No reason not to

I just completed my first race week end and I very much recommend it to anyone considering racing. Previously I had done two track days at Mid Ohio and this Grattan week end was my first race. Here are some of my observations:

Everybody was very helpful. The WERA folks, school instructor, track folks and other racers answered many questions without hesitation or making me feel dumb. I even made a sign up error that Evelyn, I think, was quickly able to resolve. Thank you all!

I am almost 60 years old and did not have any trouble with the weekend even though I am riding a vintage bike that requires diligent attention to start and ride, a 1989 TZ250. I also watched a 10 year old girl on a 250 pushing people around the track. No matter your age GO FOR IT!

I raced V6HW. I was the only bike in the class. All the other bikes on the track during race 9 were modern and larger. I got lapped but was never in danger. I believe this is safer than track days. Since my old TZ is surprisingly fast down the long straight, I got caught in the turns after the straight instead of on the straight. This gave me some very tense moments. I hope I didn't mess up anyones race. Wearing an orange shirt as a beginner is a real safety measure. Watching fast riders up close for a short time after they passed was a highlight of the week end.

I do expect to speed up a lot with practice because there were a few times I went through several turns in a row, in a way that made me feel great! Now I just need to string these together.

There were three times when I slid a little, all in the second same lap in my race. It scared me and I slowed down because I just wanted to finish. I figured out and other riders later confirmed that the sealer that is a narrow strip, about 3 inches wide that runs in long lines in the direction of flow is slippery when it gets hot. Sunday was over 90 degrees. I did not notice any of this stuff in the new pavement that is laid down mostly along the correct racing line. I now believe that at least a little sliding is necessary if your not going to be a back marker. If I am wrong about this please correct me.

I met some very interesting folks including a old guy that extensively raced prototype sports racers (cars) up to the 1980s and the racer he was helping had a very cool very modifier vintage GSXR 1100.

There were several racers I was able to follow during race school and practice to learn lines. I don't know who you were but thank you!

 

Great choice in bikes

 

Welcome to your new addiction. Congratulations.

 

Apply for another credit card with a hi limit.

 

Congratulations on your first race weekend! It only gets better from here on out! Oh, and try not to do a single season and then "retire". There's this one guy on here that did that.

 

Don't worry about that, I'm already scheming my next race week end!

 

This makes me smile.

Welcome to the family.

 

OP,

Congratulations!

Yeah, I heard that guy was sponsored by Pabst. He's now retired and is living his retirement years sponsoring/co-hosting a national WERA cookout.

 

You wait 60 years to go racing, then do it for the first time on a TZ?
I could live with that.

Kudos for having safety on your mind. You don't get much race level bike prep at a trackday, nor will you get WERA level bike prep at any other race org's events...it's the one reason I chose WERA for my past racing pursuits. WERA just seemed safer when I first started and that feeling about WERA remains even after a couple decades of occasional participation. In another four years, maybe I'll get back to the grids. (I'm 56.)

Tar strips? Hate 'em. Stick in the morning, slick in the afternoon...

 

While I'm jealous of your ride, I'd highly recommend getting a 2nd bike (Ninjette, or SV) to work on improving your comfort level in race conditions. Nothing like a full on 2-stroke race bike, but for learning the ropes? As for sliding, if you've got proper tires, and you're sliding that TZ (putting aside the tar snakes), then you're probably winning the class you're in.

Man...a TZ at Grattan is just WAY too much fun, once you get up to speed. When they ran FUSA there, Team Roberts was running TZ250's, even though they had YZR500's in the truck. I'm pretty sure Petersen won...or maybe it was Oliver.

 

I have owned several bikes over the years that I am very sorry I sold because now I would not shell out what it would take to replace them. I wanted a "last of its kind" two stroke real race bike before they are unobtainable. So I bought this TZ that can be ridden in vintage classes. Right from the start I knew it may not be a good "first road racer" but I have a lot of modified two stoke experience in other race forms. I am seriously considering buying a second bike that is easy to ride and learn on like Rdrace42 said. Also a TZ is expensive to properly maintain. One big advantage the TZ has is it makes few mistakes. I have heard other guys including slow beginners take about head shake or their back end sliding out under acceleration because the suspension was not following the surface and the like. In the three times I have had this bike on the track I don't think it has ever done anything wrong other than my learning how to tune the engine.

I know any sliding I'm doing is because of slick spots or tires and not because of speed.

Fastfreddie get back into it ASAP!

 

Based upon that line in his original post, I don't know if I agree. Regardless of how cool the bike is, it will get old gridding up with only a few other people (if any) in the same class.

But maybe this weekend was an anomaly and there is usually a lot of guys in V6HW.

 

I would gladly ride a tz all by myself than any other bike with a packed grid. Someday you'll understand Chris

 

Amen. On the right day, with the jetting and setup right.... It's... euphoria on 2 wheels.

 

The more I look at classes and race group pairings the more I see WERA is working hard on this. There are race meets that have all the vintage classes in them so everyone can ride. This includes bikes with very low power and small treaded tires. I suspect there are large vintage turn outs for such meets as well as good modern racing.

This past week end at Grattan there were offered only a few vintage classes and the ones that were offered were the faster vintage bikes. I suspect this is so the vintage bikes can safely be on the track at the save time with certain modern groups so the grid has enough in it.

 

I'm the opposite. I would rather race a Katana in huge pack than ride Rossi's M1 by myself.

I prefer racing 1000's. I love trying to manhandle high HP bikes that are trying to rip your arms off. And because of my size, I'd be better off just racing Liter bikes. But I love the apeshittedness of the 600/750 classes.

I do love doing a bunch of races every day. But in reality, me doing a bunch of races is actually the byproduct of my struggle between my love for racing Liter bikes and the excitement of huge, packed grids.

I can't make myself give up either one, so I end up racing different bikes in multiple classes.

 

You are way too observant, introspective, and level headed to fit in with this group of chuckleheads! Just kidding. Great first post. Made me smile.

 

I am aspiring to be a chucklehead or knucklehead.

 

Just don't become a Metalhead