Motocross
Motocross 101: The 8 Do's and Don’ts of MX
Become an instant expert on motocross in eight steps.
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Motocross is awesome. Jumps, whoops, turns, dirt, motorcycles, they all conform into one glorious motorsport that can immediately make your life better. Hop on a bike and watch all your cares melt away.
What makes moto incredibly more satisfying is doing it properly. Have no clue? That’s what we’re for. We’re here to explain to you, the loving reader, how to become competitive at the National level. No need for thanks, just go out and ride.
Ryan Dungey focuses on the line
© Simon Cudby / KTM / Red Bull Content Pool
Do: Stay in the zone on the line
On the starting line, focus is everything. Envision your success, and you will reach it. Getting to that first turn is like the beginning rush for weapons in The Hunger Games, only without the horrible Tween writing.
The starting gate at Budds Creek Raceway
© Garth Milan/Red Bull Content Pool
Don’t: Jump the gate
In your Jedi state of focus on the starting line, it is very easy to allow yourself to become a slave to your base senses – sight and sound, namely. Any stimulation and you are ready to let go of the clutch and slam on the throttle. That said, don’t let yourself get stuck at the gate because a beautiful little butterfly flew into your line of vision. That would not be proper start technique.
Ken Roczen with tear-offs
© Simon Cudby / KTM / Red Bull Content Pool
Do: Remember your tear-offs
Honestly, if you are lining up for a national moto and you forgot your tear-offs, there are clearly bigger mental concerns that need to be dealt with. These clear pieces of faux lenses are your savior on a motocross track. Courses such as Red Bud are as dirty as a Vegas “dancer” and clear vision is priceless. Ken Roczen cares not that his bike is littered with mud bunnies, because he is winning. And thanks to his tear-offs, he can see that.
Ryan Dungey riding with roll-offs
© Garth Milan/Red Bull Content Pool
Don’t: Have a roll-off malfunction
As awesome as technology is, you could just as easily be cursing it for making your life a living hell. Roll-offs are great because you have a seemingly endless supply during a round of moto -- a beautiful strip of clear vision graces your eyes with every pull of the string. Of course, one errant rock and in an instant you can look like a flailing rhythmic gymnast while your lenses are loading up with soil.
Ken Roczen scrub
© Garth Milan/Red Bull Content Pool
Do: Scrub out of the 90s
This is a mandatory, no questions asked maneuver at Red Bud or any track with a fast, 90-degree corner into a small to medium sized take-off. A mellow jump with a face begging for greatness can, and always shall be, obliged with a giant scrub. Should you forgo the opportunity to add your name in the Bad Ass Hall of Fame, then you might just be the worst person in the world.
Ken Roczen Scrub
© Simon Cudby / KTM / Red Bull Content Pool
Don’t: Scrape too much boot when scrubbing
A greater risk reaps a greater reward, but be weary of the potential consequences in throwing all of your worldly cares to the bar stops. Cole Seely had the universe give him a bit of a wake-up call at the 2013 Red Bud when he caught his boot on the face of the finish line and was thrown into an involuntary Kiss of Death. Even though he had no right to do so, he saved it, and continued on with the race. And somehow his heart did not explode.
James Stewart deep in rut
© Garth Milan/Red Bull Content Pool
Do: Mind your feet in the ruts
Ken Roczen gets inside line on Marvin Musquin
© Garth Milan/Red Bull Content Pool
Don’t: Leave the inside open
Line choice is critical on the track. When you are racing the best in the world, you can afford no quarter for competitors. One open inside line and you’re soon eating a few roost nuggets. Marvin Musquin paid for this one in mouthwash after the moto.
Ken Roczen and Marvin Musquin sequential whip
© Garth Milan/Red Bull Content Pool
Do: Whip in the proper direction
There is almost always a consistent pattern of flow to scrubs and whips on specific jumps on a track. In this vein, it is in the rider’s best interest to stay uniform to the pack. One whip in the wrong direction can spell catastrophe when you accidentally cross over into your competitor’s line. That is, unless making it on the “Biggest Crashes Of The Year” highlight reel.
Marvin Musquin keeping the front end high
© Garth Milan/Red Bull Content Pool
Don’t: Drop your front end in the sand
It’s fitting that sand goes hand-in-hand with surfing, because racing in the sand is just as tricky as surfing. Unless you are on a “long bike” that is 15-feet long, keep your weight back, all-day, every-day. If there was a way to ride the back wheel around the entire track, it would be a dynamite technique for sand-riding. However, since we are limited by pesky forces of nature such as gravity, a back-wheel-only strategy has yet to be implemented. Just do as Marvin Musquin does and keep that front end high. It’s happy up there.
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