Team XMX-Dan Jackson Unleashes The Big One at NASCAR Pre-Race XDL Freestyle Event
- 25 Aug 2011
Round three of the 2011 XDL Sportbike Freestyle series was held in Nashville, Tennessee, as a NASCAR pre-race event, and for the first time since 2006, XDL held a "longest stoppie" competition - affectionately nicknamed "The Big One." A stoppie in this circumstance involved dialing a motorcycle upwards of 100mph, deliberately grabbing the front brake so that the rear-tire shoots up, and then riding along on the front wheel for as long as possible. Picture a wheelie on the front wheel. Also on display at the Nashville event was the K&N Circle Challenge and the Racing 905 Speed and Style Competition, both of which are head-to-head stunt races. The XDL caters to the new audience of urban sportbike enthusiast and it continues to be one of the most meteoric segments of the motorcycle market. K&N sponsored Dan Jackson is one of the premier freestyle riders in the XDL, and we had the opportunity to question him about the seemly lack of good sense required to pull off the big one.
Seriously, a stoppie goes against all my instincts - give us some insights how you even go about learning how to control that. Locking up the front brake is something I've had nightmares about, how ugly does it get when that goes wrong? "Stoppies are definitely the most dangerous trick out there. Once mastered they seem and look so effortless, in the back of your head you always have to remember if one goes bad it usually results in a bad crash! I've seen some pretty gnarly stoppie crashes over the past 10 years. Nowadays the bikes are more set up with proper equipment that prevents headshake, front end wash, etc."
"I run a Scotts damper all the way locked in stiff position when rolling long distances. This prevents the headshake riders get when popping up the rear wheel too fast. Choice of tire makes the difference too. It's well known that the Michelin Pilot Power is by far the best tire when it comes to rolling long stoppies. It's a very trustworthy, sticky tire, rarely do you get front end wash attempting to pull up stoppies, even at speeds over 100mph." "The rest is brake control. Stoppies are not a trick to learn overnight. They take lots of relentless practice mastering that front brake pull and feathering technique once you find the balance point. Balance point stoppies are dangerous. There's no coming back if you go beyond this point. The only thing you can pray for then is that your safety gear does its proper job and the bike doesn't smash you in the process." Give us your take on the NASCAR Pre-Race Freestyle Event? "The NASCAR event was a demo I performed during the pre-race track Fan-Walk festivities. It was a huge show for me. 45,000 rednecks going absolutely crazy for every trick I performed. It was 10 years of excitement packed into 30 minutes of fun! I'm definitely looking forward to my next NASCAR show. It's really awesome that I'm able to put my riding and sponsors in front of a large crowd and promote the sport of sportbike freestyle to a whole new market of fans." How long have you been riding freestyle and can you briefly explain what's involved in Racing 905 Speed and Style, the Wheelie Teach Race, and the other various events?
"I've been riding bikes ever since I was a kid - motorcycles are my passion. My actual first word was bike. My mom bought be a dirt bike to keep me out of trouble and it was also an incentive for me to get good grades. I've been riding professionally now for 15 years. With professional moto-x and freestyle moto-x background, I have accomplished a lot over my career. Right now I devote all my time to freestyle sportbike riding and follow the only national point's series event of its kind - the XDL Show." "The 905 Speed and Style is a head-to-head bracket type race that consists of various obstacles and stunts all incorporated in to a race. It involves racing around a road type course while doing burnouts, wheelies, and stoppies. One little mistake could cost you the win. Obviously this has been my problem this year. I'm smoking fast in practice, but I've been pushing the limits too much in the race, and then costly mistakes keep me out of that No.1 spot finish." "The Wheelie Teach race is a head-to-head race on the back wheel. During the race you have to clutch up a wheelie at the start, then wheelie down and around a cone and back to the finish, all while keeping your front tire up in the air. If you drop the front-end you're disqualified. You have to know when to drop it back and get on the brakes to make the 180-degree turn around. If you blow past the cone your competitor may pass you, and if you brake too early he will make up time on you. It seems that the turnaround is the key to winning the event. You have to be smooth on the stall and clutch out in order to make sure you get the right angle of drive out of the turn. It definitely makes for an interesting race." How many events a season do you regularly attend? "Over the past 10 years I consistently attend approximately 40 events per year. The TeamXMX.com rig definitely racks up the miles. One year we tallied over 60,000 miles. One perk about living in the Midwest (Olathe, Kansas), its 22 hours to Florida, or New York, and 26 hours to California. I don't know if I could handle a 45-50 hour trip." What's up next? "This weekend I have a big demo for a Kawasaki dealership, and then Tuesday I'm off to Indianapolis for the final round of XDL and MotoGP." Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world. |
