Advise from the Pros

We tracked down some top riders recently and ask them, if they had one thing to tell young riders, what would it be?

Dustin Wimmer

2009 Pro National Champion

"Always Practice and Never Give UP"

Doug Gust

"Pick what works for you and stick with it. Don't worry about fads or what other riders say works, Just find out what works for you and stay focused."

Josh Creamer

"Be dedicated to the sport, If you want to be a Professional ATV rider, you have to put everything else second. Being the best requires sacrifice, and you really have to want it."

Cody Miller

"You must be dedicated! Practice hard, but use your head. Don't ride over your head, just be smart and it will come with time."

How to get more Exposure!

We talked with Factory Kawasaki's Jimmy White at Lorettas, and ask him what he could tell young riders about getting more exposure.

"Present yourself well, be passionate about what you do. Keep your Quad and equipment clean as well as you appearence off the track, so that you have a good impression not only on sponsors, but to the fans as well. If you are passionate about what you do, it will come."

Gate Pick

The first thing i do here is look at the first corner to determine if i want to take the inside or rail the outside. Then after i determine my line, i'll walk the gate and look for the spot that best suits my needs. When picking a gate you have several things to consider: #1 the straightest line to the first corner. #2 No deep or uneven ruts. #3 no mud or water in front of you. #4 The smoothest transition over the gate.

Now its time to prep your gate. The object here is to get both tracks over your gate as level as possible, so you have equal traction when you launch. Unequal traction will cause you to move left or right out of the gate nd into the rider beside you. The only tools that you can use here are your hands and feet. Start by removing all loose dirt and gravel from the gate drop before yours, and use your boots to pack in the tracks you will be using. If one is deeper than the other try to kick dirt into it and pack it down to match the other one. Remember traction is what gets you good starts!

The drop... Once you have rolled into your gate and have gotten things squared away, its time for the gate drop. I like to watch the pin where the gate mounts. This is going to be the first part of the gate to move and my give you  slit second advantage over the riders watching the top of the gate. Once the gate drops its time to release the clutch, "DON'T DUMP IT" dumping the clutch will just cause you to spin the tires and loose traction. Release it smoothly to maintain traction while staying in a neutral position on the quad. If you feel yourself loosing traction, move some weight to the back. If you start to wheelie move forward to add more weight to the front end and use the clutch to control the wheelie, not the throttle.Remember, practicing starts is just as important as Jumps, Whoops and Corners.

                                                                                                             Keith Little #12

Tire Pressure

     One of the most commonly over looked items when preparing to ride your quad , is the tire pressure. Few riders realize how much this affects the handling and control you have over your quad. Improper tire pressure can adversely effect your suspension as well as your steering response and traction.

    As a baseline i run 10lbs in the rear and 12lbs up front, if the track is slick or wet i will go to 8lbs in the rear and 11lbs up front. If you run Tire Balls, you numbers will be different and you should consult them for more info. The most important thing here is that you are consistent with your pressures whether you are practicing or racing. Pressures too high and you lose traction, too low and you risk rolling the tire over in a turn and digging a wheel into the track causing your quad to pitch up on two wheels or toss you off the side. When leaving the starting gate, if one of your rear tires is as little as 1/2lb low this will cause your quad to pull in the direction of the low tire and can cause you to get a bad start. When it comes to jumping, the side of the quad with the higher tire pressure will launch higher off the jump causing the quad to roll to one side in the air.

    Being consistent with your pressures allows you to get a better feel for quad and makes set up allot easier at the track.

                                                                                                                                                                           Cody Miller   #22

Proper Starting Position

    Since the start of the race is so important, body position on your quad is crucial. There is a fine line between too little and too much traction. Where you are on the quad when you release the clutch has allot to do with the amount of traction you have.

Too Far Back

Here i'm too far back on the quad. This puts more weight over the rear wheels than i want, and most likely i will wheelie out of the gate.

Too far forward

Here i'm way too far forward. This results in the rear wheels just spinning and not getting traction.

Perfect!

Here i am centered over the quad. This put's the right amount of weight on the rear tires for good traction, while keeping the front end heavy enough not to wheelie. Once i clear the gate and shift i will shift my weight to the back for more traction. When every thing works correctly i will carry the front end a couple inches off the ground.

Practice your starts! It's a very important part of the Race!

                                                                                                                       Mitch Reynolds #137

The Launch

Here we are going to talk about the how to get a better launch off the gate. I've said before that at no time do you have a better chance to pass more riders. Here are Three simple things to work on for better starts.

Proper tire pressure. This is the most important aspect of the start that you can control. As little as 1/2 lb difference in your rear tires can cause the quad to pull you into the rider beside you. The tire with the lower pressure will get more traction and will cause the quad to pull to one side leaving the gate. What i recommend is to leave the pits with your tires over inflated by one pound and equal them out right before you roll up to the line.

Uneven ruts at the gate. This is probably the most difficult area for a rider to control. You only have so much time at the gate and there is only so much you can do to prep your gate. Do the best you can to get your gate as level as you can and if you have someone helping prep your gate, have them wear riding boots or a heavy work boot so they can work the dirt. Most times you won't be able to get it perfect so try this. If one rut is deeper than the other your quad will tend to pull away from the lower rut, so shift alittle weight to the higher side to keep from getting to much traction in the lower rut. Experiment with very small weight shifts, just a few pounds has a big effect.

Weight transfer. Once you cross over the gate and shift you need to have as much weight as you can over the rear tires. This is very simple to do by pushing your butt to the back of the seat. This may cause a problem that will need to be corrected though. By pushing back on the quad to get maximum traction you straighten your legs and this makes it difficult to stay under the shifter. To compensate for this you will move back and toward the left rear fender to make it easier to shift and this will cause you to apply more weight to the left side and cause the quad to pull to the right. To combat this, raise your shift lever one spline. You will now have to get used to the different feel while on the track, but it won't take long and in no time you will forget you even moved it.

Oxygen