lot rougher than if you had.

7. Put your foot out in corners sparingly

Only put your foot out in corners when you are going from braking to accelerating, get your foot back on the peg as soon as possible. Point your foot out towards the front wheel, don’t just dangle it out the side, using it for balance. The idea is to weight the front wheel to gain traction and while you are doing this push down on the outside peg with your other foot.

8. Extend your suspension

The way you move around on the dirt bike will help you smooth out the braking bumps and other obstacles on the motocross track. You need to anticipate the compression of the suspension in retaliation to the bumps on the track. Row in the direction of the kick in order to keep the bike as level as possible.

9. Look ahead

Always look at the obstacles and plan your lines before you get there. Commit to the line you have chosen and scan ahead. Focus on the track past the corner and the landing as you leave a ramp. Look past the rider in front of you. Ride one complete section at a time.

10. Practice during practice

Don’t waste your time practicing by only concentrating on getting in as many laps as fast as you can. If you do this you will only be learning what you already know. Work on your technique for the majority of your practice sessions and do some sprints as part of your overall practice regime. If you’re up to it always try and finish the practice session with a few race laps.

One of the most important things to remember is to stay loose on the dirtbike. This is critical on irregular shaped whoops as the bike will most likely want to go different directions. You need to react quickly to each movement and correct your position on the bike as the next whoop may force the dirtbike in the opposite direction.

Look for the smoothest line through the whoops because if you follow this line, as well as being the quickest path through the whoops, you will also conserve energy for the other obstacles on the track.

If the whoops are made up of different sized jumps or round or worn whoops you can use the larger ones as a ramp and loft the front wheel over the smaller ones. Your bosy position depends on the whoops but generally you should be a little towards the back so you can keep the front wheel light and react quickly.

Irregular shaped whoops are most common on motocross tracks and are sometimes referred to as whoop-de-dos. Whoop-de-dos were common in the 60′s and 70′s but have been phased out over the years to make way for the new style of whoops on modern motocross and supercross tracks.

Modern day whoop sections have evolved into squared off jumps which push the bikes and riders to their limits. Even the elite professional riders mess up on these challenging sections once in a while, one recent incident that comes to mind was Chad Reed, this years AMA supercross champion. The technique used to attack these obstacles is called “blitzing” the whoops. The rider attacks the whoops at high speed and floats across them.

How you tackle the whoops depends on the distance between each whoop and the texture of the dirt. If the whoops are too small to double or triple through, but are to big to just hold the throttle open and ride through then some tips that might help you follow.

When entering the whoops hold you front wheel up as you approach and set it down about the second or third whoop. The object is to skim across the top of the whoops, while never letting your bike sink into them. As your back wheel goes over the first one accelerate in order to keep the bike leveled out. Try to push your body down over the back of the bike in order to keep the back end down. That way, the rear shock does not kick up like it would off of a jump. Under acceleration, your back wheel will naturally drop. Stay more towards the rear of the bike until you get near the end of the set.

It is very important that you don’t enter with the throttle wide open. In fact, you should keep the power steady through the whole set. Keep the throttle at around a quarter to half of the way open while you are in a set of whoops. This will help to keep the bike level. The last thing you want is for your front wheel to drop in between a set, even if they are shallow like. It will cause your momentum to break and could ultimately kick you over the bars! Once the bike is leveled out in the whoops, you can begin to pick up speed through them.

You never want to jump into a set of whoops right off the bat. You’ll never be able to time them. If you try this, your front wheel will dive because most of the time you’re not sure where you are going to land. Your timing will be off all the way through the set because your front wheel is not hitting the top of the whoops like it should.

As a general rule, you should shift up when coming into a set of whoops. The reason to up-shift is to keep the bike neutrally powered all the way through the whoops. You don’t want your bike to be topping out or hitting the rev limiter when you’re deep into a set. Every time your back wheel is hitting a whoop, it should be getting power to the ground. If the power is not getting to the rear wheel, the front end is going to want to dive.

The worst thing to do is to come into a set of whoops too fast, if they do, they hit the first one, get airborne, the next thing you know they are skipping three or four whoops. It sounds like it would be faster, and it is, providing you know exactly where to land. Most amateur riders can’t predict exactly where they are going to land, and their timing is going to be off all the way through the set. Only advanced riders should be trying such a move. By going faster and jumping into them, it makes it harder to time the entire set and you wind up losing time rather than gaining any. The right speed is going to be different for everybody, depending on how comfortable you are in the set. The more comfortable you are, the quicker you can approach a set. Remember, the faster you come in, the more you have to push down on your bike to keep it on the ground.

There are many reasons why this will occur but there are a few tips you can keep in mind next time you are at the track.

1. Make sure you are running a suitable tyre pressure for the track conditions. You should probably run somewhere from 12 to 17 pounds in both front and rear tyres. Soft sandy tracks so be around the 12 pounds, loamy around 14 pounds, while hard pack should be up around 17 pounds.

2. Body position is critical as how you weight the front wheel will have a direct effect on its traction. For hard packed corners you will need to keep your weight forward by getting as far forward on the seat as possible. Loamy corners will require you to be in a more neutral position on the bike and Sandy corners will require you to position your self backfurther to keep the front end light.

3. How your suspension is set up will effect the traction also. If the rebound setting is to stiff, the weight on the front end will slide instead of pushing against the ground.

4. How you approach the corner will effect the ability for the bike to bite in rather than wash out. If you intend on attacking the corner then make sure you body language says what you are thinking. Approach the corner standing up in the attack position, central on the bike, elbows out, knees slightly bent, chin over the bars. The majority of your stopping power should come from the front brake, doing so will compress the front suspension and load the front end, don’t allow the front end to slide under brakes though. Don’t coast into the corner as you will not be in the correct position nor will your bike.

Keep one or two fingers on the clutch as you approach the ramp to accelerate over bumps and chop.

You will also be ready if you need to give the bike a hit of rpm on the ramp, and you’ll probably need to charge off when you return to earth.

Always keep your bike in a responsive power range on for the takeoff and keep accelerating right through lift off.

Lean the bike over and turn the bars down a little to help wash some height out of the takeoff, losing some altitude and giving the bike a nice flight arc.

Keep yourself central on the bike with your head over the cross bar and your weight forward. The steeper the ramp is, the more you will have to push forward.

Keep the bike balanced in flight, keep your head and body vertical allow your leg on the side you are leaning to lift slighly off the foot peg. One arm will do most of the work, pushing forward and up to lean the bike over and allow your body to follow.

When you have a downhill landing ramp, like the far end of a table top land front wheel first. So if you got your body position correct on the takeoff you should have the bike angled perpendicular to the nading ramp.

Always look ahead at the the place you want to land and then once you have that covered look further ahead again. Remember the faster your speed the further you will have to look ahead. A good rule of thumb is 2 meters ahead for every gear. If you are not looking ahead you will find it harder to balance the bike.

What can go wrong?

If your front wheel is low you have decelerated or shut the throttle off on takeoff. This causes the front suspension to compress and dive as you lift off the face of the jump. If you find yourself in this situation, hold the throttle wide open and the weight of the spinning wheel will lower the back end slightly.

If your front wheel is high then you have given the bike to much throttle or your weight was too far back. Remember to get your weight forward and over the cross bar. To correct this in the air, get your weight forward, pull the clutch in and hit the back brake in the air. Again this will only improve the flight arc slightly. Your main concern is getting your takeoff gear, acceleration, power and body position just right.