The End of the World

I guess I’m the opposite. I’d rather rip around on a liter bike at a TD then turn 7 second or greater slower times on a small bike in a race. But like you stated, too each their own.

 

1st, I am honest person w/low embarrassment = I cant ride anymore, have no belongings (sold/donated/trashcan), and dont leave the house. The only possessions I have left are a dog, pc/internet/tv and memories/pride of racing wera/ccs.....so my emotions/stance/values are very delusionally screwed up. Hence, me getting upset/sad about this. In another life, I would be laughing about it.

I'm over the initial shock/sad.....but, what it is, it is a marketing tool/gimick to get riders to their events.....to increase profits. This will trickle down into their other groups (as they stated the timing will be employed into their other groups in the future). So at the end of the day, they will have 3-classes of trophies/winners (N-I-A). They will have A riders sandbagging in I, LOL.
Other trackday orgs will follow suit, will take years, but eventually become standard fare. Imho, this will not help the legit Race orgs.
I am all for TD's......street-riders experience the track, competitive street riders will want to race, and racers get to practice, or retired racers have fun. But to give trophies? That's a shit sandwich to anyone who has ever competed. It violates the spirit of motorsports competition. It corrupts it.

If I wasnt where I curently am, I wouldnt even care, I would laugh....again, my values and skewed/f'd. TY.

 

I rode with Fastrack for years when I lived in San Diego. It was always a very fun and professionally ran TD.

I’m not sure what I think of this. I know on one hand I would worry guys would ride over their heads to get a trophy, on the other, is there any chance this would benefit race organizations by giving the riders a taste of competition?

 

In my twisted opinion, thats what will kill the legit grass-roots race orgs.....you wont have to compete to get win/trophy. Why race, when you can compete/win at TD? Racing will turn into lap-times and BP photos. I could be wrong. I hope i am wrong.

 

I see your point. Hopefully it will feed the racing organizations, not diminish them.

 

Believe it or not, this organization does benefit WERA racing. I remember Sean saying that if it weren't for Fastrack riders giving up their Sunday on the WERA race weekends, WERA probably wouldn't run at Fontana. Fastrack runs the Friday practice and on Saturday the racers practice.

They have used transponders with lap timing ever since we first started going there in about 2010.

 

Rob, I am not mad/upset w/ fastrack, i am upset to be witnessing (for a while) the change in the sport's meaning.
I am bitter old-school grump. To get on a track, you took wera race school and raced. No posing. Now the track is polutted w/ posers. Now they get trophies. I dunno. Like I said, my thoughts/values is in a very strange place right now, anything I say, has some delusion/misguidance to it

 

And this is one reason why Im sad about this from Fastrack..They always ran a great day. I expect this BS 'race' from one of the many fly by night TD groups.... I asume they did this in response to some of the other TD groups doing this or from customers wanting a 'race' experience.

And for those of you who think this will help racing. It wont. IMO the proliferation of track days has really hurt road racing, not helped. There have been other factors in the decline in racer population for sure. I went to my first "amateur" road race in about 92 or 93...the WERA GNF's at RA. Man there were so many bikes....the 600cc novice races were 30-40-50 bikes. Experts just as many.
I started racing at Willow in '99. In those days track days were very rare. Of my school group of 10-12 riders, only 2 or 3 had ever been on track before. Thats how it was back then, if you wanted to go to the track and ride fast, you went racing.

Now there are a ton of guys doing nothing but track days. And thats cool. Get that crazy riding off the street, awesome. But most of those guys arent continuing on to race. They stay and do track days.

Imagine there are no track days. How many more racers would there be if only 10-20% of guys doing track days regularly were racing.

As these TD guys start doing 'races' it further blurs the line and offers ANOTHER level of competition to the true race orgs.

 

The OP needs to quit complaining about this non-issue, and get a life, LOL

 

Don't disagree with that. They are under new ownership for the past couple years.

 

I'll be fucking pissed if these bozos actually have a podium celebration and hand out trophies, fucking pissed!

 

You are right on the money!

 

I'm curious about the insurance aspect for the TD provider. Is there no clause in their insurance about "timed events"?

 

Good memories!
I went/watched my first WERA in 85. To be young, and see those racers in their tattered leathers, to see them going fast on a racetrack.....Those guys were for real, they were my Heroes. The proudest moment in my entire life, gridding up in my first race, a WERA race.
I never fast, Never, but will always have the momories of being at the track w/ the sports greats. Russell/Hammer/Hall/James/Paulk/etc/etc/etc......to even be in the pits and on a track w/ those guys/teams. I will have a WERA sticker on my coffin.
The sport has changed so much

 

I would never consider racing if I didn't go to trackdays first. That being said, prizes at trackdays is stupid. Like gixxer stupid.

 

I wouldn't doubt that some bag of douche will get some ultra sticky Q's, do 2-3 hard laps, get a quick average, and sit back and wait for the session to end.

 

I just HAD to like this post

 

I've done a few trackdays at NJMP that were held the Monday after the MotoA race weekend. It's cool because a good number of teams are still held up in the pits packing up before heading out (2 years ago the RRF guys were in the garage bay right next to us working on Gagne's bike all day Monday before packing up and hitting the road, very cool).

Any who, the podium structure which I think is just a big trailer they pull around with a tow vehicle was still parked in its spot from Sunday and as you might imagine there were no shortage of novice guys hopping up there doing' it for the Gram. It's slightly cringe to see.....but whatever.

 

Screw a trophy, racing is about racing and the race and the prep and the experience. Trophy collects dust and gets in the way.

Maybe these guys will feel how hokey this idea is and come race for real.

Seems more dangerous too, with people all over the track as opposed to a pack with faster people moving to the front.

Nashville had a trackday under the lights once. That's a billion times better than a trophy.

Just the mentality of associating a trophy and trackday and thinking that it will be appealing is what is sickening. Paradox or oxymoron territory in my mind. Hopefully there are also awards for best paint job, miss congeniality, best pit area, nicest rear stand, neatest leathers, etc.

Dorks