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The Starting Line : Do you have any advice on methods for consistency?

Motorcycle Drag racing Sportsman

The Starting Line is a biweekly column for our Sportsman drag racers brought to you by Schnitz Racing. Every other week we will feature a frequently asked question and have it answered by a panel of experienced sportsman racers, led by Ben Knight. Having questions answered by multiple racers will give our new racers several perspectives on the information they want. If you have a sportsman related question, submit it to editor@dragbike.com.


Do you have any advice on methods for consistency?






Ben Knight

Plain and simple get yourself into a routine. When you truly have a routine down pat, you won’t second guess things and you’ll then be able to focus on the important aspects of racing. Worrying about whether you aired up your shifter or turned on your nitrous bottle right before you stage is not something you need on your mind. So if you currently can’t explain your routine to someone, you probably don’t have one. Get a solid routine together and do the same thing every time. Once you do it enough it will become second nature. That being said, if you are ever in a situation where your routine is thrown off DO NOT PANIC! Just stay calm, make any necessary decisions and move forward with your run.


Janie Palm


Do everything the same every time you race; start with the burn out, do it the same every time, stage the same every time, concentrate on the same thing every time. This is a learning process, you have to figure out what works for you. It might be different on different motorcycles. Consistency is all about a routine. Once you get that routine down stick with it.


Brad Gott


Consistency starts the second you roll up to do your burnout. As a bracket racer you need to try to duplicate your staging process as close as possible every pass. I try to do everything the same from when I put the visor down, the position of my feet when rolling in to stage and when to bring up the rpm’s. Also rider’s watch the tree differently. Some watch all the bulbs come down some just watch the third bulb. Whatever your style do it the same every pass. Launch rpm’s, shift points, body position all have a factor in your consistency.


Jerry Turner


Develop a routine that works well for you and your bike as soon as you can and stay with it. It’s okay to change things when you are testing, but do the same thing when it comes time for eliminations. Same tire pressures, same type and amount of fuel in the bike, same launch rpm’s, same body position, same burnout and stage with the same amount of roll-in. I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve had a bright idea, tested it during the first time run, decided it didn’t work and changed back for the second time run and eliminations. Unless absolutely necessary, don’t change what you’re doing in the middle of a race. You probably don’t need to know about my lucky boxer shorts, so I won’t go there…


Dustin Lee

Repeat Repeat Repeat!!! To be consistent my #1 goal is to do the same thing every pass! Good smooth straight passes and getting tucked and hitting shift points all play a huge role in consistency! As a rider you need to be comfortable. If you get your bike comfortable to you, you will have way better success in being consistent and repeating passes on the track!


Hope this helps, be safe!

We’ll see you in two weeks for another addition of the Starting Line, in the meantime check out our column sponsor Schnitz Racing.

PREVIOUS ISSUES

Volume 1 – Issue 1 : What is the best advice for someone going down the track for the very first time?

Volume 1 – Issue 2 : How do I decide what class to enter? Most tracks have a street class and pro bike class but I sometimes see streetbikes racing in the pro bike class with the bar bikes.

Volume 1 – Issue 3 : What is the difference between a bracket class and an index class?

Volume 1 – Issue 4 : What is the difference between a pro tree and sportsman tree? And what is the best technique for cutting a light?

Volume 1 – Issue 5 : What is rollout and how does it affect my ET??

Volume 1 – Issue 6 : Does a practice tree really help with your reaction time and do you have any tips to how to use it?

Volume 1 – Issue 7 : What is courtesy staging?

Volume 1 – Issue 8 : What does “the race was won on the starting line” mean?

Volume 1 – Issue 9 : How are bye runs determined? If I get the bye, should I make the pass?

Volume 1 – Issue 10 : What is the best technique for a burn out?

Volume 1 – Issue 11 : What is cross over / cross talk?

Volume 1 – Issue 12 : Some racers do a quick launch after the burnout, why is that?

 

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