Moto Tip | Racing Into The Sun
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Welcome to the new Answer Racing Moto Tips feature! Answer Racing has been producing the highest-quality motocross and off-road gear since 1976, and this month launched its new line of 2020 apparel. With riders like Alex Martin, Ryan Villopoto, Nick Wey, and Mike Sleeter flying the Answer flag, there is a wealth of knowledge and know-how when it comes to riding a dirt bike efficiently and effectively in the Answer camp. Each week, Answer will bring you some riding tips to help you become better at the sport you love! Have a specific skill you’d like to improve? Comment below and we will cover it in a future post!
Few things are scarier than riding through a section with the sun shining directly in your eyes. Just like driving towards the sunset at dusk, the bright light makes it difficult for your eyes to properly adjust and see what’s immediately in your path. This was an issue during the Main Event races at the 2020 Salt Lake City Four Supercross, as the big triple was inadvertently placed right where the early evening glow cast a shadow on the face of the jump and basically blinded riders as they prepared for liftoff. Since this something that almost all of us will deal with at some point (it’s inevitable that a race order at the local track could put your moto late in the afternoon or challenging light), we asked JGR/Yoshimura/Suzuki Factory Racing’s Alex Martin for advice and how his race strategy adapted to the conditions.
“It really helps to do and learn the section in ideal conditions. Because essentially you will then get to the point where you understand what’s necessary for throttle position, body position, speed, and so on. With triple at Salt Lake City, by the time sun was hitting us in the eyes, I had it that jump so many times and figured it out to the point that I could have hit it with my eyes closed [Laughs]. You will really need to make sure to learn your throttle position and your body position and then remember it for later.”
“It’s important to know that you aren’t going to hit a kicker or anything hidden in the track. With that triple, there was a low line on the inside and a high line that was close to the Tuff Blocks that you could ride. But if you moved over 10-inches from the bales, there was a little bit of kicker that you could hit. You need to have enough visibility so that you know you’re hitting a decent line. It’s a situation like this where motocross is risky and you kind of have to risk it for the biscuit. I don’t always know where I’m going and sometimes you just have to pin it.”
“Stay committed to your line choice. That’s not when you want to change directions unnecessarily. You shouldn’t be looking to make up time in a section like this, either. You just want to get through it safely so that you can make up time in other sections like corners or a jump that isn’t so sketchy with visibility.”
