Why go to the track?

So, you have been riding for a while, and you are getting bored with the street, or you are getting into a bit more trouble than is reasonable, but you LOVE your motorcycle. I know how you feel, I was once like that as well, riding just crazy enough to land myself in jail, or maim myself and others around me. I was lucky enough to have someone tell me I needed to get off the street before I hurt someone else or myself badly.

A lot of people say that roadracing motorcycles is dangerous and, I have to admit, they are right, it IS dangerous. But, that said, it is far less dangerous than riding on the street. Let me explain why I say that. First, when you are on the track, you know that the others on the track have been through a Racing Rider's School of some sort, and the instructors are not going to pass them if they don't feel they are going to be at least reasonably safe. Second, grandma is not going to pull out in front of you in her big Cadillac when you are blazing down the road at what some might call illegal speeds. Third, there is ALWAYS at least one ambulance on hand at every track while motorcycles are circulating, meaning there is always help within a few moments of you should you get yourself into trouble. Fourth, you are saved from yourself, by this I mean that you have to wear all of the safety equipment there is before you can go out on track, boots, leathers, gloves, helmet, and back-protector. It doesn't matter if there is no helmet law where you live, they are not going to let you out there without a brain-bucket, and that is that. If you are worried people wont be able to see how cool you look, then stop reading now and forget you ever saw this blog.

Motorcycle racing is cool, don't get me wrong, but if you are doing for that reason, then you will realize very soon that you don't have the dedication. Roadracing is very expensive, from tires, to transport vehicles, to getting to the track, to bikes, to everything else that is required, you are going to be shelling out the dough. And then you crash, then you find out just exactly what the physical toll will be. Believe me, you will crash; there are only two kinds of riders out there, those that have crashed, and those that are GOING to crash.

So why am I telling you all of this nasty stuff now? Because I want to you go into this with your eyes open, knowing full well that you will break bones and the bank, maybe not in that order.

I worked on a privateer Roadracing team for over 5 years running WERA and AMA events, but never had the cash to get on the track much, maybe 5 or 6 races total with a lot of trackdays in there. I have seen the effort put in by riders who are trying to make it, and I have seen what a difference it makes to have someone giving you the skinny from time to time. Racing motorcycles is one of my passions, and I hope to be involved in it for the rest of my life. The things I put forward on this blog are going to be by no means an exhaustive examination of how to get out there and do it, but they are a collection of the things I learned and opinions I have on how you can get things done. I am certain that there are other ways of doing things, and in some cases, better ways, but this is what I have learned.

So, if I havent scared you off yet, welcome to the wonderful world of roadracing. You are going to LOVE it, it is one of the most beautiful and fun things I know of to do with your clothes on. I am going to talk about getting started in a few different areas, each post will cover an item, such as the bike, the series, etc. So, check back often, I will try to post weekly as time permits.