One of the fun aspects of the old AMA Superteams class was the Le Mans-style start it utilized for a time. Riders lined up across the track and at the drop of the green flag would sprint across the track and jump on a running motorcycle held up by another team member, then twist the throttle to start the race.
The thought of motorcycle road racers, who often had gimpy legs and feet from crashes, sprinting for 20 yards to start a race struck some as hilarious and there was resistance to the idea. “Someone’s going to be speeding away on their bike and clicking into second gear before a few of those guys manage to run across to their bikes,” so went the argument.
But surprisingly just about every Le Mans start went off without a hitch and nearly all riders seemed surprisingly fast and nimble, jumping on their bikes maybe with the aid of an adrenaline boost.
