Instruction: How to Holeshot like Dakota Alix
At the first East Coast SX round Vermont native Dakota Alix (#64) qualified 16th, took 3rd in Heat One and rode to a 12th place in the main. Along the way he holeshot his heat and almost holeshot the main (click picture to watch video). We asked him how he got such great starts.
Q: Hi Dakota, congrats on a good first race. A lot of riders are getting ready for the Amateur Spring Nationals or their local racing seasons so we thought we'd ask exactly how you got such great starts last Saturday.
A: Thanks, well the first thing is lots of practice. I think we do at least 10 good starts every day we ride. That makes sure that my technique is totally dialed in and I don't even have to think about that part much.
Q: OK, but doing it in practice is one thing. How'd you do it in front of all those people?
A: Well I raced SX last year and I know what to expect now. Last year in Atlanta I was honestly overwhelmed and my mind was racing everywhere. This time I was much more calm and focused.
Q: Do you have a kind of routine that you go through to get mentally ready?
A: Yes, I always visualize myself getting a perfect launch out of the gate then when the 30 sec board goes sideways I take a deep cleansing breath to focus my mind. I've been practicing doing that a lot lately and it just really relaxes me. Then I lock in my eyes on the top of the gate and get ready to go. Exactly as the gate begins to move I think about trying to launch before the gate hits the ground. Once the gate drops I focus on making perfect shifts and I look at the turn.
Q: You holeshot the heat and then almost holeshot the main but McElrath got inside you? What happened there?
A: Yeah, in the heat I knew I had the holeshot so I could afford to shut off a little earlier and make a tighter turn. In the main it was a dogfight down the straight so I had to hold on the gas longer to get the holeshot but it in the end it took me a little too wide.
Q: All right thanks Dakota. Hopefully the amateurs that read this can get a few tips for themselves. Good luck this Saturday at Daytona!
A: Sure thing, thanks.
