PICTURES TO FOLLW SHORTLY
How to tackel sand sections
Recently I had the pleasure of watching our top SA International Grand Prix MX riders tussle it out with our local pros at the Springfield International race meeting in Durban. These guys where hauling in the ultra thick sand section in the Umgeni riverbed and they never seemed to tap off during their 20min moto’s. While watching their smooth progress in the deep sand , I felt inspired and vowed to go and practice as often as possible at the Springfield Park river bed section. One of my new years resolutions for 2008 is to become a sand master , like Liam O Farrell.
Talk is cheap so I decided to do a bit of research on the net to help us along with our sand riding as it is one grey area in my riding knowledge. Barry Kriel and Brett Lewis won the 2007 Enduro titles and they are both sand experts, so I guess sand riding can make you a more competent rider and sand riding a moto for 20 minutes will definitely give you an indication on your riding fitness levels.
From my recent sand studies I decided that there are three areas that sand riding can be divide up into 1. sand turns 2. sandy down hills 3. whooped out sand straights.
Sand can be a riders worst nightmare because if sand is not tackled with commitment it will grab your front wheel and wrestle you to the ground . Hopefully the following sand techniques will inspire your confidence and turn your sand riding into a dream.
SAND TURNS
In speaking to a few pro MXers about sand turns the general feedback was that you need to be committed when going into a turn and that one should lean the bike over and flow with the turn. The Mixers said there are 3 basic steps.
1.When approaching sand turns you need to be standing on the foot pegs.
You need to be in a semi crouched , centred position.
You need to approach a corner quite fast and apply both your brakes together for a split second ( not to much as the sand will pull you down and the front wheel may tuck under you.)
2.Straight after braking you need to sit forward on your bike , but you don’t have to sit as far forward as hard-pack soil.
Remember when you tap off to brake the sand will automatically act as a third brake so the key is to brake quickly and smoothly so that you can get back on the throttle again so as to avoid your front wheel tucking in under you.
3.As soon as you sit down you need to be on the throttle so as to carve your way through a sand turn. On hard pack soil you turn your bike into but with sand you lean over and gas it through a turn in one motion. Remember you do not have to make exaggerated body movements like hard pack , just keep it smooth and keep the throttle open to plough
SANDY DOWN HILLS
Sandy up hills require almost the same techniques as hard pack up hills – momentum.
Sandy downhill’s on the other hand require some acceleration unlike hard pack downhill’s which you can free-wheel down. Try not to go down sand hills with your feet down , with your front brake on. Your rear wheel will have no drive and the sand will suck your front wheel in while your front brake is on which will result in a slow motion endo.
When your feet are on the ground you cannot get to your rear brake pedal, which will force you to grab the front brake and endo.
The correct way to master sandy down hills is to stand on the foot pegs, head over the handlebars and shift your weight over the rear of your bike. While you are in this standing position you still need to accelerate to drive your bike in the sand, even though you are going down hill. If you are nervous to accelerate down hill , you just need a little bit of throttle to get a feel for down hill acceleration. Practice will help you speed up and make sure your path is clear at the bottom of a down hill.
WHOOPED OUT SAND STRAIGHTS
Whooped sand straights are definitely the BIG DADDY of sand riding, due to the committing technique required. If you are not committed your bike dives into the hollows leaving you feeling sluggish and feeling like an overloaded taxi in the fast lane on a steep hill. Energy output is excessive on sand whoops so it is extremely important to keep your front wheel as light as possible.
The following body positioning will help you improve your sand straights.
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bend your legs slightly
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keep your back pretty straight or slightly bent
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make sure your head is looking past the first whoop
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don’t look at your front fender
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keep your weight far back with your backside over the rear of the seat
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keep the power on and keep it smooth
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if you are on a large cc bike your weight will not have to be as far back as a 250f or a 125 because the larger bikes power will keep the front wheel light
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don’t pull on the bars – rather move your weight back to keep the front end of your bike light
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try and let your front wheel keep landing on the crest of the whoops, if your front end starts diving into the hollows, you will take a sand sample at speed.
Sand whoops require commitment and if you chop the throttle your bike will dive into the hollows , so keep it smooth.
Anyway I am off to hire a sand-pro to broaden my sand techniques and remember we are never too good to go for the odd riding lesson in our weak areas. Good luck with your sand riding and remember the sand riding golden rule – Keep the gas on and keep it smooth!
WILD WILL
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