Description
This article is from the How to Become a
Motorcycle Roadracer FAQ, by Duke Robillard duke@io.com with
numerous contributions by others.
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.
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motorcycle, vehicle, Roadrace, racing, school
