Hi all
Just joined the group. Plan on going racing for the first time on an SV650. Been to a couple riding schools (Spencer and Schwantz). Loved it so much I am selling my street bike, Aprilia RSVR. Street just isn't fun anymore.
I will probably be in the Great Plains races. I live in St. Louis.
Hope you will all excuse some of the dumb questions I start asking in the future.
See you at the track,
Rich
Welcome Rich. You won't regret getting off the street (OK, well maybe a little! ;))
I assume you're planning on racing the one :( race that CCS has scheduled for Gateway this year?
I also live in STL.
Sure will be at Gateway. Will be 40 and a day on raceday. Time to race.
QuoteSure will be at Gateway. Will be 40 and a day on raceday. Time to race.
Cool! I will be there as well. I also plan on going to BHF (at least once) and Barber. That all depends on the funds, but I am definitely doing Gateway. I'll be 39 and a couple of months then as well, so I am not far behind you.
Cool. Let's pray for a nice bright day. :)
Glad to hear you're going to be there Scott!
Don't sell the Aprilia yet.... I started out with 600's and am preping my RSVR now. It's a blast to ride. If it's a money issue and one must go....well the SV will be much less costly to race...
Welcome and good luck..........
QuoteCool. Let's pray for a nice bright day. :)
Glad to hear you're going to be there Scott!
Thanks Jack. I don't know if you knew I missed most of last year due to me fighting cancer. I did plan the two most debilitating items (surgery and chemo) around several dates so I could at least ride some.
Are you going to be there (I hope so)? I'd like to get some great pictures with a bike that's not primered. ;)
QuoteThanks Jack. I don't know if you knew I missed most of last year due to me fighting cancer. I did plan the two most debilitating items (surgery and chemo) around several dates so I could at least ride some.
Are you going to be there (I hope so)? I'd like to get some great pictures with a bike that's not primered. ;)
Yes, I knew you were ill but didn't know it was cancer. I hope all is going well! Have you read It's Not About The Bike by Lance Armstrong? It's a great book.
Yes, I'm planning on being there, how could I miss just one? :) And that's exactly what I was thinking, a pic with it painted. :)
QuoteHi all
Just joined the group. Plan on going racing for the first time on an SV650. Been to a couple riding schools (Spencer and Schwantz). Loved it so much I am selling my street bike, Aprilia RSVR. Street just isn't fun anymore.
I will probably be in the Great Plains races. I live in St. Louis.
Hope you will all excuse some of the dumb questions I start asking in the future.
See you at the track,
Rich
Wow, you took 2 of the most expensive motorcycle riding schools known to man! Those fees would have paid for an entire season of racing your SV with CCS, including taking SuperDaves VRS school!
I very rarley ride on the street anymore myself, not only is it dangerous but it can reinforce bad habits that are only used on the street, but stay with you when you get out on the track too. I think the ultimate insult to a motorcycle racer would be to be killed by some unattentive driver on the street.
Ask away on the questions, after all the only stupid questions are the ones that never get asked and ultimately cause you grief or worse yet pain!
Incase you don't know, you can race ANY CCS region with your CCS license. You should make the easy 5 hour trip from St. Louis to BlackHawk Farms (BHF) up here in Northern Illinois, it's a fun track, was recently repaved, and we have the most races here of any track in the Midwest / Great Lakes / Great Plaines (MW/GL/GP) Regions. Road America (RA) is also a rare treat once (sometimes twice) each year in middle Wisconsin, 4 miles of run it wide open! If you get the opportunity to go to Barber in Birmingham Alabama (8-13/14/15) do it! That is by far the premier racing facility in the U.S., and the layout is like a paved roller coaster with 80 feet of elevation change multiple times around the track.
Welcome Rich, and good luck!
LOL...Mike's shameless plug and he hasn't been to my school...yet... ;D
Rich, welcome.
When I was younger and I started this, I had a thought once in a while that I wanted to ride on the street. Then...it went away. Well, maybe we demo'ed 1100 Viragos at Daytona...just to drag the pipes...
Anyway, the SV is great. If you feel financially well off, the Aprilia is way cool.
Scott...cancer? You doing ok?
Jack, I've kind of heard about Lance's book, but know on I knew... That good, huh? You ever read Rainey's book? Let's you into the mind of a racer...basically, we're obsessive compulsive...I know that...but won't completely admit it...
QuoteLOL...Mike's shameless plug and he hasn't been to my school...yet... ;D
Rich, welcome.
When I was younger and I started this, I had a thought once in a while that I wanted to ride on the street. Then...it went away. Well, maybe we demo'ed 1100 Viragos at Daytona...just to drag the pipes...
Anyway, the SV is great. If you feel financially well off, the Aprilia is way cool.
Scott...cancer? You doing ok?
Jack, I've kind of heard about Lance's book, but know on I knew... That good, huh? You ever read Rainey's book? Let's you into the mind of a racer...basically, we're obsessive compulsive...I know that...but won't completely admit it...
Dave,
I'd like to attend one of your schools sometime as well. I am going to try to get to one if not two BHF races this year, so I should be able to get into one if you're having them up there.
I saw on your schedule from the other thread that you are going to RA sometime in August for a CCS race. I looked on their schedule and couldn't find that one on there. Is this some last minute addition?
Yes, I was diagnosed the day before my birthday (not that there is ever a good time to be diagnosed, but that did suck), with bladder cancer. It is a very rare form that 1:5,000,000 people get. Anyway, required partial bladder removal (along with some abdominal wall removal from tumor invasion) and 4 months of aggressive chemo. Can't say that I would recommend it to anyone. After all that I consider myself lucky. Just had a scope of the bladder a couple of months ago and a CT scan last Monday. Both looked good. ;D
Sorry for hijacking your thread Rich! Just to let you know how addicted you will most likely become to this though. I had my last Chemo treatment on Sept 15th of last year and raced on Oct 4th-5th. I could barely hang onto the bike by the end of a sprint, but I was darn glad to be out there (probably should have stayed home)! :)
Hmmm, Road America in August...
Yeah, I was given a schedule really early, but now that you mention it...it's no longer on there...
Since you've been racing, you'll want to do the Visionsports' Racer University. A lot smaller class, maximum of eight, but more expensive...May 6th, July 15th, and August 19th.
http://www.team-visionsports.com/pages/953779/index.htm
Or the other opportunity is that you can buy me for a day someplace. Gateway at the track day, Putnam with Sportbike Track Time. Close to the same cost in some ways, but the track time is regulated, so it is different.
Why the new school with the larger cost?
When I had 25 racers to deal with at my schools... I couldn't do what I wanted to do with each one. So, this should fulfill my desire to get the information through to a rider, but it's not going to satisfy the rider that doesn't want to spend next to nothing.
QuoteOr the other opportunity is that you can buy me for a day someplace.
Ummm, I'm going to leave that one alone! :-X
Hey Dave, I think Cindy better be worried after your number board displaying at the banquet! LOL Next thing you know we won't have the only all female starting and scoring staff anymore with you showing the '5' board like that! ;) ;D
LOL, I should have exposed my thong...
QuoteLOL, I should have exposed my thong...
NO NO NO NO NO PLEASE NO! :o I would have been visually scarred for life! LOL
QuoteLOL, I should have exposed my thong...
OK,
NOW I don't feel so bad about hijacking this thread! ;D
Hey,
You can Hijack this thread all you like. I'm just happy that people responded. Now, I'm going to babble.
The best motorcycle money I ever spent was on those expensive schools. I gained about 30 Hp on my bike after one day of being with Spencer. Rode for twenty years and this guy has me knee dragging and feeling safe after a few hours. And to have Freddie say, "Hey, whats up Rich? I was just talking about you the other day.", in front of my freinds at the Barber AMA race was priceless.
Schwantz school has turned into a very expensive track day once a year. My buddy's wife sends him to something like this once a year for his birthday. I just tag along. I think he is going to do Keith Code at Barber this year in Sept. He doesn't care about Code, he just wants to ride the track. I'll tag along again.
Anyone interested in that Aprilia RSV-R, let me know.
Ummmhhh, I'll keep the Harley for the street but , that's not like really riding, is it?
I plan on being at Heartland Park, Road America, Gateway, Mid-America, BHF, and Barber this year.
Thanks again,
Rich
Welcome Rich:
Look us up at RA. Paul races an SV, expert #996. Color of the bike still under negotiation ;D. We are a part of the Chi-Town Hustler's group.
Dawn ;)