The start of the race could be the make or brake of it all!!

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 brush beside the start gate - Use it!

Be aware of the weather as if it is damp or it has been raining then the concrete will be slippery. Also your bike bleeds fuel out of the carb vent tubes so be very careful that you do not end up going through this leakage as it may cause you to come off in the first corner or perhaps before!

When your bike is in position - do a small burnout, just enough to scrub the tyre and clean the knobs on your rear wheel.

Position yourself on the bike with both feet 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 - Be careful on this surface as it is very slippery - you're better off having your weight distributed as evenly as possible on the bike and be prepared if it wants to slide.

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 bite. To avoid wheel spin pick a higher gear than you would if you were on a dirt start.

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 eating dirt) but with your elbows out you can fend off a rider beside you if they drift onto your line (nicely of course!).

As the gates drop evenly release the front brake and the clutch, remembering there is very little traction under your back wheel until you clear the start pad. Be careful not to slide the bike away from yourself.

Once you have moved off - move your weight forward so your back wheel is ready to dig into the track - you do not want to pull an unwanted wheelie!

On all kinds of starts.

Be aware 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 over-revs therefore the power drops off.

Dirt Starts.
Dirt starts are a bit easier than concrete as you have the back wheel digging into the ground giving you greater traction.

Prepare the surface where your back wheel will be, if there are big ruts from the previous riders try and fill them up with some dirt and stamp it down hard so it is level.

Have your head above the handlebars with your elbows out putting your weight on the front as there will be loads of traction and you have to be careful that you do not pull a wheelie and fall off! Not only will this make you look like a plonker but you will lose valuable ground!

The main difference between this start and the concrete start is the rider position and the gear that you are in. You need to be in a lower gear as you have the traction available at the start.

Bike Set-up.

If you do not have the facility to find your bikes power output, do not hesitate to bring it down to us at GETSPEED and we can put it onto the rolling road  - by doing this it will let you know exactly where the power output is at its best - and also at its worst!

Ask a friend to time you trying different techniques with your starts, the stopwatch never lies.  If you wanted to go one better ask them to take a video recording and then you will be able to see first hand.

We can set your bike up to give you more torque and power for acceleration. If you wanted more top end power we can make some adjustments there too!

Not only can we do the engine side of things we can also set your suspension up - this is actually a major factor when riding, if this is not set up correctly then it can cause you to be somewhat sluggish on the track as the bike is not working to its full capabilities! Once your suspension is set up correctly you will definitely be able to tell the difference - it will feel like you are gliding round the track and not forcing the bike to go round.  

In our experience we have found that everyone rides differently - the best thing you could do is set your bike up to your needs  - Making you and your bike one unit rather than two!

Please visit our Workshop Page (Sorry still under construction) for more information or contact us.

This is where you need to experiment to find out where your bike makes the most power, remember there is a vast difference between two and four stroke bikes!

Race Starts