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How to Become a Motorcycle Roadracer
Version 3.18
17 July 1997
Copyright 1997 (C) Robert Robillard
This is a list of Frequently Asked Questions about becoming a Motorcycle
Roadracer. It is maintained by Duke Robillard, duke@tpsinc.com (that's
me!). Please send me any additions, corrections, clarfications, or
suggestions. In particular, if you find a dead link, please let me
know...it's hard to keep up with stuff as it moves 'round. Also, this FAQ
is very USA-centric, (even Northeastern US-centric) because that's what I
know. Please send me other stuff so I can add it.
A new version of this document usually appears monthly, sometime around the
17th. It was last modified on July 17, 1997, and its travels may have taken
it far from its original home on Usenet. It may now be out-of-date,
particularly if you are looking at a printed copy or one retrieved from a
tertiary archive site or CD-ROM. You can always obtain the most up-to-date
copy on the WWW at http://www.io.com/~duke/newrrfaq.htm. It is also
available by anonymous ftp from sites ftp.eskimo.com, rtfm.mit.edu, or
ftp.uu.net, or by sending the e-mail message "help" to mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu. Lastly, a draft of the next version is usually on http://www.io.com/~duke/newfaq.htm. This is the "Beta" version...it's got
stuff I'm working on and it could very well be broken at any given time.
This article was produced for free redistribution. You should not need to
pay anyone for a copy of it.
You may wonder why I think I'm an authority on this subject. Well, I've got
a racing license, which is more than you! :-> Seriously, I'm no authority
at all, but I did spend the last 2 years or so going through the process of
getting started. I got a tremendous amount of help from people, both
on-line and off, and I thought maybe I could do something to help pay back
my karmic debt.
Thanks to everyone on the race list race list (race@micapeak.com,
"subscribe race Your-Name" to listproc@micapeak.com). I stole a lot of this
from your postings. You are the best resource a newbie racer ever had.
Thanks in particular to Hardy Kornfeld, Billy Brownsberger, Paul George,
Laura Hardy, Ed McFarland, Kevin Binsfield, Jon Fleming, Phil Calvin and
the illustrious Gunn family.
Thanks to Dash Weeks and Doug Pinckney for the WWW-ization of this FAQ.
Dash did the initial html conversion, and Doug provided the initial home.
Doug and I are both prouds members of Bare Bones Racing.
Thanks also to Derek Noonburg, Ian Jackson and Steve Summit. I owe a lot of
the meta-info (formatting, disclaimers, etc) to their PowerPC, Linux, and C
FAQs. Lastly, thanks to Carl Paukstis for his Motorcycle Mailing List
Roundup, which is a great thing, and also where I got some addresses.
Contents
1. Introduction
1.1 What is Motorcycle Roadracing?
1.2 What do I Need To Go Racing?
1.2.1 Where Do I Get Leathers and Such?
1.3 How Much Money Am I Going to Spend?
1.4 Am I Going To Wind Up Maimed or Dead?
1.5 What's a Typical Race Day Like?
1.6 I'm Still Not Sure I Want to Do This, How Can I Find Out?
1.7 What About Medical Insurance?
2. Motorcycles & Race Classes
2.1 What Bike Should I Use to Go Racing?
2.2 How Do I Find This Race-Ready Bike?
2.3 What Class Should I Race in?
2.4 What's This "YSR" Stuff I Hear About?
2.5 What's This "Mini-Moto" Stuff I Hear About?
2.6 What is "Race-prepping"?
2.7 Do You Insure Race Bikes?
3. Racing Organizations
3.1 What's a Racing Organization?
3.2 What are the US Organizations by Geographical Area?
4. Racing Schools
4.1 What's a Racing School?
4.2 Racing Schools: When, Where, How Much?
5. Tracks
5.1 What Tracks are Local to Me & What are They Like?
6. Other Sources
6.1 Where Do I Go To Get Other Info?
7. Miscellaneous Stuff
7.1 Why do Road Racers Stick Out Their Inside Knee?
7.2 Where Can I Get Racing Supplies?
1. Introduction
1.1 What is Motorcycle Roadracing?
Motorcycle Roadracing is the best time you can have with your leathers
on. Motorcycle Roadracing is better than drugs, sex, and money. This
is good, since you need to give up all three to do it. Motorcycle
Roadracing will rip off the back of your head and glue it on
backwards. Motorcycle Roadracing is indescribable. In short, get thee
to a track.
On a more concrete level, Roadracing involves a group of people on
bikes, racing around an asphalt track with many left and right turns
and elevation changes. The tracks are like those used in Formula 1 car
racing, rather than like the ovals used in stock car racing--it's more
like Watkins Glen than the Indy 500. The motorcycles used range from
lightly modified street bikes to special purpose million dollar
factory-built race bikes.
Roadracing is done on many levels, from local clubs to World
Championships.
1.2 What do I Need To Go Racing?
Less than you think. You need a race-prepared motorcycle (see 2.1) and
protective gear (race leathers, helmet, gloves, and boots). You need a
racing license (see 3.1 and 3.2). You need a way to get the bike to
the track (pickup, trailer, or van).
The gear is vital. New race leathers are somewhere close to $1000, and
worth every penny. They've got serious weight leather, foam padding,
and hard plastic body armour. Racing gloves cost up to $100, and boots
cost up to $300. Helmets are the same as street helmets; $150-$500,
depending on paint scheme :->
Don't try to cheap out on any of this stuff. Used is okay (except for
helmets, of course), but if you buy crummy leathers, you'll pay for
the difference in ambulance fees and pain.
As far as getting the race-bike to the track, the cheapest thing to do
is borrow a pickup from your uncle. Failing that, you can get a
hitch-and-trailer for your Big American Car or Yuppie Sport Utility
Vehicle for between $500 and $1000, depending on quality, new or used,
weight rating, etc.
Personally, I think a van is the best solution, because it keeps the
bike out of the rain, is easier to drive than a car & trailer, holds a
lot of tools and spares, and you can sleep in it. I initially bought a
hitch-and-trailer, 'cause it was cheaper, and then I upgraded to a
van.
Don't ride your bike to the track, because then when you wad it up in
turn 6, you won't be able to get it home.
1.2.1 Where Do I Get Leathers and Such?
Some gear companies commonly used by racers:
o AGV. Frederick, MD 21701, 800-950-9006. They have a sponsorship
program for anyone with a license, and inexpensive leathers. Cool
boots and gloves, too. And the Max Biaggi Replica Helmet...Yum.
Max is cool.
o Vanson Leathers, 617-344-5444, 213 Turnpike St Stoughton, MA. I
bought my leathers here--they're great people to deal with and
the leathers are primo.
o Syed Leathers, 11349 S. Orange Blossom Trail, Orlando, FL. (800)
486-6635, (407) 857-SYED, fax (407) 857-9233.
o Z Custom Leathers, Huntington Beach, CA (714) 890-5721
o Dinar Leathers, Lebanon, NJ (908) 236-0512, fax (908) 236-0513
o Dainese. No direct contact info (they're Italian), but you can
get them at lots of shops. You might try MOTORACE, P.O. Box 861,
Wilbraham, MA 01095. Tel: 800-628-4040, Fax: 413-731-8999,
E.Mail: MOTORACE1@aol.com
o Alpinstars. Boots of Champions.
o Held. Gloves of Asphalt Resistance.
1.3 How Much Money Am I Going to Spend?
You can do the first year for less than $6000, including buying a used
bike and protective gear, spares, and a trailer set-up. After that, it
should be cheaper, until you need a new bike, or start messing with
your engine. If you buy a bike in need of a lot of repair, you may
wind up spending more than that.
I've found a weekend at the races typically runs less than $300,
including gas, oil, entrance fees, food, etc. You can do it cheaper,
you can do it more expensive. If you have a big bike, you'll need to
replace tires a lot (maybe every weekend), but on little ones, you can
get a number weekends out of them.
1.4 Am I Going To Wind Up Maimed or Dead?
Well, all the championship level racers are maimed to a certain
extent. Doug Polen has no toes on one foot, Mick Doohan's right ankle
doesn't bend, and Wayne Rainey is paralysed from the waist down. On
the other hand, I've met a lot of expert club racers who seem pretty
much okay.
You are going to crash, and you are going to break bones. Your
collarbones are goners. Fingers, handbones, wristbones, footbones, and
anklebones are also likely to get broken.
However, serious injury and death are not very common. Most crashes
involve sliding to a stop, getting up, and running to hit your kill
switch. Racers like to claim the track is safer than the street,
because there are no Volvos to turn left in front of you. And when you
do crash, there's an ambulance a few minutes away, with the engine
running.
But there's just no getting around the fact that this is a dangerous
sport. If that bothers you a lot, maybe you should take the advice of
a friend of mine, who suggested I try chess instead. :-> Remember: "It
ain't a sport if it can't kill you."
1.5 What's a Typical Race Day Like?
At six am, you're awakened by the guy in the pit to your left, working
on the jetting of his 2 stroke (WWWINNNNNGG). You didn't get to sleep
until 1am, because Otis The Wonder Dog (staying in the pit to your
right) was barking at the TV plugged into the Honda generator. You try
to wake up your pit crew, stumble to registration and give away money,
eat a bagel as you push your bike through technical inspection, and
then miss your first practice because you forgot to safety wire your
oil drain bolt after you changed the oil at 3am on Thursday night.
Finally, you get out in practice, immediately find the limit of
traction, spend two hours and $100 at the on-track vendors getting
your handlebars fixed, and then blow the start of your Supersport
race. But it's all worthwhile when you stuff that guy on the new ZX-6R
who's fast down the straights but can't keep in front of you in the
carousel.
That's a little embelished, (could you tell?) but it covers a lot of
what goes on. Many racers camp at the track (cheaper than motels, less
packing and unpacking, less distance to travel in the morning). Race
days start early, with a line for the showers forming by 7.
Whenever you go racing, you should always bring along somebody (your
"crew") to help out. His main job is driving the truck home if you
break your ankle, but he can also take lap times and help fix broken
stuff.
You have to register for each race, and there's a fee for each (NE CCS
is $50 a race, for instance). Before you can get on the track (and
after crashes) you have to go through technical inspection. There are
generally several practices each day, divided up by speed, experience,
and/or class of bike.
If you crash, you and your crew haul the bike bike to the pit, fix it
(there are usually vendors at the track, eager to sell brake levers
and to mount tires), go through tech. again, and get back out.
And the best feeling in the world is watching someone pull away on the
straight, and then reeling him back in in the twisty stuff.
1.6 I'm Still Not Sure I Want to Do This, How Can I Find Out?
One way to try to decide whether or not roadracing is for you is to
try out one of the many track classes, like Reg Pridmore's CLASS, dp
Safety School, TrackRiders, Keith Code's California Superbike School,
the Team Suzuki Endurance Advanced Riding School, Ed Bargy's Real Race
School, or the MARRC, Penguin, or WERA Roadracing Schools. Each of
these organizations offer track time at minimal expense (you can use
your street bike, or sometimes rent a race bike) and teach riding
techniques valid for all speeds and all types of riding. See 4.1 for
more info on these.
There are a number of on-line racers who blame their current
obsessions on attending CLASS (805-933-9936).
Another excellent idea is to go to the races a couple of times and
hang out in the pits. If you can find a racer who might need crew,
volunteer to go along and help. This is the best way to learn the
routine. This sounds self evident, but there are many people who want
to start racing without having ever been into the pits; they've just
seen it on TV or from the grandstand.
Lastly, you should volunteer to be a corner-worker at your local
track. Corner Workers are the rodeo clowns of Road Racing. They hang
out near the crash points on corners, and when someone goes down, they
run out to get the racer and his bike out of harm's way, and out of
the way of the rest of the race. They're also in charge of the
signalling flags that get waved when something goes wrong, and on
getting the oil off the track. Without them, we'd all be sitting home
wishing we could go racing.
If you go to the track and say "I'd like to corner work" they'll be
delighted to have you, trust me. You get to see the racing up close
(only the racers get better seats), meet racers, learn the track and
rules, etc. At Loudon and Bridgehampton, you even get paid for
working, and get free lunch.
Cornerworking is also a good suggestion for people who are concerned
about the possibility of injury. There is nothing like spending a day
watching people get back on their bikes after crashing.
A couple of good cornerwork organizations are the US Marshalls, which
runs the safety crew at Loudon and Bridgehampton, and MARRC, which
does the hard work at Summit Point.
1.7 What About Medical Insurance?
Some medical polices cover you for track injuries, and some don't.
Call your insurance company and find out. If you're not covered,
you'll need to get a special policy. The American Motorcycle
Association (AMA) has a policy called ARMOR that covers you in AMA
sanctioned events. Call the AMA to see if your series is sanctioned.
AHRMA, LRRS (the Northeast CCS region) and the Great Lakes Road Racing
Associated (GLRRA) are sanctioned.
Don't race without medical insurance. If you think an aftermarket
shock is expensive, wait till you price those external fixators for
broken bones. Seriously, a big racing injury can easily bankrupt you.
CONTENTS
2. Motorcycles & Race Classes
2.1 What Bike Should I Use to Go Racing?
The conventional wisdom is that you should start on small bikes, and
learn to ride before you get enough horsepower to really hurt
yourself. In the US, the most popular starter racing bikes are the
Kawasaki EX-500, the Yamaha FZR 400, the Honda Hawk GT-650, and Your
Current Street Bike.
o Kawasaki EX-500
Made from 1987-1997, this is a 500cc parallel twin with a cradle
frame. You can find race prepped specimens for under $2000. It's
not the best handling of these bikes, but it's cheap and fine for
starters. As a little twin, it's legal for lots of classes.
There's a mailing list filled with racers: send 'SUBSINGLE' in
the body of the message to EX500-request@lists.best.com. There's
also a Home Page (http://www.sport-twin.com/EX500Hm.shtml) with a
FAQ and a lot of good stuff.
o Yamaha FZR 400
Imported to the US from 1988-1990, this is a 400cc inline four,
with an aluminum "Deltabox" twin-spar frame. The 1990 model had
twin front brake calipers and a Deltabox swingarm. Race ready
versions are usually close to $3000. This is probably the best of
the three, but it also costs the most. I bought this one, because
I didn't want to worry about whether the problem was me or the
bike; with the FZR, I know it's me. There's a mailing list for
this bike also: send "subscribe fzr-400 your-address" in the body
of a message to majordomo@openix.com
o Honda Hawk GT 650
Made from 1988-1990, this is a 650cc V-twin, with a twin-spar
frame. Race ready versions are around $2500. The engine is a
little weak in stock form, but can really breath fire when worked
on. As a little twin, it's legal for lots of classes. There's a
mailing list for this bike also: send "subscribe hawkgt-l your
real name" in the body of a message to listserv@listserv.hawkgt.com
o Your Current Street Bike
This bike has one obvious advantage: it's nearly free (you do
have to spend some money race prepping it). A lot of people start
on their 600 Sportbikes; in my region, the Amateur 600cc grids
are completely packed. The disadvantage of this bike is that when
you wreck it, you've got no street bike. An even worse problem
would be wrecking it on the street and having no race bike! In
addition, it's a royal pain to rip all the street stuff (lights,
signals, etc) off every weekend, and when your suspension is set
up correctly for the track, it's unrideable on the street. A
final warning: some organizations don't let novices on anything
bigger than a 750.
A good way to pick a bike is to go to your local track, hang out in
the pits, talk to people your own age who are smiling, find out what
they are riding and why. Look at how many bikes are in each class, and
how the racing is going. Some classes are just for nut cases (I would
never say that about any particular class, like, oh, say, the Amateur
600's). Other classes have an air or respect for their fellow riders.
Some people start in vintage racing; it's not just for retired
roadracers. A good starter bike is a CB350 Honda. They are cheap, and
in the USCRA there are two classes for them, one for stock motors and
one for modifed motors. The USCRA also has a class for the RD 350
Yamaha. One of the main advantages of vintage roadracing is that it is
a fixed target. Once you sort out a machine you can race it year after
year; there are no new Vintage bikes coming out. Most clubs rules are
very stable and do not allow new technology to creep into the classes.
No matter what bike you race, it's simplier if you buy a bike that's
already being raced in the class you're going to join--that way all
the grunt work of race-prepping has been done. And stay as close to
stock as you can; you need to spend the first season learning to race,
not working on your porting.
2.2 How Do I Find This Race-Ready Bike?
The best ways are
1. hang around the pits at your local racetrack (see 5.1) and look
for "For Sale" signs,
2. check the classifieds in Cycle News, Roadracing World, or
American Roadracing (see 6.1),
3. check around the newsgroup and mailing list (see 6.1)
2.3 What Class Should I Race In?
Most organizations have different racing classes divided up by engine
displacement, 2-stroke vs 4-stroke, number of cylinders, and how much
magic has been performed on the bike. Take CCS, for instance (see
3.2). It has a couple of "Lightweight" classes for production-based
street bikes. These classes allow 4 stroke bikes with 4 cylinders up
to 400cc or 4 stroke twins up to 650cc. "Lightweight Supersport" is
for mildly altered bikes (new pipes, jetting and suspensions) and
"Lightweight Superbike" is for bikes with titanium con-rods and such.
(The details of what's legal and what's not are more complicated, but
that's the general idea.) The grids for these classes are filled with
the three bikes mentioned in 2.1
You're usually allowed to "race up a class," which means you can ride
a 600cc bike in the 750cc class. On some tight, twisty tracks, you
might not even be at much of a disadvantage. At the AMA national at
Loudon, for instance, there's usually a 600 in the top ten of the 750
Supersport races. And in the beginner classes, slow bikes with fast
riders beat fast bikes with slow riders all the time.
It's a good idea to start in relatively slow, lightweight classes. If
you take your CBR900RR to the track to learn on, odds are you're going
to get lapped an awful lot, fall down all the time, and might even be
a danger to the more experienced racers. In fact, some organizations
don't let novices on anything bigger than a 750. My race school
instructor explained this decision: "It was just getting too bloody."
2.4 What's this "YSR" stuff I Hear About?
Another Bike/Class option is to race YSRs. The Yamaha YSR is a 50cc or
80cc two stroke that looks like a sport bike. They are raced in
parking lots, on go cart tracks, and on regular race tracks.
YSR racing isn't as high speed as full size racing, but it is a
fantastic alternative for people who can't ante up the entrance fee
for big-time racing, or are not prepared (due to family, etc) to risk
life and limb for the pursuit of adrenaline.
YSR's also provide a semi-safe place to hone up racing skills (most of
them are directly transferrable) before stepping up to lightweights.
Crashes are not usually serious, so racers can get used to falling
off.
There are mini-racing (as it's also called) group around North
America--check the YSR 50 Racing page for more details; they've got
addresses and numbers for groups around the continent. You can also
check ???
2.5 What's This "Mini-Moto" Stuff I Hear About?
Mini-Motos are little miniature motorcycles--like 8 inches high, 3
feet long, and 50lbs. They've got little 2-stroke engines, no
suspension, tires that feel like real race tires, and cost $1500.
People race them in parking lots and sometimes on go-kart tracks.
Supposedly, they'll do 60mph, given a long enough run. It's something
to see.
2.6 What is "Race-Prepping"?
"Race-prepping" is getting your bike ready to race. If you've bought a
bike that's already been racing, race-prepping is all the grunt work
you don't have to do. It means stripping off all the street stuff
(lights, signals, kickstands, etc), replacing the radiator coolent
with water, safety-wiring anything you wouldn't want to come loose at
speed, putting on number plates, adding a steering damper, etc.
"Safety-wiring" is drilling little holes through the heads of bolts
that hold on important stuff, running wire through those holes, and
then attaching the wire to some fixed point, or to another bolt. This
makes it impossible for the bolt to turn, no matter how much it
vibrates and bounces. Obvious targets for safety wiring are oil drain
plugs, fork oil drains, the remote shock reservoir (mine fell off
once) and brake caliper bolts.
It is really helpful to have someone show you how and what to safety
wire; the race rulebooks are not very clear or complete. When you go
to the track to hang around before becoming a racer, you can check
this out, perhaps asking someone for hints and help. Most racers are
very helpful about this kind of thing, and love to talk about their
bikes. (Just don't catch them 10 minutes before their next race.)
Every organization has its own specific rules about race-prepping.
You'll find them in the rulebooks (see 6.1 and 3.2).
2.7 Do You Insure Race Bikes?
No.
That's a little extreme, but not much. Some people do get special
theft insurance if the bike is really valuable (like a 916 or RC45).
There's no such thing as liabilty insurance on the racetrack. If
somebody hits you, you might be able to yell at him, but he's not
paying to fix your bike. And for God's sake, don't get a lawyer and
sue him--that will be the end of amateur racing. There's no such thing
as collision insurance either. If you slide your bike into the wall,
you buy the new front end yourself.
CONTENTS
3. Racing Organizations
3.1 What's a Racing Organization?
A Racing Organization is a group that sanctions races. They set up the
weekends, officiate, keep the records, and take your money. They also
issue racing licenses.
In the US, The Western Eastern Roadracing Association (WERA) and the
Championship Cup Series (CCS) are nation-wide organizations, with
regional series spread across the country. No matter where you live,
you can race under one of these two. If you do really well in your
region, you can go to the Grand National Final (WERA, Road Atlanta) or
the Race of Champions (CCS, Daytona) at the end of the season.
Another national organization is American Historic Racing Motorcycle
Association (AHRMA), which runs vintage racing and "alternative types
of modern roadracing that otherwise would not receive the exposure
they deserve. These include Sound of Singles (SOS), Battle of Twins
(BOT), and the Sound of Thunder Series." These are very cool races to
watch, because they've got bikes you don't see anywhere else, like
Brittens and Saxon-framed three cylinder modern Triumphs.
In addition, there are a lot of local organizations, some of which are
associated with WERA and/or CSS, and some of which are independent.
3.2 What are the US Organizations by Geographical Area?
USA (Nationwide):
Western Eastern Roadracing Association (WERA), 3446 Bells Ferry
Rd., PO Box 440549, Kennesaw, GA 30144. Phone: 770-924-8404, Fax:
770-924-1277, werahq@aol.com. See http://www.wera.com. for the
1997 Rules and Schedules.
Championship Cup Series (CCS), 704-684-4297. See The Ludwig
Motorsports page (http://fly.hiwaay.net/~pjludwig) for the 1997
Rules.
American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association (AHRMA), PO Box
882, Wausau, WI 54402-08822, 715-842-9699, fax: 715-842-9545. See http://www.cp.duluth.mn.us/ahrma/ for membership information and
schedules.
Canada (Nationwide):
Association Sportive Motocycliste (ASM), 322 Raymond Casgrain,
Laval, QC, H7N 5N8. Phone: (514) 663-2431, fax: (514)663-5816.
Northeast US:
CCS Northest Region. Loudon RoadRacing Series (LRRS) and GP/Pro
is the local organization that runs the the CCS NE series. They
also have their own classes. Races take place at New Hampshire
International Speedway, Loudon, NH and Bridgehampton Race
Circuit, Long Island, NY. PO Box 73, West Hurley, NY 12491-0073.
914-679-5547.
US Classic Racing Association (USCRA). Vintage racing at Loudon
(NHIS), Atlantic Motorsport Park, Nova Scotia, Canada, Mosport
Park, Canada and Summit Point Raceway in West Virginia. Rules:
c/o Robert Coy, 441 Athol Road, Richmond, NH 03470. phone
603-239-6778, fax 603-239-7343. http://kyalami.chess.cornell.edu/uscra.html. Membership: c/o
Charlie Seymour, PO BOX 473, Sanbornville, NH 03872.
603-522-3104. $15 a year and you must be a AMA member Newsletter:
Richard Peterson Jr., 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich, RI 02818. mtpracin@aol.com.
US Classic Racing Association (USCRA). See Northeast US.
AM Canadian Racing Association (AMCRA). Based at Atlantic
Motorsport Park (AMP), Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia.
Mid-Atlantic US:
CCS MidAtlantic Region
WERA Mid-Atlantic Region
Mid-Atlantic Road Racing Club (MARRC), 703 435-1223. Provides
safety crew for WERA and CCS regional races, and runs a school
and open practice days at Summit Point, WV.
Southeast US:
CCS Southeast Region
CCS Florida Region (Talladega,)
Southeastern Sportbike Association (SSA). runs a school and open
practice days at Roebling and Talladega. se-sport@mindspring.com
Central Motorcycle Racing Association (CMRA): local organization
that's the WERA affiliate. (800) 423-8736, http://www.flash.net/~cmra, PO Box 156, Richmond, Texas 77406.
Motorcycle Roadracing Association (MRA), PO Box 40187, Denver,
Colorado 80204, 303-530-5678, http://www.mra-racing.org/. Races
at Second Creek Raceway, Pueblo Motorsports Park, Moutain View
Motorsports Park, Stapleton Motorsports Park, the new Pikes Peak
International Raceway, and on the streets Steamboat Springs (I
don't know anywhere else west of Ireland where you can race on a
real street course!).
American Federation of Motorcyclists (AFM), 510-796-7005. http://www.afmracing.org/ PO Box 5018-333 Newark, CA 94560.
California Motorcycle Road Race Association (CMRRA).
909-674-5357. 15023 Valencia Street, Lake Elsinore, CA 92530.
Races at Lake Perris Raceway & Willow Springs.
North West US:
Oregon Motorcycle Road Racing Association(OMRRA), PO Box 6388
Portland, Oregon, 97228, 503-221-1487.
Washington Motorcycle Road Racing Association, (WMRRA)
206-972-4499.
Northwest 883 Twins, 604-585-HAWG.
South West US:
CCS South West Region
WERA SouthCentral Region
CONTENTS
4. Racing Schools
4.1 What's a Racing School?
What, you think Kevin Schwantz was born that way? He had to learn
somewhere. A beginner race school will teach you the basic stuff about
how to survive on the track, what the various flags mean, what a
cornerworker does, and so on. You usually need to take a school in
order to get a racing license from one of the race organizations.
Later on, you can take advanced race schools, in order to trim some
seconds off your lap times.
4.2 Racing Schools: When, Where, How Much?
The paper Roadracing magazines (see 6.1 have listings of dates for
most of the track schools. You can also check racingschools.com. It
also cover car schools, but just grit your teeth and skip past them.
Penguin RoadRacing School
347B Pratt Street, Mansfield, MA 02048. 508-339-4673 Phone manned
9am-1pm Mon-Thur by Eric Wood. Held at Loudon, New Hampshire and
Bridgehampton, Long Island, on the Friday before every NE CCS race
weekend. $150 tuition. You can rent an EX500 ($225) and leathers
($40). Qualifies you for a CCS license (for $75) and racing the same
weekend. http://users.aol.com/penguinpro/penguin1.htm
MARRC Roadracing School
c/o Stephen Harris, 112 Woodland Dr, Gaithersburg, MD 20877, (301)
990-6408 (before 9pm). Taught at Summit Point Raceway in West
Virginia, on CCS race weekends. $140, with a $20 discount for
pre-entry. Qualifies you for a CCS license (for another $50) and
racing the same weekend.
Team Suzuki Endurance Advanced Riders School
Travels the country. Instruction from former GP rider David Aldana and
current members of the national endurance championship team. Can be
taken on a street bike (and most people do), but qualifies you for CSS
and WERA licenses.
Frank Kinsey
(407-267-4787) teaches the rider's school at Moroso Motorsports Park
in West Palm Beach, Florida. He also provides advanced instruction at
Roebling Road on the Friday preceding every CCS event (cost $125) and
organizes all-day beginning to advanced classes on other days ($200).
He will also provide individual or small group rider's school
classroom sessions on request.
Ed Bargy's Real Race School
770-745-7809, ebrs@mindspring.com, at various tracks in the Southeast.
$165. Lots of track time and high quality instruction from Ed.
Qualifies you for WERA and CCS licenses and you get a $50 gift
certificate for Michelins. http://www.mindspring.com/~ebrs
The Southeast Sportbike Associations's School
The SSA rents tracks in the southeast for racers and street riders to
get on the track. track time is $75-$125 for the day, and the class is
an additional $25. Qualifies you for a WERA and CCS license.
Concentrates on the flagging and starting procedures and isn't a
go-fast type class.
Keith Code's California Superbike School
818-246-0717, 800-530-3350, FAX: 818-246-3307 PO Box 9294, Glendale
CA, 91226. http://www.superbikeschool.com Some of Keith's classes are
taught on rental Honda RS125 GP bikes, provided by Moto-Liberty, the
Texas racing guys. You should take one of these, in order to find out
how a racing bike is supposed to handle. It's good to have a
benchmark.
FasTrack Riders
310-699-2305. Willow Springs, Rosamond, CA. Classes given at Willow
Springs. Tom Sera is now the guy in charge; Lance Holst is an
instructor, and he also gives private lessons (818-666-0112).
Willow springs new racer school
805-256-1234
WERA New Racer Rider's School
770-924-8404. Summit Point, WV. Qualifies you for a WERA license.
AFM race school
510-537-8208. Given by AFM, the California racing organization. Mostly
Classroom race theory; very little track time. You must safety wire
your bike.
Fasttrax Performance Riding School
Run at Nelson Ledges Road Course in Ohio. Amazingly enough, I don't
have a phone number or snail address for them, but I do have a Web
Page. This Internet thing has gone too far. http://members.aol.com/Fasttrax40/fasttrax.html
dp Safety School
805-772-8301. A street-bike class given at the various Northern
California tracks.
Learning Curves Roadrace School (LCR).
Closest raceschool to Road America. 7881 West Beckett Ave, Milwaukee,
WI 53218, 414-461-0116 or 414-327-0140, http://www.execpc.com/~rcrrik/
FAST Riding School
Runs at Shannonville and Mosport, Ontario, St-Eustache, Quebec, Race
City, Calgary, and Grattan, Michigan. They rent bikes (GSXR600, YZF600
or ZX6) and leathers. RR#1, Carrying Place, Ontario, KOK 1L0. Phone:
(613) 966-9464, Fax: (613) 968-2681, http://www.reach.net/~fast/
CONTENTS
5. Tracks
5.1 What Tracks are Local to Me & What are They Like?
In fact, these sites are so good that I'm probably gonna drop this track
section in the near future. Until then, here're some real short blurbs on
tracks.
New Hamshire International Speedway, Loudon, New Hampshire.
603-783-4931 Commonly called "Loudon." 1.6 miles, 12 turns,
crisscrosses a NASCAR oval. Site of National AMA Superbike race during
Laconia Bike Week. Track record 1'13'xx'' by Tom Kipp in June 1996.
Nice bathrooms, showers, and garages. Camping allowed, pets allowed. http://www.nhis.com/
Bridgehampton Race Circuit, Bridgehampton, Long Island, New York,
nearly to the eastern end of Long Island, in the swanky "Hamptons."
516-725-0888. 3100' front straight leading to blind, downhill right
(must be experienced to be understood). Bathrooms and showers, camping
allowed, pets allowed. All dirt pits.
Nelson Ledges, Garretsville, OH, near the OH/PA border, east of
Cleveland. 216-548-8551.
Summit Point Raceway, Summit Point, West Virginia, ~90 minutes west of
Baltimore. (304) 725-8444
Atlantic Motorsport Park (AMP), Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia, Canada. 8
hour ferry ride from Portland ME + 3 hrs on the road. 1.6 mile, 11
turns, elevation changes, blind entries and exits. Steve Crevier has
the lap record.
Mosport Park, 60 miles east of Toronto, Canada. 905-513-0550.
Blackhawk Farms, Beloit, WI ~1-1.5 hours NW of Chicago. 1.9 miles.
Willow Springs. 85 miles north of Los Angeles. Run by Willow Springs
Motorcycle Club (call Kenny Kopecky @ 805-256-1234, racewillow@aol.com). 2.5 miles.
Stapleton Motorsports Park, the old Stapleton Airport Runways, Denver,
Colorado. 3.1 mi, 10 turns, track record 1:58:05
Second Creek Raceway, 88th Ave & Buckley Road, Denver, Colorado. 1.75
mi, 11 turns, lap record: 1:09:98.
Pueblo Motorsports Park, Pueblo Blvd, Pueblo, Colorado. 2.25 mi, 12
turns, track record: 1:35:29
Steamboat Springs, Street Course in Southern part of the city of
Steamboat, Colorado. 1.7 miles, 10 turns, track record: 1:22:48. One
of the last Street Courses in the US.
Moutain View Motorsports Park, 30 miles north of Denver, Colorado,
exit 245 off I25. 1.7 mi, 9 turns, track record 1:02.14.
Grattan Raceway: Located in Grattan, Michigan, about 20 minutes east
of Grand Rapids. Hosts WERA and CCS races.
Putnam Park Road Course: Located in Mt. Meridian, Indiana, about 40
minutes west of Indianapolis. WERA and CCS races.
Road America, Elkhart Lake, WI. One of the best tracks in the US.
Indianapolis Raceway Park: You guessed it, Indianapolis, Indiana, in
the suburb Clermont (right by the Speedway). WERA and CCS.
Texas World Speedway: Located in College Station, Texas. WERA races
for sure, CMRA races, and maybe CCS races (not sure).
Memphis Motorsports Park: Located in Millington, Tennesee, somewhere
around Memphis. WERA National.
Oak Hill Raceway, Henderson, Texas, WERA regionals
N.C. Motor Speedway, Rockingham, NC, WERA regionals
Gateway Intl Raceway, Fairmont City (St. Louis), Il, WERA regionals
Las Vegas Speedway Park, Las Vegas Speedway Park, Las Vegas, NV, http://www.lvms.com. WERA regionals.
Laguna Seca, Monterey, California. Site of US Round of World Superbike
and formerly, the US Grand Prix. One of the best tracks in the US. http://www.laguna-seca.com/
Moroso Motorsports Park, West Palm Beach, FL. About 10 miles NW of
West Palm Beach on 710 (Beeline Hwy). 2.25 miles with 10 turns, flat,
fairly long back straight running along dragstrip. Races run by Henry
DeGouw (407)793-3394. Several grades of race gas available, pretty
good concession stands, permanent bathrooms with showers (but stinking
sulfur water), camping permitted outside the pits, no dogs.
Roebling Road, Faulkville, GA (west of Savannah, just off US80). 2.1
mi., 9 turns, one slight elevation change, >1/2 mile long front
straight, excellent traction, bumpy now but scheduled for repaving
this winter. 100, 108 and 114 octane race gas available, good
concession stand, nice bathrooms and showers, camping allowed, pets
allowed.
Road Atlanta, Braselton, GA (about 30 miles NE of Atlanta off I-85).
AMA Nationals, WERA nationals (including the season finale GNF), and
WERA regionals. One of the best US tracks. 2.5 miles over rolling
hills, very high speed back straight into the unique dip known as
Gravity Cavity. Lots of paved pit area, concession and gift stands,
several grades of race gas, really nice bathrooms and showers, camping
allowed, pets allowed. Quiet time imposed by local ordinance from
10:00-12:30 Sunday.
Talladega Gran Prix Raceway, Talladega, AL. 1.3 miles, flat. WERA
regionals and national. Fair concession stand, permanent bathrooms w/
showers - okay once you sweep out the spiders and other critters,
camping allowed, all grass pits with gravel driveway (hard to do bump
starts).
Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, FL. 3.6 miles
incorporating the tricky infield section with the high speed banking
and back straight. Paved pit area, some open garages, some enclosed
garages (fees charged during Bike Week, free first come/first served
during Race of Champions). No camping, no pets, decent bathrooms,
fair-good concession stands, heavy security.
Portland International Raceway (PIT), Portland Oregon. WERA Pro Races.
Hawaii Raceway Park, West side of Oahu, about 40 minutes out of
Honolulu. 1 1/3 miles long, run in a counterclockwise direction, and
is decent in it's safety value. Lap records in the low :55 (808)
833-RACE.
CONTENTS
6. Other Sources
6.1 Where Do I Go To Get Other Info?
There are several nationwide US periodicals that cover Roadracing
extensively:
Roadracing World and Motorcycle Technology
PO Box 1428
Lake Elsinore, CA 92531
published monthly, $18/year http://www.roadracingworld.com/
American Roadracing
PO Box 3320
7439 Elbow Bend, Suite C
Carefree, AZ 85377-3320
published 10 months a year, $20/year http://www.motosport.com/
National Privateer
P.O. Box 3465
West Palm Beach, FL 33402-3465
(407)689-9267
published monthly, $24/13 months for your subscription,
$12/year for second subscription (parents, etc),
$35/year for Canada or Mexico
Cycle News
PO Box 498
Long Beach, CA 90801-0498
published weekly, $38/year http://www.cyclenews.com/
Dialed In! - The Magazine For Roadracers Only
Havelin Communications, Inc.
PO Box 76595
Atlanta, GA 30358
$10 for 9 issues published Feb thru Oct
On-line, there are a number of places:
Ludwig Motorsports: Privateer Roadracing. Patrick Ludwig is a frequent
contributor to the race list (see below). His home page has
lots'o'stuff (CCS & WERA rules, school and race schedules, etc).
rec.motorcycles.racing, our beloved newsgroup.
Race Email list. Send "subscribe race Your-Name" to listproc@micapeak.com. This is generally a very high signal-to-noise
ratio list, and it has a number of regional and national champions on
it.
Roadracing Today. (http://www.bikenet.co.uk/rr-t/rr-t.html). This is
an excellent site--it has very up-to-date results. Wanna know who won
the 125GP race at the Isle of Man on Wednesday? Dis is da place.
The official rules are in the race orginizations rulebooks; contact them
for copies (you can usually get a freebie).
CONTENTS
7. Miscellaneous Stuff
7.1 Why do Road Racers Stick Out Their Inside Knee?
(Thanks to Duncan Hardy (duncan@ducati.uk.sun.com) for the bulk of this
answer, and to Jobst Brandt (jbrandt@hpl.hp.com) for the effect lean has on
the tire performance.
1. It lets the bike lean less for a given speed. By sliding off the
inside of the seat, the rider's body weight is moved towards the
inside of the corner. This means the bike needs less lean for a given
speed and turn radius. As ground clearance is often the limiting
factor in cornering (particularly at higher speed) this allows the
rider to corner at higher speeds.
Here's some nerd info that describes turning geometry:
t= arctan [ v^2/(g*R) ]
v is your velocity, R is the radius of your turn, g is the
gravitational constant. t is the "lean angle." It's the angle between
1. the horizontal, and
2. a line from the contact patch of your tires through the center of
gravity of the bike-rider system.
Hanging off and sticking out your knee moves the CG of the system to
the inside, while leaving the bike more upright, so you don't run out
of ground clearance.
Aside from running out of ground clearance, a second limiting effect
is caused by excessive lean. At lean angles below 45 degrees from the
horizontal, tires no longer purely roll and are rotating more about a
vertical axis rather than a horizontal one. This makes them act more
like a rotary brush of a street sweeper than a rolling wheel. With
steep lean, the contact patch twists in place scrubbing away traction
and power so that leaning farther reduces cornering ability and
ultimately causes a washout in the turn. Incidentally, since cars do
not lean, they do not exhibit this behaviour, and can corner with
greater G-forces than motos.
2. Some riders like to 'feel' the road so they know their lean angle.
(You can't afford to look down). It doesn't hurt - they wear pucks on
their knees to avoid damage. Only problem sometimes is the rumble
strips on car circuits.
3. Top riders can use their knee to change the balance of the bike, for
example taking some of the weight off the rear wheel when they want to
induce a bit more slip.
4. Some will claim it also aids braking (because of air drag) going into
a corner. Every little bit helps....
7.2 Where Can I Get Racing Service & Supplies?
Yes, that's right, it's the dreaded "Sponsers" section that all good
web pages must have. :-> Actually, none of these are real advertisers
(although if they want to send me free stuff, that'll be fine).
They're places that have done a good job for racers. Some of them my
buddies and I have personal experience with, and others I've read
testimonials about from other on-line racers. If you know a good
place, drop me a line--the more people who know about good shops, the
better.
o Street And Competition. Lots of parts, from tires to handlebars
o Sport Cycle Products, Jack Smith's Tires and stuff.
o Computrack, to get your frame straight.
o Sloan's. Mail-order parts for Honda, Yamaha, & Suzuki, fast and
cheap.
This article is sensationalized crap from a guy trying to boost his own ego. There are several things here that are "dramatizations" for our reading enjoyment, versus fact. For example:
you don't need a SUV or Big American Car to tow a bike, a nice Japanese or German car is fully capable of pulling an open bike trailer
You aren't going to break collar bones and ankles and stuff for sure, this article implies that you might as well write your body parts off...stupid
more expensive leathers don't always protect you better, they just wear better. A $650 set of Motogp leathers protects just fine...you just can't crash them 3 times a day like Vansons or similar.
most importantly, this whole article exudes recklessness... you need a "crew" to drive you home after you push too hard in practice and break your ankle...well it might not be your ankle you break, it might be someone elses neck...leave the crew at home and ride safe.
oh well, i'm fired up because this guy was obviously a squid...take this article with some humor, racing is a track day with a prize.. it does bring out some wacko's with more desire to win than skill, but that doesn't mean that's the only way to do it.
massive props on the references though, don't mean to slam the dude so hard, he put a lot of work into describing the tracks and schools, a lot of good info there
WERA Novice 147
__________________
"Ninjas are sooooooooooo sweet that I want to crap my pants. I can't believe it sometimes, but I feel it inside my heart. " :burnout
The Track is where it's at.
WERA Northeast #147 novice
This article is sensationalized crap from a guy trying to boost his own ego. There are several things here that are "dramatizations" for our reading enjoyment, versus fact. For example:
you don't need a SUV or Big American Car to tow a bike, a nice Japanese or German car is fully capable of pulling an open bike trailer
You aren't going to break collar bones and ankles and stuff for sure, this article implies that you might as well write your body parts off...stupid
more expensive leathers don't always protect you better, they just wear better. A $650 set of Motogp leathers protects just fine...you just can't crash them 3 times a day like Vansons or similar.
most importantly, this whole article exudes recklessness... you need a "crew" to drive you home after you push too hard in practice and break your ankle...well it might not be your ankle you break, it might be someone elses neck...leave the crew at home and ride safe.
oh well, i'm fired up because this guy was obviously a squid...take this article with some humor, racing is a track day with a prize.. it does bring out some wacko's with more desire to win than skill, but that doesn't mean that's the only way to do it.
massive props on the references though, don't mean to slam the dude so hard, he put a lot of work into describing the tracks and schools, a lot of good info there
WERA Novice 147
I agree...mostly...some injuries should be expected though and I believe, although racing is a track day with a prize, it's a whole different ball game.
While he may have exxagerated the bit about injury, he did bring up an important point (to me, at least) about insurance, and I'm off to check my own medical insurance so I don't get any nasty surprises.
I second. Great link.
Not really exagerated : just some warnings !
Broken bones are reality. I have seen riders after some crashes on tracks. I was in pits.
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