Is racing safer than practice ?

sumdood
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Edited Date/Time 3/1/2020 6:16am
Whats safer ? Signing up to race with other riders close to your age and speed ? or practicing with who knows who ?
Poll

Whats safer

Choices
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zippytech
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2/15/2020 3:53am
Open practice is what I call a time when you run about 9/16 race pace. Too much difference in talent for you not to have to look over the shoulders and look way way way up the track for the person that has never been on the track..

Racing how ever if much safer cause you are out there with people of about the same skills and pace.

So Yes I do think racing is safer.. Especially in the A class, but not so much in the C class cause you will get a noob who thinks he if Guy Cooper.
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Mr. Afterbar
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2/15/2020 4:23am
zippytech wrote:
Open practice is what I call a time when you run about 9/16 race pace. Too much difference in talent for you not to have to...
Open practice is what I call a time when you run about 9/16 race pace. Too much difference in talent for you not to have to look over the shoulders and look way way way up the track for the person that has never been on the track..

Racing how ever if much safer cause you are out there with people of about the same skills and pace.

So Yes I do think racing is safer.. Especially in the A class, but not so much in the C class cause you will get a noob who thinks he if Guy Cooper.
I know I’ve been hurt way more racing than practicing. Always in close proximity to others when racing and I’d assume everyone tries a little harder while racing from the adrenaline alone. I know I do. And I agree with the post above to an extent about A class being safer. The riders are obviously more in control, but also a lot more aggressive and you’re taking bigger chances, although a more skilled rider.
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cody41
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2/15/2020 4:30am Edited Date/Time 2/15/2020 4:30am
Have you ever raced a pro am? Absolute blood bath on the course...
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foreman52
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2/15/2020 4:53am
“You can ride for a long time or race for a short time” my dads famous words. I think it all depends on your skill level. Someone who hasn’t hit their peak speed yet is always pushing for more too whether it’s at the practice track or race day.

The Shop

Wiff3
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2/15/2020 5:03am
I've been hurt more times and crashed more times practicing than I have racing.

Maybe it's time on the track, maybe it's practicing at the end of the day when I'm worn out but don't want to stop riding.
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49weasel
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2/15/2020 5:06am Edited Date/Time 2/15/2020 5:10am
Depends on your age I think.
For vet guys when you race you’re with like minded individuals that most likely have to work on Monday.

With practice you really don’t know who’s out there with you.

Rider A is young and fast and mildly retarded from watching too many banger video clips on Instagram. Rider A goes full throttle everywhere in even traffic and scrubs everything no matter what.

Rider B is older but decently fast. Rider B can hang with rider A but B doesn’t like hanging it out during practice.

Rider C goes “Ok” but shouldn’t be out there with the A/B riders but he thinks the C practice group is too dangerous. Rider C can’t really hang with either rider A or B.

Here’s a scenario that I see a lot:
Rider B is putting laps in when he comes up on a group of Rider C’s. B is patiently waiting for opportunity to pass the C guys but All of a sudden out of no where 2 Rider A’s catch up to rider B and the group of Rider C’s. Rider A is always in full blown race mode and can’t wait for a safe passing opportunity. So the Rider A’s decided to pass everyone on a jump. The C’s are not jumping that jump, Rider B jumps it in a safe area away from the C’s and the Rider A’s try to scrub past everyone on that jump.
You can use your imagination to what happens.

I’m rider B and I avoid this scenario by showing up a hour or 2 before the track closes. Rider A or C usually don’t like riding the rough track at the end of the day.

I think racing is safer to a point, but I’m getting older and my opinion is jaded.



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Dudley
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2/15/2020 6:19am Edited Date/Time 2/15/2020 6:19am
I always feel once you’re past the first corner that racing is safer. Most of my motos have less than 20 riders, however. If there’s a full gate and I get a poor start then I’ll take practice.
TreeFiddy
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2/15/2020 7:16am
Id say practice is safer unless its at glen helen on a thursday
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Mr. Afterbar
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2/15/2020 7:23am
cody41 wrote:
Have you ever raced a pro am? Absolute blood bath on the course...
Chaos. Same with a regional.
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2/15/2020 7:34am
Been hurt more racing than practice but it can depend on your track and if they do or don't do practice groups broken down by skill groups.

But some idiot's treat practice like it's a race and they are going for the track lap record. Those are the ones who are the dangerous. Block passing whipping past multiple people over jumps 9 times out 10 got like a gopro too.
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philG
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2/15/2020 9:53am Edited Date/Time 2/15/2020 9:54am
If you are going to ride, race, else all you are doing is turning petrol in to noise
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sumdood
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2/15/2020 10:45am
Good points so far. Looks like practice is getting the majority nod for safety. I didn't think to add age and skill level into the poll but those definitely play a big part safety wise. What brought this question on is I've been trying to recruit some local (older) guys to come out and race with the oldtimers club. I get pretty much 2 different answers, "Racing ?, too dangerous" is one answer, but then these same guys will go to Pala on a weekend and ride around with the masses. The other answer is, "No I'll crash" Like in they have no self control if it's a "Race" situation and they don't trust themselves to not ride over their heads for that elusive novice trophy. Then a few of them will go to the desert on big (3 day) weekends, which to me is the sketchiest of all. I voted racing but that's coming from an old(er) 61 aged guy.
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2/15/2020 1:36pm
Unpredictable dumb shit happens practicing, predictable dumb shit happens racing.......and you spen more hours practicing. Practice is more dangerous.
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zippytech
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2/15/2020 4:50pm
cody41 wrote:
Have you ever raced a pro am? Absolute blood bath on the course...
It is ,but when you are going up the face of a high point up hill triple they are going for it, they are not chucking up at the face. cause if you don't make it you wont have a chance and that is is nice.knowing the guys in front of you are going to jump it.. you just don't know that at an open practice.

arunkxf
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2/28/2020 1:19am
100% practice, usually split into ability groups and limited to a number of riders on track at one time.

In racing, there is 40+ riders all riding on edge, I've seen a lot more airlifts and ambulances at races. As soon as it gets competitive you're pushing yourself to the max
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2/28/2020 10:56am
Damn this makes me feel like an old squid, but I don't feel like I ever push past my comfort zone in practice or a race. I can usually tell on track walk what jumps I can send, and what ones are rollers. And I race pretty much the same dudes for years so I trust how they race.

In practice I don't really know how Johnny Youngblood is going to ride so I tend to try to be more aware of those around me.
Honda11
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2/28/2020 5:29pm
cody41 wrote:
Have you ever raced a pro am? Absolute blood bath on the course...
Have you ever raced the D class?
Hammer 663s
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2/28/2020 6:44pm Edited Date/Time 2/28/2020 6:51pm
To me it's all age-related. Practice or racing, if I'm with old guys like me (57) even damn fast ones, we all have a lower risk tolerance and ride more respectfully. We've proven what we need to prove, and don't really give a rat's @ss what the hot 25 year old by the fence thinks, cause she's 3 years younger than our daughter and it's creepy. By this age, those w/o a lower risk tolerance are crippled up from continuing to try stupid $hit when they should know better.

ANY practice or race where there is a decent (say 10 year) age difference is sketchy. The more the difference, the worse it gets. I still see stupid $hit from old guys that are getting back into moto, but they either get smart fast. or are gone quickly.

Hammer 663s

Edit - In many cases I am the problem when I'm forced to ride Big Bike Fast cause there's no Vet class. Big Bike Slow is way too sketchy, and I'm in the way of the really fast guys in Big Bike Fast.
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mark_swart
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3/1/2020 6:00am
I think the real catch for racing, in my observation, is that classes are small so they end up running with other classes. So when my +40 class is on the same gate as 250C, my risk factor goes up to the 250C level. I hate it when a race order shakes out like that.
Johnny Depp
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3/1/2020 6:10am
To me it's all age-related. Practice or racing, if I'm with old guys like me (57) even damn fast ones, we all have a lower risk...
To me it's all age-related. Practice or racing, if I'm with old guys like me (57) even damn fast ones, we all have a lower risk tolerance and ride more respectfully. We've proven what we need to prove, and don't really give a rat's @ss what the hot 25 year old by the fence thinks, cause she's 3 years younger than our daughter and it's creepy. By this age, those w/o a lower risk tolerance are crippled up from continuing to try stupid $hit when they should know better.

ANY practice or race where there is a decent (say 10 year) age difference is sketchy. The more the difference, the worse it gets. I still see stupid $hit from old guys that are getting back into moto, but they either get smart fast. or are gone quickly.

Hammer 663s

Edit - In many cases I am the problem when I'm forced to ride Big Bike Fast cause there's no Vet class. Big Bike Slow is way too sketchy, and I'm in the way of the really fast guys in Big Bike Fast.
So you can tell a rider's age by watching?
Johnny Depp
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3/1/2020 6:13am Edited Date/Time 3/1/2020 6:16am
Practice has no starts, greatly reducing risk. Practice allows slower riders to move aside without losing a position when overtaken, likewise faster riders are under no pressure to make a pass and can wait for a safe spot.

Practice allows a rider to determine if the track looks clear before hitting it, unlike a race where the riders are all in the same vicinity after the start. Practice allows riders to spread out around the track.

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