Whats the secret to going fast in the mud ? I was racing yesterday and really struggled to get round , loosing the front end everywhere , coming out of a corner and spinning round 180* . Yet the real fast boys were going just as fast as i could in the dry ,it was reall cool to watch them .

Stand up, unweight the front, steer with the rear, throttle management, don't even think about touching the brakes.

Its kinda like riding in deep sand like the dunes. Takes a lot of practice and good riders/racers usually get that practice in during a given season, so they have a lot of experience, which is why the mud doesn't phase them as much.

well since were talking about mud racing, not mud riding, stay in your own lines if possible. Do everything in your power not to follow anybody elses lines because not only  will it help to preserve what tear offs you have (or roll offs from getting crap behind them) it'll also allow you to pass downed riders instead of going down right behind them because of them.  Smooth throttle, bit more rearward on the bike than normal, moderate front brake but have good grasp of bike with your knees while doing so. WD-40 your fenders(underneath and on top)/number plates so the mud runs off instead of sticking (=lighter bike). Dont over do it, smooth is fast in the mud because everybody hanging it out there in the mud will be passed by you while they are on the ground. A northeast US special is to run a painters type suit so the mud/rain runs off it rather than soaking your gear, old beat up goggle lense attatched to the visor of your helmet. That aught to help with riding and prep.

Correct tires make a world of difference. Most serious racers have a second set of wheels made up with soft/mud tires.

Edited by Thumper35, 11 June 2012 - 05:55 AM.

wato, on 05 June 2012 - 11:49 AM, said:

It takes a lot of experience to get good at mud riding but hopfully the following will help get you started in the right direction.  Everyone prefers ideal track conditions, but when Mother Nature doesn’t cooperate instead of being negitive about the mud, it’s time to start preparing.  It’s the mechanic’s job to have the bike ready for the muddy conditions, but it’s up to the rider to have himself ready. Following is some ideas that will up your chances for having a good finish.

• Look at the track: Study as much of the track as possible before your race. See where the best lines are, but especially see if there are some sections that you want to avoid. Like deep water or a place where you could get stuck. If you have a teammate or friend who just finished their moto talk to them and many times he can update you on important track changes. Many times when it’s this muddy you won’t get a parade lap, so take advantage of any other ways to know the track the best you can before you go out there.

• Prepare your vision: Roll offs or the multi layer tear offs are the best way to go for the wet conditions. Make sure you have no fog on the inside of the lens and fix one or two tear offs to the goggles. Put some duct tape to the tear off flap so it’s easy to find and pull off. These first one (or two if it’s really muddy) will work good at saving your goggles for the start when you may really get blasted with a nice refreshing mud bath. Tape some tear offs to your visor and the top of your helmet. When the heavy mud builds up on there you can peal it off with the tear offs.

• Traction connection to the bike: When that bike gets wet and muddy, it’s not only going to gain some serious weight, but it’s also going to become difficult to stay connected to it. A non-slip seat cover, full waffle grips, cotton mechanic gloves, and plastic grip protectors are some other helpful items.

• The extra weight of the bike: If it’s a sticky type of mud you should have your shock pre-load tighten up a bit, and your front forks dropped about two or three mm to compensate for the extra weight.

• Attitude: Don’t let this part go unchecked. It’s still a motocross race and a good motocross racer is good in all types of conditions. Keep a positive outlook and have fun.

“ The loser sees the difficulty in every opportunity, the winner sees the opportunity in every difficulty”.