Racers Cornering in Slow motion | EXPLAINED

The

racers

taking the curves in

slow

motion

are a real treat for the eyes. Lync once and you might miss a crucial part of his technique. Why does Marques move his hand after releasing the brakes? Why does McAllister push the bike down entering the turn but then lean his upper body? in the corner on the exits why Piers is pulling the clutch all the way to the end of the corner why Rossi pushes his upper body even further down in the middle of the corner, as soon as Miller applies the rear brake in the middle of the curve, let's figure this out Figuring out what professional writers are doing by watching them do it at full speed can be really difficult, almost impossible, even for someone with a trained eye, especially because writers use different techniques for different corners and situations, we must also Consider that different writers within the same racing classes use various styles, this is especially true in supermoto, there you will see some riders pushing the bike down with their foot extended while others hang on them.

There are those who, like me, mix all styles, I'm pretty sure. A beginner who saw me ride on a supermodel track would be very confused so that you understand the answers that I am going to give to the questions that I publish at the beginning of the video. It is important that you understand some basic concepts of technical curves and chassis geometry, therefore , I am going to go through a curve step by step explaining each step in detail these steps apply to Moto GP Superbike racing and supermoto asphalt sections to simplify things, the curve we are going to see is going to be at the end of a straight, this is an important assumption because it affects the position of the rider's body and the state of the bike's chassis when moving into the corner.

The step is placed before entering the braking zone. The rider has a body tucked position to minimize aerodynamic drag and maximize his top speed. The rider accelerates hard, which extends both the front and rear suspension. The front part extends due to low transfer. The rear end is extended due to the geometry of the chassis, so the swing arm has an angle that could say forces the rear wheel under the bike when you accelerate, plus the chain pulls on the axle at an angle that adds to this force. This is called anti-squat and the chassis is designed that way so that the rear suspension does not run out of travel when accelerating because the way the swing arm rotates extending the rear suspension will decrease the overall wheelbase of the motorcycle. , this will decrease the stability of the motorcycle, which is not necessarily a desirable thing, but it is a trade-off one might be willing to take into account.

To obtain the anti-squat feature using simple geometry, when the front fork extends, this increases the travel of the motorcycle, which increases the overall stability of the motorcycle. In this state, the motorcycle is very stable but also requires more force to turn if you want a more detailed explanation of the geometry of the motorcycle check out the video I made on the subject right here. Okay, so the cyclist is on the bike and accelerating hard. The bike is as stable as it has ever been before or at the beginning of getting on the motorcycle. braking zone that the rider will prepare for the turn, what this means is that he is positioning his upper and lower body to enter the turn.

The reason the rider prepares before the turn is to keep the bike as stable as possible as soon as possible. If the front brakes are on, the load will be transferred forward which will compress the front forks which will decrease the travel making the bike unstable but easy to ride. Some cyclists use the G forces from the initial brake input to move the lower body without much effort. starting the brakes will make the bike a little unstable, but it will also minimize the effort needed to move as usual and racing, it's all just a trade-off, a supermoto rider pushing the bike down, sometimes called dirtbike style ,

cornering

will move your butt out and far forward on the bike, this puts them on top of the bike making it easier to control and avoid sliding.

He will see some riders sitting all the way up on the tank this way they transfer down to the front tire which will provide more traction. at the front and less so at the rear, if you want a more detailed explanation on tire traction check out my video on the topic right here when the rear end slides the front wheel will naturally counteract the steering even without intervention of the driver, this is because of the travel in the front fork and something called self-aligning torque of the front tire. The self-aligning torque is created by something called pneumatic travel which is caused by the progressive accumulation of lateral force along the so that the lateral forces are greatest towards the rear of the contact patch, all the worry if you don't understand what a powerful trace is.

I scratched my head for a long time trying to understand that topic, what you need to understand is that to have maximum control over the front wheel, it is easier to sit on top of the bike with your elbows in the air instead of hanging off the inside of the bike. the bicycle, step to initiate braking and shift as soon as the rider releases the accelerator, begins to brake, pulls the clutch and shifts into the appropriate gear for the curve, when and how awareness is released is very important because it controls the amount of engine brake applied to the rear tire.

Step three, turn it, the rider turns into the curve by countersteering or applying rapid torque to the handlebars in the opposite direction to the curves. The movement of the front wheel around the steering head generates a lateral force from the front tire that has the effect of leaning the motorcycle in the curve in addition to this the gyroscopic effect generated by the front wheel and the steering rotation causes a gyroscopic movement which also helps to lean the bike in the curve so that the rider turns while maintaining the brakes using what is called track braking, where the brakes are gradually released into the turn.

Remember what happens to the chassis when the front brakes are applied, the front forks compress and the rear suspension extends. What will happen if the front brakes are suddenly released? The front fork will extend making it harder to turn as the travel increases, the low end will be transferred to the rear tire which will decrease traction. At the front, furthermore, the movement of the extended front fork will destabilize the entire bike. If a rider does not brake, he will enter the turn as if on a jumper bouncing back and forth, which is certainly not a desirable way to enter. a high-speed corner is now a... so the rider is moving toward the apex.

Remember I mentioned that when the clutch is released is very important. You've probably seen cyclists back up to where the rear wheel comes out and slides. caused by two main things: one, the weight transfers the cost forward by applying the front brake and a rider moves forward, making the rear wheel light, while the rear wheel is braked by the engine brake, the application of the rear brake or both at the same time. controlled by modulating the clutch, so in other words the rider can control how much the rear wheel slips by engaging the clutch. Almost all modern racing bikes now come standard with something called a slipper clutch which allows the rider to release the clutch fairly quickly without causing the rear wheel to jump, which is why some riders release the clutch completely before entering the corner. , sometimes they don't fully release the clutch and now we are going to answer one of the questions posed at the beginning of the video, why is Piers pulling the clutch?

On the way around the bend, you already know the answer to the question, right? He is controlling the rear slide by modulating the clutch and engaging the rear brake. In fact we can even see that he is releasing the rear brake at exactly the same time that he is releasing the clutch here is a racer going through the same corner using the engine brake and the rear brake fully releasing the clutch before the corner, So why would you choose one over the other? It simply comes down to the personal preference of the rider using it. The clutch provides more direct control over slippage compared to simply releasing the clutch.

This is because if you press the clutch and release the rear brake, the slide will stop, so a rider who is already pulling the clutch can regain traction much faster than a rider who has to reach for the clutch and pull it. , the disadvantage of using the clutch and rear brake is of course that it requires a lot of the rider to control all of that at the same time if the rider uses a superbike riding style. They will move their upper body with the bike while basically leaning towards the inside of the step 4 in the middle of the corner divider moving towards the apex of the corner gradually releasing the front brake as soon as the front brake is released, the cyclist begins to turn in the So, why does Márquez move his hand after releasing the brakes?

For two reasons, one to be able to precisely control the throttle input, two to be able to move his right elbow freely, he will see if he doesn't change his grip around the handlebars. would lock his elbow in a way that would not allow him to move freely if he turns left he will extend this hour on the tank if he turns right he pushes his elbow into the turn this leads nicely to the question of why Rossi is pushing the top of his body down even further in the middle of the turn, so why is he doing so well?

It's pretty simple, he's adjusting his line so he can accelerate harder and accelerate out of the corner faster. It is seen when a driver hangs towards the inside of the curve. the motorcycle this transfers the combined center of gravity of them and the bicycle, allowing for a lower lean angle at the same speed if the lean angle is kept constant, but the rider moves their upper body even further toward the corner, it will tighten your line if you are accelerating, it will allow you to keep the bike as upright as possible during this crucial part of the corner, so ladies and gentlemen, I know you've been waiting for this, why does Miller apply the rear brake in the middle of the curve? corner let's look again at the chassis geometry at this point in the corner the rider is releasing the front brake this will transfer a load to the rear which is good as the rider will soon be accelerating which will require traction of the rear tire, this will also increase the travel and further stabilize the bike, although we must also remember that when the front brakes were applied, the rear suspension was extended, which decreased the wheelbase and the rear suspension is potentially so extended that It won't follow the bumps. so efficiently is out of its optimal range, what can a skilled driver do about it?

Drag the rear brake by dragging the rear brake, the rear suspension is kept under control and the wheelbase is extended, which stabilizes the motorcycle they are dragging the brake enough to cause this geometry to change, but not so much that they are decelerating heavily, they now have a chassis geometry that works well to accelerate and get them out of the corner. It's cool, uh, step five comes out, the rider is smoothly adding more acceleration. When exiting the corner in Superbike riding style to get as much traction as possible in the corner, the rider stays on the inside of the bike and does not follow the bike up, this is simply to have a small amount of lean. possible, allowing for greater acceleration in a purely dirt bike riding style, the rider would stay on top of the bike and right himself with the bike in the dirt, the bike will slide as there is not much traction, so why McAllister is pushing the bike down entering the turn, but then leans his upper body into the turn on exit.

He combines dirt bike and Superbike riding styles to get through the corner as quickly as possible. He pushes the bike down as he enters the turn to control the turn. The rear end slides, but when exiting he wants the smallest lean angle possible to maximize corner exit, so he leans in when accelerating. I hope you learned something today and that this piqued your interest. For motorcycle dynamics and

cornering

technique, feel free to question any of my claims in the comments section. That's all for today.