Motocross Performance Magazine Canadian Motocross news leader
Over the years we’ve all watched and may have even been a part some very exciting arenacross racing. The super tight confines of any indoor track can’t help but provide the stage for battles that have us on the edge of our seats. For those racing arenacross, it can be the most intense racing that you ever do on a dirt bike. The 30 seconds or less lap times combined with very little room gives riders zero time to sit back and take a breath. Racing an arenacross moto is basically a no holds bar, maximum heart sprint that demands quick reflexes and ultra-quick decision making. The technique involved in racing indoors is much different than what a rider needs outdoors. With throttle twisting being the least of the skills needed indoors, riders who succeed in arenacross are usually the ones who exemplify the most pure skill on a dirt bike. I cannot tell you the number of riders I’ve witnessed over the years that can haul the mail on a rough and challenging outdoor track, however, as soon as they get indoors they’re completely different riders.
Kyle Beaton learned how to ride indoors early in his career and used those skills many times to find success.
So what type of skills do you need to be a successful indoor rider? Well, like any type of riding, indoor riding takes a certain skill set that favours certain riders over others. Two perfect Canadian examples of this are Darcy Lange and Kyle Beaton. Although they could ride and win outdoors, most of their success came indoors. These two riders in particular rode with a lot of timing and precision when they were racing. They could come out of a tight corner, stay seated, and with a simple twist of the throttle they could jump the exact distance needed. If they didn’t jump far enough then they would land on top of the next jump, but if they jumped too far they risked landing into the face of another jump. This is what I mean by timing and it’s something that needs to be practiced, time and time again. This is what made Lange and Beaton so good. They spent years racing the BC Arenacross Series as well as putting many laps on numerous arenacross practice tracks. If you want to be a good indoor rider then first you must practice the skill of trying to put your bike exactly where you want it to go, both in tight corners as well as in the air. After you’ve practiced this skill then you can get into other things like seat bouncing jumps, getting through whoops and other technical aspects of riding indoors.
Derek Schuster and the crew at Gopher Dunes have built a great little AX track that is now open to the public.
In the past, finding a real arenacross track to practice these skills on has been tough. If you didn’t have your own track or you didn’t know anyone who owned a track, it was almost impossible. Well, that was until now for riders who live in or around Southwestern Ontario. Last week, Gopher Dunes opened up their brand new arenacross track to the public for practice. With each day dedicated to different bike sizes, this new track provides local riders the perfect opportunity to either prepare for the upcoming Canadian National AX Tour, or simply just to try out a new type of riding. With normal arenacross obstacles like a whoop section, bowl turns, a rhythm section and a rather large finish-type double jump, the Gopher Dunes arenacross track has it all.
Yesterday my son and I loaded up and made the two hour trek to Courtland, ON to try out the track ourselves. With the sun shining and warm temperatures surrounding us, we arrived at Gopher Dunes around 11:30am. After chatting with new track owner and all around good guy Derek Schuster for a few minutes, and after he made me buy a new Gopher Dunes New Era hat, we drove out to the track and found a place to park. I always find it very interesting to travel to one of our race tracks on days when there is barely anyone there. It’s so quiet and peaceful and such a contrast to busy race days. As we parked you could almost hear a pin drop in the deep sand. As any rider can attest to, we got changed very quickly as we were both excited to take our first laps on the new track.
Soon it will be time to take all of your skills indoors as the Canadian National AX Tour Series begins in three weeks in Sarnia.
As one lap turned into two laps and so on, my arenacross technique began to come back to me and I was able to get some all-important flow. The Gopher Dunes arenacross track is safe and a lot of fun to ride. With obstacles for every age and skill level, it really gives all riders a chance to have fun. After a couple of laps, a few more 65 riders began to show up and before I long I found myself sitting on the sidelines watching my son, Tristan Dares and Evan Stewart freight train around the track. When they were done, their massive smiles pretty much told me how much fun they all had. After just few short sessions, all of the kids’ skills had improved and it didn’t take long before they were doubling through the whoops and jumping into the rhythm section. It was so much fun to watch and to ride myself that we all didn’t want the day to end. I know that Gopher Dunes has taken a huge chance in building this track and opening it to the public; because of this I hope that everyone uses it responsibly. However, in the meantime, go ride it and have fun. It may not make you the next Ryan Dungey or Darcy Lange, but it will improve your riding skills and make you an all-around better rider.
