BHF to a 1 day race sechdule for the rest of the year.

[DanO966]

"My wife allows me to do this and my wife does not allow me to do that" that is embarrassing I feel sorry for guys like you. She must keep your balls in her purse. Take em out and go racing.

HAHA that's what I was thinking. 
People are always looking for the easiest way out of stuff.  The simple easy excuse,  easy just blame the wife....LMAO

People get on it.  Just come out and race. 

[alexm]

If you're curious why 20 yearolds don't show up and race...tally up your race weekend expenses and ask yourself if you could afford that when you were 20.

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/youth.nr0.htm

[mattg]

"My wife allows me to do this and my wife does not allow me to do that" that is embarrassing I feel sorry for guys like you. She must keep your balls in her purse. Take em out and go racing.

Honey, the bike was here before you, and it'll be here after you. Get used to it.

[roadracer162]

Well, the wife won't let me race.  I have seen friends get married and their new wife flat out makes them sell the motorcycle or basically makes them feel so guilty they can't take it and sell it anyway.  My wife lets me have a bike for the street and another for track days, so all and all it isn't so bad.  Maybe, just maybe if I go crash free at track days for a few years, I can talk her into letting me run F40 and/or LW F40.  Almost two years since my big crash at Blackhawk Farms, so maybe if I stay crash free through 2011 as well, it will be time to ask.

Although racing is expensive, that is not what is stopping me from moving over from track days.  But I agree with others, you really need to figure out how to get the young guys out there, not old timers like me.  A successful AMA Pro racing series with at least a couple of rounds on Network TV / ESPN would probably help build the excitement for road racing, but unfortunately that is out of the control of CCS.

I can understand your point but I dnon't necessarily agree with it. growing up in the '70s racing on TV was non existant but racing still peaked my interest. I never did go racing until turning 40, and yeah broke my first bone.

My wife tells me to get back on that horse. She plainly states that it would be like imprisoning me if she would put those limitations on me. Both my wife Nancy and I work for a first response EMS department and we tend to see things a little different than most. We live life to the fullest and this is something that brings me joy. In turn Nancy enjoys our horse and yeah, there are many that have been hurt and even paralyzed after falling from a horse. If she did fall from the horse and hurt her hip I would tell her to get back on that horse before making a final decision to not ride.

Before there were track days there was just racing. If you wanted on the track you got out there with your racing gear. Since the advent of track days, there is less of a desire to do racing. It is the rider's choice but I believe more in the racing even if I am the last guy out there.

Mark

[roadracer162]

If you're curious why 20 yearolds don't show up and race...tally up your race weekend expenses and ask yourself if you could afford that when you were 20.

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/youth.nr0.htm

I certainly couldn't do it when I was 20. Now I have introduced my sons into riding and racing and they continues to when they can. They race on the beloved FZR400 and the racing expenses are low. $130 for all day Saturday and 1 race Sunday or add on another race for a total of $185. There is the gate fee for $30. Tire cost is pretty low with a total of 130 laps on a set, averaging 2-4 weekends of life. Fuel for the bike is 7-8 gallons @ $3 per gallon to a total of $24. So it is conceivable to have a weekend cost $400 because I am already going and trailer the bikes there. Add contingency to the mix and the cost can be lower. Use Continental tires for their contingency and place in the top five and you get contingency. If you are the only amateur and you win you still get the contingency with Continental. It can be done but probably not on a 600 and more likely on a SV650.

Mark

[ChitownNexus]

Ok everyone.
Lets do our best to promote CCS Road Racing for the weekend of August at Blackhawk Farms.
I'm tired of seeing these low # of entries at Blackhawk and the Midwest races.
If we are going to make our series any better its time we get other involved in our sport. Spread the word.
Lets try to make this next weekend a great one. Get these #'s up so we can have a full 2 day event for the last Blackhawk event.
Make it your job to get a buddy to start racing instead of track day riding. So them the other side of riding on the track.
There are plenty of track day riders to go around that will keep holding their daddies hands and not step up.
Racing is a blast. Lets keep this sport around for many years to come!

As a newer trackday rider I can tell you that a majority of the people I meet at the track have zero intentions of trying to race.  My mentality is a little different and I want to race.  I entered a few CCS weekends in the late 90s just to have fun. 

Now that I am back on a bike I want to race again.  Right now I am contemplating doing LCR, but again the trackday vs racing mentally came into play.  I can spend $165 and get 8 - 20 minute sessions, or $200 and ride 3 times on the track and get a race license. 

[Super Dave]

... with 275 entries and 300 gate passes was the worst it's been in 25 years at BHF.

That was before my time...

Also important to note the cost of the race tracks and insurance has really gone up.  Those entries were less expensive than today, but the current difference really doesn't reflect the increase in those overhead costs of the past ten years. 

If one looses money on every race one puts on, one can not make up for it by just putting on more races...that loose money... 

unless it would be operated by government...:( 

[roadracer162]

Now that I am back on a bike I want to race again.  Right now I am contemplating doing LCR, but again the trackday vs racing mentally came into play.  I can spend $165 and get 8 - 20 minute sessions, or $200 and ride 3 times on the track and get a race license. 

It is the complete opposite here in Florida where with a race weekend we get 7 sessions on Saturday and a couple more on Sunday with racing. for a paltry $130 if I do one race or $185 for two races. I guess it depends on where you are and what is available.

[twilkinson3]

A MW BFR Round for the now old 2 day format is something like three 20 min practice sessions and x number of races you buy into - so with the gate fee (no hauling it there etc) bare minimum is $105 for the 2 days in race fees...not exactly breaking the bank on that end, but the equivalent track time as an average track day (3 group format, 7 sessions @ 20min each) would put you around $270 for the same track time (1 race is about the same as one 20min session basically - just way more fun from my point of view)

still not breaking the bank.....it takes the 2 days to get the same time in as 1 track day but meh call that part a wash

The arguement that track days are killing racing is both ture and untrue in my opinion.  When you are the only game in town...well people don't have a choice, but when there is a choice we have to figure out how to actually attract more folks to racing rather than track days....here in lies my quandry - how to get more to chose racing over track days (i know which one I'd pick every time...and yes it comes with a clock...)

[ChitownNexus]

..here in lies my quandry - how to get more to chose racing over track days (i know which one I'd pick every time...and yes it comes with a clock...)

From a mental stand point here is an interesting thought regarding what you said.  For people considering racing the amateur class is their first step.  A quandary would be that if I enter my GSXR600 in MWSS I am racing the same Control Riders/Coaches that are teaching me at track days.  Now I am not knocking CR/Coaches who are amateurs since I am friends with several of them.  I am just stating something that makes the step from track day rider to "racer" a more difficult one to make.

I am not bothered by it and already warned two of my friends who CR and race 600s to be prepared for my slowness if I enter a race they are in.  :) :P

--

Also after reading through some of the CCS website I see that the license fee is prorated as the year goes on.  If I understand it right the license cost right now is $35 less than if purchased earlier in the year.  With that said, does LCR lower their price from $200 to $165 since part of that is supposed to include your race license?  It would only seem to make sense.

[spyderchick]

Also after reading through some of the CCS website I see that the license fee is prorated as the year goes on.  If I understand it right the license cost right now is $35 less than if purchased earlier in the year.  With that said, does LCR lower their price from $200 to $165 since part of that is supposed to include your race license?  It would only seem to make sense.

As the license is only good for a shortened part of the season, it makes sense to pro-rate the cost, however, does the value of what you learn in the licensing clinic depreciate in value depending how late in the season you attend? Nope, so it doesn't make sense that the cost be pro-rated.

[twilkinson3]

I think he was saying if the beginning of the season price is $200 and includes the license fee when we hit the prorated portion of the year it might help to prorate the portion that includes the license fee - I don't remember the class including a licese tho (but hey I'm old and it's been a couple years....)