Practice was interesting yesterday. Coops couldn't make it and Simon who was supposed to be going never turned up.
My first few sessions went really well. My corner speed had improved once again and this time out I seemed to be in the right gear most of the time which made my exit speed much higher.
I felt even more comfortable jumping and I've started moving my body weight around whilst in the air which has allowed me to nose the bike in better when landing on the down side of jumps. I also learned to change gears in the air now which saves a bit of time especially when there is a corner straight after a jump.
My fourth session out again felt really good. There is a hard packed down hill off-camber corner which I was taking faster and faster. On about the 3rd lap I came through and the bike high sided and flicked me off. The bike did a flip and landed on top of me. I managed to crawl out from underneath the bike and pick the bike up. My levers were all out of position and my throttle was sticking so I headed back to the pits. My right hand was in a bit of pain and when I pulled my glove off I realised that one of my nails had been ripped off which wasn't nice.
After straightening up my levers and fixing the throttle I taped up my finger and headed out for one last session just to make sure the crash hadn't knocked my confidence. I put in 2 good laps which I was happy with and then decided to head home.
All in all I was stoked with the session. I felt like I had improved yet again and I was happy that my first proper crash didn't seem to phase me. As far as the Leatt brace goes, there's not much to report. I put it on at the start of practice and pretty much forgot it was there.
Monday 30 April 2007
Saturday 28 April 2007
The Leatt arrived
Well my Leatt brace arrived on Friday. I am generally quite impressed with it so far. It seems to be a well made quality product.
It comes with a few accessories which allow you to adjust the size of it so I spent some time today making adjustments and trying to get the best fit with my body armour. I have had to modify the back of my armour a bit but nothing major.
Tomorrow I'm off to Peakdale again so I will post a full rundown of the practice session as well as my thoughts on the Leatt brace.
Thursday 26 April 2007
3 seconds
Practice went really well last night. Unfortunately Cooper had some trouble with the chain on his bike so he decided to leave it behind and just come and do some coaching.
Just a quick side note... I mentioned in a previous post that we had changed the jetting and my bike was running much, much better. When I shared my settings on an Internet forum some goon was adamant that my bike was way to lean. Well last night at practice whilst Coops was warming my bike up, some guy came over and complimented on how good the bike sounded. His son raced and he seemed like he knew a thing or two so it felt really good to hear him say that.
Coops brought the stop watch along for the very first time so we could start gauging speed and improvement over the session and in the future.
My first session out felt really good. I felt faster and smoother than I had ever been at Peakdale. After a few timed laps I came in and was averaging about 1:37 a lap. We talked over a few things and I went back out, trying to concentrate on the 3 things I had said in my previous post.
The next session didn't feel as fast as it could have been mostly due to me not being in the right gear coming out of corners. I think this happened because I was entering the corners with more speed and in a higher gear. I came in and the stopwatch said 1:36 average.
Coops said that if I could get 1:34 average then that would be a massive improvement. I knew that this was definitely possible if I made sure I was in the right gear coming out of the corners. I went out and did exactly that. I noticed the front wheel coming up a lot more whilst exiting the corners. This was a sure sign that I was accelerating harder than I ever had before. After a good session I came back in and got a big thumbs up from coach cooper. I managed to get the 1:34 average.
The last session was cancelled due to another rider having a big crash on the hill but I was stoked with my 3 second improvement and was happy to go home.
Just a quick side note... I mentioned in a previous post that we had changed the jetting and my bike was running much, much better. When I shared my settings on an Internet forum some goon was adamant that my bike was way to lean. Well last night at practice whilst Coops was warming my bike up, some guy came over and complimented on how good the bike sounded. His son raced and he seemed like he knew a thing or two so it felt really good to hear him say that.
Coops brought the stop watch along for the very first time so we could start gauging speed and improvement over the session and in the future.
My first session out felt really good. I felt faster and smoother than I had ever been at Peakdale. After a few timed laps I came in and was averaging about 1:37 a lap. We talked over a few things and I went back out, trying to concentrate on the 3 things I had said in my previous post.
The next session didn't feel as fast as it could have been mostly due to me not being in the right gear coming out of corners. I think this happened because I was entering the corners with more speed and in a higher gear. I came in and the stopwatch said 1:36 average.
Coops said that if I could get 1:34 average then that would be a massive improvement. I knew that this was definitely possible if I made sure I was in the right gear coming out of the corners. I went out and did exactly that. I noticed the front wheel coming up a lot more whilst exiting the corners. This was a sure sign that I was accelerating harder than I ever had before. After a good session I came back in and got a big thumbs up from coach cooper. I managed to get the 1:34 average.
The last session was cancelled due to another rider having a big crash on the hill but I was stoked with my 3 second improvement and was happy to go home.
Wednesday 25 April 2007
Peakdale tonight!
For the first time this season, Peakdale practice track will be opening from 6pm-9pm this evening and I'm going. This is great because after racing on Saturday I just can't wait to get back on the bike.
I have 3 objectives for practice tonight:
1. No Coasting. I either want to be braking or accelerating at all times and not free wheeling at any point.
2. Smooth acceleration. When coming out the corners I want to roll the throttle on as smooth as possible to maximise traction.
3. Accelerate earlier. I want to commit more to leaning the bike over and accelerating earlier out of the corners.
All of these of course are easier said then done and will take many years to master but I think having a focus like this for each practice will definitely help.
I have 3 objectives for practice tonight:
1. No Coasting. I either want to be braking or accelerating at all times and not free wheeling at any point.
2. Smooth acceleration. When coming out the corners I want to roll the throttle on as smooth as possible to maximise traction.
3. Accelerate earlier. I want to commit more to leaning the bike over and accelerating earlier out of the corners.
All of these of course are easier said then done and will take many years to master but I think having a focus like this for each practice will definitely help.
Tuesday 24 April 2007
The Leatt Brace
While I was out in America, Mike from Motodrive told me about a video that ex-pro rider David Bailey had released. For those of you that don't know, David's spinal cord was damaged in a crash which would leave him paralyzed from the waist down. He released this video in which he appeals to the top riders to start wearing a newly designed form of neck protection called the Leatt Brace.
After watching the video and thinking long and hard about it, I have decided to purchase one. They are expensive but its still half the price of a good set of knee braces. I was saving for a set of knee braces but I have decided that my neck and spinal cord are more important than my knees. It should hopefully arrive this week so I will obviously post and tell you what I think of it.
I don't know anyone personally that has purchased one yet, so I hope that by me buying one, I can give my friends the chance to try it out and hopefully encourage them to do the same.
After watching the video and thinking long and hard about it, I have decided to purchase one. They are expensive but its still half the price of a good set of knee braces. I was saving for a set of knee braces but I have decided that my neck and spinal cord are more important than my knees. It should hopefully arrive this week so I will obviously post and tell you what I think of it.
I don't know anyone personally that has purchased one yet, so I hope that by me buying one, I can give my friends the chance to try it out and hopefully encourage them to do the same.
Monday 23 April 2007
Race one
My first race was a real success. I felt good in practice and I wasn't as nervous as I thought I would be. There wasn't the usual amount of people racing with it being a non-championship round so they decided to run the A and B class together. I think there were about 26 of us on the line and about half in each class.
Moto 1: My first proper race. The start was crazy, out of pure habit I selected first gear to start instead of second. I'm sure any experienced racer reading this will know that this was a big mistake. Needless to say I nearly flipped the bike on the start. So not the greatest of starts but people got stuck on the first corner and I managed to get a nice clear line round the outside which took me from last to mid pack. My first few laps felt a little stiff and as expected the arm pump kicked in fairly quick. I managed to loosen up a bit by the end but it was definitely the toughest ride I had done so far.
Moto 2: This time I made sure I was in second gear for the start. I was much faster out the gate and was mid pack going into the first corner. There was some pretty big pile ups in the first two corners and I managed to avoid both of them. I felt a lot more confident in this race right from the start and I could tell already that I was smoother and faster. Towards the end of the race another rider on a Kawasaki slowly caught up to me and managed to pass me but then I stuck on his tail and applied some pressure. After half a lap he went down on one of the corners so I passed him and gained a comfortable gap which allowed me to relax a bit. On my last lap I made a mistake and went down on a tight corner. I picked up my bike as quickly as I could. All I could think of was the Kawasaki rider passing me again. Luckily the bike never stalled so I was able to get going quickly and finish without the Kawasaki passing me.
Moto 3: My start was similar to moto 2 and I felt good for the first lap. Then the arm pump set in bad and I began to feel really tired. After a few laps I really felt like pulling in but I was going to stick it out no matter what. One of my goals was to finish all the races. The whole time during the 3rd moto, I thought I was in last place which I think made it even harder. When I finished and came in absolutely shattered, I was relieved to find out that I was actually ahead of a few people.
So the day was a complete success. The track was the toughest I have ridden to date. It got so bumpy going in and out of every single corner. By the last few laps of each race I was so tired I wanted to sit down on the straights but you couldn't because the bumps were so big. It was fantastic to have my family and Hannah come out and support me. Townley also came down in his new Golf GTI which was awesome. Having them there cheering on the side helped me so much, especially on the last few laps of each race where I was barely hanging on, seeing them would give me that extra burst of energy.
I never looked at my results the whole day. Just before prize giving, Coops checked out the board and came back with some good news. I finished 7th overall in the B class and guess what... top 10 get a trophy. So at prize giving I got to walk up and collect my first ever motocross trophy. After collecting it, a distant memory came back to me. I remember at the age of 7 or 8 watching my older cousin collect a trophy after one of his motocross races and I remember thinking to myself, "man... one day I want a trophy with a little dirt biker on top, a motocross trophy!"
Moto 1: My first proper race. The start was crazy, out of pure habit I selected first gear to start instead of second. I'm sure any experienced racer reading this will know that this was a big mistake. Needless to say I nearly flipped the bike on the start. So not the greatest of starts but people got stuck on the first corner and I managed to get a nice clear line round the outside which took me from last to mid pack. My first few laps felt a little stiff and as expected the arm pump kicked in fairly quick. I managed to loosen up a bit by the end but it was definitely the toughest ride I had done so far.
Moto 2: This time I made sure I was in second gear for the start. I was much faster out the gate and was mid pack going into the first corner. There was some pretty big pile ups in the first two corners and I managed to avoid both of them. I felt a lot more confident in this race right from the start and I could tell already that I was smoother and faster. Towards the end of the race another rider on a Kawasaki slowly caught up to me and managed to pass me but then I stuck on his tail and applied some pressure. After half a lap he went down on one of the corners so I passed him and gained a comfortable gap which allowed me to relax a bit. On my last lap I made a mistake and went down on a tight corner. I picked up my bike as quickly as I could. All I could think of was the Kawasaki rider passing me again. Luckily the bike never stalled so I was able to get going quickly and finish without the Kawasaki passing me.
Moto 3: My start was similar to moto 2 and I felt good for the first lap. Then the arm pump set in bad and I began to feel really tired. After a few laps I really felt like pulling in but I was going to stick it out no matter what. One of my goals was to finish all the races. The whole time during the 3rd moto, I thought I was in last place which I think made it even harder. When I finished and came in absolutely shattered, I was relieved to find out that I was actually ahead of a few people.
So the day was a complete success. The track was the toughest I have ridden to date. It got so bumpy going in and out of every single corner. By the last few laps of each race I was so tired I wanted to sit down on the straights but you couldn't because the bumps were so big. It was fantastic to have my family and Hannah come out and support me. Townley also came down in his new Golf GTI which was awesome. Having them there cheering on the side helped me so much, especially on the last few laps of each race where I was barely hanging on, seeing them would give me that extra burst of energy.
I never looked at my results the whole day. Just before prize giving, Coops checked out the board and came back with some good news. I finished 7th overall in the B class and guess what... top 10 get a trophy. So at prize giving I got to walk up and collect my first ever motocross trophy. After collecting it, a distant memory came back to me. I remember at the age of 7 or 8 watching my older cousin collect a trophy after one of his motocross races and I remember thinking to myself, "man... one day I want a trophy with a little dirt biker on top, a motocross trophy!"
Friday 20 April 2007
The holeshot mentality
Its crazy to think that the race is tomorrow. Its come around so fast. I feel well prepared though and I don't think I could be more ready for my first race. Although tomorrow is a big day, its also just the first day in a series of many to come. Its practice for the next race and so on.
One of my favourite quotes comes from the film "Little miss sunshine". Olive the little girl asks her grandpa if she's a loser if she doesn't win and his reply is, "A real loser is someone who's so afraid of not winning he doesn't even try."
Tomorrow I really don't believe I can fail. The second I line up on the start gate for my first race, I've won the first battle. I'm in this for the long term and this is only the beginning. Of course I'm not going to use this as an excuse to not try. When I line up on that gate I'm going for the holeshot! It maybe wishful thinking but if you never try you will never know. As coach cooper would say, "Its get nervous time"
One of my favourite quotes comes from the film "Little miss sunshine". Olive the little girl asks her grandpa if she's a loser if she doesn't win and his reply is, "A real loser is someone who's so afraid of not winning he doesn't even try."
Tomorrow I really don't believe I can fail. The second I line up on the start gate for my first race, I've won the first battle. I'm in this for the long term and this is only the beginning. Of course I'm not going to use this as an excuse to not try. When I line up on that gate I'm going for the holeshot! It maybe wishful thinking but if you never try you will never know. As coach cooper would say, "Its get nervous time"
Wednesday 18 April 2007
No practice
The original plan was to finish work early today and go practicing either at a spot known as "the desert" or to Finningly race track. I wouldn't normally ride the mx bike in the week but I thought it might be worth getting a little sneaky practice in before the big day on Saturday. Unfortunately Coops needs to catch up on some uni work and Mason has got too much suspension work to do before the weekend so we decided to call it off.
So thats it! The next time I sling my leg over the bike will be for practice on race day. Thats a scary thought!
So thats it! The next time I sling my leg over the bike will be for practice on race day. Thats a scary thought!
Tuesday 17 April 2007
55 not 413
I was on the phone to the YMSA (the MX club I will be joining) yesterday sorting out my membership and racing licence for this weekend. The race I will be racing in is called a Non-winners event which means it doesn't count towards the championship and the top 3 guys sit it out.
The lady said that they don't normally let people race in the non-winners event unless they have seen them race before in case they're too fast. I told her that it definitely wouldn't be a problem as it was my first race ever but she didn't seem to believe me. She kept reiterating the fact and warned me that if I was too fast that I would be pulled from the race. Once again I reassured her that it wouldn't be a problem.
I then had to phone someone else to actually book my place in the race and to sort out my race number. This person did exactly the same and also seemed to not believe me about not being fast. Coops and I laughed about it later and said it must have been my factory South African accent.
All was sorted in the end and the people at YMSA were very helpful. The only issue I had was that I wasn't allowed to use the number I had originally chosen which was 413. The club rules say that you can only have a number up to 150. So the lady gave me the number 55 which hadn't been taken yet.
I was gutted about not being able to use 413 as it did have meaning to me. One of my favourite bible verses is Philippians 4:13, which is why I was going to use it.
Hannah quickley found another good verse to go with 55 which is Psalm 55:22. So I'm happy and I actually prefer the number 55 now!
The lady said that they don't normally let people race in the non-winners event unless they have seen them race before in case they're too fast. I told her that it definitely wouldn't be a problem as it was my first race ever but she didn't seem to believe me. She kept reiterating the fact and warned me that if I was too fast that I would be pulled from the race. Once again I reassured her that it wouldn't be a problem.
I then had to phone someone else to actually book my place in the race and to sort out my race number. This person did exactly the same and also seemed to not believe me about not being fast. Coops and I laughed about it later and said it must have been my factory South African accent.
All was sorted in the end and the people at YMSA were very helpful. The only issue I had was that I wasn't allowed to use the number I had originally chosen which was 413. The club rules say that you can only have a number up to 150. So the lady gave me the number 55 which hadn't been taken yet.
I was gutted about not being able to use 413 as it did have meaning to me. One of my favourite bible verses is Philippians 4:13, which is why I was going to use it.
Hannah quickley found another good verse to go with 55 which is Psalm 55:22. So I'm happy and I actually prefer the number 55 now!
Sunday 15 April 2007
Sunday practice
Well today things went really well at Peakdale. Right from the start my bike felt much better. I think it could always be improved but I think its definitely good enough for Sherwood (my first race) next Saturday.
It was strange today because its the first time I've not had Coops with me. He was racing at a championship round at Caister.
My first moto today wasn't great, I got arm pump real quick and I just wasn't as smooth as I could have been. In my second moto I relaxed a lot and didn't pump up as much and I was able to go much longer. I tried to clear the big table top but my corner speed just wasn't good enough. After the second moto I went and watched some good guys to see what I could maybe do in order to clear the table. There were some guys on 4 strokes who had terrible corner speed and form but they were still able to clear it which made me a little frustrated but then I reminded myself that this was one of the main reasons I chose to go with a 2 stroke for my first bike. I was being forced to learn how to corner better in order to clear the table. So after watching some skilled 2 stroke riders I realised I just needed to lean over more, hit the gas earlier and hook third gear flat out, simple (haha).
I went out for my third moto and felt nice and relaxed. I concentrated on trying to rail each berm as smoothly as possible and tried to get on the gas a bit earlier. I came to the table and got caught in a bit of traffic so I needed to go round again. I did another full lap and then came up to the corner before the table. I railed round the berm in second gear nicely lent over and then pinned it, I hit 3rd gear flat out just before the jump and then proceeded to float nicely over, landing on the down side just like a bmx jump.
My fourth and last moto went really well. I pretty much cleared the big table every time and finished feeling confident and strong. AWESOME!
I forgot to mention the weather was amzingly hot!
It was strange today because its the first time I've not had Coops with me. He was racing at a championship round at Caister.
My first moto today wasn't great, I got arm pump real quick and I just wasn't as smooth as I could have been. In my second moto I relaxed a lot and didn't pump up as much and I was able to go much longer. I tried to clear the big table top but my corner speed just wasn't good enough. After the second moto I went and watched some good guys to see what I could maybe do in order to clear the table. There were some guys on 4 strokes who had terrible corner speed and form but they were still able to clear it which made me a little frustrated but then I reminded myself that this was one of the main reasons I chose to go with a 2 stroke for my first bike. I was being forced to learn how to corner better in order to clear the table. So after watching some skilled 2 stroke riders I realised I just needed to lean over more, hit the gas earlier and hook third gear flat out, simple (haha).
I went out for my third moto and felt nice and relaxed. I concentrated on trying to rail each berm as smoothly as possible and tried to get on the gas a bit earlier. I came to the table and got caught in a bit of traffic so I needed to go round again. I did another full lap and then came up to the corner before the table. I railed round the berm in second gear nicely lent over and then pinned it, I hit 3rd gear flat out just before the jump and then proceeded to float nicely over, landing on the down side just like a bmx jump.
My fourth and last moto went really well. I pretty much cleared the big table every time and finished feeling confident and strong. AWESOME!
I forgot to mention the weather was amzingly hot!
Peakdale
2 Weeks ago I got to ride a track for the first time and had so much fun. The place I went to was called Peakdale and its not actually a proper race track but really fun none the less. Its a hard packed track and its very tight.
I've made some changes to the bike this week which includes putting a bigger sprocket on the back and going leaner on the jetting. I haven't been able to test ride the bike with the new jets but on the stand it already feels a lot crisper.
I'm off to peakdale again today so we'll see how it goes.
I've made some changes to the bike this week which includes putting a bigger sprocket on the back and going leaner on the jetting. I haven't been able to test ride the bike with the new jets but on the stand it already feels a lot crisper.
I'm off to peakdale again today so we'll see how it goes.
Friday 13 April 2007
First race date is booked!
While I was out in America I was speaking to Coops and he all of sudden says, "you're racing on the 21st of April". I was shocked, scared and excited all at the same time. Bear in mind he was saying this before I had even got to ride my bike but I was definitely up for the challenge. It gave me a goal and a focus from day one which I can say up to now has been a big motivator and has helped me progress.
Hopefully my first race won't be anything like this.
Hopefully my first race won't be anything like this.
Day one... worksop
So as soon as I got back from America Coops and I started making plans straight away to go riding. Now Cooper's cousin Simon had just bought a YZ125 and he told us about this place in worksop where there was an open free riding spot.
We met up with Simon on the weekend and he took us there. It turned out to be the perfect place to get to grips with my new bike. There were flat bits, muddy bits, a mini whoop section and a few nice corners. It wasn't long before coach Cooper had setup a beacon to form a nice flat corner for me to practice going round. I quickley realised the benfit of having long legs after nearly going down a few times.
The arm pump was incredible. Coops had warned me about it but nothing could quite prepare me for it. By the end of the day I was struggling to open my hand in order to use the brake so I decided it was time to go home. What an awesome day!
Thursday 12 April 2007
Coach Cooper
Up to this point I have not mentioned him but if it wasn't for one of my best mates Oliver Cooper, I would have no idea when the journey would have begun. He was lucky enough to have raced from about the age of 7 and so he knows a few things about motocross.
He has pretty much helped me with everything motocross up to now, from buying the bike and general maintainance to actually riding the bike.
He's teaching me all the right techniques from day one, so hopefully I won't pickup any bad habits and I'll progress as quick as possible.
The American dream
Although I got my new bike at the beginning of February, I actually went to America for 3 weeks in Feb, so I didn't get much riding done.
My American trip was one of the best trips I've ever been on. If you're into motocross its the place to be. I won't go on about the whole trip but I'll highlight the parts that involve my "Motocross Journey".
One of the definite highlights of the trip was attending the Houston Supercross round. I have to thank Mike from Motodrive for agreeing to give a complete stranger a lift down to Houston and organising the hotel room etc. I wouldn't have made it down there if it wasn't for him.
I managed to buy all my riding gear while I was out there which was a big bonus as with the current exchange rate, its pretty much half price so I got some nice stuff.
After an amazing 3 weeks I was ready to come home and absolutely dying to ride my new bike.
Playing catch up
Over the next few days I will be posting quite a lot and playing a bit of catch up. I've already had my bike for about 2 months now so I'll try and get us up to speed on what has happened so far.
Wednesday 11 April 2007
Why the Blog?
So why have I started this blog? Well after a friend showed me Ed Bradleys Blog it got me thinking. I thought I could do something similar, something that my friends and family could follow and something I could look back on in a few years time.
As you can see I have entitled the blog, "The Motocross Journey" and this will be the main focus of this blog.
If you had asked me at anytime during my life from about the age of 5, what sport I wanted to do, I would have said motocross. I have done a lot of things up to now which include surfing, Bmxing, skateboarding and cycling but these were merely fillers until I could one day afford to start doing motocross.
In February 2007 it all finally came together and I was able to purchase an '07 Yamaha YZ125.
In this blog I hope to document my experience of taking up the sport of motocross. Training, falling, learning, fixing, spending, racing, it will all be up here... enjoy!
As you can see I have entitled the blog, "The Motocross Journey" and this will be the main focus of this blog.
If you had asked me at anytime during my life from about the age of 5, what sport I wanted to do, I would have said motocross. I have done a lot of things up to now which include surfing, Bmxing, skateboarding and cycling but these were merely fillers until I could one day afford to start doing motocross.
In February 2007 it all finally came together and I was able to purchase an '07 Yamaha YZ125.
In this blog I hope to document my experience of taking up the sport of motocross. Training, falling, learning, fixing, spending, racing, it will all be up here... enjoy!
Introductions...
The best way to start this off would definitely be a small introduction.
My name is Warren Harper, I was born in Johannesburg South Africa. I lived on the South Coast of Durban South Africa for part of my life and now I am living in Sheffield, England.
I moved to England when I was about 19 and I had no idea how long I was going to hang around for. Four years later I'm still loving it. I have an awesome bunch of friends and an awesome girlfriend.
Over the past few years I have unintentionally managed to skip uni and taught myself how to do graphic and motion design. I work for a really good company now called AHC doing motion design.
My name is Warren Harper, I was born in Johannesburg South Africa. I lived on the South Coast of Durban South Africa for part of my life and now I am living in Sheffield, England.
I moved to England when I was about 19 and I had no idea how long I was going to hang around for. Four years later I'm still loving it. I have an awesome bunch of friends and an awesome girlfriend.
Over the past few years I have unintentionally managed to skip uni and taught myself how to do graphic and motion design. I work for a really good company now called AHC doing motion design.
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