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I met a 'Racer' yesterday.....

Discussion in 'General' started by SpeedyE, Sep 9, 2021.

  1. Inquizid

    Inquizid Member Well-Known

    That’s what I did one year on accident, I ended up the 2009 CCS 125GP Amateur National Champion at the Daytona ROC because the 16 and up age limit meant none of the usually stupid fast kids on 125s could race.
     
  2. crashman

    crashman Grumpy old man

    :crackup:I think you may be assuming that I had more cred than what I actually had.

    Fortunately Trevor took pity on me because I was getting yelled at for passing mean and he let me go out and be a rolling chicane for the black number guys.:D
     
    dtalbott likes this.
  3. tgold

    tgold Well-Known Member

    Riding on a racetrack with a motorcycle doesn't make you a racer any more than being on a mechanical bull makes you a bullrider. I rode around Indy on my Multistrada with my wife on the back and we had a blast, but we would never say that we're racers because of that experience. If there ain't a start and a finish with other people involved, you ain't racing.

    I think that many track day riders want to feel like they're fast vs actually knowing if they're fast. And that's ok if that's what you want to do, but don't call it racing. Gridding up and racing is a way to find out how fast you really are. Many of those trackday riders say that they don't want to take the fun out of things by going racing and getting too serious. My reply is: "You can be as casual about racing as you want to be if you don't mind getting beat. but why would I want to go out and not try to win?" Going around a racetrack at a trackday is fun. Going out on a racetrack and racing is more fun, but winning to me is the most fun.

    I've been racing motorcycles for 40 years and until this year my goal was to race at least once a year till I was 80 years old. Unfortunately this year I had my fourth concussion. I feel fine but I'm not sure how many hits my noggin can take before it affects me cognitively so I decided to stop racing motorcycles. I feel very fortunate to have raced for so long but it's been a bit difficult to think that I will most likely never race a motorcycle again and can't really call myself a motorcycle racer any more.
    Even at 57 years old I still have the drive and the mindset to go out there to race a motorcycle and win. So how do I replace that? I don't think that it'll be quite the same, but I'm going to race sailboats. I have no delusional thoughts about going out and kicking ass from the start, but I can say that I will not be content to keep getting beat. I fully intend to make the transition from sailboat racing ass kick-ee to sailboat racing ass kick-ER :D

    I would say that I probably always have the mindset of a racer so I'll keep finding ways to compete till I'm in the old folks home trying to finish my pudding cup faster than the other geezers!:D
     
  4. SpeedyE

    SpeedyE Experimental prototype, never meant for production

    I think a lot of streetriders(ie; TD riders) self-image(s) are delusional.... and even Me, finds their mindset/reality bizarre (I took Psych 1 & 2 @ community college in the early 90's, so... ).
    Bikes w/ white plates, bikes and leathers painted/stickied up like AMA Factory Pros...
    Lap Timers! Lap-Timers?!?!?!?!? WTF?!?!?!


    tds.JPG

    I hung out w/ a couple of 'fast' streetriders last night, and more of the same "so and so crashed and/or died trying to follow me" that I have heard for decades. So bizzare, almost bragging about people crashing/smoked trying to 'dice' w/ them on backroads. Heard it so many times now, by so many different 'fast' back-roaders, I know for a fact, it is what it is.... notches in the belt... Not cool

    If I ever would have had the $ to actually Race, I NEVER would have ridden on the street, would never even known/associated/talked to a fast back-roader...
     
    Last edited: Sep 15, 2021
  5. SpeedyE

    SpeedyE Experimental prototype, never meant for production

    Who da fug 'slyly/slickly' BRAGS about their buddies crashing and/or dying in a back-road ride/dice??? I have heard this shit so many times, by so many people, for so many years.... it is Not my imagination. I have said this since the late 1980's... I do Not like 'Fast' streetriders, they have a twisted brain(s)....
    Last night.... I'm so sick of hearing their fuk'd-in-the-head 'brags'.
    I was a Racer trapped in a street-rider'$ budget.... A lifetime of riding Purgatory... that still (as of last night) continues.....
    If I had spent my life around racers, instead of posers, my life would have been better, had better relationships/conversations/contact/acquaintances .... :(
    I have a few local racer/retired racer buddies/friends <3 , but 99% of my life's riding was w/ fast streetguys :(

    The BEEB has been my Anchor!

    EDIT: I have met MANY Great/Good hearted streetriders/friends, Good people, Good friends quick streetriders... but when I hear another "My buddy got killed trying to follow me through such and such corner..." Brag, it puts such a bad taste in my mouth. I have heard it so many times, Very bad taste in my mouth this morning .... I'm Sorry
     
    Last edited: Sep 15, 2021
    The Todd and Gorilla George like this.
  6. Used2befast

    Used2befast Well-Known Member

    I kinda get the idea of the thread.

    Spring of 99 I bought a new GSXR600. Exhaust and jet kit had me believing I was Joe racer. Ended up hearing about this group who rode the back roads on Sunday. It was west Texas and I remember the 1st time I showed up. Everyone said don't try to keep up...so and so is the fastest guy and he will smoke you and/or you will kill yourself. Group leader said hi...you ride at back till we find out if you can ride that thing.

    Hung out at the back and waited for the right moment to see how fast these guys were. Most were way over their heads. Some kept their head on straight. The leaders were pushing limits...we were south of Abilene heading towards San Angelo/Sweetwater and I put my knee down a couple times. One ride we came over a hill at stupid speed with 3 cows in the road. It got real...I knew how fast my bike would stop...the other guys didn't have the skill. Dude went right cow went left then back right again. Cows head hit his left hand...broke all 4 bones. He stayed up. That was the only bad day.

    Leader of group said...you don't belong here go to the track. 1 track day and corner worker school/cmra license later I was watching guys crash and flip :whoosh:and lots of ambulance rides. A couple deaths.

    All in all I will take the track day over the street or racing.

    We always told everyone...ride your ride...this is not a race.
     
    SpeedyE and The Todd like this.
  7. tgold

    tgold Well-Known Member

    Wow Speedy! I've never heard of street riders bragging about someone crashing while trying to keep up with them. That is messed up!

    I think the vast majority of racers don't like when other racers get hurt and I've never heard of any of them bragging when someone crashed trying to beat them.
     
    SpeedyE likes this.
  8. tgold

    tgold Well-Known Member

    I think statistically speaking, street riding is the least predictable. Your Texas cow incident and my own Texas experience of hitting an armadillo (That thing was like hitting a cement football!) are good examples of that.

    And practically speaking, at least with trackdays and roadraces the ambulances are close by. Ain't nobody around on those Texas farm roads if things go south.
     
    CBRRRRR999 and SpeedyE like this.
  9. The Todd

    The Todd It's 'The Todd'

    I only read the OP, not the other 7+ pages.

    I've raced things w/ 2 wheels- not motorcycles however.

    Recently I was on my way to a Track Day at Blackhawk farms in WI and had to stop for the non ethanol premium there for the bike and my gas can.
    Some guy in an SUV starts talking to me and quickly says to me

    Do you race that?

    Me: no, I'm going to a track day on a race track to ride fast, etc.

    Although now in Int. and I hear that Adv. groups to often act as though they are racing,
    I know it's not actually racing my GSXR.

    I don't race my motorcycle, probably never will.

    Last weekend I set my trip odo and logged 251.6 miles in 15 x 20 minute sessions.

    I do have LOT of respect for those that do however.
     
    SpeedyE likes this.
  10. Used2befast

    Used2befast Well-Known Member

    Yep, one of my fears was hitting a Texas speed bump :eek:

    If you stay up on 2 wheels your either real good at saves or you just came off the dirt bike:D
     
    SpeedyE likes this.
  11. Knotcher

    Knotcher Well-Known Member

    Advanced group track day riders get racy like an old lady gets sexy.

    There are some insanely fast riders that only do track days. Every one of them used to race.

    Even though I am still actively racing, if my 75 year old mom crosses up a track day with a race I still correct it.
     
  12. SpeedyE

    SpeedyE Experimental prototype, never meant for production

    :crackup::blart::crackup:


    Real salty this morning, sorry guys :oops:
     
  13. RichB

    RichB Well-Known Member

    I think I was cruising around Bologna with Cal Crutchlow yesterday...on zwift. Well I think it was him.
     
  14. Metalhead

    Metalhead Dong pilot

    I got beat by a girl.
     
  15. Robin172

    Robin172 Well-Known Member

    Did she use her fists or a bat?
     
  16. R Acree

    R Acree Banned

    She had bigger balls.
     
  17. Sabre699

    Sabre699 Wait...hold my beer.

  18. RossK6

    RossK6 Grid Filler

    No worries...Kayla smoked a lot of us
     
    rafa likes this.
  19. Gixxerguy855

    Gixxerguy855 Well-Known Member

    Racers, take YOUR numbers off your race bikes when you sell it. Or don’t I suppose, I’m one of those racy trackday guys and I can’t help but wonder what organization gave white numberplates to some of these guys I go by.
     
    crashman likes this.
  20. Mongo

    Mongo Administrator

    Eh, track day guys with white plates is still less funny to me than an Expert running MotoAmerica colors for the next three years after they ran one MA event :D
     
    Knotcher, mattys281, SpeedyE and 2 others like this.

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