Pro Riding Tip: Brake Sliding with Chuck Woodford - Dirt Rider Magazine

There are generally two places to pass people in a race: on a straight or in a turn. Many times, you set up the pass well in advance of where it actually happens.That could be the case here, where Team Green's Chuck Woodford shows how a simple brake-slide in a turn can get you set up for the inside line, allowing you to sneak underneath the guy in front. You're basically shortening the corner and/or lengthening the following straightaway.Although not extremely difficult to perform, the slide must be timed so that you finish with all the sideways motion and begin accelerating before you usually would had you followed the normal arc of the turn. You want to stand the bike back up as soon as possible so you'll be on the fattest part of the tire, which will allow you to use the most throttle without sliding out.Follow along as Woodford demonstrates how he tackles this challenge. He begins by saying, "This is the kind of corner that can be approached two ways. If you're following somebody—depending on the angle and sharpness of the turn—a lot of times it's faster and easier to turn your bike as you're sliding in and then accelerate straight out of the corner. This technique can be used to make a pass—it's really effective for that."A. "I charge the corner a bit faster than I normally would, applying both brakes really hard," Woodford says. "I always go into the corner a little harder and stay just a bit higher than the guy in front of ." As you can see, this particular turn has an uphill approach, but even if it were flat, Woodford would still attack it in his crouched and centered position.B. "Just as I get to the spot in the turn where I actually want to square it off and make my turn, I release my front brake and stay on the rear brake." By this point, Woodford has plopped back onto the forward portion of the seat; you can also tell that he's already looking well ahead and focusing on the line he wants to take—which in this case is the inside line.C. "As you start to turn the front end with the rear wheel locked up, it'll put you in a slide. The rear wheel will slide up, and when your bike's pointed in the direction you want to go, you accelerate out."D. "As is finishing making his turn, you're straight and accelerating out of the corner. A lot of times this is a good way to pass."