I sometimes think I am destined to be a middle of the pack (sometimes back of the pack depending on grid size) road racer. I have been racing about a year. I have some good battles and have fun. But I've never got better than 11th place (out of 22 racers)
Are most road racers middle of the pack? I guess few of us are lucky to run up front?
This may help you accept your situation...........
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normal_distribution (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normal_distribution)
LOL!!!
Quote from: R6dude on August 22, 2007, 10:47:16 PM
I sometimes think I am destined to be a middle of the pack (sometimes back of the pack depending on grid size) road racer. I have been racing about a year. I have some good battles and have fun. But I've never got better than 11th place (out of 22 racers)
Are most road racers middle of the pack? I guess few of us are lucky to run up front?
There are very few racers that are fast from the start. Like any thing the more you practice a skill the better you get at it. Some just get 'it' faster than others. It takes seat time to get faster unless you are just gifted which most of us arent.
Quote from: R6dude on August 22, 2007, 10:47:16 PM
I sometimes think I am destined to be a middle of the pack (sometimes back of the pack depending on grid size) road racer. I have been racing about a year. I have some good battles and have fun. But I've never got better than 11th place (out of 22 racers)
Are most road racers middle of the pack? I guess few of us are lucky to run up front?
bring it on buddy. i'll battle for that last position with you. to be totally honest, the most fun i have ever had on the track has been battling for one of the last positions in a race. it's all for fun anyway.
we're all better off to kick ourself for how we fell short of accomplishment than to kick ourself because we just fell.
you are not alone. a true competitor always wants to do better. i am usually disgusted with myself after every race weekend or trackday. the next day i've got the calender out wondering when the next race or trackday is. for me the best part of the race is sitting on the grid waiting for the flag to drop. no other feeling like it. but i also like wrenching on my bike, the comraderie of racing and the track atmosphere. there are a ton of other guys that want to be out there and just don't have the kahunas. go out and have fun. work on being smooth and the fast will come. 2 quotes come to mind.
"If you don't just hang your balls out there and do it, you'll never know what might have happened." Rossi
"The slowest guy, in the slowest class, is having more fun than the guy in the stands." Mike Stephens
I know how you feel. My first couple years I was a mid packer for the most part. Wu and I still love to remember when we would battle for 32nd place like it was for the superbike championship lol!
I'm a guy that doesn't like to take big chances so my advancement has come pretty slow, but hang in there and the speed will come. Have you taken any schools? The setup of the bike will make a HUGE difference on how easy it is to go fast... Also there are tricks in your riding style and techniques that can have similar impacts. There is a reason Spies makes it look easy out there...
Quote from: Spooner on August 23, 2007, 11:49:08 AM
I know how you feel. My first couple years I was a mid packer for the most part. Wu and I still love to remember when we would battle for 32nd place like it was for the superbike championship lol!
I'm a guy that doesn't like to take big chances so my advancement has come pretty slow, but hang in there and the speed will come. Have you taken any schools? The setup of the bike will make a HUGE difference on how easy it is to go fast... Also there are tricks in your riding style and techniques that can have similar impacts. There is a reason Spies makes it look easy out there...
I was the same way at the start and it was frustrating but as the years go by you don't want to be in the back or middle anymore. I am very cautious when I race and that's why I don't go as fast as I should but with one bike, if I fall down i lose lots of points. Keep trying to get faster, it will happen!!!!
I agree with what everyone else said.... keep practicing, ride smart, and listen to the very fast riders when they say something about riding technique. Eventually you will get faster. In this sport, its better not to bite off more than you can chew.
I've had a good year my first (relatively) full season as a LW AM however I'm very frustrated that I'm second in the SS championship and third in two others with no real hope of winning any championship this year. Next year @ exp. will be even tougher. So I'm disapointed because it is unlikely that I'll win any championships ever....
Having said that, last year I was running mid to back of the pack and my goal at the beginning of the year was to run midpack to front and break the 1:20s @ BHF. I'm lucky enought to have done that and more but the disapointment remains given that I was 26 points from a championship.
For me, it's really about the competition. It is better to have lost a close contest than to win by half a lap having ridden most of the race on a clear track.
Don't forget that road racers are anything but average - we represent 1-2% of the motorcycling community and in terms of racing community, we practice one of the most demanding forms of racing. Average - Never....
Steve
Quote from: R6dude on August 22, 2007, 10:47:16 PM
I sometimes think I am destined to be a middle of the pack (sometimes back of the pack depending on grid size) road racer. I have been racing about a year. I have some good battles and have fun. But I've never got better than 11th place (out of 22 racers)
Are most road racers middle of the pack? I guess few of us are lucky to run up front?
Try not to focus on what part of the pack you finish in. Pay attention to how you are riding. During and after your race or practice, think about what you thought you did well, and what you did not do well. Be honest with yourself while you are analyzing your performance. If you are not as fast as you want to be, you need to change something to improve. Formulate methods that you feel comfortable in executing, that might improve the things you feel you did not do well. Often time falls off in big chunks and you get stuck on some plateau of a certain speed. Be patient and keep working on it.
You will have to race the pavement before you can race your competetors effectively. This outlook will also give you reason to feel that you are progressing in your learning curve, bringing you a better sense of accomplishment.
I am a middle of the pack guy and for me, that is fine. Would I like to finish top 3, sure, is that highly probable? In a 4 bike grid, of course! :biggrin:
For me it is all about the flag dropping and having a go with what ever bikes I end up dicing it up with.
If I am dicing it up with 3-5 bike, that is fun. Even if it is in the middle of the pack.
I hope one day my times will drop and I move up, but I am in no hurry. I enjoy the thrill of the race, and unfortunately we all can't be top finishers.
Would like to thank everyone who shared their responses. I remember before I raced, I always looked at racers and the entire scene and said "Man, I'd love to be part of that, I don't care if I'm slow, I just want to be part of it."
Funny how you get so caught up, you forget the whole reason you started this in the first place, isn't it?
I love you guys (I really mean that :) )
Keep trying and sooner or later it'll come. Suspension helps a ton. Things that at the beginning of last year seemed borderline insane and scary impossible, this year feel great in the rain. Once you sort the suspension and feel comfy with speed, you'll be competitive. Don't rush it, take your time and have fun. This is a hobby for most of us and an addictive one at that. :thumb:
I think every rider/racer has those thoughts. My first race ever I thought I was balls out and flying, then my wife told me she was glad I was riding safe and that I was dead last. So I just kept trying. But over time I had to realign my personal ideas and goals.
One of my goals was to simply not get lapped by Ed Key in the GTL race. Sad to say but that took a bit but I was working on a goal. That seemed to help me alot and keep me focused not on trying to run with the fastest guys but something that I could achieve.
Finaly got there and am ever so slowly finding ways to get quicker. This year the goal was "No off track excursions". Sounds silly but by focusing on lines and slowing down a bit I have actually gone faster at almost every track (compared to my times last season).
Just a thought.
Unless there's more than a chance in Hell of ever becoming a paid rider, you're only racing because you enjoy it.
So enjoy it.
If you're not trying to go pro, it doesn't really matter where you start, or where you finish, only that you enjoy the ride.
Don't beat yourself up over your finishing position. Go out there and ride smart, have fun, and just enjoy the whole experience. Some of the best battles are not at the front. For those who can't/won't ever enjoy a paid ride, that's really what it's all about, isn't it?
For whatever it's worth, relax and have fun. You bought your ticket, enjoy the ride.
Quote from: Sklossmonster on August 24, 2007, 05:57:05 PM
Unless there's more than a chance in Hell of ever becoming a paid rider, you're only racing because you enjoy it.
So enjoy it.
If you're not trying to go pro, it doesn't really matter where you start, or where you finish, only that you enjoy the ride.
Don't beat yourself up over your finishing position. Go out there and ride smart, have fun, and just enjoy the whole experience. Some of the best battles are not at the front. For those who can't/won't ever enjoy a paid ride, that's really what it's all about, isn't it?
For whatever it's worth, relax and have fun. You bought your ticket, enjoy the ride.
Good advice, I just work on my lap times and figure out where I can do better, no matter how I finish it still means I have to go to work on Monday, I am still happy to just be doing it, it was not long ago that I watched my son ride instead of riding with him.