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Off-Road Racing: What's it all about?
Long-distance off-road racing provides a unique laboratory for testing and proving the durability and speed of motorcycles as well as those who ride them. More so than any other form of two-wheeled motorsport, off-road racing encompasses a wider variety of terrain, speeds and weather conditions to create conditions ranging from ideal to abhorrent.
Though it's often called desert racing, off-road racing is not all sand washes, rock gardens and dust clouds in searing heat. At any given event competitors may find themselves dodging pine trees and speeding past small drifts of snow in the mountains or within a stone's throw of the Pacific. In addition, sometimes the terrain is so utterly rugged competitors must slow to nearly walking speeds, while just a few miles farther along dry lakebeds beg for the throttle to be pinned against the stops for several miles. And this all takes place for hours at a time--sometimes lasting into the blackness of night--in races that range from relative sprints of around 100 miles to 1000-mile tests of stamina like that most famous of off-road races, the Baja 1000.
Nowadays, most off-road races are on loop courses, meaning they start and finish in the same location. Several laps around said loop constitutes a race. The other type of race is on a point-to-point course, which is exactly what its name suggests.
Both types of courses require pit stops, and if given a choice (as in most Baja races) the majority of teams try to set up pits about 50 miles apart. Pits that are farther apart than that require a fuel tank too large and cumbersome, making for awkward ergonomics as well as increasing rider fatigue and negatively impacting the bike's handling. Conversely, pits closer than that distance permit use of standard-capacity fuel tanks, but cost a competitor time because the bike must stop to be refueled more often.
Longer races tend to spread the field all over the course, especially at the front and back of the pack. This means that the leaders--those on the Honda® squad typically find themselves assuming this position--may often ride entire sections without seeing another competitor. They cannot gauge how they may be doing in the overall standings, or compare lines, braking points or other intricacies by studying another racer. They must constantly generate a mental drive from within to avoid unconsciously slowing down, even if a competitor isn't nipping at their back tire.
At the same time, riders must also remain keenly aware of just how hard they can push the bike and their own capabilities before overstepping that unforgiving edge of the performance envelope. Developing this delicate sense of balance requires many, many hours on the bike in practice and testing at race speeds to know how man and machine respond to any situation. In addition, repeated pre-running of the course allows a rider to learn and memorize every nuance of a particular section. For instance, it's not unusual for Johnny Campbell or his teammates Steve Hengeveld and Andy Grider to log nearly 2000 pre-run miles in the weeks leading up to the Baja 1000.
Off-road racers are a breed apart in many ways. Not only do top riders such as the Red Riders™ compete in a most varied environment, but they also handle much of their own bike preparation and even drive themselves to the races in their box vans or motor homes. There are no plane tickets for easy and fast travel since the events are all conducted far from civilization. Nor are there 18-wheelers staffed with a cadre of technicians in the off-road world. Off-road racers are truly jacks of all trades, almost a throwback to a simpler era of racing.
Don't think that they're lone wolves, however, because off-road racing requires an extraordinarily large support team to back each racer. Even a large and successful company such as Honda must depend on a rider's family, friends and other volunteers to pitch in on race day to staff as many as 20 pit stops for an event such as the Baja 1000. It takes at least two experienced people to man a pit.
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