How to start track racing

[x01660]

Yeah... I need an outlet... These are all great ideas.... This is what I do on my 1150:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbEO75ze9bo&list=UUP0EiTivxvFryTaKld4TLXg&feature=c4-overview


Start at minute 19 and go to minute 23...


-x01660

 

[hampshirehog]

I would go and look at what all the other guys are riding and chat to a few of them. If it's like the club racing scene over here there will be all sorts of restrictions on what you can and can't do and you'll want to avoid buying something that is way off the pace. You'll never lose the novice tag if you can never avoid being lapped!

Having said that I would get a VFR400. Cheap ready made race bike with great manners.

 

[CivilRock]

Yeah... I need an outlet... These are all great ideas.... This is what I do on my 1150:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbEO75ze9bo&list=UUP0EiTivxvFryTaKld4TLXg&feature=c4-overview


Start at minute 19 and go to minute 23...


-x01660

Yea, I was pretty fast on the street. Then I thought I was pretty fast at track days. It was not even close to race pace. Day one, my race instructor went by me in the braking zone of T1 at least 70mph faster than me. It was mind numbing.

Take the latest possible brake point you'd ever do on the street and move it forward 100 yards. Get up to 145 mph then do a stoppie down to 90 and put your knee down. Then lift your knee up a little for the curbing.

After you race for a couple seasons, you will have no interest to go fast on the street. Just like after driving an M5, your Civic seems bleah.

Road racing completely cured me of going fast on the streets.

-kevin

 

[x01660]

Yea, I was pretty fast on the street. Then I thought I was pretty fast at track days. It was not even close to race pace. Day one, my race instructor went by me in the braking zone of T1 at least 70mph faster than me. It was mind numbing.

Take the latest possible brake point you'd ever do on the street and move it forward 100 yards. Get up to 145 mph then do a stoppie down to 90 and put your knee down. Then lift your knee up a little for the curbing.

After you race for a couple seasons, you will have no interest to go fast on the street. Just like after driving an M5, your Civic seems bleah.

Road racing completely cured me of going fast on the streets.

-kevin

Then it would seem that that's the way to go. I WANT that. I don't wanna be driving like a maniac on the streets anymore. I may be 25, but I know I'm mortal... Thanks for all the advice. I'm gonna do some track days, get used to racing, then find a track weapon. I'm liking the idea of a VFR400. Those things are sick.


-x01660

 

[rapidray]

Thanks, rapidray! I've been doing some research, and I think what I'm gonna do is Track Days for the time being. If I do like it, I'm gonna have to get another bike, since my current bike is my ONLY form of transportation. That said, I'm signing up with motoyard.com to do a Track Day at the Streets of Willow in May. Should be fun. Also, I see that your phone number (Remember, I've been reading your posts, and I sent you a PM. hint hint... ) is (714); where in OC are you?


-x01660

I am 3 blocks south of Disneyland. Call me if I can help with something. Ray.

 

[RichDesmond]

...I'm liking the idea of a VFR400. Those things are sick.

You'll do yourself a big favor if you can resist the desire to have a "cool" track bike.
Everything cool is that way because it's either rare, or expensive, or both. On the VFR, that bike was never sold here which mean that any kind of spare part is going to be hard to come by. The suspension guru you go to at the track may never have set one up before. There won't be a group of guys with the same bike at the track to pick up tips and tricks from. (the guy recommending it is from England, and over there it may make a lot of sense as a track bike)
As a rider, you won't know what a good time is on that bike, so you won't know how far off the pace you are.
Serious racers tend to have no emotional attachment to their bikes at all. They're just tools, nothing more.

Racing is expensive and damned difficult, don't make it harder than it has to be, especially when you're just starting out.

 

[GregT]

You'll do yourself a big favor if you can resist the desire to have a "cool" track bike.
Everything cool is that way because it's either rare, or expensive, or both. On the VFR, that bike was never sold here which mean that any kind of spare part is going to be hard to come by. The suspension guru you go to at the track may never have set one up before. There won't be a group of guys with the same bike at the track to pick up tips and tricks from. (the guy recommending it is from England, and over there it may make a lot of sense as a track bike)
As a rider, you won't know what a good time is on that bike, so you won't know how far off the pace you are.
Serious racers tend to have no emotional attachment to their bikes at all. They're just tools, nothing more.

Racing is expensive and damned difficult, don't make it harder than it has to be, especially when you're just starting out.

Very good advice. Run what the majority run as that is where the knowledge and parts are most common. Stay away from the small VFR's - we got them here and they're hard work and expensive to keep running well.

 

[tas850g]

I'm looking to buy a SV for the same thing. Street bike it for a while and do some track days and see where it takes me.

 

[x01660]

You guys are an insightful bunch. Ok. I'm in CA. I want to race a relatively slow class (100 mph at the most) so I can maximize my performance and learn proper racing technique. What's a good class/bike to start in/with?


-x01660

 

[OldTimeBiker]

I know you don't want to go drag racing but, don't throw an occasional day at the strip under the bus...The dragstrip has something for every racer no matter what kind of competition you want to compete in. It's the absolute best place to learn all about starts. Clutch management, traction management, body position, the eye hand coordination of starting etc. plus it's the very best place to get your carbs spot on and experiment with different jetting for different weather and atmospheric conditions. It also helps with techniques to shake the ol' pre race jitters...just to name a few things going to the strip can do for you...You don't have to sign up to compete...just go for T & T (test and tune) and you'll be amazed how much going to the strip will help your track racing!

 

[CivilRock]

You guys are an insightful bunch. Ok. I'm in CA. I want to race a relatively slow class (100 mph at the most) so I can maximize my performance and learn proper racing technique. What's a good class/bike to start in/with?
-x01660

I think I would regularly hit 140 mph on my SV at the end of the tiny PIR front straight. Not sure because I taped off the Speedo. That was a stock motor.

Even the CB160 guys are at 80-90 mph.

Going 150 down the straight is 10 times safer than going 70 with your elbow on the tarmac.

I think you should attend a race and make sure you get a pit pass. Spend the whole day out there and check out all the classes and what they ride. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Some of those guys are all peacocked out thinking they're all bad, but they're all just out to do some racing and 95% of them will bend over backwards to help someone new into the sport.

"Hey, I want to get into racing. What's a good class to start with?"

I bet if you asked that question to 20 people you'd get 20 good answers, and 5 of them offering to sell you their (Brand X) bike they used to go and race the Novice class.

 

[mrbridgeport]

There will be some ahrma vintage racing at willow springs in late April. I got into the ahrma thing after doing an ahrma race license day. Super fun and I was hooked. I took my 1100 out. Dropped the lights and mirrors and center stand. Borrowed some leathers and had a blast. I got my race license and promptly picked up two gs 750 for almost nothing from a couple of the racers after expressing an interest. Thought I'd start on something in the superbike class but a bit smaller displacement to get started with. I'd go out to willow springs for the weekend. Introduce yourself to some of the guys and they will get your questions answered. There is a giant love for the old stuff in Ahrma and it is growing every year. Here is a link http://dev.ahrma.org/?page_id=1732. There is usuly a practice day on the Friday and most people camp out at the track if its available. Then there are races for each class on a Saturday and then on Sunday. Usually 150 a day. Real nice people.