BODY POSITIONING
Getting your body positioned properly won’t give you five seconds per lap, but it will make you safer, smoother, more stylish and ultimately comfier. And a comfy rider is a fast one…
Who here is as stiff as a plank on a bike? Yep? Well listen up. If you can move your weight around the bike properly it will handle better, feel more stable and you’ll fatigue less. These tips should help put an easy process in place for getting your weight where it needs to be. Like anything in life, if you’re unsure about something you’re doing, not doing or being advised to do, then look at the pros. Watch MotoGP, WSBK, BSB or any of the support classes, and other than down a long straight, a pro racer’s backside is never in the middle of the seat. They move around the bike in a controlled manner and contribute towards a much better handling bike. Are they doing it for better Instagram pictures? No. (Unless it’s Iannone.) That is a bi-product and great for sponsors, but they’re shifting weight from left to right, from back to front because it helps grip levels, turning in,
wheelie control, decking out and more… so here’s a handy guide to help you get the most from your body.
Straight line (flat out)
Probably sounds obvious, but how many of you actually get your helmet chin bar on the fuel tank and head under the bubble on all of the straights? So move your backside right to the back of your seat and try to get your head under the screen, not just for the extra speed, which on most UK tracks would be immeasurable, but to take away the buffeting, wind noise, strain on your neck and to help you clearly look ahead at your braking marker. You should also pay attention to the position of your feet and arms, make sure the elbows and knees are tucked in and your boot heels are forward against your footpegs. This allows you to press the rear brake to prevent a wheelie, and change gear with more precision (a lot of riders go backwards and forwards from ball to heel for every gear change, which is more work).
Braking
The time it takes from braking and actually turning into a corner can be about 2-3 seconds - which is loads of time to get your body in position. You can use the force from your braking to help shift some bodyweight away from the middle of the bike in readiness for the corner as well, making life easier for yourself. As you lift your head out of the bubble and firmly squeeze the front brake, all the weight is getting transferred to the front tyre and your upper body will immediately feel light – an opportunity to transfer some of your bodyweight to one side which will make it smoother when you finally drop into the turn, because less movement is required at that last moment. I also ensure that my boot heels are pushing against the footpegs during heavy braking, as it gives me extra support by spreading some of that force through my thigh muscles rather than burning my triceps out. This is a good way to combat arm pump.
Corner entry
As mentioned above, we are trying to keep our bodyweight (I’m 64kg, which is actually a lot of weight to have sat in the middle of a modern lightweight bike) away from the centre line. So dropping a bit of weight to one side should help your bike turn in, but at this point you should also adjust your feet and keep a slight bend in the arms. Once past the turn-in point (you should’ve already downshifted enough gears) the next job is to get your inside foot out of the way and on to the ball of your foot, this will prevent your toes decking out. I recommend leaving your outside foot with the heel forward
because you can use this for extra support.
Mid corner
Now, to get your Insta picture, mid corner is when you really want as much bodyweight off the side and as low as you can go; if you’ve followed the previous steps then there’s not much more effort required. Having too much weight in the centre of your bike at this stage of cornering will simply put too much stress through the suspension and then puts all the stress on your tyres, which have a very small contact patch… and we all know how that ends up. Just imagine being at the apex, with your bike at 45-degree lean and the wheels set up close to the inside kerb ready for some good drive. Your body should be something like this; backside dropped completely off the seat and to the inside, your outside heel twisted into the heel plate and outside knee pressing on the fuel tank (this really helps to hook you on the bike and takes pressure off the arms), inside foot on the ball and inside knee relaxed on to the Tarmac. Drop your head down the side of the front fairing as if you are looking into an imaginary wing mirror and that will actually force you to look through the turn and out to the exit point. Then drop the inside elbow and shoulder, with the outside forearm resting on the top of your fuel tank. If you get the feet in the right place, your arms should feel really relaxed. This takes time to perfect and feel natural, so keep at it!
Corner exit
As you start to pick up the gas and head towards your exit point, expect to start standing up on the footpegs and pulling the handlebars to move some bodyweight forward. This will help prevent wheelies and you might even get far enough forward that your backside is actually out of the seat again.