One of the cool things about working at Dirt Rider is getting to know all the pro racers. Ricky “Fan Club” Yorks isn’t a household name, but he holds and AMA pro license, races AMA Supercross and Motocross, helps us evaluate bikes for shootouts and tests, and he’s one of the friendliest guys you’ll ever meet.
Well, he got out to Milestone MX Park last weekend ahead of his bike (those pros are fast!), and took some time to watch me and give me some pointers.
The two big tips he told me about were to do most, if not all, of my braking before the turn. The idea is to brake hard before you’re leaned over, then roll into the turn already accelerating. In theory your can brake harder (read: later) and turn smoother this way.
The other tip was to stand a bit pigeon-toed on the bike so that as I moved my legs up and down I naturally gripped the bike with my knees. Try it. Stand up right now with your toes pointed out. Now squat up and down a bit. Your knees go out. Now do the same with your toes pointed in. Your knees go in. Now apply it to your riding.
Thanks, Ricky, for the tips, and thank you Dani Lang for snapping the photos. And what better way to thank Ricky “Fan Club” than to plug his website, www.rickyyorks.com, and let him thank his sponsors –
"Troy Lee Designs, Oakley, Dubach Racing Development, Enzo Suspension, Fusion Graphics, Gaerne Boots, Asterisk, Pro Wheel and of course Dirt Rider for always supporting me."
And FYI, these photos aren’t shots to demonstrate the riding tips I’m talking about, just photos from the day, and I just love to post pictures of myself on the website.