What’s with this turndown action?

Hi Lee,
I have a question I was hoping you could answer. In a lot of the videos I’ve been watching lately, I notice racers cutting sharply across the lip of a jump. What and how are they doing? It seems they do this to keep low, how does this work?
Thanks! Eric

Hey,

That’s called a Turndown, or a Bubba Scrub. Pro MXer James “Bubba” Stewart does amazing scrubs on motocross tracks. I saw a photo of him scrubbing across a huge table — and his peg was only a couple feet off the ground.

A turndown is a high-speed/racer move. It keeps your body low and gets your front wheel on the ground early. Turndowns work best when you’re hipping or transferring, or when you’re so pinned you’ll overshoot the landing.

Brian Lopes demonstrates in the groundbreaking book Mastering Mountain Bike Skills:

It helps to say BRAAAP!!!

— Lee