friendly competition at practice

[sirthumpalot]

How many of you enjoy when some anonymous person that is about your speed ends up racing with you at practice? I personally like it. However I'm still pretty new to MX and I'm never sure if the average person on the track would enjoy the same thing so I usually don't initiate a race.

Just out of curiosity, how many of you like it when you're going fast and you come up on someone about your speed and they speed up and start racing with you? Not blocking, just clean racing.

[Dave_S]

Oh Yeah! Its one thing to go fast by yourself after you got a huge holeshot and are in the lead, but that only happens to one guy per race!

If you race, you've gotta practice passing (CLEAN PASSING!) and riding two and three wide.

If you come on a guy and he doesnt want to race he will let you by, if he is trying to hold his own or pass, I consider that an invitation to practice a little racin'. I just try to remember that it is only practice and try not to do anything too stupid!

Dave S

[DPW]

I personally like racing around with someone that's about my level or just a little bit better than me. I usually ride a little harder and push myself more than when I practice by myself.

Dennis

[Merfman]

Count me in as one who likes to dice with anyone willing. I don't seem to have a problem finding such competitors with the handguards and light on the YZ though. ?

[BK14MX]

I like it too, but I usually watch someone a little first to make sure, even if they are the same speed, that they aren't dangerous.

But I'm all for a little "practice racing", ever have one of your buddies say "lets go run a few warm up laps", usually by the time the first lap is over, its a full blown balls out race. Sorta funny how that happens.

Sirthump, my broken tranny will hopefully be reassembled sometime next week, cause I seriously need my fix. Shoot me an email if your heading to Thundercross, Im itching to ride.

bk14mx@mindspring.com

[Kirtwell]

Almost all of my best riding buddies came from challenging them at practice. I like to hang out with people the same skill level as me. We call each other and meet up at the same time and park together. And even though it's only practice, watch out....It is ON when we get out there together. Don't be the outsider hotshot taking chances and accidently run one of us off the track or use us as a berm.....We'll wait for ya when you come back around ?

[EK314]

I don't mind dicing it up with someone at practice. I do like to be cautious when first riding with someone I do not know. I like to make sure they are safe and will not take me out. I have found that as I get older I do not like to rub plastic a much as I did when I was younger.

Good...clean...safe riding makes me happy.

Ernie

[BEEF_706]

Count me in as one who likes to dice a little in practice, butl I usually like to watch them a little first to see if our lines are really different or anything. It's still only practice,but dicing makes it more fun and it's the only way to get better at racing.

?

[Merfman]

All the discussion about being cautious made me remember one cardinal rule for me. I will NOT jump with someone I don't trust/know. Passing around the corners is a different story, but I have all the nasty visions of jumping on someone and hurting us both. Even following someone I know over a double scares the crap outta me. I'm an enduro guy and we don't jump.

Merf

[Shawn_Mc]

I love the practice race. I actually found this site from talking to a guy I ran up on at Elsinore. We were going at it hard enough to rip the shrouds off. We both finally got tired and pulled off to see a bunch of people stopped to watch us go at it. That was fun. Cant wait for the collar bone to become less than 2 pieces. ?

[Chris_Slade]

Racing in practice can be great. It's sometimes more fun that an actual race, as there is NO pressure, it's as long as you want it (I hate stupid 4 or 5 lap races....I love the 20-30+ lappers!!) and if something DOES happen,....it's cool, cause it's not a real race!

[Guest Guest]

I also like it!

After all isn't the purpose of practice to get better?

How are you going to get better (at certain things)if you don't dice it up.

Like racing side by side or runnin up somebody's rear or having the pressure of being followed.

If someone dices wiht you then you learn where you are faster or slower and it can be a good hint that you need to practice .....whatever...whoops/corners/dbls/???......

Out in the Dez when we practice there is usually 5 or 10 of us and take random position in the "train" That really helps following diff ppl to learn diff techniques.

Also we learn how to pass cleanly ..........cuz' they are your buds adn you don't want to hear about it back at the truck!!!! ?

We also like to make 'em earn a pass too because you don't want to be shown and roosted by your bud on a honda!

[DirtDgr]

Personally I like to sometimes wait for the fastest pro on the track and jump in behind him and try to do what he does. Sometimes I actually surprise myself and can keep them in sight for a lap or two.

I live for practice racing. Its also great fun out on the trails(in good visibility of course). I like to catch a group of guys and pick them off one by one.

[thumpy]

I love it!! In fact, I was dicing with non other than "Bubba Stewart" and his trainer last Sunday at Saddleback. They were parked right next to me and headed to the vet track as the main track was closed for watering. I was warming up and testing different jetting combos when I heard a two stroke gaining on me so I opened it up to the stops and was in a drag race (100 yard straight)with bubba to the next turn (a hairpin left). I gave him the inside, blasted the berm and headed for a 3 foot kicker dead even with him. His trainer (seemed like a real prick)was right behind us as we flew the jump and headed for the "swamp" and a right hander leading onto a choppy little straight where I let off to avoid colliding with a little one on a KX60. I was still able to hold off his trainer for a couple more turns before he got by. I'm a rear/mid pack intermediate at best and by no means want to give you guys the impression I'm worthy of that kind of talent, but that was my greatest moment yet.

By the way, that Bubba kid absolutely hauls!(he and his father seemed very nice) Once out on the main track he was jumping a triple from the inside (a 2 foot smaller take off height than the regular take off ramp), 4th gear pinned and flew the bike completely verticle to the landing at which time he tapped the brake as soon as the tire touched to bring the front end down. Incredible! He's gonna be the Tiger Woods of MX/Supercross very soon.

Later that same day a guy on a KX250 got in behind me and the race was on. We went at it for several laps before stopping to help a guy retrieve himself and his bike from the bushes. He commented that he couldn't stay with me out of the turns. "Your bike does really well out of the hole." I nodded and said "yep!" The BK/Thunder Alley combo played hell with the KX's on Sunday.

That was the long way to say I don't mind a good practice dice.

[Sparky_So_Cal]

Most of my memorable riding times were w/ my friends (of which I was always the slowest). The cool thing was that I knew them and knew that they would not take me out but push me. They would get behind and ride up my rear fender for as long as I could stand it. These guys were always sticking a wheel here or there and making me adjust my lines to keep them in back of me. I think that's where I got the nickname JELLO (arm pump)

God Bless

Sparky

[Howard_Huge]

Sparky, I can relate on your buds riding up your rear fender for as long as you can stand it, at that point it was on... and then to have them ask what were you doing having lunch in the middle of the turn? Its always a race! huge