Q for competitive racers

snikwad

snikwad

New Member
If youre a not a racer, please dont answer.
Those of you that race, competitively, regularly. At what point did you say, i think im gonna give this racing thing a shot?
What rout did you take... :i:> Race? or :a:> Race? :a: > :cr: > Race? Race > trackdays, etc...?

Was it a case of im bored racing the lap timer, or was it a case of, some dude youre faster than around most trackdays says hes racing and you think well WTF?

At what point do trackdays become just a shakedown/practise session and its all about chasing the trophy, or did you all start trackdays with the entention of making it to club and maybe national level?


Thanks for your time.
 
sobottka

sobottka

New Member
I only did one track day before racing. :dunno: decided to race and went for it.
i do as many track days as i can in the first 1/2 of the season mostly for muscle memory and to harden my hands. also try to do track days at tracks im not familiar with before a race weekend to help learn the track. for me track days are not really about racing or "chaseing a trophy" as much as riding for the fun of it .....most of the time
 
snikwad

snikwad

New Member
so is it a steep learning cure, this racing thing?
do you ever wish you did more trackdays before going to racing?
 
sobottka

sobottka

New Member
well my first post doesnt tell the whole story... i did race about 2 seasons worth of ccs and wera in 1993-1995 (on a cbr f2...when it was new!!) . back then there were no track days, you would take the licence school and race ..if you wanted track time. that being said, i think if you are a solid rider and have a competitive side/desire to race, you should
 
snikwad

snikwad

New Member
ah... youre old school. cool cool.
im just wondering if after a while im gonna get bored with trackdays, and have to go try this expensive ass racing thing. :(
 
sobottka

sobottka

New Member
snikwad;106196 wrote: At what point do trackdays become just a shakedown/practise session and its all about chasing the trophy, or did you all start trackdays with the entention of making it to club and maybe national level?


Thanks for your time.
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after re reading this it seems your worried that racing takes the fun out of track days. for me even when im seriuosly trying to learn a new track or work on bike set-up at a t/d, its still a ton of fun. different but still a blast.
 
Bluenvy

Bluenvy

New Member
i made it to A, got my times down to where i would be some what competitive then gave it a shot
 
snikwad

snikwad

New Member
Bluenvy;106345 wrote: i made it to A, got my times down to where i would be some what competitive then gave it a shot
Click to expand...
thats whats up.
now when you went out there, could you hang, was it like A pace or faster?
 
Bluenvy

Bluenvy

New Member
snikwad;106347 wrote: thats whats up.
now when you went out there, could you hang, was it like A pace or faster?
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yeah i could hang, my first weekend i was starting in the way back of the pack and i got two 7th places, a 6th and a 10th, and my second weekend i got a 3rd in the solo after starting back in like 15th or something. i also dropped my times by 3 seconds at beaverun and 2 seconds at summit main. i only did two race weekends before the season was over.
 
sobottka

sobottka

New Member
snikwad;106342 wrote: ah... youre old school. cool cool.
im just wondering if after a while im gonna get bored with trackdays, and have to go try this expensive ass racing thing. :(
Click to expand...
sounds like you already are :D
 
snikwad

snikwad

New Member
Bluenvy;106349 wrote: yeah i could hang, my first weekend i was starting in the way back of the pack and i got two 7th places, a 6th and a 10th, and my second weekend i got a 3rd in the solo after starting back in like 15th or something. i also dropped my times by 3 seconds at beaverun and 2 seconds at summit main. i only did two race weekends before the season was over.
nice, and thats in that oh so competitive 600 supersport class right?

sounds like you already are
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not at all, too slow, and have a lot to work on still.
Just thinking of the future. :)
 
sasrocks

sasrocks

New Member
I started out track days and swore I would never feel the need to race. When I had raced as a kid, into my early 20's I inevitably went WFO got in over my head and crashed my brains out in MX. Was obvisouly afraid the same thing would happen with worse resul;ts on the road race track.

But, after 12 track days (over 2 years), I was at I group and with some much needed maturity and self control, decided to see how I stacked up. My goal was to run respectable, mid pack Novice times. That was 4 years ago.

At the risk of over complicating it, racing will help you but you ought to be clear about your program and goals and not just dive in unprepared and without some basic understanding what you are trying to accomplish and thhe steps to get there.
 
sasrocks

sasrocks

New Member
You will drop time, probably 2-3 seconds right off the bat. You will be more confortable in close traffic, get experience dealing with very close passes, making passes you would not be advised to try in a track day, pushing beyond your comfort zone and dealing with oh shit moments. you will learn to, and appreciate the need to run a defensive line at times instead of a track day line. You will start planning your moves strategically, and building a style of your own, your racecraft in other words.

You will become more efficient in your riding style because you are using more energy and getting tired faster, and the option of slacking off the pace and cruising at 95% for a lap is not an option. You will get used to controlling your adreneline and funnelling those emotions into a higher level of focus. you will learn how to listen to your tires feedback better.

You will gain confidence by undergoing the preparation necessary to get on a race grid. That means completing a race licensing school, prepping your bike for the technical requirements of the organization you are racing with, and becomeing prepared to deal with any obstacle whether it be weather, logistics or mechanical issues that could keep you from rolling out of the pit and onto the track between the time the 5 board goes up and the time the 4 board goes down. Its not like a track day where you can sit out a session or roll out 5 minutes after it starts. The whistl blows and you have your game face on and you go.

Oh yea, then therer is that whole starting thing. :D
 
Emerson

Emerson

BobbleHeadMoto
Control Rider
ATP/3C
i did the same thing bluenvy did, got to :a: made sure my lap times would be competitive, and went for it. if you do decide to race go to a drag strip and practice, it really sucks starting on the front row and being in last place by turn one :doh:
 
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