In FMX, Does Practice Make Perfect?

Jul 14 2007 / Denver

That purely depends on who you ask. Some of the riders I've chatted with today say they'd take as much dirt-time as they could get. Others say they need to be cautious not to overdo it before things really get cranked up here in Denver. Friday marks the second day without any real pressure on the riders in the way of competition. With so much downtime, anticipation can become both blessing and a curse.

On one hand, it's critical that each rider get to know the course intimately; become comfortable with all the variables like ramp-height, fill texture, throttle range and turnaround space. On the other hand, every practice run holds liabilities that could well take a rider out of the prelims.

In a conversation with "Cowboy" Kenny Bartram this morning, we disscused the issue of engine performance at higher altitudes. At a mile above sea level (he explains) the 4-stroke power plants just don't run well. That's forcing everyone out there to push their bikes to the throttle-stop, rather than finessing their way through the course. It may be interesting to see how this plays out with the rest of the field. For other high-fliers like Nate Adams, Ailo Gaup and Travis Pastrana, a repertorie of high-value tricks may well hold new levels of risk.

Without the quarter pipe this time around, back to back combinations will likely be rare, and with challenging double-doubles on the course forcing some riders to rethink their trick combinations, the potential for brain-lock is very real. I also overheard Travis Pastrana and some other riders complaining about the wall obstacle. Some feel the set up to the vertical is creating an unnecessary danger that will force competitors to either go big to get by it, or make only minimal contact. With the BMX Finals wrapping up tonight, some of the fill dirt from that course may be moved around to improve conditions in and around the wall.

VIDEO Kenny Bartram. Get the interview here. PLAY >

All this leads to a point that keeps surfacing in relation to this course. The shape of it, the flow it, will definitely give natural turf riders the advantage over the more technically-oriented FMX'ers. And that's something two days of practice just won't change.

 

-Hubie G