AJ starting with BOTH feet on the pegs...

Robgvx
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Robgvx
Edited Date/Time 8/19/2020 4:34am
...courtesy of some custom-made and ingenious blocks.

I’ve not seen this before ( but may have missed it)


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ATKpilot99
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ATKpilot99 8/18/2020 5:13am
8/18/2020 5:13am
Malin called them nursery blocks. 😆
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Last Braaap
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Last Braaap 8/18/2020 5:37am
8/18/2020 5:37am
For such a short guy Wink it is necessity.
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Crush
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Crush 8/18/2020 6:01am
8/18/2020 6:01am Edited Date/Time 8/18/2020 6:02am
There is so much technique that has gone missing from starts now...

Front start hooks, rear start hooks, electronic start modes, expanded metal start pads, and now perfect height foot blocks so you don't have any chance to unbalance yourself... I mean I get one block for short dudes, but they should only be tall enough for you to reach, not have your feet ready to go... FFS.

ENOUGH! Millennials tell us there's still heaps of technique in a start... so we're down to clutch and throttle control and shifting... which used to be only part of the equation.

Piss it all off.
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Tuna
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Tuna 8/18/2020 6:03am
8/18/2020 6:03am
Robgvx wrote:
...courtesy of some custom-made and ingenious blocks. I’ve not seen this before ( but may have missed it) [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2020/08/18/444334/s1200_E2E56CF0_8594_424F_8747_0716E3BF3A77.jpg[/img]
...courtesy of some custom-made and ingenious blocks.

I’ve not seen this before ( but may have missed it)


Very common in amateurs. Not so much pro racing.
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Bearuno
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Bearuno 8/18/2020 6:05am
8/18/2020 6:05am
I was watching it when they showed him with them. I was a bit , WTF? , thinking it might be a bit of a stunt / joke.

But, when you see how he uses them, it's pretty bloody clever, actually.

There's a whole lot of 'Shorty' to get off the line, and, it seemed to really help in getting that Man Mountain well towards the front, into the first turn.
GrapeApe
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GrapeApe 8/18/2020 6:15am
8/18/2020 6:15am
I guess it makes sense that his feet are almost already on the pegs, but that would feel really awkward to me
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Bearuno
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Bearuno 8/18/2020 6:24am
8/18/2020 6:24am
Crush wrote:
There is so much technique that has gone missing from starts now... Front start hooks, rear start hooks, electronic start modes, expanded metal start pads, and...
There is so much technique that has gone missing from starts now...

Front start hooks, rear start hooks, electronic start modes, expanded metal start pads, and now perfect height foot blocks so you don't have any chance to unbalance yourself... I mean I get one block for short dudes, but they should only be tall enough for you to reach, not have your feet ready to go... FFS.

ENOUGH! Millennials tell us there's still heaps of technique in a start... so we're down to clutch and throttle control and shifting... which used to be only part of the equation.

Piss it all off.
Nah, he should run them higher, have hooks in the base legs that 'key' into the grid, so he can use those dirty great big feet and ankles to get an added 'push' to help his probable mid / high 60s horsepowered engine....... Woohoo Woohoo

But, I see what you mean, what with all of the 'stuff' that you list.

Hey, Big Fella - did you notice the lack of 'Super Sizeing' Jasikonis, and the other Big Bastards in GPs indulge ( well, don't indulge ) in? About the most you see is the flattening of the seats. Not even remotely high bars. Much like how David Knights bikes fitted normal sized humans ( I tried the bike he used at the 4 Days here - it fitted a 5' 8" Bear perfectly).
Motofinne
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Motofinne 8/18/2020 6:28am
8/18/2020 6:28am
Paulin also uses blocks under his feet.
Johnny Depp
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Johnny Depp 8/18/2020 6:29am
8/18/2020 6:29am
Cheating.
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Tuna
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Tuna 8/18/2020 6:41am
8/18/2020 6:41am
Robgvx wrote:
...courtesy of some custom-made and ingenious blocks. I’ve not seen this before ( but may have missed it) [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2020/08/18/444334/s1200_E2E56CF0_8594_424F_8747_0716E3BF3A77.jpg[/img]
...courtesy of some custom-made and ingenious blocks.

I’ve not seen this before ( but may have missed it)


Tuna wrote:
Very common in amateurs. Not so much pro racing.
Love the Vital douche bags that would downvote a comment stating a simple fact😂🤦‍♂️ Fuck, this place is all class.
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Bearuno
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Bearuno 8/18/2020 6:59am
8/18/2020 6:59am
Johnny Depp wrote:
Cheating.
No, it's looking at what rules may, or may not exist, and trying something different.

Heck, I look at that, and think how much easier it would make starts for me. Have high foot 'thingos', put my 500 in 3rd or 4th gear, hold my LHR brake lever on, with the throttle on, and my Rekluse straining against it all, and, drive off the line.

Might have helped, if I were remotely serious in my couple of club races, last year....... But no, I let everyone go, as I've been in enough first turn melles over the decades to Not want to be in any more , ever. I'm becoming ever more fragile, and am well, well past racing for Sheep Stations. I then give chase, and, just make sure I'm not dead last when the flag drops. There's always a few crashers, and / or blokes more cautious than I, out on the track.
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HighPlainsSquid 8/18/2020 8:03am
8/18/2020 8:03am
Bearuno wrote:
No, it's looking at what rules may, or may not exist, and trying something different. Heck, I look at that, and think how much easier it...
No, it's looking at what rules may, or may not exist, and trying something different.

Heck, I look at that, and think how much easier it would make starts for me. Have high foot 'thingos', put my 500 in 3rd or 4th gear, hold my LHR brake lever on, with the throttle on, and my Rekluse straining against it all, and, drive off the line.

Might have helped, if I were remotely serious in my couple of club races, last year....... But no, I let everyone go, as I've been in enough first turn melles over the decades to Not want to be in any more , ever. I'm becoming ever more fragile, and am well, well past racing for Sheep Stations. I then give chase, and, just make sure I'm not dead last when the flag drops. There's always a few crashers, and / or blokes more cautious than I, out on the track.
At most MX races, I do the same thing... let everyone go and then go after them. I'm racing a 125 in the 50+ class for one thing, and a 250F with the kids in the 250 B class. I'm not gonna win (*) and there's always a first turn pile-up in the 250F class that I can take advantage of. For ME, a lot of the fun is catching and passing. Starting at the back ensures that.

(*) At my race last weekend, I went for it and got the holeshot on my KTM 150 XC-W in the "enduro" class. Except for a fast kid on a 100 (different class) who I let by after a few turns, I was all alone up front. Boring. I liked the 50+ class better where I started about 5-6th and made it to the front by the end and went 1-1 there. THAT was fun. Maybe I'll start going for a better start now.

If someone was paying me to win, might be a different story. Smile

And at 5' 6" I'm gonna try those double blocks.
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xrmark
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xrmark 8/18/2020 8:09am
8/18/2020 8:09am
Johnny Depp wrote:
Cheating.
Guess I’ve been cheating my whole life. My dad even made me cool lookin ones when I was on 85’s, fuck that makes us both cheaters.
Spudnut
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Spudnut 8/18/2020 8:12am
8/18/2020 8:12am
I saw that couldn’t wrap my head around it! Dudes like 7 feet tall. . . He’s the professional though not me.
Falcon
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Falcon 8/18/2020 8:18am
8/18/2020 8:18am
Did he holeshot? If not, then it's not an Earth-shattering cheat. As long as the rules don't forbid it, I say do your best.
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slipdog
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slipdog 8/18/2020 8:23am
8/18/2020 8:23am
Anyone remember when Jeff Ward used starting blocks and the other teams cried so the AMA banned the use of them?
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TeamGreen
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TeamGreen 8/18/2020 8:37am
8/18/2020 8:37am
slipdog wrote:
Anyone remember when Jeff Ward used starting blocks and the other teams cried so the AMA banned the use of them?
I don't remember that; but, they were probably lookin for anything to stop "The Beatings". What was he riding at the time?
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GuyB 8/18/2020 9:15am
8/18/2020 9:15am
Tuna wrote:
Love the Vital douche bags that would downvote a comment stating a simple fact😂🤦‍♂️ Fuck, this place is all class.
If people spent more time worrying about the quality of what they posted, and less time worrying about what other people were doing, think of what an improvement that would be.

That goes for life in general, not just in here.
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Jeff alessi
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Jeff alessi 8/18/2020 9:27am
8/18/2020 9:27am Edited Date/Time 8/18/2020 9:31am
As much as I wanna say that technique isn’t the best so it doesn’t matter, I still have to say he’s pushing a little on the rules? What’s the rules in Mx gp? starting blocks weren’t ok till the grade was introduced. I know this cause my brother had to build dirt piles his first year and was still told under those rules if he did it again he would be given last gate pic, so blocks def were not allowed. That’s crazy how much technique that little trick took out, feet down you have to start a completely different way, in fact the best starters know you don’t want your feet that high up cause center of gravity raises so we keep our feet down low, added benefit also is your shift is much cleaner and better using the side of your boot to this. He’s very crunched up and has a high center of gravity, for him being very large tho the minimized movements needed doing this Technique probably is why he’s doing it, like a boxer the bigger boys can’t move quickly. I see 50cc riders doing this exact same thing when they get to big.
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Lightning78
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Lightning78 8/18/2020 9:29am
8/18/2020 9:29am
Crush wrote:
There is so much technique that has gone missing from starts now... Front start hooks, rear start hooks, electronic start modes, expanded metal start pads, and...
There is so much technique that has gone missing from starts now...

Front start hooks, rear start hooks, electronic start modes, expanded metal start pads, and now perfect height foot blocks so you don't have any chance to unbalance yourself... I mean I get one block for short dudes, but they should only be tall enough for you to reach, not have your feet ready to go... FFS.

ENOUGH! Millennials tell us there's still heaps of technique in a start... so we're down to clutch and throttle control and shifting... which used to be only part of the equation.

Piss it all off.
If all starting devices, especially the fork books were banned all of a sudden, can you imagine how bad some of the best in the world would be at getting off the line? Haha it would be priceless to watch
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Tuna
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Tuna 8/18/2020 9:30am
8/18/2020 9:30am Edited Date/Time 8/18/2020 9:34am
Tuna wrote:
Love the Vital douche bags that would downvote a comment stating a simple fact😂🤦‍♂️ Fuck, this place is all class.
GuyB wrote:
If people spent more time worrying about the quality of what they posted, and less time worrying about what other people were doing, think of what...
If people spent more time worrying about the quality of what they posted, and less time worrying about what other people were doing, think of what an improvement that would be.

That goes for life in general, not just in here.
Trust me I’m not losing sleep. Thanks for the life advice.
If you spend anytime around amateurs racing, especially younger and smaller ones you will see starting lines littered with blocks. My friend churns them out for kids here like they are going out of style. The kids like when they are personalized with their race number or name.
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cappelmans
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cappelmans 8/18/2020 9:41am
8/18/2020 9:41am
Anyone knows what bar bend AJ is using by any chance? Accordig to the internet he is using the Pro Taper fuzion bar.
Prntscrn
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Prntscrn 8/18/2020 9:45am
8/18/2020 9:45am Edited Date/Time 8/18/2020 9:47am
Tuna wrote:
Trust me I’m not losing sleep. Thanks for the life advice. If you spend anytime around amateurs racing, especially younger and smaller ones you will see...
Trust me I’m not losing sleep. Thanks for the life advice.
If you spend anytime around amateurs racing, especially younger and smaller ones you will see starting lines littered with blocks. My friend churns them out for kids here like they are going out of style. The kids like when they are personalized with their race number or name.
Yes, sure, I used them too as a kid. But not the way he is with keeping his feet on the pegs
Tuna
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Tuna 8/18/2020 9:53am
8/18/2020 9:53am
Tuna wrote:
Trust me I’m not losing sleep. Thanks for the life advice. If you spend anytime around amateurs racing, especially younger and smaller ones you will see...
Trust me I’m not losing sleep. Thanks for the life advice.
If you spend anytime around amateurs racing, especially younger and smaller ones you will see starting lines littered with blocks. My friend churns them out for kids here like they are going out of style. The kids like when they are personalized with their race number or name.
Prntscrn wrote:
Yes, sure, I used them too as a kid. But not the way he is with keeping his feet on the pegs
Yeah exactly, which is why in my first post I stated you see them a lot in amateur racing, very little on pro starting lines.
Tuna
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Tuna 8/18/2020 9:55am
8/18/2020 9:55am
Probably makes it easier to keep his weight over the front of the bike and toes down.
Ray_MXS
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Ray_MXS 8/18/2020 10:20am
8/18/2020 10:20am
It's not like AJ is pulling holeshots with those things. He's still the absolute worst starter out of the top 10 regulars. I don't know his starting average but I'd be surprised if it's below 10th place.

And these things makes him comfortable, let him use it. The start is already a mess with all the holeshot devices and starting grates. Just remove all the bullshit and let skill decide or just let people use whatever they like.
Robgvx
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Robgvx 8/18/2020 10:33am
8/18/2020 10:33am
I’m sure some of you aren’t seeing what he’s doing. He’s not just using starting blocks like short kids do because they can’t reach the ground. He has both feet ON the pegs and balancing the bike with his toes.
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GIwasB4
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GIwasB4 8/18/2020 10:44am
8/18/2020 10:44am
Robgvx wrote:
I’m sure some of you aren’t seeing what he’s doing. He’s not just using starting blocks like short kids do because they can’t reach the ground...
I’m sure some of you aren’t seeing what he’s doing. He’s not just using starting blocks like short kids do because they can’t reach the ground. He has both feet ON the pegs and balancing the bike with his toes.
^ He is right you know?
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FGR01
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FGR01 8/18/2020 10:57am
8/18/2020 10:57am Edited Date/Time 8/18/2020 1:15pm
So, we just gonna ignore Tomac doing the same thing in SX?


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Lightning78
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Lightning78 8/18/2020 11:22am
8/18/2020 11:22am
Fork hooks.....start blocks.....metal grates.....launch control.......yeezus can these guys get any MORE assistance to nail a start??? Pretty soon theyll have lights on their handlebars telling them when to shift....oh wait.

Eventually they're gonna have so much done for them in taking off from a start, they're gonna forget how to simply let out the clutch and get going from a stop.

I agree, all of this nonsense should be banned or just not used anymore.....all of the skill it USED to take for the start of a dirtbike race is GONE at the professional level. It's like a NHRA drag race based on reaction time and after that they just give it full throttle and let the launch control or traction control ......control the wheel spin and traction. What a difference starting has become from 2000 to now.....the fork start devices have been around since like 2002 and now EVERY racer has to have one and if it isnt set or malfunctions by releasing too soon or on the line or in some cases not releasing at all, that riders race is rooned! (Rooned aka ruined ....a special Kenny Watsonism)
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