TY DAVIS MUD TIPS Mind over matter

TY DAVIS? MUD TIPS Mind over matter

California-bred, former Supercross, National Enduro, current National Hare and Hound champion Ty Davis is the one guy who you?d think would have issues with mud. But at the recent Honey Lake round of the WORCS off-road series, the Montclair Yamaha pilot decimated some of America?s best talent in a full blown mud-fest. Ty?s tips are fairly pedestrian and, most importantly, basic. It?s all about bike prep, body prep, mind prep and a focused style that is important in dealing with mud, slime and ruts.

1. Ty feels that it is very easy to overdress for nasty conditions. In a race scenario, your body will exert tremendous energy and more often than not, you?ll get overheated very easily. At Honey Lake it was dumping and Ty started the event wearing Gortex Moose gear. Once he pitted for gas, he shed the top garment. Equally as critical is the bike setup. Keeping your hands dry is super important and Ty ran large elephant ear hand guards that ward off both rain, and, equally critical, wind.

2. Ty has swung wide in this nasty corner, keeping the lean angle as upright as possible. Again, hard bursts of throttle will clear his tires of debris and make for an edge that bites into the sloppy terrain. The mud is less deep when cutting the corner, his weight shift and alignment are set prior to the really nasty slop, and because far less racers have used the line, it?s less grooved.

3. Line selection is super important as it?s easy to get sucked into using the rut. In most cases these dig out and get deep, snaring the engine, frame rails and altogether making life more miserable. As the track?s surface deteriorated Ty worked on line control and working the edges, cutting a swath from outside to inside. The consistency of the saturated dirt offers better traction and aggressive throttle out of the corner, helps to clean the mud off the tires and retain a good edge for increased traction.