Why do so many new racers quit?

[clutch]

MONEY...If they would cut the cost of tires a little that would be a BIG Help to A LOT of people.  $340 a set is A LOT!..No wonder I flip mine and use 2 rears to 1 front.  Injury or witnessing an injury.  But I think cost has a lot to do with it.

[K3 Chris Onwiler]

Have a year like the one I've had this year.  The first bike wasn't competitive, the second bike ate motors like popcorn, totalled the third bike it's first weekend out...  Add crashes, tires and travel, and I've pretty much spent next year's budget already.  May have to take a year to regroup.  Not to mention that I've never gotten my head into the riding this year, so although my times have improved, I feel slower than I was last year.  Quite discouraging.
As to mentoring.  The Midwest is the capitol of mentoring.  Don Dechant became my new best friend on day one.  Rick Brewer, Ed Key, Mike Studelska, Dave Rosno...  The list goes on forever.  I started as Montez Stewart's mentor, but the roles have been reversed!  
Personally, I tend to seek out the newbiees.  Why?  Karmic payback, but there's more to it than that.  I once asked Don why he bothered to introduce himself to me and set himself up for the years of grief that have followed.  ;)  He said that it was so obvious that I was having the adventure of my lifetime as I took the rider's school, and it made him feel good to tap into that energy.  I've sure found the same to be true.  Dave Rosno is the happiest man in racing.  Why is that?  Perhaps mentoring is part of what keeps you in love with this sport.    

[Super Dave]

From someone who has seen them come and go...

D.O.C. got it pretty good.

mostly?
 
feelings get hurt when they find out that going fast isn't easy.
 
they don't realize the true/hidden costs.

In the newbie racer, there are two kinds:  fast out of the box and not fast out of the box.

Road racing a motorcycle is pretty intimidating.  The guys fast out of the box are usually able to get over the initial intimidation and are able to beat up on some guys that have actually done it for a while.  The guys that are not so fast have to try harder.

The trick is that trying can be a matter of luck in getting the right answers.  For the faster guys out of the box, they usually have something physical that makes them different such as great reaction speed.  The slower one's are usually normal mortal people.  

At a point down the road, both can converge, and the pace can become equal as the "slower" guy becomes more aclimatized while the "faster" guy is just trying to go faster.  The fast guy hasn't bothered to learn anything as he's been riding on his reaction speed.  The slower guy has been watching things and picking up little tricks.

My trick there is to take the guy that is fast and show him what he needs to use the reaction speed to look at.  Make him efficient.  Slower guy?  I show him what he's feeling and how to adjust it to make it feel better to go faster.

Often the reality of racing is a lot of work to try to comprehend what's happening.  It's exhausting.  

Comprehention by most riders is seldom attained.  Even by racers that have been around for a long, long time and they are fast.  Ask them how they do something, and you might get an answer, but it might not be in a useful form.  They probably cannot express accurately how they do something or why they do it or how a motorcycle actually functions under load.

So, mentoring, per se, is really really hard.  Success by a rider can be related to physical atributes that they themselves have no understanding of, and you might have no ability to attain.  

If mentoring, or schooling, is showing someone registration and flags...  it isn't going to retain a rider for a longer duration.  Additionally, the mentor needs to be hooked into the community.  I've seen some school instructors that really don't race...they don't really play a part in the racing community except to "catch & release", for lack of a better term.  Most of the popular traveling programs that are out there are also part of this problem.  Take the guys money, give him something, possibly incomplete, then let them go, not to be seen for a year if they return.

The second problem comes back to the riders lap.  Having worked with a lot of people, some riders don't talk, don't give any feed back, and often go and get so much information from so many sources that might be relatively unfounded or reasonably incorrect, that the good information gets so corrupted that there is no hope of them seeing the difference.  And there are varing degrees of the above.  I give out a little booklet at my school.  I'm surprised at the answers that I get from my riders on occasion, that are related to what I consider basic foundations, that they can be so far off on when I gave them a direct answer in the book.  I give them books, but they only eat the covers.

Underutilization of available knowledge.  Big problem.  

The other side is that the act of road racing is NOT engineering.  There is a feel that must be attained for it all.  That's back to the fact that "their feelings get hurt when they find that going fast isn't so easy."  It's not to say that going faster should be terrifying, but occasionally, there are some uncomfortable moments.  They can be over come if delt with correctly.  

Ego?  "I don't need help."  I think some racers feel that they can do it themselves or that they are just better than racers of "previous generations" or something.  Reality is that bikes got two wheels and motorcycle tire manufacturers still don't know all the forces that occur.  How can someone new learn very much with that?  That all just costs a lot of time and money with a high probablity that there will be no return.

Expense?  Yup.  I think as racers, we even hide that from our non racing friends.  I mean, if you were an illegal drug dealer, you give away the first hit free, right?  Often, we just want to share the experience with friends.  It is way fun, the people are good.  Why not get your regular friends involved.  It's like a big crack house, right?

[tigerblade]

 It's like a big crack house, right?

 

[1fastmofo]

 ;D

I'll share why I'm staying with racing and at the same time I'll speak for my teammate who lurks around here from time to time, who I'm sure shares the same stance that I do. (I'm still faster than you Ryan ha ha!)

We both started riding together on the street and progressed equally. After attending a few track days, the addiction started. We both had the strong drive and desire to be faster. Racing I think is something that was always deep inside me. Having a close friend that felt the same was a big help. We helped each other with our riding, plus a little friendly competition always helps you to improve.

Preparing for our first year of racing we were able to divide the costs fairly well. We both bought fairly identical bikes so parts were interchangable. The bikes we bought were fairly old (95' and 91' F3/2's) and already race ready. Being old and cheap we wouldn't be all disappointed if we wadded them.

He had purchased a large trailer for both bikes, and we always split the towing, camping, gate fees, etc 50/50. So having a teammate to help offset the costs and the long driving time is HUGE. Also his wife helps us at every race, which is invaluable. So having someone to split the work and the costs with is awesome.

Next what keeps us coming back is the family feel that is at the race track. We've always met fellow racers that were willing to help with parts and or advice. Big thanks to Adam Vella of Webcrush Racing. Thanks Adam! Out on the track having someone show you the racing line at a track you've never been to helps you go faster and keep you safe.

The drive to improve our riding and to go faster everytime out on the track is also part of the addiction. I think that we both want to become fast amateurs and then advance to the expert level. So having goals keep me coming back. Also the fact that we've done well in our first year doesn't hurt.

So to sum up my rambling: What keeps us coming back? We've minimized the cost, having a close friend to share the ups and downs, having a "pit crew", the addiction to motorcycles and riding, the thrill and adrenaline rush, family like atmoshpere, mentors, the challenges, and the drive to be the best. Not to mention it's fun and chicks dig racers.  8) Oh and being crazy helps!  :o

Ryan, if I missed anything feel free to chime in.  :P

[smoke]

 I give out a little booklet at my school.  I'm surprised at the answers that I get from my riders on occasion, that are related to what I consider basic foundations, that they can be so far off on when I gave them a direct answer in the book.  I give them books, but they only eat the covers.

Can your book be ordered from your web site? if not when will be so us MA people can read it?

[G1K@work]

;D

I'll share why I'm staying with racing and at the same time I'll speak for my teammate who lurks around here from time to time, who I'm sure shares the same stance that I do. (I'm still faster than you Ryan ha ha!)

We both started riding together on the street and progressed equally. After attending a few track days, the addiction started. We both had the strong drive and desire to be faster. Racing I think is something that was always deep inside me. Having a close friend that felt the same was a big help. We helped each other with our riding, plus a little friendly competition always helps you to improve.

Preparing for our first year of racing we were able to divide the costs fairly well. We both bought fairly identical bikes so parts were interchangable. The bikes we bought were fairly old (95' and 91' F3/2's) and already race ready. Being old and cheap we wouldn't be all disappointed if we wadded them.

He had purchased a large trailer for both bikes, and we always split the towing, camping, gate fees, etc 50/50. So having a teammate to help offset the costs and the long driving time is HUGE. Also his wife helps us at every race, which is invaluable. So having someone to split the work and the costs with is awesome.

Next what keeps us coming back is the family feel that is at the race track. We've always met fellow racers that were willing to help with parts and or advice. Big thanks to Adam Vella of Webcrush Racing. Thanks Adam! Out on the track having someone show you the racing line at a track you've never been to helps you go faster and keep you safe.

The drive to improve our riding and to go faster everytime out on the track is also part of the addiction. I think that we both want to become fast amateurs and then advance to the expert level. So having goals keep me coming back. Also the fact that we've done well in our first year doesn't hurt.

So to sum up my rambling: What keeps us coming back? We've minimized the cost, having a close friend to share the ups and downs, having a "pit crew", the addiction to motorcycles and riding, the thrill and adrenaline rush, family like atmoshpere, mentors, the challenges, and the drive to be the best. Not to mention it's fun and chicks dig racers.  8) Oh and being crazy helps!  :o

Ryan, if I missed anything feel free to chime in.  :P

I just go so I can beat you...

j/k

Ray sumed it up for us.  Of course the $$ is a big factor, but cutting back on spending in other areas has helped me out quite a bit, and having someone to shage the $2-300 gas bill certainly helps.

I have support of my faimily and friends (who are coming out to watch this weekend), a great paying job, and the ability to take time off when I need it.  (down side is, I get a 3-4 hour notice before I have to travel to distant places, like Japan)...

We have met so many people at the track, and developed aquaintences into friendships.  It's great to get passes by someone you know, and work hard to pass them back... and be able to talk/joke about it after the race is over...

Those are the factors that are helping me stay with it.  I would guess that the absence of those factors would cause a person to quit.


Ryan
137 Donkey Punch Racing

[oldguy]

In addition to the money its what S_D said. Racing is a quantifiable experience. Unlike other things in life which may give you a feeling of improvement, track times and race placement are the real deal. You either get better or you don't, and the truth is handed to you on a piece of paper. Many guys "think" they are fast and find out the truth when they get to the track. Some spend a lot of time at track days in the beginner group, cherry picking to their hearts content, and "think" they are fast. On the track, they learn the truth. If you think you're fast, ride against Stumpy; Whew, he's fast.
Back to what S_D said; there is a LOT going on in one lap that requires lightning reflexes, instant decisions, and overcoming the stark fear of T1 braking and getting and analyzing the feedback from the bike. For an old fart like me, just remembering the track layout and some what of a decent line is enough of a challenge. Then throw in questions from S_D like "How did the bike "feel" in the entrance, mid and exit of each corner"? ALL 13 OF THEM?
It's an enormous undertaking to be a racer and be good at it. It's a lot like high school kids having babies 'cause it's cool and then finding out it's a big-time committment. Pretty disheartening when you keep getting minimal improvement, or run into a "wall" and look back at all the money you are spending.
But what do I know? I'm just a dumba$$ with 1 race weekend under my belt.

[mdr14]

I had to double check, but it took Dave Rosno till the second page top make a post.

But he more than made up for that by the length of his post  :P ( I can say that cause I've been racing for over a decade too)

Anybody want to purchase my 2001 GSXR 1000? I'm updating for next year.

[OmniGLH]

I give out a little booklet at my school.  I'm surprised at the answers that I get from my riders on occasion, that are related to what I consider basic foundations, that they can be so far off on when I gave them a direct answer in the book.  I give them books, but they only eat the covers.

You gave us booklets?  LOL.  I guess I should find my folder and check it out... silly me probably assumed it was a packet full of stickers and advertisements like another school I attended.

If it makes you feel any better, I'm sure the cover was pretty tasty...  ;)

[OmniGLH]

To comment on the rest of the topic at hand...

I've wanted to race *something* for as long as I can remember.  I wanted to race Porsches from about the time I could spell it.  My cousin turned me on to motocross when I was ~14, and even tho I *really* sucked at it, the competitive drive kept me going.  By 16 I wanted to road race, but knew it was expensive and couldn't afford it.  I stuck it out with motocross a few years before putting racing on the back burner altogether and concentrating on my degree.

Started roadracing last year, late in the season.  LOVED it, was twice as much fun as I'd hoped it would be.  Would probably classify myself as one of the "fast out of the box" guys.  I actually did better than I expected to do, so that helped to add to my urge to keep going.

Made it 2 race weekends before crashing during Rosno's school.  Messed up the top of my foot, but probably would've finished the day out had I not destroyed my boot and broken the frame on the bike (stupid Suzuki frame tabs.)  Since it was near the end of the season already, and I was already out a sizeable chunk of cash between bike prep, fixing the frame, etc. I just decided to wait for the next year.

This year started, and ended... in the first weekend.  Crashed, broke my shoulder in several places.  Lying in the mud in the most intense pain I've ever felt, I decided that I was done for good.  By the time I got to the hospital, the drugs kicked in, the pain died off.  The doctors were thinking I had just dislocated my shoulder... and my thoughts switched from "I quit" to "hurry up and fix my shoulder, I might be able to make the last race of the day."  Once I learned that I had broken it, I knew that was the end of this season.

Desire still hasn't died.  It's faded from time to time.  But now that my shoulder has healed a bit, I've forced myself back out on the track.  And I still have the urge to race.  So I'll be out there next year (budget allowing, of course.)

[MadXX]

I appreciate all the comments from everyone here.  I sometime like to throw out questions like this to see if my thoughts are in line with reality and to find out what others think about various topics.  Just give me a few beers and a campfire and I'll philosophize with anyone until the sun rises.  :D

This question however is somewhat personal to me because I will be starting racing next year and have found it somewhat difficult to find information on my own.  I am making some major changes to my life now to accommodate racing in the years to come and I want to make sure I am doing this for the right reasons and are not destined to failure by incorrect assumptions.  I do not personally know anyone doing this other than the few people I have met briefly at the track or on this board and am sometimes flying blind in regards to what I need to start up.  I have been corner-working for the last few months to figure out what is going on but I know I am missing a lot.

I will be more than happy to solicit and take the advice of those who are willing to share it and look forward to racing with all of you next year.  To me the racing community is one of the selling points of the sport.  I don't think anything in life is really much fun without good people to share it with.  

Hope to see some of you at Gingerman,

MadXX a.k.a. Chad Berkan