Motorcycle Racing Forum

Racing Discussion => Racing Discussion => Topic started by: lil_thorny on May 05, 2003, 10:31:14 AM

Title: Why do we race?
Post by: lil_thorny on May 05, 2003, 10:31:14 AM
in your own words, please write a little as to :
"why do I roadrace motorcycles?"
everyone is welcome... i am going to compile these
reasons or "rationalizations" for my peeps who
don't (yet) understand why we do what we do.
So, pls feel free and jot down a few things....
should be fun to read what we all have to say.
thanks,
Benji.
Title: Re: Why do we race?
Post by: MightyDuc Racing on May 05, 2003, 10:36:56 AM
Short and sweet....  It's like owning your own roller-coaster...the ultimate rush.  There is no greater feeling than getting around the track 1/10th of a second faster than you ever thought you could. Nothing like it! ;)
Title: Re: Why do we race?
Post by: lil_thorny on May 05, 2003, 10:41:22 AM
i myself started racing karts because of the thrill
of going faster than my bicycle. then moved up
to cars. Not as exciting as karts but the competition
was far greater. So my love of competition increased.
Then tried rally..fun..too expensive...way too scary.
Now bikes. Never seen so many smiles at the track,
i think it's because we all share that special something that I can't describe to people that don't
do what we do. A coworker asked me today what is it
like, why do you do something that is so dangerous.
I told him it's not as dangerous as you mighnt think,
then he said..well what is so great about it. I didn't
have an exact answere for him. What I did tell him
is that when I am on the track, all is forgotten.
1 month of frustration erased during 10 min. of
pure..... can't find the word!
thanks again for your input,
Benji.
Title: Re: Why do we race?
Post by: Dawn on May 05, 2003, 10:55:02 AM
For mine and my husband's mental health.

Get up, go to work, work, go home, work there, go to bed.....

Get up, go to work, work, go home, work there, go to bed.....

Get up, go to work, work, go home, work there, go to bed.....

Get up, go to work, work, go home, work there, go to bed.....

Get up, go to work, work, go home, work there, go to bed.....

Race weekend!!!  Whoo Hooo!  The people, the bikes, the exhilaration of you and the machine working as one (we hope) and just being able to dice with someone.  

It doesn't matter if you come in first or tenth if you have someone to race with (or at least that is what Paul told me once).

Dawn  
Title: Re: Why do we race?
Post by: tshort on May 05, 2003, 11:03:21 AM
This was from another board - I think it's pretty good:

An editorial from Cycle News...(c)

[/b]WHAT ROADRACING IS ALL ABOUT

The most important first lesson about racing is that it
is not about going fast around a track on a motorcycle.
It is about the sacrifice of all your earnings, your
equanimity, all your sleep, and your relations with your
loved ones and the rest of the world in pursuit of a
higher-placed finish.
It is about pushing your bike to the pits on a dead run
so you can hammer it back into shape and get it re-
teched, and then borrow another helmet in time for the
next race.  It is about healing at 100 mph in order to
finish the season on the track.
It is about lapping a full second better than your
previous best-ever, while abandoning the proper lines in
every turn trying to get past someone with more motor
than you.
It is about passing shaky Novices or over-their-head
squids regardless of the hazard, because you belong in
front of them.
It is about blowing by four bikes on the brakes, passing
another on the exit of the turn and taking off after
another bike that is barely in your sight because you
sacrificed and sweated and stressed and risked and you
aren't about to waste it all.
It is about putting together the fastest four laps of
your life and racing neck-and-neck with someone else who
is also putting together the fastest four laps of
his/her life, taking it to the max, trusting the other
rider to do the right thing, just as they are trusting
you not to take them out.  All to finish mid-pack one
more time.
It is about giving up on making anyone who is not a
racer, understand what it's all about.
Title: Re: Why do we race?
Post by: StumpysWife on May 05, 2003, 11:07:00 AM
Stumpy & I wanted him to race this year so we'd know we wouldn't have any regrets later in life....

There's nothing worse than wishing you had done something when you had the chance.  
Title: Re: Why do we race?
Post by: MightyDuc Racing on May 05, 2003, 11:17:43 AM
I too am racing this year to avoid the regret of never trying.  I also left out an important one...the people!  Everybody is great, and everyone helps everyone, except that Red Bull Ducati dude from the SE...lol.  Brags about all their cash and spare motors....etc, etc...then tried to get $10 from me for a little bolt...LOL.  Got it from Michael Mills....thanks Mike!  By the way, the Red Bull guy crashed and didn't get to race Supertwins either.  I think I had a little something for him if we had gotten to go at it. ;)
Title: Re: Why do we race?
Post by: dwilson on May 05, 2003, 11:23:20 AM
Unless I'm on the edge of life as I know it, the world seems too boring to be worth while.  Road racing is the only experience that relaibly scares the hell out of me.  My shrink says I'm A.D.D.   8)
Title: Re: Why do we race?
Post by: lil_thorny on May 05, 2003, 11:28:14 AM
Don,
I am ADD.... LMAO!!!! ;D ;D
Benji.
Title: Re: Why do we race?
Post by: Chef on May 05, 2003, 11:31:29 AM
i LOVE motorcycles !

i LOVE competition !

the track, and the clock is competition enuff, BUT We have friends AND strangers that share the same INTEREST as we do. cant beat it.

i LOVE stressing my skill level !     i LOVE improving my skill level.

i have something that peaks my interest (for several reasons)..

some love weight training, some love to view nascar (it peaks their interest)
some love to sit at wrigley field and drink beer to cubs games  ??? (it peaks their interest)

before (as a kid) i played basket ball in the rain, and into the wee hours of the mornin, it peaked my interest....

some people sit on the couch and eat ice cream, hey, it interest's them...

you got yours.....  i got mine....
Title: Re: Why do we race?
Post by: Chef on May 05, 2003, 11:35:20 AM
OH,

and i LOVE finishin in front of lil Thorny Benji    ;D
Title: Re: Why do we race?
Post by: Baltobuell on May 05, 2003, 12:22:11 PM
 You laughed at the ADD remark. Nothing will keep your attention like counting down brake markers! ;D
Title: Re: Why do we race?
Post by: tzracer on May 05, 2003, 03:16:17 PM
Racing : the most fun you can have with your clothes on.
Title: Re: Why do we race?
Post by: tshort on May 05, 2003, 03:32:45 PM
For me, racing is one of the purest ways I can express myself, and the joys of being alive.  It concentrates everything I am, and everything I have learned - about people, about riding, about life - into the time and space of the race I'm in.  It doesn't matter whether I'm first or last, the race is wherever I am, and this pure expression is too.  Racing allows me to get closer to parts of myself I knew were there, but never found a way to express.  Racing is beautiful.

Thanks for asking.
Title: Re: Why do we race?
Post by: Dawn on May 05, 2003, 04:13:51 PM
QuoteIt doesn't matter whether I'm first or last, the race is wherever I am, and this pure expression is too.  

Thanks for asking.

Hey Tom:

How about this, you finish behind Paul this weekend and I will bring the champagne to celebrate his first win.  

Dawn   ;D
Title: Re: Why do we race?
Post by: tshort on May 05, 2003, 04:31:01 PM
QuoteHey Tom:

How about this, you finish behind Paul this weekend and I will bring the champagne to celebrate his first win.  

Dawn   ;D

But I already know how to drink. ;D :D

I like the champagne idea, tho.
Title: Re: Why do we race?
Post by: lil_thorny on May 05, 2003, 04:50:40 PM
no clothes.... hmn racing IS better than sex!!! :P
yep, i said it....why, there is always another 1/10th
out there. you would need money and possibly
plastic surgery to accomplish that any other way. ;D
Benji.

thanks everyone...keep em coming!
Title: Re: Why do we race?
Post by: R6Chris760 on May 05, 2003, 06:57:09 PM
Racing is something you can't really describe very well in words, it's just something that gives you many mixed emotions at different times.  You feel everything when you go racing and at the same time you forget everything else that is happening in the world.  When you get into that attack mode when you start catching the guy infront of you and everything is just flowing perfectly, that's when racing feels the best.  Needless to say, being in the emergency room is the worst.  I will never regret racing, not even the money spent.  I have made many good friends through racing and even brought a couple with me to this great sport.  Did I forget to mention the adrenaline rush?  I think we're all racing junkies that will never be able kick the habit (or get the need for speed out of our blood).  Someone compared it to a heroin addiction, I think they're right.

-Chris-
Title: Re: Why do we race?
Post by: TBMain on May 05, 2003, 07:20:17 PM
It started when I was five - when I had to beat Tommy Showers to school, on foot.  Then when I was sixteen, my parents let me get a CB125S for my first transportation to school instead of a car. I put 38K miles on the CB my sophmore year, only to be run over by a '68 Chevy! Few years later, a Nighthawk S / VF1000R / VTR1000 and now a CBR954RR.  Speedskating, bicycle racing, canoe racing, adventure racing and now motorcycle racing.  Competition - can't get enough, can't live without it!

P.S.:  Thanks for a really great wife and daughter that support me all the way.  ;D
Title: Re: Why do we race?
Post by: Pit_Girl on May 05, 2003, 07:33:47 PM
QuoteP.S.:  Thanks for a really great wife and daughter that support me all the way.  ;D

awwwwwww ;D that's sooo nice.  

it's great to have people to support you in all that you do, no matter how insane it may be... ;D (lord knows i dertainly dont get that at my house)

-jennifer
Title: Re: Why do we race?
Post by: roadrashroeser on May 05, 2003, 07:33:51 PM
Dragging a knee through the Kink at RA at 125mph and thinking "Now I'm fricken cruising!!!" Then winning my first race and knowing I need to feel that feeling of crossing that line first again, and again, and again!!!!!! Plus knowing I am manhandling a 400 lb machine that has flicked me off like a booger four times at least in two years. Some things just can not be explained!
Title: Re: Why do we race?
Post by: Bernie on May 05, 2003, 08:05:03 PM
'cause chicks dig it! 8)
Title: Re: Why do we race?
Post by: MELK-MAN on May 05, 2003, 09:04:17 PM
total concentration.. no concerns about ANYTHING other than the task at hand. That task is different for different from rider to rider. Some just want to finish, some want to finish in front of their buddy, some want to finish in front of everyone in the country.
Total concentration..
Title: Re: Why do we race?
Post by: GSXR RACER MIKE on May 05, 2003, 09:11:12 PM
     The feeling of suiting up at 8am on a beautiful weekend morning, that first look across the pits and feeling a part of the common interest that brings everyone to that place at that time, those first few purrs of life that breathe into your bike which quickly turn to growls, the oh so satisfying smell of race fuel combusting, the G-forces of that first lap, the fading away of everything else and the total focus found no where else in life.

     But sadly, the knowledge that most people will never experience or understand what it is that we love so much.
Title: Re: Why do we race?
Post by: Decreasing_Dave on May 05, 2003, 09:26:57 PM
I originally started 'cuz it's something I always wanted to do.  I raced motocross when I was 20-something and was getting beat by all the 16 yr. olds.  I wanted to race something that only required getting beat by other racers, not the terrain.  Roadracing is the way!!

For years I always rode better than my peers on the street.  I lived in New England where the corners were plentiful, you gained cornering experience just riding to the store and back.  I have since moved to Arizona.  Long straights, few turns, very depressing.

I still ride very well on the street, better than most of my peers.....even at 36.  I thought that I had better try to race before I got "too old".  So with family supporting me, as they have in the past, I began racing last year.  I did well in my first couple weekends, too well it seems, as now I'm hooked.

I explained to my friend, Brookester, another Arizonan, that it wasn't about the turns like I thought it would be.  It's about the mental game, where to pass, when to pass, can I pass....that's what drives me.  The greatest bonus is the people.  I know that people with the same interest...blah...blah....blah, but this is different.  I make more friends every race weekend.  It's getting to the point where I don't have enough time inbetween races to do anything but socialize.  My wife grabs my daughter and runs right over so that she can be introduced and acquire yet another friend at the racetrack.  This is a family thing for us, whether I'm first or last I wouldn't trade it for the world.

D. Dave   :)
Title: Re: Why do we race?
Post by: shook1 on May 05, 2003, 09:58:13 PM
One of the pure joys of racing is knowing that your talent has eclipsed the ability of your machine to do the things that you want it to.  

I used to race motocross and I can remember distinctly the day when I knew I had reached the limits of the equipment on which I was riding.  I could actually feel the frame flexing from the huge stress it was under from a series of doubles and triples and it was then that I knew my ability had reached a point where equipment was now going to become a limiting factor in my ability to go faster.  

It took a full 5 years of racing before I reached that point, but I still remember exactly the sense of mastery that I had.  Knowing that the machine that had beaten my *ss down for a full five years was now a tamed beast.  

I know that I have not reached that point in road racing as of yet, but there are moments......
Those sweet drifts that you get in turn 7 at Road A...
Scraping bodywork on the ground and not crashing...
The long black stripes laid down drifting toward the wall going onto the banked front straight at Gateway....
The bike protesting with headshake under power at 150 between the kink and Canada corner....

Someday I'll tame the beast....that's why I keep racing.

If you've ever watched Aaron Yates ride a motorcycle, you will understand........
Title: Re: Why do we race?
Post by: DRU2 on May 05, 2003, 11:22:55 PM
Why race? Why take your next breath,why go to sleep ,why do you eat when your hungry. I race because I can! Not because Im the best or that Im the worst.I just can.Some people wont ever get it. they wont ever have the passion I myself or any of you people on this forum have. People always say that Im obsessed with racing and maybe I am,maybe Im not. but I do know that I found a place that I can go for 17 weekends out of the year were Im not the person everybody is saying that is crazy! Theres only so much that you can do on the street that wont get you killed or in trouble. on the track I can go as fast as my ability will let me. The street does not let me do that.Sometime my ability wont let me either! but thats a whole nother forum!
Title: Re: Why do we race?
Post by: K3 Chris Onwiler on May 06, 2003, 02:52:11 AM
I remember the team challenge last year at Blackhawk.  After 3 years on lightweights, this was my first time out on a 600.  With no practice time, I had to learn the bike during the race.  There were some real fast people out there, and I thought I was going to get run over my first few laps.  Talk about a vertical learning curve!  Things got better fast, and soon I was dragging hard parts on the pavement, giggling gleefully inside my helmet as I lit the tire up exiting corners.  Forty laps later, I was spent.  I knew that if I didn't stop soon, I would fall off.  Still, I was having so much fun that I didn't want to quit.  
When I finally got off the bike, I was so stoked!  Rhiannon (a racer herself and a certified hottie) was helping us in the pits, and I spent the next 20 minutes screaming at her about how much fun I had been having!  Finally calming down, I collapsed into the grass with the final comment, "Racing is the best thing I've ever done in my life."  Rhiannon asked, "Even better than sex?"  I thought about it, then replied, "Sex is as good as racing, but only for about the last ten seconds."  She gave me the strangest look.  Finally, a good half-a-minute later she said, "Yeah, you're right."
Title: Re: Why do we race?
Post by: lil_thorny on May 06, 2003, 06:08:07 AM
well said K3
i remember when i was riding on the street, my parents(when i lived with them) would not let me own
a motorcycle so i lied and kept it at a friends house.
and got in trouble(po po)...crashed...medical attention..cops at the door..you guys know the rest I'm sure. anyway my parents came to my very first
weekend last year @ last BHF and my dad was so
stoked that i was out there "doing it". my mom,
this winter kept telling me things like" watch your
spending, you have to race"
is that cool or what?
i'm happy now.
Benji.
Title: Re: Why do we race?
Post by: Pierre - Team PMR on May 06, 2003, 06:52:39 AM
Sorry this is so long....
My story is a little different.  I've been riding street bikes since I was 18.  I've always wanted to push my riding abilities on the streets, but have always held back.  Call me a chicken or a wimp if you will, but I have seen too many people get in trouble.  Gravel patches, oil spots, animals, drunk drivers, careless drivers, pot holes, unknown roads (not to mention cops)...the list goes on and on.  Being the responsible person I am, I have always held back....but it was really starting to build up inside.  I couldn't contain myself...and then one thing changed my life.  I bought my dream bike....'01 GSXR1000.  The bike had soo much power that I didn't have a choice.  I knew that if I kept riding fast on the streets, I would become part of what most moms fear...a road casualty.  I had to get my adrenalin rush somehow, but I didn't want to do it on the streets.  I needed a safe, controlled environment....and then it popped in my head....Duhhhh, how about the race track. WOW, what a great idea.  I looked into it and decided to join NESBA.  I was just going to do a track day with my 1k and get it out of my system, so Sept 21 of last year I went to BFR and did that track day.  I instantly fell in love with being on the track...but that wasn't enough...I wanted to get the rush of being in competitive traffic...that's where I found out about CCS.  I started looking for a track bike (didn't want to mess up my nice 1k).  I got everything ready over the winter and then started my first season at BFR on April 3....and COMPLETELY FELL IN LOVE WITH IT....and here I am today, planning to do every race for the MW region!  Am I nuts or what....YEAH BABY!!!
Title: Re: Why do we race?
Post by: lil_thorny on May 06, 2003, 06:56:06 AM
to R6chris,
that pretty much sums it up for me too.
just a big happy family aint we?
Benji.
Title: Re: Why do we race?
Post by: pmoravek on May 06, 2003, 07:12:29 AM
Well....it depends on how "P.C." you might be feeling when the question is asked.
One response is "You wouldn't understand."
If you want to give a slightly kinder, more gentle answer. You could tell them "Try it and you'll see."
(That's usually enough to scare 'em off.)
Then of course there is the ever popular "None of your damned business."
Life is full of choices...eh?
Title: Re: Why do we race?
Post by: Xian_13 on May 06, 2003, 06:17:13 PM
Why do I race....

Why do people go to church on Sunday?
To pray to their god.

Well I am an athiest!
I go to the track on any given sunday, I build my shrine made of Bike stands and tire warmers....
and just about 8:00am I get down on my knees (one knee at a time.. mostly the right one) and I pray to my god... Speed! ;D
Title: Re: Why do we race?
Post by: R6Chris760 on May 06, 2003, 08:38:24 PM
Thanks benj, now I have that old "we are family" sony stuck in my head....lol

to MasterP,
You were wise not to push too hard on the street, i was one of the idiots that always pushed pushed it until I woke up in a ditch down in Missouri.  I remember sitting up, looking back at the corner and thinking If I would have crashed any sooner in the corner and hit one of the trees that lined the corner I probably wouldn't still be here.  That was when I knew I had to get to the track or I would end up doing the same thing again later.  I do have to say until the point of the accident, I was having more fun than I ever had riding.  There's something about coming out of a corner with the throttle WFO that gives you one of the best feelings in the world.

Chris
Title: Re: Why do we race?
Post by: R6Chris760 on May 06, 2003, 08:41:49 PM
BTW, the ambulance took almost an hour to just get where I was plus a 30 min ride back to the hospital, which is another good reason not to do it on the street.
Title: Re: Why do we race?
Post by: tug296 on May 06, 2003, 10:56:34 PM
Shot in the eye in a hunting accident when I was 12, bullet is in the center of brain, in the hospital for 6 months. Equilibrium returned in a year, enough to walk. Dr.'s said no more running ect. felt like I had to prove to myself  I could do something other than just vegitate.

My Brother and I talk my Dad into getting a mini bike, it started.
Then got a SL 70, raced mini motocross stuff. many bikes since then, rode out west with friends ect., over 150,000 miles on the streets of USA.
 Raced a 81 CB 900F, started with Florida Gran Prix Riders Assn, {thanks D. Williams} then went on to CCS when Roger Edmonson ran things in the 80's, my brother and I raced endurance and I raced sprints, even did Paul Revere 250 at night.  Proved to myself I could do a thing. {faster than my brother} Bike stolen, did not race for years.

Worked on Tug Boats off and on since 1977, very slow and everything heavy. Worked five years on Acosta Bridge Project  in the 90's, sit in chair, drive the boat ect. need for speed was agonizing, dreamed of the high banks and old Gravity Cavity.
Sold the Harley, almost could afforord an RC51, ended up with a new 99 Super Hawk, thats fine, it's fun, and once again out to prove to myself I could do a thing. Got my license back and started racing again.
Broke collar bone severely last year {on the street} insome unseen sand at night, had it plated, agony for months, right after Daytona in March. Then had to prove to myself I could "come back" and do a thing that I loved doing, came back at Jennings in Sept. then Daytona in Oct. with the plate still in. Had plate removed and back for first Homestead in Feb. 03.

 So I do it to prove to myself, that even with what some would call a disability, I'm able to compete on my motorcycle, do fair in my events, and when people dont show up at the track, or blow them Ducati's up, [sorry], I have a chance to attain that illusive piece of wood.

 Proud to race with CCS and all the good people that are affiliated with the organization.

Always hold my line, never look back, and always salute the corner workers.

 Love it, thats why.                  Thanks for asking!



          Henry Madsen  #296 am.     F.
 




 
Title: Re: Why do we race?
Post by: lil_thorny on May 07, 2003, 05:23:47 AM
hey tug,
WOW!!!
Title: Re: Why do we race?
Post by: fzr400tony on May 07, 2003, 05:39:56 AM
why do i race?  i have a good job and was afraid that at some points i might actually be able to pay off the debt i accumulated through college and figured this is the best way to ensure that doesn't happen...  :)

seriously, i have no idea what about racing i love.  i know there's a lot of things about that i love though.  the people at the track, i'm better friends with some guys from the se region that i see once a year than i am with the people who sit next to me 9-10 hours a day at work.  

i love learning, and it's rare that i hit the track and not learn.  i love dragging my knee (yeah, i'm a dork).  i love the way the bike feels when i'm going really good.  i love working on my bike (and when you race a bike old enough to drive itself, you get to do that a lot).

really, there's not much i don't love about it.
Title: Re: Why do we race?
Post by: ExpressRacing on May 07, 2003, 05:40:10 AM
Stress Relief!   It's all out all week trying to be responsible, professional and providing answers and solutions to people who ask for your help.

Racing is my self-help.  The pace keeps you focused but entertained.  The people keep you entertained and smiling.   The challenge provides a forum for improvement.  Above all, it's just FUN!   ;)
Title: Re: Why do we race?
Post by: HandleThis66 on May 07, 2003, 12:25:43 PM
i like somefin hard, hi horsepower and fast between my legs that doesn't give me any lip.  and not to mention low maintenance and i don't have to to kick it out of bed in the mornin!!
rhiannon  :-*
Title: Re: Why do we race?
Post by: criminalspeed on May 07, 2003, 01:09:15 PM
To get laid.
Title: Re: Why do we race?
Post by: Dawn on May 07, 2003, 01:12:51 PM
QuoteTo get laid.

To get laid onto a stretcher by the EMT's as they pick up up off turn......

Dawn   ;D
Title: Re: Why do we race?
Post by: sdiver68 on May 07, 2003, 01:45:18 PM
Quotei like somefin hard, hi horsepower and fast between my legs that doesn't give me any lip.  and not to mention low maintenance and i don't have to to kick it out of bed in the mornin!!
rhiannon  :-*

So, with those qualifications, how do you explain a GS500? ;)  Or was that bike the non-threatening stage people go through  ;D
Title: Re: Why do we race?
Post by: HandleThis66 on May 07, 2003, 01:49:58 PM
i never threw a leg over a gs500.  now the 250ninja on the other hand.... :-/ don't know how that figured into the equation :-[
tee hee hee.  at least i have the 600 to keep me happy now!  let's ride :o
rhiannon  :-*
Title: Re: Why do we race?
Post by: sdiver68 on May 07, 2003, 01:51:20 PM
Oh my bad I thought it was a GS....OK EX250 lol....even better  ;D

And welcome back and thank you for your sacrifice
Title: Re: Why do we race?
Post by: HandleThis66 on May 07, 2003, 02:08:10 PM
hey thanx! and what a sacrifice it was... :-X
Title: Re: Why do we race?
Post by: criminalspeed on May 09, 2003, 10:59:40 AM
QuoteTo get laid onto a stretcher by the EMT's as they pick up up off turn......

Dawn   ;D

No, the good kind of laid,
you know,
the kind you clean up with a mop and bucket!
 ;D