WERA death at VIR

[TreyBone]

Not me you wussies :P Hammer down ;D

[motomadness]

I am referring more to the fact that most of these unfortunate incidents occur when racers may not be at their peak of attention.  My approach to practice is a steady build in my laps, mentally and physically.  However, there are those that go out there with a different approach.  Only in a race is everyone on the same page.

All I am trying to say is that let's all agree that during practice if you don't have a safe line around someone that is going slower than you (for whatever reason), back off and try again the next lap.  If there are no more laps after this one, to bad, what til the race starts.

[chris_chops]

IAll I am trying to say is that let's all agree that during practice if you don't have a safe line around someone that is going slower than you (for whatever reason), back off and try again the next lap.  If there are no more laps after this one, to bad, what til the race starts.

This should be the same during a race, if you are really faster and better than someone you can pass them clean.  Too many club racing 'heroes' try stupid passes and the victim is the guy who never sees it coming.  I'm still rebuilding my bike and body after the KG(2003 MW #1) tried to stuff it inside me in T2 after I cleanly stuffed him in T1 at Blackhawk.  He nearly killed me and he definitely killed the bike.  

[chris_chops]

IAll I am trying to say is that let's all agree that during practice if you don't have a safe line around someone that is going slower than you (for whatever reason), back off and try again the next lap.  If there are no more laps after this one, to bad, what til the race starts.

This should be the same during a race, if you are really faster and better than someone you can pass them clean.  Too many club racing 'heroes' try stupid passes and the victim is the guy who never sees it coming.  I'm still rebuilding my bike and body after the KG(2003 MW #1) tried to stuff it inside me at 120mph in T2 after I cleanly stuffed him in T1 at Blackhawk.  He nearly killed me and he definitely killed the bike. He was racing me and not the track and he knows this.  He was very apologetic and had the balls to admit he was wrong.
       I admire the new experts and the old ones who realise that they aren't Nicky and the races don't matter enough to justify killing your friends and costing them tens of thousands of dollars.  This is club racing, give respect.  

I know nothing of the incident at VIR so this does not directly deal with that incident.
Godspeed Tom!

[clutch]

Thats why I left the meat grinding 600 class.  Sick of the bone head moves.  I am near 30 and do this for fun.  I am not the next Nicky and neither are the other 100 guys out there who think they are.  I cant wait to get to expert and leave novice.  Lets use our heads.  BTW...I claimed a 3rd place podium at VIR :)

[xseal]

CBR Sean, is it really that different in the LW classes?  I ride a 02 Kawi 600 b/c I'm 6' 200 lb, and it seemed like a "small" (600) bike that physically fit me.  I also like being able to race in the HW classes and compete pretty evenly.  But, if the LW classes are filled with more level headed people, I may trade it in for an SV (which I'm sure will cost me a fortune).  

[TreyBone]

The lightweight classes have grown quite a bit since I started racing lightweights 3 years ago.

[clutch]

Yeah, the LW classes have grown a bit.  And anything can happen in any class.  I did it for that reason and because I was told the SV was fun to race and a little cheaper on tires (yeah right!--roasted a rear in 1.5 days)  I had a blast on the SV.  T-1 is still packed.  THose V-Twins also inhale gas..man.  I think I went thru near 15 gallons in 3 days.

[K3 Chris Onwiler]

As an older guy that is racing for fun, I think that makes me feel more concerned, not less.  

That's the nice thing about F40.  Us level-headed older guys only generate about half as many red flags and ambulance rides as the young bucks... :o :-/

And just for the record.  People have been telling me for 25 years that I was going to kill myself on a motorcycle.  I'd be pretty dense if I didn't believe that they had at least a chance of being right.  This sport is risky, but not as risky as doing the same thing on public roads.  We accept this risk because we love to race.  I really don't see a man dying while doing what he loves to be as tragic as a man dying of old age having never lived his dreams.
I don't mean to be harsh or minimize the loss.  This is just the way I feel.  Apology in advance for anyone offended.  This wasn't meant to offend.

[xseal]

my first race was F40, and the guy that was coaching me through it to "take it easy" got involved in a two bike accident that killed his R6 and broke his ankle badly. So, I'm not so sanguine about F40.

I sounds to me like LW is just as crazy as MW, the smarter move may be to ride with the experts and perhaps I'll regret winning my petition to stay AM this year.

[K3 Chris Onwiler]

I've raced both, and I think lightweight is just a touch saner.  As for F40, we have some fast old dudes in the midwest who'd rather eat dung than lose.  We all ride GSXR 750s, too.  It ain't exactly tea time.  (And if I can find two more seconds, it's going to get worse...)

[PJ]

I've never raced in the MW classes, so I can't say how they compare. But in the LW classes, it seems most experts will give each other the room they need, and in general, try to make clean passes. It's competitive, no doubt, but most guys remember that everyone has to go to back to work on Monday in the real world...