You
are 41 years old and have a beer gut like
Yogi Bear. Your conditioning is less
than ideal. When you were
a hot Intermediate, you weighed 160-pounds.
You now weigh 215 and have a 38-inch
waistline.
Congratulations,
you are now a Vet. Or, even worse, an Old
Timer. But cheer up. You get to ride only
with people your own age. No snotty-nosed
kids who cut you off, or ram you in the
turns. Nope. Now you get cultured, dignified,
mature people of your own age group cutting
you off, ramming you in the turns and riding
over your face.
 |
| The
editor now wisely chooses to race a
light, smaller displacement bike. Because
it's easier and requires less energy,
that's why. This KDX 200 fits the bill
nicely. |
THE
BENEFITS OF OLD AGE?
Quite frankly, I can't think of any. But
on the way to getting old, you definitely
do get smarter. Not too smart, however,
or you still wouldn't be racing motorcycles.
I've
been racing for well over 30 years and have
accumulated some little tips I'd like to
pass on to you. No, you won't find out how
to do double jumps, or giant wheelies, but
there are some valuable pieces of insight
here:
-
Don't race an Open-class bike. Always
get a 250 instead. The reasoning is clear:
big bikes will tire you quickly and you'll
fade. I can't tell you how many Senior
Class races I've seen where ten 500cc
bikes bolt to the lead, only to have a
handful of 250 riders beat them to the
checkered flag.
-
Don't ride a 125. Even though you can
go like stink on one of these little buzz
bombs, you'll have to pass everyone else
on the track, as everything but the water
truck will beat you to the first turn.
-
Work real hard on getting a good start.
In most Old Timer races that I've seen,
everybody charges like madmen for the
first three laps, then settles into a
more or less regular pace.
-
Pick smooth lines. Yes, indeed, in order
to save energy and to maintain a good
pace, take the very best lines you can
find, even if it means going way outside
and losing some time in the process.
-
Try to ride as if you're nursing a small
pain. When you do this technique just
right, you may not have to stand up anywhere
on the course except for the jumps.
-
Eat bananas for breakfast instead of the
usual stuff. Why? They won't bloat you
and will give you good slow-burning energy
for hours.
-
Do not drink any alcoholic beverages the
night before a race. Not even a beer.
In fact, as much as I love beer, I will
not touch a cold one from Wednesday onward
(assuming it's a Sunday race), but after
the race, the aluminum cans get crumpled.
-
That's one nice thing about racing. If
you do good, you drink some cold suds
to celebrate, and if you do poorly, then
you can console yourself with even more
cold suds. Either way, it's a win/win
situation.
-
Do not modify your engine. If you feel
that you must spend money, spend it on
getting the best suspension possible.
This doesn't mean that you should not
properly jet and tune in your bike, but
you do not want to turn it in to a wheel-ripping
monster. A smooth, correct power band
is the best friend of the tired rider.
 |
|
Before Super Hunky got really old,
he used to love to race Open Class
bikes, like this fire-breathing
490 Maico. |
-
If another rider is hounding you and threatening
to pass, try to ride on the edge of some
loose stuff and roost as much loose stuff
as you can in his face. This can easily
be done by screaming the engine and fanning
the clutch quickly. Take care not to loop
out when doing this dirty maneuver.
-
Use slower riders that you're lapping
to foul up a pursuing rider. If you're
an Expert Old Timer and you're about to
lap a Novice, you can easily make him
move over into your pursuer's line, simply
by riding very close to him and revving
the engine loudly with the clutch held
in.
-
Always jump off the lowest edge of any
jump. High jumps and hard landings are
for young kids still suffering from acne
and a primal determination to impress
friends, both girl and others.
-
Use the highest gear you can whenever
possible. Lower gears will deliver a rude
blast of power and will prematurely tire
you. Slip the clutch if the engine tends
to bog, but keep that machine in as tall
a gear as you can.
-
If you race an Open bike, run up at least
one tooth on the countershaft sprocket.
This will mellow out the power delivery
and still allow you plenty of beans for
a killer start.
-
Wear comfortable riding gear. Chances
are you've gained a few pounds and your
leathers are too tight. Pop a few bucks
for a new - and roomier - set of riding
pants.
-
Do some kind of training during the week.
It's not critical what you do, just keep
that old body of yours in some sort of
condition. I lift weights twice a week,
and run a little bit, even though I detest
running. This helps reduce injuries and
keeps you in one piece longer. This doesn't
mean that you have to give up all of your
bad habits, but if you insist on participating
in a tough sport, at least keep your muscles
and connections strong.
-
Ride well forward on the bike and keep
your arms loose. Lower bars will help
you do this; higher bars will make your
arms and hands work much harder.
-
Use the smallest grips you can find that
are still comfortable. The smaller the
diameter of the grips, the easier it is
to hold on, and this will reduce arm cramping
and pump-up.
-
Do not bloat your stomach with energy
liquids between motos. If you like to
use an energy drink, cut it heavily with
water and sip sparingly.
 |
|
When SH hit 40 and started racing
in the old farts class, his bike
of choice was an RM 250. While it
was hard to get starts against all
the big bikes (check out #03 buried
at mid pack), the 250 was easy to
ride and led him to a Number One
plate in 1988 in the Senior Class. |
-
If you must eat during a long day, ingest
something easy to digest, like fruit.
Do not eat anything at least two hours
before you race. When your body has to
digest food, it uses a great deal of energy
to do so. You'll need all of your energy
for racing.
-
Take lines like a road racer. Instead
of darting around wildly and slamming
off of berms, take smooth, graceful arcs
and try to keep the speed up. While not
as fast or as spectacular, this smooth
approach does not eat up energy.
-
Ride where no one else is riding when
there's heavy traffic. Most tracks get
beat into a one-line groove and the riders
tend to ignore the edges or the outside
simply because it was not beaten down.
In practice, when the track is wet and
mushy, the outside will more often than
not slow you down. But as the day wears
on, it will firm up and offer some surprisingly
good lines.
-
Do not smoke cigars during a race. During
trail riding, sure, that's okay, but cigar
smoking could obscure your vision and
might be a fire hazard.
-
Well, after you read and digest these
tips, your riding in the Old Coots Class
should dramatically improve. But, you
ask, Rick, surely there must be other
tips and tricks?
Of
course there are. But I still race every
- now and then; do you think I'm going to
give away all of my secrets? |
