Ducati Sporting Club UK > DesmoDue Race Series > DesmoDue - General Questions and Chat > Getting off the line..... #72

[bradders]

throttle to the stop and dump the clutch - easy


and when the bike veers left, right, up and down and your feet come off the pegs keep it pinned!!

[TP]

Originally Posted by domski

Hold the revs at 8000 and let the clutch out until the bike is trying to creap forward, then anticipate the lights going out and roll on the gas and feed out the clutch smoothly.

Works for me anyway and I've led the odd race or two, waaaaaaay back

I must say, Dom is the best starter I've seen bar Troy Bayliss. Always has the holeshot. I FINALLY managed to copy his technique, after a lengthy conversation at Snetterton, and got two BLINDING starts and I think I was second into Riches each race. Amazing the difference and you can really feel the bike hook up and drive instead of wheelie or bog.

I'm loving my starts now, I can't wait to race again

[trouty]

london north circular death race traffic light grand prix....

i reckon my starts aint too shabby. treat it like a 2 stroke, 7-8000rpm, biting point, slow feed ride the clutch aiming to have it fully released by the time you need to get 2nd. ALWAYS use the clutch on your first 3 gear changes - missing a gear here will lose you more places than at any other time on track.

[NBs996]

Trouty, your starts aint too shabby cos you go when the red light comes on!

[steve41]

I was never a great starter when I first started racing 4 years ago, it comes with time and feel for the bike. I ride modern and classic bikes and both are different and the same!!!!! Feed in the throttle as you let out the clutch, try a little more revs each time you start to you find where is best for you.

As for Donnington, think the lightness of the bike helped a lot too, No 44, as I was able to get off the line well and then gradually work my way backwards with gear selection problems.

[WeeJohnyB]

Do a search, this was covered in detail once. I think it was JPM asking the question. I'm usually pretty good compared to others, but bottle it at the first turn nowadays

WeeJohnyB

[mat2hew]

I think practice is the key, it seems everyone has there own way, I've always been pretty good at the traffic lights, but my road bike is a bit different. I'll try harder next time

Matt

[WhiteWizard]

I revved the B@ll@cks off it, twisted and pulled at everything, put both feet out as far as i could to try and stop people passing, then, when lights come on, I shut my eyes and zig zagged as fast as i could!!!!!

Hey i started off just kidding but its not far off what happened


We'll all get there I'm sure when we get a few more races under our belt.

[Matt-T28]

My starts were quite a lot different to most peoples and there weren't many races i didn't lead into the first corner last year.

I only rev the bike to about 3.5 - 4k and hold it on the bite point, then when the lights change just get it off the clutch and driving away as quickly as possible, i worked on the theory that they dont make much horse power but the torque is pretty good so it was better for me to have it driving away from the line using the torque than reving it silly and slipping the clutch like mad, the other side of this is that i never had to change any clutch plates in the 2 years in DD.

Hope this is of use to someone.

[mat2hew]

thanks matt, i like the sound of that, I tried reving my suzuki to 6k and slipping the clutch at the traffic lights this afternoon, but it never stopped slipping, even when the clutch was right out! It didn't bite until i throttled off, its an 06 gs500 a bit **** really but I thought I could practise on it. I also melted the clutch on my honda sp2 a couple of years ago, at a track day, I am not the clutches best friend!