Hey guys.....I am getting ready to race in a harescramble, and I was wondering what you guys do, either to yourself or your quad, before the race.....Do you stretch out, drink lots of water,.....etc??? I would like to know what seems to work well....Thanks guys


I also just bought a membership from the atva, over the internet.....the race is june 12th, and I bought the membership about 4 days ago, what do I do if the card doesn't show before the race day is here??? Is there a temporary thing I can get, or am I just screwed??

 

For your ATVA card, if you don't have the card yet, I think you can give them a call and find out what your ATVA # will be. Also, if you printed out the information that you put in, bring that to the track, but I would think you should get your card in time.

For race prep, stretch out good, make sure everything is ready to go, make a check list, and check it twice. The week before, make sure you are drinking plenty of water to keep your body hydrated, all the way up until the starting line. Different things work for different people. Some put gaterade in their hydro packs. I personally think it's to heavy during a race, and even a 50/50 mix is too heavy, so I drink just water during the race, but drink gaterade up until about 3 hours before the start.

It is normal to be nervous on the starting line, there is a lot of tension, especially with no engines running and eve the crowd is silent. Practice some starts and just get used to how your machine reacts and the best way to start it. Just remember, they usually have you start with your hands on your helmet, so do that and practice grabing clutch, throttle, and starter in a fluid motion. But like I said, come look me up early in the morning and I can help you through some of the jitters before your race, cause I don't race till the afternoon, so I can watch the C class race!

 

Hey Brad,

I'm no Pro level racer, but I will tell you what I do in preparation for a hare scramble event.
I drink as much water as I can begining about 4 days before the race................ An average daily ammount for me during this time is about 1 to 1 1/2 gallons. On race day, I drink enough to quench my thirst as needed, but not to hydrate.
My excercise is riding time on the quad, but not within 2 days before the race. This time is for quad preparation.
Anything that you would never see as failing on your quad are the things you need to look over. Do a complete check over. airfilter, oil, fuel lines, brake lines, brake pad wear, axle nuts, lug nuts, exhaust mounts, body fasteners, etc,etc.....don't miss anything.
If possible, take you at least a spare front wheel/tire and a spare rear wheel/tire. Not much time for pitting, but it's better than a DNF for a flat tire.
Be sure to have all your handlebar controls at a comfortable setting. Set them at where you normally feel comfortable with them after you have been riding for a long distance. Arm pump is going to happen to you on your first race without a doubt, so have the controls set for that.
Grips....Get yourself a set of Oury or Spider grips. Makes a huge difference and is the cheapest upgrade you will buy for huge gains in performance. Your hands and wrists will know the difference. If you don't use bar end caps, safety wire the grips so that they don't ome loose during the race. Nothing more aggravating than fighting with a grip to stay in place while you are trying to race. This happened to me way back when during my first hare scramble race. I learned the hard way. Learn from my mistake. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]
If you can get one before the race, get a Camelbak or similar drinking system. For starters, you will stay hydrated during the race and you will be more comfortable riding with a damp mouth rather than a dried out one. What you put in it varies amongst all riders. Some use straight water, some a mix of water and Gatorade, some straight Gatorade, some Pedialyte, etc,etc,etc....I don't use anything in particular every race, but I try to stay away from anything that has excessive ammounts of sugar in it.
Try riding hard [not on race day] to see how the drinking system works for you. Some, including myself, get sick using these drinking systems when your body is working hard. I seldom use mine except for extremly hot days because of this.
Don't tension up. Don't ride tight or will wear out very fast. This is especially important with this being your first race. Your nerves will be a wreck, so try to keep a clear head. If you don't, you will end up riding while holding your breath which causes the blood to flow slower, slowing down your reaction time, along with all other negative effects of holding your breath. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]


Things to take along with you?.....well, let's take a peep into my box...LOL

Every tool that you have ever used on your quad and then some others that you haven't
An aircompressor or airtank. A small $10.00 cigarette lighter powered air compressor will do fine starting out
Extra gloves and goggles [also get tearoffs]
zipties
duct tape
extra spark plug
safety wire


I also keep a box with medication and first-aid supplies. You can't always count on someone else there having them.....
triple anti-biotic cream
vaseline
iodine
blistex
thera-gesic heat cream
ace bandage
wrist brace
rolaids
aspirin
tylenol
ban-aids
Hmmm...whats this....nevermind....this for the National races with the pretty chicks. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

Well, that's the basics. Some go further, some don't go as far.....but it gets the job done for me.

Good luck in your race and be sure to let us know how it turns out!!

 

Hands on your helmet!?!?

I heard someone else mention that before and I thought it was joke.

I have ran a race in about every series in the south and south east and have never seen that.

I would have to learn an entire new starting technique with that procedure...LOL

Good luck to both you guys

 

Thanks guys....that was sooo useful, thanks so much for all of the help. If you think of anything else, please put in down. Thanks again, Brad

 

Hey guys....I was also wondering, but forgot to ask, do you guys tape anything(I know every once in a while when I jump, my wrist can get hurt, and I don't know if I could continue to race if it happened on a race) so do you tape ankles, wrists.....or anything like that??

pudl-
That is going to be wierd starting with my hands on my helmet, I guess I'll have to practice. Do they come around and check your quad, or atleast your tether cord?? Is it a full 2 hr race, or do some guys like have a "pit stop" in there?? How is passing, is there plenty of room to pass, or do you have to work really hard to do so?? I guess I should worry about getting passed.....and my last question is, is the holeshot important, I mean if I don't get a good holeshot, will I still be able to catch up??

Thanks everyone for all of the help. Hopefully the race will go well, and I'll post my results

 

As for the taping question, I myself don't do it but others do fr their own individual reasons I guess. You will see that I metioned "wrist brace" in some of my suplly list. I have a tendency to sprain my right wrist quite easily. Always have. I wear a wrist brace sometimes when it has been giving me trouble. It works for me and it doesn't interfere with my giving it throttel either.

As for passing, pudl would have to fill you in on that one because each series and track can differ from another one and I have never ran an Iowa series race.

Bob [Bartlett Racing] gave perfect advise to regarding the start. Don't worry about the holeshot. Other riders WILL make mistakes at some point during the race regardless of what class you are in. Being your first race, ride with your head and not the throttle. The last thing you want from your first race is a bad experience causing you to decide it's your last. The most important thing about hare scramble racing is the Fun Factor.

I get so muh more from this type of racing than MX. You get more time on the quad, The rider with the biggest wallet doesn't win the race, and the overall attitude of the racers are much more laid back and relaxed.

Just go out and have a good time and don't worry so much about what your position is. That's the best advise I can give you.

 

these guys have pretty much said it all.

i have yet to get a great start at any XC/GP race i've run so far, 4th place is the best i've done. i've had to do running (lemans style) starts, dead engine starts, but not any with hands on the helmet yet. i find that in a long race if you're a better rider, you'll eventually pass them... & place according to your skill & endurance. setup can make some difference too, just be logical about your setup for the terrain you'll be racing on. always remember, it's all about having fun!

 

Well, for pit stops, stop if you have to. If you don't need to, you will be that much further ahead. Your predator will have plenty of gas for the 2 hour event, so you won't need to stop unless you have some other problem. As far as passing, well, in XC racing there isn't the room to pass like there is in MX. But in the MX sections, make Mx passes. But when in the single lines in the woods, if someone comes up behind you, pull over and let them by, cause they are obviously faster!!!! If you come up on a guy that is slower, holler, yell, scream, whatever to get their attention, and they should have the courtesy to pull aside for you as well. Otherwise passes are made when the guy ahead of you screws up and taps a tree, then you blast a new trail around him. XC racing is a little about speed, but mostly about experience and handling insane situations. Just show up, have fun, and if you DNF the first race, don't let it get to you. Just learn from your mistakes, cause everyone has a bad day!