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Beginners Start Here! The first order of business
The goal here is to eliminate acquiring the wrong bike. And one does that by substituting watching and listening in place of buying.
Go to a race and watch from the stands. Find out what classes are running and watch who wins on what kind of bike. Then wander into the pits and talk to the racers. Tell them you are new and want to race. Then listen to what they say. Talk to many racers and summarize the information in your brain.
Step two
Your beginning bike can be one of several types but always buy the biggest engine for the class, for example don’t buy a 400 if the class limit is 500.
Enduro and on/off road bikes
Skip these bikes. They are generally too heavy to handle flat track with any finesse.
Two stroke motocross bikes
In general I’d say skip these too with the exception of modern varieties. Two strokes tend to lack the torque to exit corners in a smooth manner. The older two stroke are very hard to ride well.
Four stroke motocross bikes
These are a good place to start on a budget. You change to flat track tires and lower the suspension and start learning on the track. Other mods can come later.
Used flat track bike in a Flat Track frame
This perhaps the best way. Someone before you has spend the money to make the bike handle and it will most likely have the necessary power
Step three
Attend any flat track school offered by FlatTrackMN.com or other resource. Schools compress years of track time knowledge into a single day. The second learning environment is on the track.
Step four-insure your physical health
In my mind there are two ways to keep your body in one piece. The first is to protect your 13 hurty points. Wear something that protects your;
[ ] Feet/ankles [ ] Knees
[ ] Hips [ ] Elbows
[ ] Hands [ ] Head
I greatly favor motocross gear because it’s cooler than leather and it protects the body better from abrasion and impact. Most leather outfits are fine on abrasion but suffer in the impact protection. They are also restrictive and hot.
The second thing is where you line up on the start line. Stay away from the middle of the pack. If someone falls in the first corner, you’ll likely be involved. I don’t like the very inside because if you are not in the lead by corner one, you’ll have to slow to avoid taking someone out. I like the very outside because I always know that I can avoid pile ups by driving to the right. If you can’t get the outside lane, line up behind the starters who are on the very outside. Following back there you can alter course to follow the guys who take off faster. You have to lightning quick off the light or flag to make this work.
Mind you this is information for beginners. I can hear the old timers scoffing at me but they have taken ambulance rides-in 39 years I’ve never been hurt
One man’s opinion by Phil “Omar” Little who started racing in 1972 at the age of 29 and will ‘shoe up’ a couple of times in 2010 at the age of 68. |
