first time enduro champinship - tips please!

Hi!

I'm going out (as a hobbyst) to shoot on sunday enduro world championships in kwidzyn this weekend ( http://www.enduro.kwid​zyn.pl/indexen.htm ).[and probably will public photos on my photoshelter collection]

My gear is really on budget [EOS 400D + EFS 55-250IS]. Got some questions as a newbie:

1. is it better to turn of the IS (if so should I take a monopod, or take it even if I would not plan to turn off IS)?

2. what shutter speed would be the best for:
a. totally freezing motion,
b. showing a bit movement on the tires of bikes

3. when I shoot for my stock [In 'home studio' environment] purposes, I allways do it in RAW, but would You shot outdoor motocross in RAW (only 9 pics in a burst), or JPEG (three times more than that)?

4. what about focusing points? Should I set it to auto selection, or choose the central one and try to take well focused photos, and then crop it in more interesting way while post processing?

5. Should I try Tv mode? or M (but I do not know about the weather conditions, In cloudy days it could be probably the best choice for me)? Any other important settings to the camera?

6. Any other tips/important aspects that should be mentioned?

Cheers,
Robert

1. Yes and no. The IS takes time to wind up. If you can get fast shutter speeds then you may be able to leave the IS off. Fast like 1/500, preferably faster.
2. Same as above. 1/500 will stop most motion but you may still see some. Around 1/80 or 1/125 you should get some panning effect. Adjust this depending on the speed of the bikes.
3. Practice timing your shoots. You will do better timing the shoot for the right moment than you will with burst.
4. Select a single focus point, either center or one that allows rule of third or leading the subject. So if the riders are going left to right use a left focus point. You may also want to look at using the back button focusing.
5. M is always best. If you are not comfortable you may want to use AV. This allows you to set the aperture to get the type of depth of field you want and then just pay attention to the shutter speed to make sure it is not to fast or slow.

For more, read this, & the links you find in it:
Advice needed for Rally shooting