Your first season racing.

So, when was your first season racing, and what were you racing? Mine was the summer I turned 15. I had driven some karts here and there, but my first full season was in a mini stock. I was supposed to be 18, but we told the track owner (GNC champion Mike Kidd) that I was 16 and had been racing for years. He let me start on the back and I finished third. After that he said all’s good.

 

Most of my friends at the track ask when I'm actually going to start. Because whatever it is I'm doing out there isn't racing. Lol

 

1972 age 9: dirt
2013 age 49: asphalt

 

Started out at trackdays in 2005 at 42 years old
Started racing in 2009 at 46, at Grattan on a LWT SBK

 

Car was 16. Oval 1/2 mile in 250 lap enduros.
Bike first race was a mock race at Jennings when I was about 32. First actual race was 2 years later.

 

Wasnt racing at 15, but that was my 1st car....1980 Pinto.

Grew up on 3 and 4 wheelers..... At 18-ish, raced hare scrambles and some flat track on 1987 Suzuki LT250 R quads....1st motorcycle roadrace at Grattan with GLRRA in '93 at 23, on a '92 GSXR 750

Think i did 1 trackday at Putnam with Cycle Options and Kenny Baker, then race school with Team Chicago at Grattan, then race at Grattan.

 

Started in 2006 at the ripe old age of 44 on my 400 Bandit. Had done level 1 & 2 of Michel Mercier's Fast School, never been on the track otherwise.

 

MX in '74 on a Kaw 250.Roadrace in '81 with a Kaw 900....kept doin that till 2005

 

Frickin' beast of a bike for the time.

 

I'm confused...
First season as in season-long pursuit or as in first year you got started, even if for only one event?

 

1996
25 years old
EX500
CCS
I think I only finished one race all year because the bike, while bought from a championship winner, was a POS and I didn't know a thing about Japanese bikes. Built a BMW R75 the following year, switched to AHRMA and WERA and began a much more enjoyable racing adventure.

 

Never rode a motorcycle of any kind till the summer of ‘07, bought a GSXR600 because I saw pictures of racing in a Bike magazine and wanted to do that shit.

Started doing TDs in ‘07, and was t-boned in The Bowl at Tally. Major concussion (was unconscious for a good while), shattered left collarbone, 4 broken ribs, etc.

Healed from that and was like “fuck this, I’m going racing”. Did my first race at the last race weekend of the season in ‘08.

So technically I started in ‘08, but only one weekend. Then I started what was going to be my first whole season in ‘09....but I was clipped at Jennings and ended up with a compound collarbone fracture (left one again).

Healed from that, came back again, and was taken out in T2 at Barber (someone lowsided into me as I was trying to make up places by passing people on the outside, thanks to a shitty launch).

That shattered my left wrist and right ankle. 13hrs of surgery at UAB to rebuild everything, and I was on a 4-legged walker for 3 months.

When I healed and came back again, I was like “fuck this meatgrinder bullshit, I’m going Expert”. Got a Podium at the GNF and took the bump, even though id only completed about 3-4 weekends as a Novice (and only had about 6 months of time on 2 wheels in general).

Rest is history.

 

2002, so I would have been 27? Had never been on track before and had built a 2001 ZX6R.

 

Never rode a bike on the street, but my first race was 2001 at Tally on an EX500 at the ripe old age of 17. First time on track was in 1999 on an RD400.

 

Bought my first bike in 1999 (a 1997 cbr1100xx) right after high school graduation, sold the CBR to buy 2002 R1 two years later and the love for curves began.
Did my first trackday at Jennings in 2002, shortly after that I bought a 2003 R1 and 2003 R6 for track use. Raced the R6 in 2003 at couple CCS events until I had career opportunity in front of me.
Took ten years off for work but started back up in 2013. I can only catch a couple events per year with my work schedule. This has always just been an expensive hobby to me, but I love going fast and will probably ride until the day I die.

 

1st car was a Vega!
Raced my 1st race in 1986 at Loudon used my buddy's leathers and bike GPZ550, paid something like $25 for the license and $15 for the race fee.. Started racing full time in 91

 

2002 age 32. Saturday was two practice sessions following the novice track orientation, then two 5 lap races on Sunday. Started P4 front row on a gs500 because I was first in line for registration. Needless to say I wasn't in P4 by turn 2.

17 years later I own zero road race bikes. Didn't even buy a license this year. Lots of great memories and lifelong friends.

 

1983-1987 bicycle road racing
1987-1990 auto road racing (open wheel & full body)
1999-2004 motorcycle road racing CBRF2
2012-present motorcycle & car road racing. SV650 for bikes, Swift then to Corvette for cars.

 

1993 - Lodi CycleBowl Flat Track, age 8
2004 - AMA District 35 Harescrambles, age 18
2012 - WERA West at Buttonwillow, age 26
2015 - MotoAmerica SSTK600 at Laguna, age 29

 

Tried it in 2005 at age 24 while barely making enough to pay my bills, got a couple weekends in and maxed out my credit cards because I was already broke. Took 4 more years to have enough money to try again, had a great novice year in '09 (ten weekends, didn't get hurt, got enough contingency to pay for my tires). Went expert briefly, didn't get faster, and ran out of money again.

The funny thing is now that I could actually afford to do things right I don't want it like I did then. Not sure if it's getting old or more responsible or what but I wish I still loved it like I did because it's the most fun I ever had.