I think a new thread to start should be why do you race. What is your outlook on racing?
Are you looking to be the next World Champion? or just trying to get away from the old lady?
Basically put. What is racing to you? Why do you do it. Goals? What are you trying to achieve if anything?
I'd like to understand what goes through the mind of other racers out there. :err:
I race because I have these big piles of cash laying around that I needed to do something with!
Honestly, I'm not entirely sure why I started doing this. I know I saw it as a natural progression from doing on-track riding schools and track days.
I have no delusions about my own skills, or expectations that I will advance beyond the club level.
I'd never been big into competetive sports in high school, but once I started racing, I discovered that I did have that fire within me. I enjoy the complete 100% focus that racing involves when I'm on the track, the thrill of competition, and people's reaction when they ask me what I did over the weekend!
I tell them its how i relax,the give me that look again :err: :wtf:...Actually i started riding in the late 60's and watched the ama guys make it look so easy at Pocono,I got out of it for about 15 yrs and then found club racing had started w/out me-I love the thrill of the starting line :boink:,the chase down and passing,the comradery,just glad to see there is club racing--- a way to click upward on the gear shifter(standard) and still keep my drivers license! Thanks for askin,john in Victory Gardens :blahblah: :blahblah: :blahblah:
A friend of mine and I were out for a day ride. We were starting to ride pretty fast and were getting faster. Those dayrides got progressively faster. We were in control and keeping it sane. Then I realized the speeds we were going were too fast to safely avoid a vehicle exiting a blind driveway, or any number of those kinds of things. I know it's a boring reason but that was the main reason. I remember that point of realization on a beautiful side road just outside of Mazomanie-I would die really fast if a tractor had pulled out of that drveway I had just passed. That, and Keith Code is a good friend of my uncle's. :biggrin:
I race Because I can, I remember being a little kid And seeing Motorcycles Race On TV and saying I want to do that. I went college in Northern ireland and My House was on the route of the North West 200, Again I said I want to do that.
But instead I got High.
Then I stopped getting High, Got a job a wife Bought a Place.
What now
Now I race and I love It. I dont have to worry about cars, Cops or Cows.
Sure it gets expensive, But its cheaper then going to the Bar,
One day I will do the The Isle of Man, and the Pikes peak Race.
and take the summer off work and race across america at Some of your favorite tracks
I started riding bikes in 81. For a weekend outing I went up to Road America for the AMA Superbike races, I thought "man I want to do that". I thought about it and I thought about it and to be totally honest it scared the hell out of me to go from my street riding to what they did. Fast forward 25 years and a now great friend of mine bought the shop that I took my Beemers to and being a racer he setup a track day with STT for his customers only. There were about 40 of us and I had the time of my life. The next year I did it again and 4 of the coachs told me to get an SV and go racing. That was last year and I can't describe how my life has changed by realizing a 25 year old dream. I'll go white plates in a year or 2 and I won't win anymore but when I go out on the track it's the greatest high in the world, every pain in my body goes away, every worry in my life goes away. I do it because it is the most fun I have ever had and I can't imagine not be able to do it.
i used to be a canyon rat. a friend of mine who is an ama pro used to tell me i should come to colorado and try mra racing. i never could find the time. i could smoke almost everyone i ever rode with until i went to pahrump. i was handed my ass and humbled very quickly haha. i started racing and it was like heroi or something now i cant stop. thankfully i am getting faster and dont get humbled quite so easily anymore. it really sucks though because now i no longer have a street bike and have no desire to ride like i used to just for fun.
Why do I race?
I race because it improves ME as a person. I battle myself while becoming one with that bike, track and competition. Breaking through the mental barriers which make people call us nuts is the ultimate prize.
I too, have told people I do this to relax. They laugh and ask how. Then I explain.. "when you're doing 140 mph, half a degree from destruction, sliding the front tire, sliding the rear tire, still feeding it gas, the entire world disappears. Nothing else matters at that moment. There is no wife, no kids, no job, no debt, no pain and no fear. Only you, that bike and that track."
I suppose I could continue to elaborate, but the above paragraph is indeed, why I race...
http://www.serpentracing.com/Jason's%20Bio.htm (http://www.serpentracing.com/Jason's%20Bio.htm)
Some people may say that this is bullshit - But if you know me - I mean really know me - then you know when I say this that it's true....
Racing is my life and I would be totally lost without it......
Scotty, just be careful, and understand that removing the ability to race from your life is a realistic thing... Consider that you may at some point need a backup plan/exit strategy...
I've been riding for about 4 or 5 years total. Got to running harder and harder on the streets then realized that it's not all that hard to ditch a cop. So I went with that mindset for a while. Outran the cops several times, but sure enough, one day got busted.
I still had to get out and ride cause it drove me nuts to just look at the bike in the garage but I didn't have the will power to go the speed limit. Which just ended up in more tickets, now including driving without a license.
A buddy of mine wanted to ride up to Putnam one day to watch a track day. A few weeks later we did the two free sessions with NESBA and 2 weeks after that did a full track day and I've been hooked since then.
Nothing else offers that kind of feeling and some of your best friends are at the same place every couple of weeks. The people are great, the competition is awesome, and the best guys are willing to help you get better even if that means you'll end up out doing them. What more could you ask for. Besides maybe cheaper tires.
It's just an over-all world like nothing else.
Been riding most of my life then went to an AMA race at Road Atlanta. Jennings had their Grand Opening booth setup. As we were watching the eyes of the AMA racer at the two turns at the back of Road A, my friend said, "you're going to do this one day". Ended up doing track days at Jennings, then started racing in 2005. Sold the street bike and have been racing ever since. No dreams of racing above club level but having the time of my life now......and the wife supports it!
This is actually a harder question to answer than I though...
I came to this conclusion: I race simply because I love to.
I love waking up in the morning at the track, you know at 6:00am, the sun is just starting to come up, there's a light fog, trailers/bikes/trucks everywhere, You just know your home.
I love the smell of hot asphalt, oil and race gas.
I love the meeting the "family" pitted next to you.
I love that all my work-week concerns disappear and are replaced my a certain focus and quietness the second I zip up my suit and buckle my helmet.
I love the little jitters waiting for the green flag to drop.
I love figuring out how to catch and pass the racer in front of me.
I love working on being smother, hitting my line more accurately, running faster more comfortable lap times.
I love the ear to ear smile I get after the race that just doesn't seem to go away.
etc... :blahblah:
It's just something I love doing.
My goals are simple and realistic, have fun, do better each time I go out, have fun, make new friends, have fun, spend time with my family, and you guessed it have fun.
I race because I enjoy the competition, and because I enjoy riding a bike that can easily bite me somewhere near the limit of its capabilities. I also race because of the extreme concentration level that I am able to achieve while on the track.
Quote from: Jeff on December 18, 2006, 09:27:07 AM
There is no wife, no kids, no job, no debt, no pain and no fear.
Same concept for me, just some of the nouns are different.
There is no ####, no ####, no ###, no ####, no pain and no ####.
Neighbor who raced recruited me and a buddy to corner work when we were 15. At 16 we took school and raced a few times locally for the next few seasons.
Remembered all the fond memories of adrenilene from back then, and gave it another shot in 01.
Fatter & slower, didn't quite go as expected.
Now I'm past the point of thinking I'll be a front runner in club (I'm not 'that' guy), but content being midpack. Seemed most impotant was to be fastest, now smoother and safer seem to be my agenda.
Now I do the trackdays and race when I can afford it, and it's location is close.
The more times I do it the more fun I have hanging out in the pits, and the closer I get with my good friends.
I'm old, fat, and slow....but I am still having fun. And it's great to see my racing buddies, on those weekends. I have made some life-long friends from the racetrack :cheers:
I race because I enjoy being broke and having a large credit card debt!!
The crumpet, I suppose.
Quote from: KC_124 on December 24, 2006, 10:37:26 AM
The crumpet, I suppose.
Isn't that a famous Barry Sheene quote?
Honestly? I have no idea... this is something I've been trying to figure out ever since last year about this time, when I started to put together my first track bike, and become totally obsessed.
It's 7am, it's the day before Christmas, and I'm at work working a double shift as I've been doing for the past week, and will be doing again tomorrow. I'll be missing Christmas with my family, and I don't even care. All I can think about is the money I'm making to pay off my debt from last summer, so I can do it all over again next summer. I don't think about my family as much as I should anymore, I don't care about my social life, dating, or girls all together. As much of an old oil burner she is, I care much more about my bike than any woman I've yet to meet. I've spent more time and spilled more blood working on my bike than I'd ever care to spend with anyone else. I don't even care about my job much anymore... just enough to not get fired so I can keep making money, to keep going to the track.
All this, and I haven't even tasted a top 10 finish yet. And if I never do, it will make no difference. For me it's the thrill of knowing I'm doing something that very few people on this planet have the guts to do... Get off the couch and do something I've always wanted to do, and not worry about the many reasons why I shouldn't.
As if I have trouble understanding, there are my family and non-racing friends. They mostly think this is just some crazy phase I'm going through, because I'm 27, single, and looking for attention. lol Obviously any attempts to explain otherwise are fruitless.
The only explanation I can come up with is to ponder life a bit. Bare with me, this is about to become a "super sized" post.
Life needs purpose and goals. Something to live and work for, to accomplish. Accomplishing the goal is not the point, infact it's secondary at best. It's the sense of purpose and desire along the way that matters. It's what gives us all a reason to wake up in the morning. Without some future goal, why would you bother waking up in the morning? Might as well just stay in bed the rest of your life... heck, my bed is my favorite place to be! (For more than one reason... for those with their minds in the gutter.)
When we were younger, and in school... we had purpose. To get our asses through school, and get a good job that we (might) enjoy, to make money. Right? So I graduated college, and got a career that I will probably retire from. I've been working this job now for about 5 years, and no longer had a reason to wake up besides to go to work to pay the bills. What kinda life is that?? Then one day I was invited to the track (BHF) to hang out with a friend and take photos of him racing. I had always been a 2 wheel fanatic, but never really paid much attention to racing until that day. Funny, how one hobby leads to another.
That day was like a gateway drug... spending the day taking photos of high performance machines buzzing all around me. I had been pondering the idea for a few years, since being friends with Jason Farrell, but this was it. This was the exact moment I decided I was going to race a motorcycle... standing at the fence by the false grid at BHF, during the first morning practice session. As much as I love being a photographer, for once I had to be on the other end of the lens. Words cant describe how excited I was. I just kept mumbling over and over aloud to myself with every photo I took, "I'm going to do that... I have to do that."
Just when I needed one most, I found a new purpose in life. Something to wake up for. It doesn't matter if I ever win a race. Of coarse winning is the goal, but like I said... the goal is only secondary. I'm doing it, and enjoying it more than anything else I've ever done before. That's what matters most to me.
Quote from: Speedballer347 on December 24, 2006, 12:35:48 AMSeemed most impotant was to be fastest,
Glad I caught that before someone else did :err: You guys are getting slow :sleeping2:
To piss away any chances of having a savings account! and the pure fun of it all!
i race because nothing in the world makes me feel better, my girlfriend and my family make my life complete, but racing is a big part of it
I race because Dano, JimmyP, and myself where going way to fast on backroads. I quit because I got Jen pregnent :rollseyes:
Thats a harder question than I thought it would be...
I guess at first it started off as "something cool". Something I could look back on one day and say "I did that" stories for friends and family, kids and grandkids.
it evolved
Now its something that I cant imagine what I would do without in SOME aspect. I know my days are numbered in the sport... Most people's are. I would like to think those days are still counted in years. I dont see myself out of this anytime soon but for me, for my life, something will have to give someday. Maybe after a few runs at the F40 title! (I'm 31).
Now its become more. I have been building relationships, friendships, business contacts, you name it! I am strengthening my relationship with my father (bought him a TD for Christmas), I hope he comes and helps turn some wrenches this season. We dont spend enough time together.
It makes me appreciate my wife more. All she puts up with, the financial burden I impose on the home.
I enjoy the competition. Its amazing how fighting for 3rd is the same as fighting for 13th. Both are acceptable to me as long as I gave it a solid effort and put my best foot forward.
Its intertwined itself into nearly every aspect of my life. I wont let it completely take over... but it will never be cut out.
Did I even answer the question?
Quote from: Speedballer347 on December 24, 2006, 02:43:28 PM
Glad I caught that before someone else did :err: You guys are getting slow :sleeping2:
Is that the same thing as impotent?
My brother, who was 1 year older than me, died suddenly at the age of 30. I decicded then, if there was something in life I wanted to do, and I could afford it, I was doing it.
Quote from: KC_124 on December 26, 2006, 08:20:52 PM
Is that the same thing as impotent?
My brother, who was 1 year older than me, died suddenly at the age of 30. I decicded then, if there was something in life I wanted to do, and I could afford it, I was doing it.
Kevin, don't ever lose that attiude. I've been there 3 times only the last time was me, I came within 3 inches of dying November 28th, doing my 9-5 job. You're not safe anywhere so do what you love whether it's safe or not. :thumb: The first two were friends and that's when I started to do what made me happy whether my family approved or not. You know what, it took a while but they came around and now they actually enjoy coming obut to see me race.
The moost recent accident involving me cast my attitude in concrete. Do what makes you happy no matter what anyone else thinks, you only live once and you don't know how long that once is going to last.
Why do I race, it is the most fun I have EVER had.
Quote from: jeremy271 on December 25, 2006, 08:40:47 PM
I race because Dano, JimmyP, and myself where going way to fast on backroads. I quit because I got Jen pregnent :rollseyes:
When were you ever going fast....?
Maybe when he was with Jen...oh, nevermind.
Why do I race? Well it's a combination of things that goes back over 25 years. I learned to ride on one of those Harley-Davidson 90cc mid-size bikes. The thing was I could ride it only if I kick-started it. I was 10-11 at the time and was a little smaller than average. I spent all morning kicking and kicking and finally when the thing fired up it nearly scared me to death. It was a friend of our families who owned the bike and the cow pasture that would become my training ground. At first I was sitting on the front learning the mechanics. I had a decent grasp of how the bike worked from riding on the back of my father's old Honda. The day was starting to wind down when the John my trainer decided I was ready to go solo and without warning jumped off the back of the bike. That was the moment I was free, dodging cow pies, wind in my air, a strange aroma in my nose but I was on my own. I promptly took advantage of the situation and decide to explore the vast acreage in attempt to cover as much ground as possible. It was on this little expedition where I learned that the motorcycle and a soggy cow pasture can lead to some serious traction issues. Well to this day I still believe that sheer will power kept me from dumping that bike in a tricky situation. Fast forward 20 years and I believe that the same will power has saved me from lets just say a few off track excursions.
I have ridden motorcycles (ok it was a 1966 Vespa 150) as my primary source of transportation downtown Chicago for a couple of years. So in current times, I purchased my first street bike in June 2002. It happened to be the Thursday before the AMA Superbike races at Road America. The old adage "if I only knew then" applies here; that riding a brand new bike 2.5 hours to Wisconsin while trying to follow the break-in rules would be so painful. I did make it and was exposed and hooked on what I was seeing, I believe that was my first up close exposure to the sport of motorcycle road racing. After that trip, I rode around the streets of Chicago for several months on my Triumph Speed Four. After a little internet research I found Sportbike Track Time. Next thing I know I was on the track at Gingerman and loving the feeling, going as fast as I want (as fast as the control rider would let me) and finally halfway through the day I got my knee down. Little to say I was addicted. I attended one more track day, returned back to Chicago and the next day promptly ordered a ZX-6RR. Monte you have cost me thousands of dollars! Over that winter while waiting for the bike to be delivered I started the process of ordering all of the things you need to go racing. I'm sure all of you know the list. It was this part that I really did enjoy. I was building something, not sure what it will lead to but the process was educational.
Racing, the range of emotions that I have gone through I haven't experienced anywhere else. Through racing I have got to spend more time with my father. So much so that he decided that I was having all of the fun and purchased a TZ125 for himself. I'm sure some of you have seen him out there, maybe even raced against him. I have met, hung out with, and raced against some the best people around, not only as competitors but as people as well. I think the only exception has been Edgar, I don't know about that guy. Seriously, racing has exposed me to so much, not only has it challenged me, injured me and provided me with a sense of being. I don't know where I would be without it. My favorite part, if I have to narrow it down to one aspect. I would say the cool-down lap. Winning is winning but some of the best races I ever had were dicing it up in the middle of the pack, seeing the checker and acknowledging the effort that your competitors had just put forward. So why do I race? It keeps me sane, makes work worth working, I enjoy the comradery, the road trips (I'll save the stories for another time), the friends and the families.
What's next? We'll see on March 10, 2007.
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I race because nothing feels better.
Except the crashing part, I can think of things that feel better than crashing.