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Teen wanting to start racing

5K views 14 replies 5 participants last post by  TheGrouchyCat 
#1 ·
Ok, so I've been riding just two years now and want to get started racing. I plan on making as many track days at Putnam Park this summer as I can afford. I'm selling my cummins for a cheaper truck and already have an 05 zx636 and full leathers etc... I've almost finished "A Twist of the Wrist" by Keith Code and would like any other book suggestions. I can get pretty low and have dragged my knee an few times, but want a gopro to really study my body positioning. Another thing I want to work on is blipping throttle on downshifts. The real reason I made this thread is that after my first few trackdays at beginner, what are the next steps? I heard good things about WERA racing and talked to a guy who raced in that (bought his girlfriend's bike), but how do I get to that point and how do I get passed it to AMA? Also if there's a better forum for these kinds of questions please direct me to it THANKS!!!
 
#2 ·
your next steps are to listen to the instructors at your track days and move up the ranks from beginner to intermediate and advanced. you can start racing at any time, but the novice classes in WERA are no joke. especially with the 600s. you'll see everyone from riders who have gone thru the track day ranks and have been riding advanced for years or even coaching to those who did 2 track days and a rider's school and are on the grid having no idea what's about to happen.

i was one of those riders who was riding in advanced for several years before racing and got my ass handed to me in the middleweight (600) classes.

seat time and learning from your track day coaches will get you there. oh, and money. 2014 was my first full season of racing (2013 i only did a few races) and i spent somewhere in the neighborhood of $15,000.00. this is after i already had a well set-up bike. shit gets expensive real quick...

good luck!


s3aturnr
 
#3 · (Edited)
I would race with the MCRA guys in the Amateur GT class first. Midwest Cafe Racing Association | Because Crashing Sucks They race at Putnam. Once your fastest practice lap times are within 5 seconds or so of the AM GT race lap times, you'd be pretty competitive.

My buddy's fastest lap in advanced class practice was around 1:29 and his average race lap was 1:23.724. You'll drop time in the race so if you're close to the racer's time in the practice sessions you'll be set.


Here is my buddy doing AM GT at putnam. start at 6:10



Racing is very expensive. You'll need to factor in tires (expensive as hell), tire warmers, a generator to run tire warmers, race fairings or atleast a belly pan, gas to and from, increased maintenance and more frequent parts purchases, etc. It isn't cheap.
 
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#4 · (Edited)
WERA doesnt go to putnam. Dont waste money going to tracks you're not going to race at first of all. But for putnam novice laptimes are 1:15's and a 1:20 being top 10 to give you an idea of what to shoot for.

you can go racing at any rider level but to win a novice race on a 600 you will have to be quite a bit faster than 98% of the A group at a trackday.....just so you know what you're getting into. C superstock allows head work and race fuel at $90/5gal...meaning to be on a competitive bike look to spend $5-6k on it....

To race in the AMA you have to earn an expert license and compete in at least 5 races as an expert, then be able to run 110% of the pole position. At putnam that would mean about 1:17 or better (on high octance pump gas) to qualify...B group paces would be around low-mid 1:30's average...IOW you're a long way off.



so your best bet would be to get a KTM 390 and start out in WERA E class as preparation for the MotoAmerica KTM cup series.
 
#5 ·
Thanks everyone great advice and I'm learning more every day. This summer I'm going to be working on my grandpa's farm about 5 minutes from Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course where they have the AMA races (you can the guy standing next to me in the replays on youtube lol). Should I just spend the first summer getting putting in as many track days there as I can, then next summers work on getting into actual races? I'll be studying mechanical engineering at Purdue or Alabama next year, so hopefully a co-op will get me a little extra cash. The KTM looks sick as hell I'm going to look into it and the KTM cup series.
 
#7 · (Edited)
motoamerica wont be at mid-ohio in 2015 but WERA will.

I'm a part-time coach at mid-ohio and I highly recommend going there but also try some other tracks in the region; NCM, grattan, PIRC and motoseries will hold license schools and races at Nelson Ledges (their license is good for WERA).
 
#8 ·
I researched motoamerica and it actually sounds awesome but the race bikes cost 10 grand and they stopped ordering them two days ago anyways. I think the biggest obstacle for me as for anyone is just not having the money. The ktm 390 cup goes to 22 years old so I still have four years to save up for it but college won't help that except maybe a co-op. Any advice for racing on a tight budget?
 
#10 · (Edited)
the spec bike is $9k and some change which is very reasonable, honestly. The spec machines are stopped down to 38hp though. So picking up a stock one and building it for WERA will be a faster bike.

cheap is to find a race ready ninja 250 and start on that, after you make it to expert then move to the 390 cup. 4 years is putting alot of time pressure on you. If you're good you can ask for a mid-season bump to expert but honestly you have to be pretty good first. So get to crackin' now and make things happen. North Central championship starts May 2-3 at Grattan.

You're going to need at least $5,000 for the bike and the race season.


Even tip top level national champions are hard pressed to get any real sponsorship so unless you have family friends with a business just forget it. I'm sponsored by AXO, Shorai, Matrix Concepts, and ReplayXD. Those consist of 30-50% off retail deals....I dont get money.

Just plan for all 7 rounds. In F classes just showing up to all the events can get you a championship or close to it. Stick to F superstock and learning the tracks. Run 1 set of Bridgestones all year cause they pay contingency and are the best for that bike anyway. If you're lucky you might get $250 for a sunday win.
 
#11 ·
Thanks, so would you find it wise to give up my 636 for a race ready 250 and ride a little shitter on the streets? Someone earlier said for any chance in racing I should start in a 600cc class since I'm an old geezer so I'm torn between the two. People keep saying it's too late to race but hell Rossi is 36 does it really matter if I start at 14 or 18? Yes I know he did mini moto when he was like 6, but still
 
#13 ·
So I listed my 636 for sale and feel really squirmish about it. I really don't want to sell it and was just about to convert it to GP shift and install a manual cam chain tensioner . Rethinking just doing track days this summer until I reach an experienced class. And I love riding daily so I wouldn't survive staring at a race bike in my garage.
 
#14 ·
And I love riding daily so I wouldn't survive staring at a race bike in my garage.
I've said this many times before, riding on the street causes you to develop and constantly reinforce bad habits that are counter-productive for racing. Many professional motorcycle racers do not ride on the street at all, personally I gave up riding on the street for the later 2/3 of my racing 'career'.

It's hard to describe, I found that when I went racing at every event during the season my desire to ride on the street dropped tremendously. I think it had a lot to do with using a sportbike for what its designed for, pushing to the limits of traction and ability, and a real feeling of accomplishment from doing that.
 
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