Corner Speed by: Brandon “Coach” Cunningham Most of my students want to learn how to go faster in the corners. The new riders want to learn how to jump but the serious riders know that the race is won or lost in the corners.  When I ask my students what they should do to go faster in the corners most reply, “get on the gas sooner in the corner”. In a way that reply is correct but real corner speed starts with the straight away before the turn. If you want to improve your corner speed you must first increase the speed that you enter the turn with. Approaching a corner at your normal speed and then throttling more aggressively in the corner will result in mistakes. Over aggression with the throttle as you enter the corner is NOT going to result in increased corner speed. Your corner speed will increase as you learn how long you can leave the throttle on and then use as little brakes as possible to make the turn. Most riders run there brakes too deep into the corner so, you should practice getting off your brakes as you enter the turn. Do all of your braking while you are standing so that once you sit down all you have to do is look where you want to go and roll the throttle on. Here is a drill you can practice to increase your corner speed: Pick any corner on your practice track. Have someone mark the spot where you get off the throttle as you approach the corner. Then, have them mark the spot where you get off your brakes for the same corner. Every lap try to leave the throttle on a little longer while at the same time getting off the brakes a little sooner. This, without a doubt, will increase your corner speed. Once you have some success in the corner, move on to the next corner. The point is just leaving the throttle on longer going into the corner isn’t going to make you any faster if you drag your brakes half way through the turn. Practicing new techniques can be very frustrating. Don’t give up. James Stewart and Ricky Carmichael didn’t get there championship speed overnight. The more you put into your riding the more you will get out. If you have any questions, contact me at my website. www.bcmx.net Until next time, have fun and ride smart.