wannabee racer in ATL, GA

hey all,
i've been following this website for a year now and doing a lot of wishful thinking, this january i bought my very first bike, a ducati m750. its may now and i've put about 3000 miles on it. a couple of weeks ago i also rode a ducati 748 from SFO to ATL, put about 2700 miles there.
I live for racing. first i couldnt afford it, but now i've just graduated from tech and wanna start racing. what kinda bike should i start with. what class has the most number of races at road atlanta, point being that i dont have to travel out of atlanta to catch as many races as possible.
Are there any racing schools in atlanta where i could get a race license from.
Also i think beside regular racing, and i might be way out on a limb here, I may have some aptitude for endurance racing, since on the last day of the trip from CA to GA, I covered 1100 miles in 21 hours on a 748 with stops for gas every 180miles and one 30 minute stop for dinner.

any pointers would be greatly appreciated. heck, i would love to help any of the racers among u in the pits, just to be close to the racing action and just learn stuff about it.

 

Across America on a 748??? You are one seriously sick puppy, my friend. You'll fit right in! You'll probably get everybody's opinion regarding all kinds of bikes to buy, but the general rule is to buy something used, affordable, small enough (600 or smaller), and that is widely raced, so parts and resale won't be a problem. Seeing that you like twins, the obvious recommendation would be a Suzuki SV650. You can race that in more classes than any sane person would care to enter in one weekend. But we've already established that you're not exactly sane.

As far as tracks are concerned, don't limit yourself to Road A, or you may only get to race once or twice a year. You're lucky being in Atlanta to have a number of tracks within a reasonable driving distance. Kershaw (SC), Roebling Road (GA), Talladega (AL).

For schools, the Kevin Schwantz School opened this year at Road Atlanta, but I don't know what they do about licenses. Everybody and their mother who is involved with WERA warmly recommends Ed Bargy, and he uses any of the tracks I mentioned above, I think.

This is a race weekend in the Southeast (Talladega), so check back on Tuesday for more responses.

 

What Thiam said

I'm headed to Talledega in the morning. You should come over if you get a chance this weekend (either Sat or Sun). You will get a chance to see what's what in the SE.

 

All the recommendations are good except that I would not race a 6oo 4 cylinder as a first bike. Get an SV Suzuki or an old FZR-400 and start in the lighweight class.

Also, Endurance racing is not what you think it is. The lap times for the endurance races are similar (sometimes faster) than those in the sprint races. Being able to cruise for lots of miles is not endurance racing.

Ciao,

Fred

 

You gotta give it to the guy: we don't know whether he'll be fast or not, but we already know he can last. That's half the battle in endurance, ain't it?

 

Get a FZR400 or SV650, the 400 will be cheaper.

I have a 400 if interested. Plenty of stuff to keep you going for a while.

 

<token GS500 plug>

 

Also, Endurance racing is not what you think it is. The lap times for the endurance races are similar (sometimes faster) than those in the sprint races.

Fred
[/B][/QUOTE]

Umm,, I'm no endurance racer but were in the heck do ya get this about lap times are sometimes faster in endurace than in sprint races?? If anything they are slower all the time, because you have to make those tires last several hours and not just 8 laps. Not to mention the compounds are harder for endurace racing and if you were to keep a sprint pace you would not only burn your self up in the first 10 to 15 min of the race but the bike as well.

To Endurace race you must first prove your self able to bring the bike back to the pits with out crashing so that the other rider or riders in your TEAM ( that have div'ed in there money and effort ) can get there time in the saddle. There is a ton of work that goes into Endurace racing and it is a TEAM event. With out a team you will not win ( Unless your Scott Russle ). Start with Sprints and go from there.

Ps. Race the bike you have now, your 748 will be more than enough.

 

I have seen Tray Batey break lap records at the start of an endurance race,But in all regards usually the pace is backed down compared to Sundays sprints 1-2 seconds per lap.But it surrely is no ride in the park trying to do consistent lap times for an hour or more!



[This message has been edited by EXPERT35 (edited 05-25-2001).]

 

How come every other time someone recommends an FZR400 or GS500, they just happen to have one for sale? Is this just on the BBS, or does this happen in real life too?

 

Well I wouldnt even dream of racing a ducati, the parts on that thing are too expensive. i just got a 6K mile service done on that thing, it cost 1000 dollars.
Although, i was on that bike when i first scraped my knee on the road, which may not be a huge deal for all u racers out there, but for me it was a big day since i've never been to a riding school, let alone a racing school. just too expensive of a prospect to lay that bike down, especially starting out.

So if i get a used v-twin 600cc race bike, I can race in most classes?
around how many(ball park) races can one catch in a year for a 400cc or a 600cc bike around the atlanta area.

PS. thanku all for the excellent feedback.

 

<<Umm,, I'm no endurance racer but were in the heck do ya get this about lap times are sometimes faster in endurace than in sprint races?? If anything they are slower all the time>>

I get it because it is true, I repeat "sometimes lap times are faster in Endurance races than in sprints" and they are not "slower all the time". Just a fact.

Ciao,

Fred

 

$1k for the 6k mile service on a m750??!! :eek

You've been had.

Find a new dealer (or learn to do it yourself - something you'll need to do going racing no matter what you're on..).

They're expensive but not _THAT_ expensive.

On the m750, you'll beat the snot out of the valves so you'll have to do valve adjusts every 2 or 3 weekends. Takes a couple of hours.

$1k??? Jeez..........

Charlie Mc #90

 

no on the 748 not the m750. the 748 is 4 valve where as the m750 is 2 valve. Although i still think i've been had, but the 748 6K service is about twice the price of the m750 6K service.

 

Oh, by the way, can i really learn to do valve clearance adjustment by myself? If yes, where can i learn it.

 

Get ahold of Chris at California Cycleworks - the web address is some function of the name but I cant remember it off the top of my head. I know him from a Monster list I belong to and he has several instructional videos on how to do valve adjustments on the Duc's. He also sells a collet kit for the valves that supposedly reduces the need for valve adjustments. Don't know how well it works though.

 

I'm not sure on the v-twin classes but I can tell you about the 600cc classes since I race in them. Here's an example of how many races you can run in the Southeast alone during a season. Try not to think too much about the cost of entry fees, tires, travel, etc. once you total up the number of races you can run.

The Southeast Sportsman Series has 12 rounds this year at tracks all within a couple hours of the Atlanta area. During a normal weekend the Solo 20 races are run on Saturday and 6-10 lap sprints (depending on length of track) are run on Sunday. With a Superstock 600 you can race 2 Solo 20's on Saturday and 5 sprints on Sunday. That's 7 races per race weekend, not to mention all the practice sessions you get Fri-Sun. That's mega-track time.

Let us know if you have any more questions and good luck getting started racing. Your life is about to change drastically and even though your friends and family may disown you, you're making the right decision.

 

In WERA, an SV 650 is allowed to race in

LW Solo 20, D Superbike (SS rules), LW Twins, and F2.

Optional:

HW Twins and C Superbike

FZR 400 is not allowed to run the twins classes.

 

Man, you still have that thing? Maybe you should up it to a whole case of beer...

 

Not twice the price. 2v = $200-@250. 4-v - $350-$400. Have never paid more than $450 for my 748 (including new belts - not something you do at a 6k mile service). Email me off line and I'll give you a dealer name local to Atlanta. You're going to the wrong place.

Charlie Mc #90
Yam tz250
Duc 750ss
Duc 748
Duc M900