When to start racing?

[blankwall]

I know this question is loaded but here goes-

So I have been riding for a year or so and like all of us have become addicted. I'm going to the track in two weeks for my first track day. I cant wait haven't been so excited in a while. I have plans to go to a few more before the end of the season. Ever since i started driding i have wanted to race. My dad raced and i have been around it and just want to try it. My plan now is to go to the track this fall as many times as possible. Over the winter i want to get a sv650. I want to get in a few more track days with it and then go to the race school and get my license. Does this sound reasonable? Am i expecting to much to quickly? I don't expect to be the best ever i just want to get out there and feel the adrenaline and the rush but i also don't want to come in last either. What do you think?

 

[jaren warren]

start playing the lottery

 

[rk97]

The answer is different for everyone. You won't really know where you stack up until you've done a few track days.

In your words,

I don't expect to be the best ever i just want to get out there and feel the adrenaline and the rush but i also don't want to come in last either.

With that in mind, wait until you get bumped to "I" group, and do your race school. You might still come in last, but it depends on who else is there to race.

Novice race classes have a wider range of skill than any single group at a trackday. A fast "I" rider can get lapped by the top 5 in a novice race, and the backmarkers will get lapped twice. Look at www.mylaps.com and see what kind of times others are turning at different tracks.

But racing is pretty expensive to get into... the license is $110, a transponder is another $260 (or $60 rental), then race fees on top of that. The first weekend is a real kick in the wallet, and usually the ego.

 

[ninjamansc]

You can make a small fortune in club racing.

You just have to start with a large fortune......

 

[ronhix]

blankwall;142738 wrote: I know this question is loaded but here goes-

So I have been riding for a year or so and like all of us have become addicted. I'm going to the track in two weeks for my first track day. I cant wait haven't been so excited in a while. I have plans to go to a few more before the end of the season. Ever since i started driding i have wanted to race. My dad raced and i have been around it and just want to try it. My plan now is to go to the track this fall as many times as possible. Over the winter i want to get a sv650. I want to get in a few more track days with it and then go to the race school and get my license. Does this sound reasonable? Am i expecting to much to quickly? I don't expect to be the best ever i just want to get out there and feel the adrenaline and the rush but i also don't want to come in last either. What do you think?

Your are a little ahead of yourself. Come do some track days with us first and let's see where your skill level is currently at. Listen to what we tell you and then work hard on those things.

THEN, go racing.

NESBA folks are consistently at the top of the various club racing classes. You came to the right place. We can help you accomplish your goals, IF you let us.

:cheers:

 

[Nexus]

money aside...

Just do it. Before NESBA, STT, Motovid and other track days this was never even a question. People just went to race so they could get track time. I did it and know a ton of friends who did. Sure a ton of new racers are blazing fast now because of track days, but I would not let that stop you.

If you want to race just take the school and sign up


I'm sure I will take flack for this, but whatever.

 

[greeny]

come out for a couple trackdays. if we're still boring you, grid up!

 

[beevan217]

Nexus;142789 wrote: money aside...

Just do it. Before NESBA, STT, Motovid and other track days this was never even a question. People just went to race so they could get track time. I did it and know a ton of friends who did. Sure a ton of new racers are blazing fast now because of track days, but I would not let that stop you.

If you want to race just take the school and sign up


I'm sure I will take flack for this, but whatever.

Not sure I'd call this "flack" but, how did the racing work out for you & no offense... Why are you still in "B"?? Just curious

 

[beevan217]

blankwall;142738 wrote: I know this question is loaded but here goes-

So I have been riding for a year or so and like all of us have become addicted. I'm going to the track in two weeks for my first track day. I cant wait haven't been so excited in a while. I have plans to go to a few more before the end of the season. Ever since i started driding i have wanted to race. My dad raced and i have been around it and just want to try it. My plan now is to go to the track this fall as many times as possible. Over the winter i want to get a sv650. I want to get in a few more track days with it and then go to the race school and get my license. Does this sound reasonable? Am i expecting to much to quickly? I don't expect to be the best ever i just want to get out there and feel the adrenaline and the rush but i also don't want to come in last either. What do you think?

If 2 weeks from now will be your 1st track day, MY opinion would be to see if you even like or are comfortable on the track then see from there. I also agree with the CR's that posted along with a couple others that stated to get some track time under your belt. Look on youtube for race videos, look at the pace the riders run & see if you would be comfortable running with them. At least you have a plan. Good luck on your first track day/s.

 

[Yank 521]

i would def. say do a couple track days first. on the track during a trackday it gives you time to get comfortable in all sorts of ways. like getting passed or passing, learning your bike and the way she handles and acts. in racing there is no passing rules, it can scare the brown outta somebody if they are not ready for it. also racing is expensive compared to trackdays. you get alot more track time for you money, and there are people there willing to help you out. +1 for trackdays to start.

 

[blankwall]

I am definetly doing track days and cant wait to meet some of you guys out there. I know im a little ahead of myself but i cant imagine not loving it. I love every time im on the motorcycle and the faster the better. I will hopefully get close to 10 track days before i start racing.

 

[gkotlin]

I rode on the street for one year. Then I didn't ride for 10 years. Had an early mid-life crisis and found out about trackdays. Decided to go get a race license and race. Hadn't been on a bike in 10 years, new to me bike, new gear, nervous as heck. Went and did a race school. Figured I'd be fine since I used to be pretty quick on the street. Got my license. Decided to do one of these track day things. That way I'd have a leg up on people and already know the track.

So I picked Nesba and went out for a trackday. I told the CR's that I was just there to learn the track, I'm going to race! They told me that was cool and were very supportive. They said have fun and they'd see me at the races. You race too! He said yep. It was his first year as well. I'm thinking hmmmmm...... He's an amateur as well. But he's riding and looking behind him to help coach me and I have to race against him! Hmmmm I think I'll do a few more of these track day things. So I do trackdays for a year, I'm in Intermediate group now. I'm going to do it! So I register and will race soon. The week before my first race, I get bumped to Advanced. I go race my first weekend and even finish in the top 10! Sweet!

Looking back and now that I've been riding track for 5 years. I can't imagine why anyone would go out and just get a race license and race all in their first weekend on the track. If I had done it that way and I got lapped and thus strafed by the leaders who run 20 seconds quicker then I was, I would have wet my pants, and probably have gone home demoralized.

Those guys are taking your line or passing you inside like you are literally parked.

Come out to a Nesba day and let us work with you, share some wisdom and experience with you. Then imagine if we just tossed you out into our Advanced group. If that thought doesn't put any concern in the back of your mind, go race. If it does concern you, spend some time with us. Get comfortable passing and being passed. Learn a perfect line. Learn a race line. Learn how to properly setup a pass. If you do all that and ride that SV well with us. You will do very well racing.

It's not the right or wrong way. It's just the way I would do it now, knowing what I know.

Either way good luck and welcome! It's always good to see someone think a head and ask questions. Thats why we're here.

 

[bodell]

Blankwall,
Some people feel like the best way to learn how to swim is to jump into deep water. I usually tend to be of this mindset. I will point out that racing a motorcycle is far more dangerous and difficult than swimming. I would also add that street riding experience is valuable, but does not translate much to the track.

There is a great deal to learn and work on before becoming competent, let less competitive.

NESBA's format is designed to allow a rider to wade out into the water, in a much more controlled environment, and resolve weaknesses. I assure you that if you have never been on a track they will be immediately apparent. NESBA CR's work with riders while policing the track and managing the traffic. They do an incredible job with all aspects.

Racing will present you with the exact same challenges, but instead of CR's helping, you will have 30+ other guys on a mission to get around you.
If you are the type of person who likes to learn under fire, I suggest going racing. You will have the benefit of survival motivating you to learn.
Otherwise, I highly suggest taking advantage of NESBA and the kick-ass CR's who will help you become competent enough to compete.

 

[Nexus]

beevan217;142805 wrote: Not sure I'd call this "flack" but, how did the racing work out for you & no offense... Why are you still in "B"?? Just curious

No offense taken.

Racing went fine for me. I wasn't dead last and I wasn't blazing fast either, but I did have a blast and have great memories of those weekends. Things were just different back then compared to now.

Why am I in "B"? Well I bought a bike after 10 years of thinking about it, registered for NESBA as a Beginner and have rode 1 track day with them.

 

[alphamale]

I mean no disrespect to NESBA, but the answers you are going to get from guys that do Trackdays are to do trackdays.

That's the approach I took. I did 3 years of trackdays and 1 year of street riding, before I even dared to consider racing (that was my only motorcycle experience ever!) Then, when I did my race school, there was a girl that had only ever done CornerSpeed twice. That was her only track experience. She was slow, but she had a blast and got to see what Racing really was.

I have asked around the WERA paddock to a lot of really really fast guys and it's a mixed bag. Of course NESBA guys tout NESBA, but there are some guys that have come up JUST racing. The great thing about racing, if the grids are deep enough in the Novice classes. There will be some really really fast guys and some really really slow guys. That means that you can learn REALLY REALLY fast how to go FAST. If you can survive racing like that, then you will get faster no question.

I was under the impression initially that you had to be REALLY REALLY fast to go racing. Well, you have to be REALLY REALLY fast to win, but you don't need to be in order to Race. There are so many different classes of bikes, from vintage to Open classes. You can even race mini's. And WERA organizes a fantastic show! I was certainly impressed at the level of organization.

So am I telling you not to do trackdays? No... Do lots of trackdays! (WITH NESBA ESPECIALLY) BUT, do racing for your first time whenever you want to or feel like it, it's FUN!

(AND DON'T LET ANYBODY STAND IN THE WAY OF YOUR DREAM TO RACE)

 

[Nexus]

alphamale;142859 wrote:

I was under the impression initially that you had to be REALLY REALLY fast to go racing. Well, you have to be REALLY REALLY fast to win, but you don't need to be in order to Race. There are so many different classes of bikes, from vintage to Open classes. You can even race mini's. And WERA organizes a fantastic show! I was certainly impressed at the level of organization.

So am I telling you not to do trackdays? No... Do lots of trackdays! (WITH NESBA ESPECIALLY) BUT, do racing for your first time whenever you want to or feel like it, it's FUN!

(AND DON'T LET ANYBODY STAND IN THE WAY OF YOUR DREAM TO RACE)

I agree

 

[pajixxer]

well i must i give you props for chosing an sv to start your track riding on... ive wanted to race last year but i was going to wait untill I got bumped into A with nesba, that happened and I shortly started racing. I think that was a pretty good thing to do on my part, and I would suggest the same to anyone. Oh and by the way I started my second job a couple weeks ago just for racing....

 

[blankwall]

Thanks for all the replies sounds ike ill come out with you guys fall i love and hopefully be racing next year. Hope i can catch on quick.

 

[rk97]

Nexus;142789 wrote: Before NESBA, STT, Motovid and other track days this was never even a question. People just went to race so they could get track time.

100% correct!

...but trackdays have turned the "novice" race class into a complete misnomer.

I love listening to people talk about racing before trackdays. You hear things like, "guys used to ride their bike to the track. No one ran tire warmers, and numbers were done almost exclusively with electrical tape."

All I know is that if I ever have the cash to race, I'm probably going to be happy to not get lapped by control riders

 

[tomseviltwin]

I'd say you sound like you have a sound plan. You will have time on a track before you go racing and you can modify your plan down the road if you aren't as comfortable with it as you think you will be.

My own experience has been that if you want to go racing, go racing. I did. Its a blast. I'm doing it again in a couple weeks. It won't even be the one year anniversary of my first time on a motorcycle at a track.

That said, I'm not fast, even by Novice standards. Not only that, my first race was combined with Experts. Talk about eye-opening. Keep in mind, that's not out of the ordinary for a club level race.

My advice would be, keep to your plan, keep your mind open and be ready to learn every time you come to this forum or go to the track. There is more to learn about this sport then you can possibly learn in a lifetime. Learn as much as you can and go race! Oh, and crashing sucks and its expensive...don't do it.