The Art of Crashing

Yes, there is technique!

One thing that every track rider must do when they venture onto the circuit is accept that crashes can happen, and anyone looking to push their boundaries out there must realise this, because a rider that thinks of crashing while riding is going to find it difficult to make progress.

However, while the fears of crashing should be banished from our minds, there are things we should think about during a crash that could save us any unnecessary harm.

You may think that in the event of a crash you are merely a passenger on a ride you don’t want to be on, with an outcome you know nothing of. This isn’t strictly true though.

While not quite as easy to coordinate as peeling a potato, we can take actions during a crash to keep ourselves as safe as possible which I have detailed for you below in this guide, the first being…

Let go of the bike

Motorcycles are heavy and produce a darn sight more kinetic energy than you do, which is why when you come to part company with your bike and you are travelling down the road with it, you want to be as far away from it as possible.

The bike is more than likely going to travel further than you in a slide, so attempting to hold onto it is only going to see you going that extra distance too, when what we really want is to slow down as quick as we can (not instantly, obviously).

Another reason you don’t want to hold on is because bikes have a tendency to flip and roll in crashes, and if you’re hanging on when it starts to do so you’re only risking the chance of you going with it.

Racers hang on because they want to get back on and ride to continue the race, but at track day level you don’t want to be anywhere near it in a crash and not holding on (or even kicking it away) is going to help achieve that.

Don’t try and brace your fall

If you’re going down, try to make a conscious effort not to extend your arms or legs to brace the fall as this will only mean more of your body’s weight is going to centre on a very small part of you, i.e. your wrist, instead of being spread out across more of your body.

I know full well of the consequences of this. I’ve broken one wrist and badly bruised the other on two separate occasions because I extended my hands to brace my fall.

Stay relaxed

A rigid body is going to have a higher risk of injury because a solid object can’t dissipate energy as well as a floppy one.

Try your best to stay relaxed, almost like a rag doll. This technique coupled with the armour built into your protective gear will go a long way to reducing the chances of a bad injury.

Stop before standing

While comical for the spectators, trying to stand up before you have come to a stop is more than likely going to have you tumbling again.

Falling off at 100mph means that when you reach 10-20mph it doesn’t feel that fast, and although Usain Bolt can run at about 23mph, I’m guessing you can’t, especially in full protective gear.

Wait till you’ve come to a stop before you attempt to get yourself up.

Try and be alert

This is a real tough one given the speed at which crashes can happen, but trying to be alert of what’s happening and where you’re headed could save you further injury.

You could well be heading for a meaty curb, but if you see it coming you have a chance to better position yourself to surf over it and stop you catching anything and being sent tumbling.

Spread out while not being too rigid

The more of you that’s on the ground, the quicker you’re going to slow down.

While staying relaxed, spread yourself out to get as much of you on the ground as you can. This will mean you slow down quicker, but also that you’ll spread the load across different areas and reduce the heat generated as a result.

If you can get yourself on to your back, even better. Having a back protector will further spread the load and give you an extra layer to protect against road rash.

If you’re on the track when you stop, don’t dodge traffic

If you end up tumbling a long way on the track you will no doubt have concerns about what’s coming behind you (I know I did), but if you find yourself coming to rest on the track, try not to dodge traffic and wait till you have a big gap before you move off to the side.

The oncoming riders don’t know where you’re going to go, and you don’t know which way they’re going to try and dodge, so staying stationary is actually the safest course of action.

Conclusion

I appreciate that it’s not going to be easy for many riders to fully utilise the above advice, particularly for newer track riders because of how shocking crashes can be, but try and keep the advice in mind anyway.

Our brains have a funny way of protecting us, and taking these tips on board could just be enough to kick start yourself into action during a crash.

Don’t think that you just have to be a passenger in a crash and wait patiently to come to a stop, being savvy about it will stand you in good stead for keeping yourself as safe as possible.

Photo by Nic Redhead