Moving my son up

jj584

PR Addict
My son is racing a lot this year and currently riding C class. We're not chasing points, we could care less about lorettas. Should I move him up to B for safety concerns? Currently he's not actually doing starts. He rolls out dead last per my instruction and has been making his way up to 10-15th place in 250C and open C out of 20+ in his classes. He can hold his line and has good control doesn't ride out of his head. He's had a lot of guys move over on him lately or swap lines. Especially at Smith yesterday. Thoughts? He's only 14 but 6' tall. I know he wont be completive in B just thinking there's less BS in there.
 
There is definitely less BS in B class and better riders, however, there are typically a lot fewer racers in the B class, which can suck. If you are truly tired of the C class then I would move him up. Also, what about school boy or 2 stroke class (if he has a two stroke)?
 
Why don't you let him try to yank a start? Most of my problems in C have come from being in the back trying to come through the pack. Get a start and stay out in front of the carnage.
 
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There is definitely less BS in B class and better riders, however, there are typically a lot fewer racers in the B class, which can suck. If you are truly tired of the C class then I would move him up. Also, what about school boy or 2 stroke class (if he has a two stroke)?
I forgot about schoolboy honestly and we don't own a 2 stroke. Maybe schoolboy and Open C. There seems to be less BS in open C.
 
Why don't you let him try to yank a start? Most of my problems in C have come from being in the back trying to come through the pack. Get a start and stay out in front of the carnage.
He's tall and light, if he bumps with anybody he's getting tossed, I also like to keep the bikes mint LOL. Guess I should cut him loose.
 
I agree with your open C theory too. I race it every weekend on my 250 - most open bikes are 250's anyway when you look down the line.
 
I had the same situation for my son when he was that age. My thought would be to keep him in C class for the remainder of the season and work on honing his skills. Sounds like he has good speed but he will find competition at the front of the pack. I would have him practicing starts like crazy and starting with everyone else. I always took the opposite approach with my son. I feel the safest place to be is in the front on the start. You stay out of the chaos and generally are with the "better riders" when near the front. Moving up you will find better riders but may be more aggressive as well. That's not always a bad thing but can be intimidating. It helped my son to build his confidence in his one year of C class. Just my my opinion I'm sure others have a different take on the situation. Having been through it and looking back the best advise I can give is keep it fun!
 
I haven't raced motocross in a few years, but I've found that most C riders are horrible starters. If you teach your son good starting technique, I think he would be better off to try to rip a start. Sounds like he's a smart kid and listens to his dad, so you can always coach him to back out of it if he doesn't have the jump 1/4 of the way down the start straight. That's how I do it to this day. Just a thought.
 
Interesting post.
I still consider myself a newbie to racing, even though I've been at it for a few years now. It's just that I started when I was in my thirties compared to probably most on here starting in as a kid or in their twenties. So I can still sort of relate to what you are asking and what your son is experiencing.

Getting comfortable on gate drop starts was an experience that came with some anxiety. And I knew that if I was ever to be competitive I would have to, at some point, develop that part of my race skills.
Like you said with your son, I hung at the rear off the gate, and tried to race my way up. And that was a strategy that I felt comfortable with, and my racing confidence did grow.

But what really was an indicator for me as to when I needed, and felt comfortable to change my starts, was when I knew my confidence was growing about riding in traffic. Feeling comfortable being in a pack of bikes making our way around the track.
You never quite know how your brain will react when you are in a tight group in motion like that. And again, I think that is a developed skill as well. I love the starts now, and would say they might be my favorite part of the race, because it is the one time during the race when you are going at it as a group, bumping, banging bars, roosting, and getting roosted just fighting for an edge going through the turns. If it's a big track, and you are a small class, once you separate out, sometimes you find that you are all by yourself out there, which kind of sucks.
I would also study, (and still do! ) moto video's, and intensely watch how the top racers handle themselves in heavy traffic.

As to bump to "B" or not, I think you'll both know when he's ready.
 
Work on starts. Racing MX, but not doing the starts, is like saying he is going to race, but not do any jumps.

He is only going to get better by nailing those starts. My son is a buck twenty soaking wet, but put those elbows up and don't let anyone push you around down the start straight and first corner and you will be much better shape than trying to play catch-up.
 
To me this is a tough question. We've put kids in a mans sport...but don't want them to get hurt. (me included) When my daughter wanted to race other classes I tried to give her the best skills she could have and let her make the decision. Always turned out good. She tip-toed in and tested the waters and slowly became more competitive and aggressive as she learned the ropes. Kids know what they are capable of if given good advice throughout the learning experience.
 
I say go for it. I think i was 14 when i started racing open B. But i was also 5’10 and 240lbs.. i was a big boy for my age and not too many people could put me down. He’ll get the hang of it
 
I'm typically a C class rider, but I've raced 250B at Smith Rd to avoid the exact things you said. I wasn't competitive at all, but at least I didn't have to worry about getting wadded up by some spode riding way over his head.
 
You should not move up. Obviously your son does not have B level skills or speed. He needs to get some starts and start running towards the front of the pack. The guys up there are not the problem. It is being in the back of the pack that is sketchy sometimes. But if you watch B riders, those guys sometimes are not looking for the guys like your son on the track. And he would probably end up getting lapped. If your in the back of the pack in the B class with no one around you to gauge your speed, your probably not going to get any faster either.

Just my thoughts.
 
i think bottom line is get out and mix it up in the front of the pack with the C class and do normal starts, or move up. but doing what you're doing is not helping anything.
 
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