So I got invited to go ice racing this weekend with one of my Finnish friends and he's got a bike and gear for me to give it a go as well. Any of you guys who do that sort of thing have any riding tips for a first time ice racer? Circuit is not an oval, but rather more like a road course on a frozen lake. Thanks.
My buddy just rode on buckeye lake and says the traction is better than dirt or pavement. He loved it.
It is more like dirt riding than road racing in the way the bike want to be weighted.... I was lost when given the chance to try it cause I never rode dirt. There is more traction than you would think. You will work up a sweat in the cold.
Tons of fun! Probably my favorite type of riding to do... I finally got a set of real ice tires and they make the experience even better. The back brake is a big help on the ice for corner entry, so don't be afraid to use it. It feels unnatural how early you can open the throttle in the turn because there's so much grip. Really focus on steering the bike with the rear. Always try to stay out of the snow and on clean ice... Clean ice has much better grip.
Ok, so what about using the front brake? And is it sort of, back end sideways, inside foot off the peg, sliding or .....? I have zero dirt bike experience, but the guy who invited me is pretty good at riding bikes quickly so I'm hoping to get some pointers off him once I get the hang of it. Just don't want to look completely lost at first. I expect we'll be using very good tires and 4T KTMs
You'll be using the front brake a lot too if it's a road coures layout with tight turns. And you'll be foot off, back end sliding... there's a lot of grip and it's very predictable.
Try to keep the front weighted going in. The rear is easy to work with but if your body position isn't up front mid corner you can lose the front fast. I'm no expert but also ride a KTM 4 stroke. Once into the corner and before the apex, I usually put my inside foot back on the peg to rest my leg and just throttle steer (I'm old). If you do that your inside peg will be almost on the ice so watch your foot placement. With my bike (SX450), I don't use a lot of rear brake going in. Just chopping the throttle and flicking it in gets the rear out there then go right back to throttle control. I'm probably not doing it right but it seems to work for me. Make sure the soles of your boots are smooth enough to slide easy. First time I did it I kicked myself in the back of the head wearing snowmobile boots.
Have fun, it is so much fun. I took my TTR110 out to work with a 7 year old road racer on his KLX110. Oh my goodness that was a blast even more fun than the big bike. Just lean it over till the hard parts start dragging and pin it till you fall and then do it again!
dont hit snow at speed, dont ride near bikes without saftey fenders, this is the real meatgrinder class with actual meat grinders......
The main advice I was given was to stay in the throttle when you can. If you're not driving, the screws aren't biting. The experienced guys were using both brakes into corners, I was using them in sheer panic.
A cool vid from the folks riding on a harbor in DT Milwaukee. Jessie Janisch tearing it up (yellow Suz ) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRWvQ_4OZ6w&feature=youtu.be
Wear warm clothes and make sure you have wool socks on - your feet can get really cold! Just could not resist - when I lived in Chicago I had a promoter ask me if I wanted to score and ice race (entailed standing on the ice and writing numbers down as they passed just like the old days) - politely declined and sat in the bar sipping hot beverages and watched!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzbWVdjvs6M&feature=youtu.be Fun from this past Saturday (not footage of me, obviously) When we turned up to the "track" at a different location today the course was too flooded to run the bikes as we've had a really warm winter. So we went crosscarting and snowmobiling on the ice instead. Good fun and can't wait to try ice racing.
By the way Tortuga, great job by Teemu this Saturday. I almost didn't mind getting beat by him because he is such a class act. I have a feeing we'll see him one more time in 4 years. Congrats to your country!
Yeah, that guy is tough as old boots. The only real shame was that Teemu and half the team were sick when they played Sweden. If they hadn't been they'd've played for the gold and the US would've taken the bronze for sure.
We have been using these things for a few years now and they ROCK http://www.grabberworld.com/products/grabber-warmers/foot-warmers.html They make spending a day on ice comfortable even in boots and socks thin enough to have some brake pedal feel. I think cabelas and gander mountain carry them as should any decent sporting shop. And they still score the same way. Thanks to the volunteers who do it
