So you wanna be a Roadracer? Part 1

“I’ve done trackdays, and I love passing people out there!”

“That guy is a racer? I’m way faster than him!”

“I’d race, but it’s just too dangerous. You’ve got to be nuts to do that. Plus, I’m too old!”

“Man, it sure would be cool to late-brake someone into the final corner and win the race like Rossi!”

Sound familiar? I know, because it did to me too. I probably said (or certainly thought!) all of those statements over the last few years. But as you can imagine, there’s a big difference between saying or thinking that stuff, and actually taking the BIG leap. The leap from trackday rider to actual club racer.

Well, last year, at the tender age of 44, I did make that big leap. A leap that was fun, scary, crazy, and expensive. And way beyond anything I ever could have imagined it would be. Think you might want to try it?

What does it take to be a club racer?
Some clubs have a series that will let you try racing with your street bike. Where I race, at Miller Motorsports Park in Utah, they call it the “Clubman” series. You’ll have to take a few safety precautions just like at a trackday, like taping your mirrors, taping or disabling your lights, and probably swapping out your coolant for water. But you won’t have to go to full race bodywork, frame sliders, and some of the other stuff normally required to race.

You don’t need the latest and greatest bike to race, either. In club racing, there are successful racers on bikes new and old. Technique is much more important than horsepower and technology. Especially while learning, it’s not a bad idea to use a bike that is less costly. One good reason for this is that most insurance companies won’t cover your bike if you are racing. If you happen to crash, you are going to be paying for the damage to your bike out of your own pocket. Definitely something to think about before deciding to race.

Are you more likely to crash while on the street, at a trackday, or while racing? That’s a good question. I’m not aware of any statistics on this. I think I’ve actually seen more crashes at trackdays than at my race weekends, which is surprising. And I hardly even ride on the street anymore, because all I see are the dangers of cars, debris in the road, deer, and so on. In any case, I’m a big believer in getting as much education and training as possible to improve your skills and reduce your risk, no matter what type of riding you do.

To race, you’ll need a racing license. They’re really not that tough to get. I got mine through WERA at a trackday. Most clubs and many trackdays have an NRS, or New Racers School. Basically, it involves a half-day of instruction, with half of the time in the classroom, and the other half on the track. You’ll learn about what all the types of flags mean, the start procedure, bike prep, and lots of other good stuff that’s pretty basic. On the track, the instructor just wants to see that you have good control of your bike and aren’t going to be a complete knucklehead out there, putting yourself or others at risk.

The coolest part of getting the license was the “mock race” at the end of the training. The students took a warm-up lap, then lined up on a grid for an actual race standing start, then did three laps of actual racing. The rule was that if your handlebar touches the ground (a crash, no matter how minor), you don’t pass or get your license, and you’ll have to take the whole class over again.

The mock race was really exciting! I’d never done a standing start like that before. The other riders and I were out there on the grid, watching the starter count down and prepare to wave the green flag, all of us revving our bikes in anticipation, when suddenly that flag was flying – and so were we! I could see the other riders in my peripheral vision as we all dove into that first corner together. I wanted to get the holeshot, but I sure didn’t want to crash and have to take the class over to get my license! With no mirrors, and no pit board, you have no idea whether the other riders are right on your tail, or if you have a big lead. I got the holeshot, and from that point on could do nothing but assume they were right behind me, for three laps that felt like forever. It was really intense. It was so cool to see that checkered flag! I wound up actually winning the mock race (okay, there were only two of us, plus the instructor, who pulled off early – but I still won!), and it felt incredible. I waved at the corner workers on my cool-down lap, as they all clapped for me. How cool was that! I was beginning to think this racing stuff would be pretty fun.

I’ve got my license, now what?

The next thing you’ll want to do is to learn the rules of racing for your club. What classes will you run? This will depend on the type of bike you have, and your level of experience. What do you need to do to prep your bike? What is the schedule for race weekends? If you know someone who has raced the series before, they can be a big help with getting ready. In my case, my buddy Todd Seaver was a huge help. He had raced the season before, so he had to put up with a nonstop stream of questions from me. In fact, I was amazed at how helpful virtually everyone in the paddock was to me, as I went through my first season.

Your bike will need a transponder, which is an electronic device that sends a signal to the scorers in the tower as you cross the finish line each lap. It will keep track of all of your lap times in practice sessions and the races, and will decide any “photo finishes” electronically. They’re fairly expensive little gadgets – around $300.00 or so. Our club rents them out too, but I figured it would be cheaper in the long run to buy mine. Sometimes you can find them used on Ebay or the WERA forum. Lots of racing clubs automatically post the lap times and race results on www.mylaps.com, which is very handy.

Once you know which classes you will run, you will need to register for the races with your club. In our case, for the first race weekend, the novice grid positions were based on when you got your registration in. I wanted to be up at the front of the grid, so I signed up early!

Now that you're signed up, the anticipation really heats up. In my case, literally for weeks prior to my first race, it was really hard to sleep at night, just thinking about being on that starting grid with those other riders. I got to the point where I just wanted it to hurry up and get here, so I could get some sleep at night for a change.

original article can be seen at www.MotorcycleAddicts.org

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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