Does dirt experience really make you faster on a track?

[Apex]

I've seen several people who do really well on the road racing track come from other backgrounds.

Some are from flat track, motocross, supercross, etc.

Do you think dirt experience helps in making you faster on the road course?


Discuss...

[kkim]

you talking about world class championship type of races or amateurs at the local track on weekends?

[Apex]

Both, but the only ones I have really seen are pro's.

[HKr1]

Think it will plain make you a better rider, no matter who you are

[Elfling]

Originally Posted by HKr1

Think it will plain make you a better rider, no matter who you are

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking. More and earlier experience= better.

[CC Cowboy]

Definitely will help anyone. It gives you the advantage of experience with controlled slides. Riding in the dirt (fast) also makes you use your body to stay in control. You will learn traction in and out of corners. Hell, riding in a straight line is challenging in the dirt.

[DerTeufel]

Originally Posted by CC Cowboy

Definitely will help anyone. It gives you the advantage of experience with controlled slides. Riding in the dirt (fast) also makes you use your body to stay in control. You will learn traction in and out of corners. Hell, riding in a straight line is challenging in the dirt.

What he said.

[backinthesaddleagain]

Definitely. When guys I used to mx with would ride the occasional road race they would finish at or near the top 3 (sometimes on a borrowed bike/). A lot of guys who raced mx and moved on to rr did quite well. Any "cross" training can only help. In the dirt the terrain is never smooth, traction and weighting of the pegs are important, and throttle control and braking are important. These all translate to the tarmac even at subtle levels.

[RaceBikeRentals]

Rich Oliver says yes!

http://www.richoliver.net/funcampmain.html

[Daeldren]

Now lets hold on a min, albeit the example isn't true for everyone since Rossi is in a league of his own. They say that one of the reasons Rossi is fast is due to having grown up racing on paved tracks, where most of the other GP riders all started riding on dirt tracks. Of course any sort of early racing to develop your skills is probably the best bet, half the guys who race in GP have been racing in one form or another since they could walk. However you do have those odd few like Bayliss who didn't even own a bike till he was in his 20's.

[backinthesaddleagain]

I would think at the topmost levels the guys who win are just going to be that rare individual who gets on a bike and it all clicks. The guys I mentioned who went from dirt to road and did great did it in the regional circuits (Laconia, Pocono, Bridgehampton). I don't think James Stewart or Ricky Carmichael jump to road racing and challenge Rossi and Bayliss for the trophy, but many a top A regional mx rider will adapt quickly and show get some good finishes in road racing at the amateur level, or local pro.

[kkim]

I would say for the majority of riders who are mere mortals, dirt riding is a great tool to learn and advance quicker through the ranks.

For the elite few with the "gift", it wouldn't matter what they rode... the are just some that are naturals at individual sports. These are the ones that I would say wouldn't make a difference how they make it through the ranks, dirt bikes or not.

[CC Cowboy]

Originally Posted by Daeldren

Now lets hold on a min, albeit the example isn't true for everyone since Rossi is in a league of his own. They say that one of the reasons Rossi is fast is due to having grown up racing on paved tracks, where most of the other GP riders all started riding on dirt tracks. Of course any sort of early racing to develop your skills is probably the best bet, half the guys who race in GP have been racing in one form or another since they could walk. However you do have those odd few like Bayliss who didn't even own a bike till he was in his 20's.

That's probably why he sux at rally.

[Kurosaki]

Originally Posted by Daeldren

Now lets hold on a min, albeit the example isn't true for everyone since Rossi is in a league of his own. They say that one of the reasons Rossi is fast is due to having grown up racing on paved tracks, where most of the other GP riders all started riding on dirt tracks. Of course any sort of early racing to develop your skills is probably the best bet, half the guys who race in GP have been racing in one form or another since they could walk. However you do have those odd few like Bayliss who didn't even own a bike till he was in his 20's.

Rossi also looks at the ground when riding instead of keeping his eyes up.


Kinda hard to use him as a benchmark for things compared to us mere mortals.

Alot of the riders came up through the 125s, 250s, and earlier forms of road racing just like he did.

[CC Cowboy]

Originally Posted by Kurosaki

Rossi also looks at the ground when riding instead of keeping his eyes up.

Kinda hard to use him as a benchmark for things compared to us mere mortals.

Alot of the riders came up through the 125s, 250s, and earlier forms of road racing just like he did.

I heard a rumor that he has all the tracks memorized and rides with his eyes closed.

[Apex]

Originally Posted by Kurosaki

Rossi also looks at the ground when riding instead of keeping his eyes up.


Kinda hard to use him as a benchmark for things compared to us mere mortals.

Alot of the riders came up through the 125s, 250s, and earlier forms of road racing just like he did.

I do the same thing. There is one turn at the local track that I actually look though it, everything else is normally right in front of me.

[krazygluon]

+1 for cross training in any physical activity.

2 years of heavy road bicycling between taking the BRC and actually buying my first motorcycle made a hell of a difference in my ability to lean and counter steer.

[komohana]

..pardon me while i do abit of catching up...

i have no real dirt riding experience, and i can certainly see the difference riding with pilots who have. i believe that dirt biking makes a street rider better prepared for breaking traction, either deliberately or unexpectedly. balance, coordination....i can see kkim's down and dirty past whenever we're on the road.
granted, rossi perhaps didn't have the dirt experience we're commenting about here, but the riding 'scene' there is as different as the culture.
the guy IS amazing though...did you see that pass in the last corner for the win this weekend?!? and whats with the leg extensions into corners??

aloha

[CC Cowboy]

I actually didn't start dirt riding until my first year of road racing. I trained with some other racers in the off season by riding dirt bikes. It is the best thing to do to get in shape and make you a better street or track rider.

I have passed this experience on to Rossi (throught this forum) but he doesn't seem to either have the time or courage to try it (yet).

As far as the leg extensions, an insider close to all the action has informed me that these MotoGP riders have such big balls that extending their leg on left turns gives them a breath of fresh air where it counts.