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6. DON’T FEAR THE RUTS
"If a straightaway is rutted up, lots of riders will go around them, thinking it is faster. Wrong! Attack the rut! Get your front end light by gassing it hard and leaning back. Look past the rut and don’t get caught staring at it—this will cause you to choke and get cross rutted." Scott Sheak

7. ONE MOTION CORNERS
"Making a smooth corner is best accomplished when you can do several things, all at once: let off the brakes, sit down and lean the bike over. When you sit down, the suspension will compress, which will in turn make the bike easier to lean over." Ryan Hughes

8. OUTSIDE ELBOW UP
"When you are making a turn, be sure to keep your outside elbow up. Doing this will help get weight on your front tire and it will then get better traction and keep you from washing out." Travis Preston

9. RESIST THE BRAKE-TAP
"Tapping the rear brake in the air to bring the front of your bike down was trendy back in the day, but you should learn to drop the front end of your bike using body English. Tapping the rear brake costs you a millesecond each time you do it, because you have to regain forward momentum with the stopped wheel once you touch down." Grant Langston

10. PLAN YOUR SIGNALS
"If you are going to go through the trouble to have someone pit board for you, figure out what you want to know and talk about it. I like my mechanic to tell me how far ahead or how far behind I am, as well as how far into the race I am. Sometimes, the encouraging messages help, but more than anything I want to know where I stand." Mike LaRocco

11. SIT CROOKED IN CORNERS
"Don’t be afraid to sit on the corner of your seat when making a corner. Sitting on the upper edge of your seat when you lean the bike over can help the bike dig for traction, and get the bike laid over further for a tighter turn." Tim Ferry

12. BE CREATIVE
"Be creative with your lines, don’t just settle into the same lines that everyone else is taking. Look for other parts of the track that you can take advantage of, especially in really rough sections. Chances are that there is a smoother line somewhere off the main race line." Michael Byrne

13. ELIMINATE COASTING
"I see a lot of amateur riders brake way too early for a corner, then coast into it before getting back on the gas. Instead, charge harder into the turn, brake later and eliminate that gap in between the time you are on the brakes and getting on the gas." Josh Hansen

14. WORK THE SIDES
"When you are faced with a super-rough straightaway or sweeping corner, look to the outsides of the track for smooth lines that might allow you to miss the bumps. Sometimes, crossing over the same bumps, at a different angle, makes them less brutal." Steve Lamson

15. RELAX YOUR GRIP
"If you are a rider who struggles with arm pump, relax your grip on the handlebars every time your bike leaves the ground. This will help you loosen your overall grip and help alleviate arm pump." Stephane Roncada

16. RIDE WITH YOUR LEGS
"Squeezing the bike all the time with your legs is important, pressing down hard on the foot pegs on straight sections will help the bike stay on the ground and get good traction. Make your legs strong at the gym, and it will help you save your arms when you ride." Stephane Roncada

17. DON’T SOUND FAST
"The biggest mistake I see amateur racers making is riding in too low a gear and revving their bikes out. Basically, they are trying to be aggressive, and they think that if they sound fast, they will go fast. Shift up! Ride smoother! Make less noise!" Brock Sellards

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