You guys must be serious about your AMA and GNCC sanctioned stuff. There are a few local tracks where I live that the over thirty and over 40 classes are just "run what you brung" as long as you fit the age bracket. It is really more for fun than any thing else but there are a hand full of places that participate(all public atv parks) and they have a points chase and hand out trophies. Age classes are really pretty cool to watch because there is everything from warrior 350's to rappy 700's all on the track at the same time.
I have raced MX, Hare Scrambles, Enduros, flat track and drags on both ATVs and bikes. Raced in the 12 Hours of ATV America and also was a rider for the 24 Hour Torture Test for DirtRider Magazine.
I'm pretty much done with the racing thing... There is a new 10 hour race in Iowa in Nov that I wouldn't mind setting a team up for but that depends on the work schedule. My next serious ride is riding a DR650 up from New Mexico...22 hour ride.
I'm in to Marathon Rallying (Rallye) like the Paris Dakar. Last big race was the Australian Safrai; a 3000 mile 7 day race through the Australian Desert. When I get the chance I MX just to get a ride in and have a bit of fun.
This is why I'm here, I really do believe the 700XX is the best base for which to make a quad to tackle this type of race. And this is the best place for the info I need.
You need to approach these types of races with a different attitude to every other form of quad racing...........it's not a Baja but longer. Basiclly it's like doing a Baja 500 "Iron Man" every day for a week.
There is no servicing during the day and some days are "Marathon" where you ride in to camp (called Parc Ferme) at the end of the day - often in the dark - and your quad is locked up untill the next morning; your not allowed to touch it. If you do need to service it you stop before the end of stage and service it (by yourself) then ride over the finish line.
During each day you need to cover 200 miles at race pace on one tank of juice. If you see the pic I have 2 x 10litre jerry cans mounted and a Clarke tank giving me 36 litres (9.5gl) capacity. You also have to navigate yourself as the track is not marked...........navigation is done with a combination of paper instructions and a trip meter, there is no GPS allowed.
For me this stuff is not racing it's an adventure - can I finish is the only thing on my mind...........most people don't. One of the coolest things about these races is that they often start or finish in the city - riding down the road in the middle of a big city is heaps of fun.
Anyway I just thought I'd give you a small insight in to what I do and what I'm here for.
OzLinc your the man. I am thinking about a couple of 6-12 hour races and wanted to know ,how do you prepare your body ?Serious cardio or something else. I have talked to guys that race 8 hours(by your standards a warm up ) and they cannot tell me how they do it . 8 hours on a quad, flat out ! Please enlighten me or point me in the right direction.
Baxter, thanks for the enquiry but truth is I cant tell you how I do it either. There is no one thing or "right" way of doing it.
The facts are that you cant ride flat out for 8~12 hours let alone the 16 hours I sometimes do. You've just got to know that that is what you are up for and prepare for it mentally. Time and time again I get overtaken in the morning only to catch them by lunch and never see them again. Ride loose, soften up the quad, raise the bars a little; you want a fast lounge chair not a long distance MX quad.
Best training is time in the saddle, jump on your bike early in the morning and ride as far as you can untill lunch time, turn arround and ride home. Do it on a motorbike or push bike, it doesn't matter; what does matter is that you need to start and never stop unless you need fuel or a piss. Drink on the go, eat on the go, never stop.
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