P108
CN
III EMPIRE OF DIRT
BY STEVE COX
"M
oto" (a general
term for motocross,
supercross, aren-
across, etc.) has always been
a contact sport. And the tighter
the tracks, the more contact
should be expected. Contact is
foundational to moto, because if
contact isn't allowed (especially
indoors), any rider can keep a
faster rider behind them basi-
cally forever.
That said, there are, in my
opinion, right and wrong ways to
make contact with another rider.
There are acceptable moves,
there are dirty moves, and there
are unacceptable moves. In this
column, I will attempt to explain
this etiquette.
Who has what job?
In describing a battle between
two racers, we'll refer to the
racer in front as "Racer F" and
the racer in the rear as "Racer
R." It's R's job to pass F. It's
F's job not to let R pass him.
That means it's F's job not to
open the door for R to get by.
It's also R's job to go through
any door F opens wide enough
for R to get through. Those are
their jobs in a nutshell, and the
jobs switch the moment the
lead changes (F becomes R
and R becomes F).
Racer F always has the right of
way. It's Racer R's job to adjust
to what Racer F is doing, not the
other way around, which means
it's R's job not to run into F. And
the very moment R's front wheel
goes in front of F's, R becomes
F, and vice versa. And again, F
always has the right of way.
It's also every racer's job to be
aware of their own surroundings
at all times.
Who's at fault, and
when?
If R runs into F, it's R's fault with
very few exceptions. In a corner,
if F is on the outside and R is
on the inside, and R runs into F,
that's a "T-bone." Just as with
a T-bone steak, the "T" doesn't
stand for anything. It's a visual
reference, representing the
shape of two motorcycles when
MOTO
ETIQUETTE:
101
