Biking Techniques (Part 38)

Signs of an Early Apex

The worst thing you can do, street or track, is apex too early. You'll end up running out of road, ideas, and options very rapidly at the exit. Since we want no-one crashing today, I want you all to learn to recognize when your apex is early. The sooner you recognize it, the sooner you can fix it.

So the single most important thing you can do to be safe on a racetrack -- or the street, for that matter -- is to be able to recognize an early apex and convert it to a safe line.

Partial List of Things to Look For

Site Picture

Your first clue that you're headed for an early apex is your site picture. You can often tell you're turning in early -- to an early apex -- when you do it, based just on realizing that you're not in the right place. If you can catch your mistake now, it never becomes a problem -- you just delay your turn-in until the right place. No-one will even realize you made a mistake at all. This is how the top racers never seem to make a mistake.

Angle at the turn-in

Most of your turning should be done at the start of the corner. If your angle when you turn in is too shallow, you've turned in too soon. Widen your line by straightening up the bike until you can turn back in again on the right line. You'll lose very little by correcting your mistake this early.

Can't get on the gas before the apex

If you find you can't start rolling on hard by the time you reach your apex, then you've left too much turning for the end of the corner. That means you've come in too early. You need to straighten the bike up a little to expand your traction reserve, use that reserve to slow down, and turn in again for the right apex. You'll lose some speed, but you'll recover early enough in the corner to make a decent exit.

Angle at the apex

By the time you get to the apex, the bike should be pointing pretty much down the following straight. If you're pointing towards the edge of the track, you've apexed early. If you have enough traction reserve, you can hold the bike in to the inside of the turn until you reach the right apex; otherwise you'll have to straighten up, slow down, and turn back in for the correct apex.

Can't unwind through the apex

Before you reach the apex, you should already begin to come back upright as you unwind the turn. If you're still trying to hold it down into the turn, your apex is too early.

Can't roll on through the turn

Once you start rolling on, before the apex, you should be able to keep rolling on hard through the turn. If you're still holding back on the throttle, you're still doing too much turning towards the end of the turn.

Angle at the track-out

On the proper line, you should reach the edge of the track as the bike comes upright and parallel to the edge. If you're still turning when you get the to edge of the track, that's a sure sign you've been a Sleazeball.

From TrackDoD Novice Group Orientation