Style Check From Anaheim Two

Although we get hundreds of photos each week from races all over the planet, sometimes one photo jumps out and we’re able to analyze it and learn from it. Now, we are all well aware of the success that Chad Reed has been having so far in 2016. In the first three races the 33-year-old Australian has been on the podium twice, and as the Monster Energy Supercross Series heads into Oakland this weekend, Reed sits second in the points standings.

After spending the last few seasons riding a Kawasaki, Reed had grown tired of the green machine, so for this season he’s back on the brand that brought him his last Supercross Championship in 2008. Yes, Reed and Yamaha are now back together for what will most likely be his final few seasons as a pro rider. Evolution in sport is a wonderful and complex thing, and both Chad Reed and his Yamaha YZF450 have come a long way since their last partnership. Reed is obviously older, wiser and certainly more appreciative of his place in the sport. Not only has he stood the test of time and battled through more than one adverse situation in the last few years, but he has also managed to learn from these situations to make himself better. With his age pushing the limits of any pro sport, Chad Reed has proven himself to be one of the most focused, talented and resilient athletes the sport of Supercross has ever seen.

In this Frank Hoppen photo from Anaheim 2, Chad Reed demonstrates the perfect technique for handling flat corners.

When I saw this Frank Hoppen photo from last weekend’s Anaheim SX I couldn’t stop looking at it. Not only does Reed look great in his 2016 Shift gear, but this photo to me represents just how comfortable he is on his blue Yamaha. As every rider knows, one of the toughest things to do when riding or racing is to maintain your speed through a flat right hand corner. During a section like this you are not only fighting to find traction but you’re also doing your best not to lose any speed as one mistake can cost you time. What makes this corner more complicated is the fact that in a right hand turn your right foot (or brake foot) is obviously not anywhere near the rear brake pedal. This means that slowing down is almost impossible, and this why riders usually enter these types of turns much slower than they need to.

As you can see in this photo, Reed has the luxury of a very small berm that he is using for back up. I say back up because he’s only using the bottom and more secure part of the berm. He could go higher, but if he did he would risk the berm giving out and really slowing him down. With his body positioning and technique, Reed doesn’t even need that small berm to go fast through this corner.

The first thing you’ll notice with his technique is that he’s sitting slightly forward and on the corner of his seat. This allows him to distribute his weight completely over the center of his Yamaha. If he’s too far forward then he could lose traction with his rear wheel; too far back and his front tire won’t bite the slick Anaheim soil. So he’s perfectly balanced front to back. The next thing he’s doing is that because of where he’s sitting on his seat, his weight is more on the outside footpeg. This position forces the weight straight down and gives the bike the maximum amount of traction. The way Reed is set up in this photo, he’s getting all the traction and grip he can out of his Yamaha and Dunlop tires.

Here is another Frank Hoppen photo of our own Cole Thompson showing the same perfect technique through the same corner at Anaheim 2.

So now you’re in the proper body position and ready to attack this corner the same way that Chad Reed is. You’re holding your right foot far enough away from the ground so it doesn’t catch on anything and twist or bounce up. Even the slightest hit to your foot can throw off your balance and slow you down. So your foot is up, you have a finger (or two) on the clutch, your head is still and your eyes are focused ahead. The final part to making this a perfect corner is your speed and how to maintain it. Even though your left foot is still on the shift lever, the last thing you want to do is shift gears. As I said, any abrupt change in speed can completely throw off your bike’s balance, which will ruin everything. So you leave the shifter alone. The the final piece to the puzzle is a very smooth throttle hand. Basically, once you find a power setting that feels good, keep the throttle there until you near the exit of the corner. I’m guessing here, just by looking at the position of Reed’s right hand, that he’s just around half throttle, maybe a hair less. If you work hard to enter these types of turns with a good amount of speed, then you don’t need that much throttle, all you have to do is maintain the speed you entered the corner with.

I know this is a lot to take out of just one photo, however, Chad Reed is showing absolute perfect technique that we could all use to go faster on the track. This technique is not only useful in these types of turns but also in the mud and anywhere else where traction is hard to find. So the next time you go and practice, find a corner like this and have someone take a photo of you. Then you can analyze it and see what changes you need to make. Once that is complete, all you have to do is practice, practice and then practice some more. One more thing about this technique that’s very cool is that it’s been around since people started riding dirt bikes. On Saturday night in Anaheim, the ageless wonder, Chad Reed, had it down to a fine art!. For any comments or questions, please email me at chris@mxpmag.com.