Moto Tips | Track Walk & Sighting Laps
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Take time to walk the track and do one slow lap at the start of your day. Even if it’s a track you’ve been to dozens of times or the layout looks unchanged. A few moments of attention could reveal hidden obstacles like soft spots or kickers that could easily catch you out at speed.
Ideally, you have the time and patience to start your lap at the gate and go all the way around the track. If that’s not possible, find a good vantage point from the top of a jump or hill and take note of where the lanes go.
Visualize the best lap. This will help you come up with the ideal way around the track and can reduce the pre-ride nerves.
Look closely. Anything could be buried by the dirt, from small moguls that the dozer didn’t get to debris like rocks and bricks, and a morning walk is your chance to take note of the terrain or clear away the rubbish.
Use it as a warm-up. Hiking up jumps and hills is a great way to get your heartrate up and body limber before a pre-ride stretch.
Roll everything on your sighting lap. This is your chance to figure out what the track feels like on the bike, from how deep the corners are ripped to the way the jump faces are shaped. If it’s an open ride day and others are already on the track, stay out of the way by sticking to the edges of the lanes.
If possible, walk it again during downtime and at the end of the day to see how the track is developing and how every line formed/broke down.
