| P.V.P. Post Vintage Perspective |
Feb, 2010
| George Marshall Multi year Multi Club #1 500cc PV/GP MX National Champion |
| GP-GM is George's new article about PV/GP racing from the front of the pack. |
| Welcome to my first GP-GM article. This is a new gig for me. This will be fun, every month I'll be writing about something different that pertains to GP motocross. From race reports to bike tips to riding tips to gear tips to training tips, yes, training tips.. Anyway for this first one I thought I'd write a little bit about the outlook for Northern CA GP motocross along with some tips. In one word, the future looks "BRIGHT". Past politics are now looking to be behind us so I feel really optimistic about the future of GP MX. VMX is cool but I started racing in 75 when the GP era was just starting and its when everything took off so its where my roots are. The 2010 AVDRA national schedule is up and Ric Tipton, Guy Coulston and I will be looking to include some regionals in between. With the first national just ahead its important to do a little preparation first. I recommend riding the weekend before. That way you can check out your bike but mainly knock off a little rust that has accumulated on the riding skills. It always amazes me how quickly I accumulate rust and how better I do if I've ridden before an event. Also for the coming new season heres some speed tips. You can considerably lower your lap times by learning to push the front end (wheel) and by steering with the rear. Many guys I watch are timid of their front wheel and don't push it. They want to go faster but are leery of washing it out when they push it or it unexpectedly washes out. Heres a great practice tip. First you need a front brake you can lock up. Next find a flat spot to practice and then while riding along, either standing or sitting in 1st gear holding the throttle slightly on pull on the front brake until the tire starts to lock and then let go before you totally loose the front and have to put your foot down or worse, crash. Keep repeating this until you get the hang of locking the front wheel and then catching the bike. What this does is get you used to maximum front braking while keeping your balance. This skill works the same in 1st gear as it does in 5th. Once you've got it you will be able to go deeper into a corner and outbrake alot more guys than you used to. The next part of pushing the front on a more flat type corner is getting your weight over it to plant it while exiting a turn on the gas. The picture of me at Hollister back in 03 shows this pretty well. I've got my weight forward, I'm forcing the front wheel down and sticking it to the line I want it to take and I'm on the gas letting the back end step out which is helping the bike turn. I'm steering with the rear. Not that I did it like that every time. LOL!! From the roost just it front of me I obviously had someone in my crosshairs so I had the hammer down. A great way to practice steering with the rear is finding a hard flat area, setting up some cones and doing figure 8s in 1st gear staying in a powerslide as much as you can. This also teaches good throttle control. Its amazing how you can learn these skills at very slow speeds and they transfer to high speeds almost immediately because you are used to the sensation of the bike moving around under you. Next months article will be on the mental aspects of motocross so don't miss it!! Good luck to everyone this season and see you at the races. George Marshall 09 AVDRA GPII, 500 Expert #1 Ric Tipton tuned GP 490 Maico |
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