What's the dumbest thing you've seen or done at gate drop?

image.jpg For me, it was removing my googles due to them fogging up and while the 30 sec girl was pointing and looking at each rider, down the line, she just happened to miss me waving both arms high above my head. The gate drops and needless to say, i was last guy to first turn!
 
Since I never raced:
I have a gate in front of my bedroom door to the living room so the Golden can't come in and hog the bed. The Rat just jumps it and then burros under the blanket to our feet and kind of keeps them warm (especially with that 0300 piss standing on a tile floor).

So for me it is usually about 0400 to 0500 and I forget about the damn gate and just walk right through the door and land on my face. I don't care how long we have been doing it, I am old and forgetful and half asleep anyway. I need coffee before the brain even works properly.

Since my last two kids used to race BMX:
When they were young and up on the gate, to get a good start I was teaching the old bump and pump. Both of them got it after a while but one or two times over the bars and not being able to unclip is pretty funny if it's not you.
 
Since I never raced:
I have a gate in front of my bedroom door to the living room so the Golden can't come in and hog the bed. The Rat just jumps it and then burros under the blanket to our feet and kind of keeps them warm (especially with that 0300 piss standing on a tile floor).

So for me it is usually about 0400 to 0500 and I forget about the damn gate and just walk right through the door and land on my face. I don't care how long we have been doing it, I am old and forgetful and half asleep anyway. I need coffee before the brain even works properly.

Since my last two kids used to race BMX:
When they were young and up on the gate, to get a good start I was teaching the old bump and pump. Both of them got it after a while but one or two times over the bars and not being able to unclip is pretty funny if it's not you.
That's awesome!
My wife calls it the baby gate, we don't have kids together but it's to keep the pets out! I've done the same damn thing!
 
I was out of mx before they had gates. One of the things they used to do at flattrack was to put you in the back row if you started early. If they had to flag the start and bring the pack back they would also turn you around backwards. I was pretty well known for trying the starter, so I ended up being turned around a lot. I may be able to do a rh donut better than anyone here.

Anyway. At a short track at the cow palace in San francisco I neglected to get the new clutch cable into its anchor on a borrowed Bultaco and it ended up coming loose as I was rolling off on a rev up. Set up to go left, I did a half a donut into the wall before the flag.

I guess running into the back of another racer (one who was well known for fantastic starts) when I was put in the back for leaving too soon could be the second dumbest. If you asked the guy I hit(al nystrom) he might tell you that being in neutral at a start in salinas was the dumbest thing he ever did.
 
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I was out of mx before they had gates. One of the things they used to do at flattrack was to put you in the back row if you started early. If they had to flag the start and bring the pack back they would also turn you around backwards. I was pretty well known for trying the starter, so I ended up being turned around a lot. I may be able to do a rh donut better than anyone here.

Anyway. At a short track at the cow palace in San francisco I neglected to get the new clutch cable into its anchor on a borrowed Bultaco and it ended up coming loose as I was rolling off on a rev up. Set up to go left, I did a half a donut into the wall before the flag.

I guess running into the back of another racer (one who was well known for fantastic starts) when I was put in the back for leaving to soon could be the second dumbest. If you asked the guy I hit(al nystrom) he might tell you that being in neutral at a start in salinas was the dumbest thing he ever did.
Awesome memory!
 
Not if you are the "subject".[/QUOTE
I was out of mx before they had gates. One of the things they used to do at flattrack was to put you in the back row if you started early. If they had to flag the start and bring the pack back they would also turn you around backwards. I was pretty well known for trying the starter, so I ended up being turned around a lot. I may be able to do a rh donut better than anyone here.

Anyway. At a short track at the cow palace in San francisco I neglected to get the new clutch cable into its anchor on a borrowed Bultaco and it ended up coming loose as I was rolling off on a rev up. Set up to go left, I did a half a donut into the wall before the flag.

I guess running into the back of another racer (one who was well known for fantastic starts) when I was put in the back for leaving too soon could be the second dumbest. If you asked the guy I hit(al nystrom) he might tell you that being in neutral at a start in salinas was the dumbest thing he ever did.
i awoke this am, read this post again and laughed very hard! Thanks!
 
That's awesome!
My wife calls it the baby gate, we don't have kids together but it's to keep the pets out! I've done the same damn thing!

It is a baby gate, the kind that spread with the lockable multi positions. I have broken two so far, just luck I don't hit the fireplace harth on my way down.
 
I have a bad habit of going with A riders when we have split gates. They are not too happy when the ol rm2fiddy beats their worked 450's to the turn. Since it's part of their pay they usually come looking for me. Lol
 

James

Staff member
I've seen the facing backwards start before, pretty funny. For me the funniest thing is when someone jumps the gate gets hung up while everyone else keeps going. Riders missing their moto also tends to happen a lot.
 
I've seen the facing backwards start before, pretty funny. For me the funniest thing is when someone jumps the gate gets hung up while everyone else keeps going. Riders missing their moto also tends to happen a lot.
Which rider was it that got caught up in the gate and lifted his rear wheel up 2 ft in the air. It was 250, supercross, ama, road for green! perhaps Christope Purcel? Approx 3 yrs ago.It was due to the gate bouncing off the grd and catching his foot peg if I remember right. Something that I could expect to happen to me!
 
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