Riding skills: How to get a good race start

By Michael Neeves -

Riding Skills

 11 November 2010 13:15

Most top-level racing bikes (including the fabulous new Aprilia RSV4 Factory APRC SE road bike) equipped with cutting-edge electronics packages will have some form of launch control. 
The very best of these systems will let you pin the throttle, dump the clutch and off you go with the perfect start. The electronics prevent the bike from bogging down or pulling massive wheelies.  
But for the rest of us with no electronics to rely on, race starts are a balancing act between clutch, throttle, body position and nerves. I’ve been racing for over 20 years and can get off the line pretty well, but I’ve been known to make some real howlers, spectacularly jumping starts or bogging down and going backwards. 
The start of a race is everything. It’s the easiest time to overtake and get ahead of your rivals. If you muck it up, it’ll take you all race to recover…if you ever do.
Here are some race start tips:

• Don’t panic! Try to stay as calm as possible. It’s the most stressful time of the race and it’s hard to even hear your own bike. I try and ignore I’m in a race for a split second and imagine I’m just pulling away swiftly from a set of traffic lights. Left foot goes on the peg for instant gear changes, right foot on the ground to stop you falling over.
• Set your revs. At the point where the meat of your power starts. It’s usually around 9000-10,000rpm on an inline four-cylinder superbike or supersports machine. Whether you blip the throttle around these revs, or hold a constant the throttle is down to whatever you feel most comfortable with. If you have too few revs and you let the clutch out too fast, you’ll bog down.
• Let the clutch out progressively. Do it too fast and you run the risk of lurching forward and pulling a big wheelie. Let the clutch out slowly at first to get the bike rolling, then progressively feed the clutch out as your speed builds.
• Apply more throttle. Once you’re rolling and the clutch is almost fully out, it’s time to give it more gas. Again, smoothness is the key as too much throttle will result in a big wheelie.
• Lean right over the front wheel. In the dry you can stop wheelies by leaning over the front of the bike, which will let you apply more throttle and achieve a faster start. In slippery conditions there’s a chance of wheelspin, so adopt a more neutral stance on the bike to transfer more weight to the rear of the bike to aid rear traction.  
• Second gear. Clutchless change (or quickshift) into second gear. Powerful machines will still want to wheelie, so stay hunched over the front of the bike to keep the front wheel down and keep moderating the throttle. 
• Braking point for first turn. Will more than likely be different to normal as you’re approaching it at a slower speed. Try to establish a marker (which will normally be further down the track towards the corner) on your sighting lap.