by Jason Thomas
Breaking Down Tracks That Breakdown
Wednesday, January 30, 2013 | 8:00 AM
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PrintOakland was a throwback track. For the first decade of my career, tracks were rutty, rough and nasty by main event time. The dirt would often come into the stadium wet or even frozen, and this led to an ever-changing condition throughout the weekend. I personally liked this aspect as it forced the rider to choose lines wisely and adapt mid-day and sometimes even mid-moto.
As with all things, Dirt Wurx has evolved their methods and found ways to dry the dirt during the week. We rarely see a rutted supercross track these days. But with Oakland’s outdoor stadium and soggy weather leading up to Saturday, the track in the main event reminded me of the old days. Riders didn’t just put in robotic, perfect laps. There were mistakes and crashes, good laps and bad laps. As Ryan Villopoto pointed out in his Monday Conversation, the last few laps of the main event were more about survival than the normal sprinting you would see most weekends. Typically, riders charging from a bad start or first turn crash can put in some of their best laps near the end as they move to the front. On a track like Oakland, that just wasn’t feasible as it deteriorated badly and the lines that were fast on lap 1 were almost un-useable on lap 20. Being creative and aware on a track like that can be all the difference. This is where the parade lap can be key… you can use that last track look to not only find the fast line, but the alternate lines for later in the race. I saw a few guys, namely Short, Dungey and Canard, use different lines after the halfway mark to make passes in unusual spots. If Rider A is able to avoid that tunnel vision scenario and really look for a line that is still fresh, it’s remarkable how much time can be made on Rider B who is in the rough and rutted so called “main line”.
Finding the right line was crucial for ever rider in Oakland.
Simon Cudby photo
An example of this for me was Indianapolis in 2008. After the finish line jump, there was a right hand 180-degree turn leading into a long rhythm section. The absolute fastest line was to triple out of the turn over a tabletop and then triple-triple out of the section. Kevin Windham had this section dialed in all day and until Chad Reed took note, he was the only one doing it. Many other top guys were tripling onto the tabletop and then stepping over a single jump but this threw off the rest of the section’s efficiency. As the track worsened in the main event, even tripling onto the tabletop became hit and miss. Having to go outside to set up for the leap was a huge liability if you bobbled and didn’t triple. Taking this into account during the race, I decided to try out something different.
Upon landing on the finish line, I immediately braked and dove to the inside. I figured out if I rolled over the first jump on the inside and then stepped over the tabletop, I could then re-join the rhythm that Windham had been doing. Immediately I started making passes here and closing the gap on riders in front of me. The kicker of the deal was that by going to the inside, I avoided the ruts and mess that comprised the outside berm. I had a perfectly groomed surface and jump faces to work with all the way down the straightaway once I made that quick turn. Being able to relax on a smooth part of the track is a Godsend in a 20 lap main event. Of course I didn’t win the race and in fact, I probably got lapped, but without little moves like this my career would have been much worse than it actually was.
In my opinion, this ability to adapt and change lines mid-race is a dying art. With track maintenance and preparation at levels never before seen, the importance of this skill is waning. The tracks are near perfect for the main events most weekends and while this is much safer, it has dulled this skill level amongst the paddock. I do think that keeping the tracks in better condition is necessary as the bikes are so powerful now and the speeds are so great. If the elite riders are on the couch at home due to injury, the whole sport suffers. Having said that, however, it was interesting for me to watch Oakland, where this old school methodology came into play, and then see who was capitalizing and who wasn’t. Next time when the weather isn’t cooperating and the track looks treacherous, take a closer look at how the riders are individually affected. I know I will be!
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"but without little moves like this my career would have been much worse than it actually was."
Funny. Don't be so hard on yourself. Your career lasted about 20 years longer than anyone reading these posts.
I find ruts stressful and over 20 laps, it would wear on anyone so avoiding stress should mean less fatigue. Good point.
JT, thanks for the unique insight on the tracks.. You are quickly proving your a valuable resource at RacerX..Keep up the good work!
Track builders need to stop making all the 180* turns just an outside berm , take out the inside tuffblocks and that will create an inside line . Tracks have been like this for too long , just a 1 lined monorail .
@ BD25
Any SNOW THERE
compadre !!
It aint MX FOLKS...It's flying thru the air with the greatest of easy !!
Finding good lines is a BIG part of moto (indoors & out). I love finding a new line that nobody is taking!
Scrub no snow here, windy, temps in the 40's.. had our first rain in almost 3 months yesterday, track should be sweet by the weekend...
JT$ don't be so hard on yourself.
Think of how many local pros would've killed to have your career. Now come and race in Canada. You can be an adopted Canadian like MG62!
A very wise and true article JT. Allso sometimes you need to make new lines as the day or races change the track.
I don't see that the bikes are so powerful or that the speeds are so great. Riders today are not doing anything the fast guys weren't doing a long time ago. Older guys just get slower, so from their perspective they think the younger guys are getting faster.
Anybody that blames the track builders really is out of touch with reality. It's amazing the tracks are as good as they are. I'm sure there are all sorts of rules and regulations to follow on top of making 17 different tracks. I dare anyone blaming the builders to try to build a track anywhere near as good as the worst SX track. The tuff blocks is another story.
James, RV, JT, and Windham(during live practice) have all said outright or implied the 450 is too much for SX. I know, those guys don't know shit. Just quit being a girl and ride.HaHa!
I'm in!!!! only bike I have left is a 2010 yz 250 2 smoker and a 125 I can rail on
Hey JT did you ever take the Gary Bailey school? this is thinking outside the box like he always preached... well done on your career by the way, being there is an accomplishment, longevity is divine, a championship is immortal.
I think the tracks are to easy now days. I will probably get a lot of crap for this but this is why I feel this way. If you go back to the 80's and early 90's the tracks had obsticals that only one or two guys could do. Now days almost all obsticals can be done by almost all the 450 guys and some of the 250 guys. I believe that more riders are getting hurt because the obsticals are not far enough out of reach for the 5th place and back guys to try. Now days more of the 5th place through the mid pack guys are getting hurt.
And get rid of tuff blocks and go back to hay bales. The tuff blocks move into the lines too easy
This makes Dungey's ride look even more impressive, with 19 laps under 58 seconds I believe it was, and his fastest on lap 14. Give him a start and he can beat anyone out there on the right day. ANYONE.
You guy's are plain fools !!! Most if not all of you have never been to the factory track or top riders own privite track ! Well news flash I have !!! If you ever look at the track they never venture any futher than 4 wheel widths off of the main line.There whole agenda is to put in repetitive laps for lowering single lap time and build endurance for duration of riding period after they have found there settings that will keep them in a peticular comfort zone ! They are geared that way the rider and only a few venture out of that zone in a race they are the guys that run top 5 for the majority of the time .. The rest are just chasing the tail !
Good stuff JT. Your perspective is valuable and I think your opinion is quite accurate. Everybody seems to obsess about track layouts without giving much thought to actual dirt compounds. Line selection in changing conditions does seem to be approaching extinction particularly on Supercross tracks.
Thanks and keep up the good work.
@ Scrub_This------ Ya YA lest bring back the 125 2-strokes that is really how you can learn to ride! No I am not making a joke. It is about not twisting the throttle but about figuring out the track and HOW to go faster!