What Offroad Riders Can Learn from Motocross | Dirt Bike Coaching
Brian Storrie challenges me to become more versatile and adaptable. Enjoy the learning, and then apply them yourself.
Brian Storrie and I found ourselves headed to Athens MX Park for this video. North Texas received a TON of rain the weekend we got together to film, and it was the only place that wasn’t going to be a mud pit. Though I was nervous, Storrie knew some time spent at a MX Track would help me with technique, and grow as a more versatile rider.
The National track at Athens MX Park is a “true sand track”, those are Brian Storrie’s words. Luckily for me, the jumps are tame and they were easy for me to roll. As well, I was able to putt around the track for a few warm up sight laps. I knew right away that I was very much out of my element. It was time to learn.
The first advice Storrie gave me for riding the motocross track was to jump the jumps with momentum. If you wick the throttle at the last minute, this can have the wheels spinning at two different speeds. That can cause the bike to be unstable in the air, and no enduro racers wants to feel his bike be unstable in the air. Most of the time we don’t want the bike in the air at all.
The second advice for the sand track was to pinch the bike with your legs and lean back. Pinching the bike with our legs is a pretty common mention, but on a sand track it’s more important because the bike is going to dance around a lot more in the loose conditions. As well, leaning back allows the bike to plow through the sand, even if there isn’t a direct line.
As the riding day wore on, Storrie saw some issues he wanted me to try to correct. The first was that I was braking too early before the turns. I needed to brake less while carrying more momentum into the turns. Once I hit the apex of the turn, that’s when I can sit down and roll on the throttle again.
The second piece of advice from on the track insights was that I was cutting down out of the turn before they were finished. I would then cut back across the track, into lines that were meant for riders on a different portion of the track than I was on. He wanted me to finish the turn as the line was forming because this allows me to carry more momentum and brings less chances for geology samples.
The last tip that came up as we were ending out the day was the way I was entering the turns. Storrie said I was getting better throughout the day, but I still needed to enter the turn at the beginning more. The tighter the turn you try to make, the more traction you’re going to need. When I enter a turn ⅓ of the way through it, I’m not able to carry as much speed into it and I’ll need more traction to make the turn stick.
All in all, it was a really fun day on the GasGas. The EX350F power was perfect for me on the sandy track. I was certainly the limiting factor when it came to creating and carrying speed. It feels strange to say, but I’m looking forward to going back and continuing to work on the things Storrie and I discussed. Now that I’ve faced the fear of riding on a motocross track again, I challenge you to do it as well. You’re going to feel out of your element, but with proper coaching, and building up to speed slowly, you might actually enjoy yourself!
5 Riding Tips to Takeaway
Carry your speed all the way into the turn
Don’t brake too early
Don’t sit down too early
Don’t cut down early out of a turn
Increases chance of taking a geology sample
Loss of momentum
Pinch the bike with your knees/legs and lean back
Stabilize the bike with your legs, not your arms
Keep your weight back so the front can float
Jump the jumps with momentum
Don’t wick the throttle last minute
This keeps the wheels spinning at the same speed
This keeps the bike stable in the air
Motocross for Versatility
We’re on a MX Track for growth as a rider, not showboating
Leave you ego at the van, and have fun
Thanks for reading. Grab a Black STOKED shirt. Enjoy #GettingSeattime & Stay #Stoked! 🤘🏻🤙🏻⚡️