daydreaming of racing...

[TZDeSioux]

skateboarding is more fun than roadracing  :)

[GSXR RACER MIKE]

     I too have had roadracing effect my job and freindships thru being focused soley on racing.

     I was chewed out by my boss when I got my 1st street bike, he said that he had a vested interest in me (he sponsered my 10,000 hour Tool & Die Apprenticeship) and couldn't afford to have me get hurt or killed riding a motorcycle! Five years later when I got my roadrace license I couldn't even tell anyone at work because my boss would have flipped out if he heard about me racing motorcycles. Not being able to even talk about roadracing to fellow workers was very frustrating. Eventually the owners son (vice president) saw me going to a race one weekend with my race bike and told everybody at work, so the secret was out. To this day the upper management will not even acknowledge the fact (to me) that I roadrace, but I suppose that's better than getting chewed out.

     I also had to learn to not talk to my freinds about racing so much, unless they asked, because they got sick of listen to roadracing being the only topic I would talk about. I also found that some people, including some non-racers who ride motorcycles, get really jealous of the fact that I race and they don't! Really sucks when you talk about something you have a passion for and others take it as rubbing it in their face. I think alot of those people are just jealous of the fact that they haven't chosen to be involved in something themselves that brings this much excitement into life!

[Pierre - Team PMR]

Not being able to even talk about roadracing to fellow workers was very frustrating.

I hear ya!  At my work, people could care less about anything "race" related.  They only like Football, Basketball, Baseball.  They usually totally ignore me when I start talking about roadracing.  Oh well, I'm not doing it for them

[MightyDuc Racing]

You know what I get alot..."You just talk about racing so you can sound cool."  They just don't understand how consuming it is.

[Dawn]

You know what I get alot..."You just talk about racing so you can sound cool." .

Yeah - that's it, just to look cool.   ::)

Next time whip out the RRW article - No better yet, get several copies and wallpaper your work space.  

They're just jealous that they don't have the 'nads to try such a sport.

Dawn   :)

[MightyDuc Racing]

Good idea...RRW wallpaper...lol.  Whoohoo.  <Beavis and Butthead>  Damn I'm smooth! <Beavis and Butthead> ;D

[lil_thorny]

They're just jealous that they don't have the 'nads to try such a sport.
 
Dawn    

well said Dawn. i like your choice of words. most
people don't even believe me when I tell them
about racing. I think they expect us all to be on
Speed Vision and race for some factory.
that'd be cool tho ;D

Benj.

[GSXR RACER MIKE]

I hear ya!  At my work, people could care less about anything "race" related.  They only like Football, Basketball, Baseball.  They usually totally ignore me when I start talking about roadracing.  Oh well, I'm not doing it for them

     I find it amusing that there are so many 'armchair athletes' out there that aren't involved in anything, but they sure have a strong opinion about those that are. I just want to tell those people to get a life when they start ridiculing some athletes' performance (at whatever level the athlete is competing). I have overheard a number of those same people criticizing motorsports competitors as not being athletes and more or less saying that anybody can give it the gas.
     When those of us involved in roadracing talk about a roadracer we see on TV at least we have somewhat of a more realistic idea of what that person is facing and the talent, developed ability, and physical conditioning it takes to compete at the top levels of motorsports.
     I too have had the "You just talk about racing so you can sound cool" scenario happen quite a few times. Since I don't "look the type" to roadrace motorcycles I have told people I race just to see their shocked reaction more than anything. Now I have gotten to the point of talking very little about racing motorcycles (unless asked) even around the street rider guys for the reason of not wanting to sound like I'm bragging. This can be so difficult once you've become addicted and it becomes an "all-consuming" part of your life.
     Mabey, just mabey, those non participators will actually get involved to some degree themselves someday and learn what it is that we already know; when your involved in racing, your truely living life!

[K3 Chris Onwiler]

In the movie Le Mans, Steve Mc Queen  says, "Racing is life.  Anything that happens before or after?  It's just waiting."
I no longer have any friends who aren't into racing in some way.  "Normal" people don't rate with me.  Work, get paid, buy 30-pack, watch baseball.  This is considered normal, and I'm the lunatic.  What a waste of a life.
I may be coming out the far side, because I only dream about racing three or four nights a week now.  The rest of the time, I have normal, symbolic dreams like anyone else.  (The furnace of a huge building fails, everyone is freezing, and it's up to me to fix it.  What could that symbolize?  Who knows, who cares.  Time to go rebuild my blown engine...)
The only thing that horrifys me about this addiction is knowing that someday I'll have to stop.  What the hell would I replace racing with?
K3

[tshort]

In the movie Le Mans, Steve Mc Queen  says, "Racing is life.  Anything that happens before or after?  It's just waiting."
I no longer have any friends who aren't into racing in some way.  "Normal" people don't rate with me.  Work, get paid, buy 30-pack, watch baseball.  This is considered normal, and I'm the lunatic.  What a waste of a life.
I may be coming out the far side, because I only dream about racing three or four nights a week now.  The rest of the time, I have normal, symbolic dreams like anyone else.  (The furnace of a huge building fails, everyone is freezing, and it's up to me to fix it.  What could that symbolize?  Who knows, who cares.  Time to go rebuild my blown engine...)
The only thing that horrifys me about this addiction is knowing that someday I'll have to stop.  What the hell would I replace racing with?
K3

Well, Stevie, looks like you forgot about that big right hander at the end of the old straightaway. ;D

(It isn't the speed of my life that scares me, it's the sudden stop at the end ;D).

[Super Dave]

The only thing that horrifys me about this addiction is knowing that someday I'll have to stop.  What the hell would I replace racing with?
K3

Who says you have to stop?

Gary Nixon is still fun to race with.  

You might change how you do it, but you don't have to stop.  So, don't restrict yourself so much.  

After 1993, I was exhausted.  I put together my program for 1994, focusing primarily on AMA.  I wanted a ride.  The season started as a struggle, but I got the opportunity to do some development work on some vintage race motorcycles as the rider.  It was an opportunity.

Bottomline, I get more press world wide and nationally doing well on a vintage bike that I ever did racing modern stuff nationally.  And the things that I understand about a motorcycle chassis...well, a lot of that comes from riding bikes that had a different chassis design...one that didn't work as well as todays machines.

As long as you keep learning and having fun...why stop ever?

[EX#996]

I too have had the "You just talk about racing so you can sound cool" scenario happen quite a few times. Since I don't "look the type" to roadrace motorcycles I have told people I race just to see their shocked reaction more than anything. Now I have gotten to the point of talking very little about racing motorcycles (unless asked) even around the street rider guys for the reason of not wanting to sound like I'm bragging. This can be so difficult once you've become addicted and it becomes an "all-consuming" part of your life.
     Mabey, just mabey, those non participators will actually get involved to some degree themselves someday and learn what it is that we already know; when your involved in racing, your truely living life!

Mike:

I think what you need to do is start showing people you race in a very indirect way.  Start by placing a picture of yourself racing in your work area or in your tool box.  If you have some wood, bring that too.  Have some business cards made up with a small picture of yourself, name, phone number and racing statistics.  When you're talking to a "non-racer" ask them to give you a call sometime and whip out your "business card."  If they ask what's this, tell them that you had them made up for potential sponsors, but tell them since it has your number on it, just use that to give you a call.

You may open a few doors and some actually may show further interest in our sport.

Just an idea!

Dawn   ;)