FAST IN, FAST OUT
There was a short period of my life, not that long ago in fact, that I was spending all my free time and every last cent to my name racing in club motorsport. I was racing Formula Ford at a state level, basically the cheapest form of open wheel racing outside of go karts you can find. To an unschooled motorsport fan, it is basically Formula 1 if you took out all the speed, fame, technology, money, hype, talent and again, money.
I was going racing about the cheapest way possible, by tagging along with others that could actually afford it. I would use their left over or unwanted parts, tyres and fuel. Much the same way many downhill riders make their way onto the World Cup circuit, taking any hand me downs they can from established, well-funded European teams. If junior mountain biking is fast becoming a rich parents sport, keep in mind a new set of tyres to go racing in Formula Ford, which is the equivalent of junior racing in cycling, is approximately two grand. Compare that with two hundred for fresh mountain bike rubber, and that’s only the beginning. A national racing program for someone wanting to actually gain enough experience and compete with similar equipment is in the hundreds of thousands. Money talks in motorsport, and racing costs are always relevant unfortunately.
The benefit we do have in cycling however, especially in gravity sports, is that no amount of money is going to help you, or those next generation juniors, from staying off the brakes when that corner, or tree, is fast approaching.
Sure, technology is approaching the cycling industry just as fast as it did for motorsport in the beginning. Data acquisition is helping develop suspension and geometry faster than ever, with the tech now in the hands of every day users, its quickly developing a cottage industry all of its own. Coaches - I use this term loosely by the way - are now offering everything from speed development, jumping skills or corner technique backed by data. While I’m weary of the often self-described, ‘coach’ headline, I think it’s absolutely fantastic to see actual performance metrics available to those who want it. Well, maybe to those that want and can afford it. It’s still early days, but the future is bright for those looking for some coaching backed by actual science, and the relative costs are a lot less than you may think. Its roughly $1000 for your own suspension logging setup with all hardware and software included in the price. Admittedly it is another cost, one more thing you need to keep up with the Joneses. But for racers, a lot more valuable, and cheaper than the latest iPhone.
Another thing that is quickly crossing over from motorsport is the terminology, or to put it another way, the slang of speed. As old as motorsport itself, the phrase “slow in, fast out” has been repeated from rookies to F1 champs the world over. The idea being that by controlling your speed into a corner, essentially going slower than you think you could, ensures you are able to take the desired line and get on the power earlier, gaining speed on the exit, resulting in a net gain overall from that particular corner. During a race there are a lot of corners to be taken, just like in a downhill run. I guess that’s why the phrase has been taken up by mountain bikers faster than tech ever has; it costs nothing to repeat, is good for the wallet, and has been proven by data in another sport. Simple? Well, every time I hear it, and weirdly it happens way more than you think, it cracks me up. Sure, motorsport has a lot of lessons to teach the cycling industry, but is going slower into turns one of them? I sure hope not.