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Tuono
ahh, dont really follow racing much. struck me as impressive. guess not
Tuono
Sportbike riders get cranky when they get beat by a dirt bike.![]()
I still remember that one Novice PTwins race when Clayton & I were battling with about 5 motards. They weren't even in the same race class as us but made up the front row of the PTwins wave.
Clayton & I were both faster than all but 1 of em... but their erratic lines & late braking ability made it one of the scariest, most frustrating races I've ever been involved with. It took us the whole race to get through them.
Had I been on another Motard it probably woulda been one of the best races of the year, but because we were both on 400+ pound dinosaurs, it was a very awkward & at times, dangerous battle. I nearly got taken out about once per lap in that race.
Thank God it wasn't in the wet.
Racing with them in the AM class is much better for the most part. The AM's tend to have a better idea of what the hell it is they're doing.
-Pete
NEMRR #81 - ECK Racing
Cyclesmith Track Days
Woodcraft | MTag-Pirelli | OnTrack Media
'03 Tuono | '06 SV650 | '04 CRF250X | '24 Aprilia Tuareg
You wouldn't have had that problem in the wet, as they would have been running your dry pace and you'd only have seen em go by.
Seriously, I noticed a lot of AM motard guys could match their own dry pace in the wet. I found it strange, but it's not uncommon.
that means they are really weak in the dry though. prolly due to those erratic lines. FWIW I've raced wheel to wheel with Doug Henry and Jeff and the only place they really blocked me was in T3 when they would enter sideways. Otherwise lines were similar. Oh yeah, and Doug was actually sideways up in T8. I wasn't getting past him there. In the end, the best place to pass a sideways motard is the inside of T3. If I gave myself a little room, I could get on the gas while Doug was still sideways on the brakes and get my bike between him and the apex.
-Pete
NEMRR #81 - ECK Racing
Cyclesmith Track Days
Woodcraft | MTag-Pirelli | OnTrack Media
'03 Tuono | '06 SV650 | '04 CRF250X | '24 Aprilia Tuareg
so how come a motard is faster in the wet?
Tuono
The rider is much closer to the pivot point on a dirtbike. This makes all sliding tons easier to control. With the riders weight near the pivot, the tail essentially wants to re-center itself.
Also the rider is upright, has great leverage at the bars, and can get his weight on top of the sliding bike. This is much easier to balance than a sportbike where the rider's weight is under the bike while leaned over.
All these reasons dictate the differences between dirt (limited traction) bikes, and street.
-Pete
NEMRR #81 - ECK Racing
Cyclesmith Track Days
Woodcraft | MTag-Pirelli | OnTrack Media
'03 Tuono | '06 SV650 | '04 CRF250X | '24 Aprilia Tuareg
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