Guys, I'm really unhappy with what I'm seeing at the track this season, and it's time to address the situation. What I have to say can be applied across the board to the racing community but, in particular, this letter is directed towards several participants from this past weekend's events at Summit Point. (No one will specifically be named, but you know who you are.) The reason I'm so angry is this: Many of you are riding like idiots out there this year. To be blunt, there is too much rough riding going on. During this past weekend at Summit, I cannot tell you how many riders were smashing into other riders and bumping them off the track to gain position. Red flags, crashes, and ambulance roll outs were the order of the weekend. The Mediumweight Solo 20 Expert race this past Saturday was a prime example of a bunch of idiots racing without using their heads. I believe we had 30+ riders before the 1st red flag. I checked the results Sunday, we only had 22 finishers. Why? Turn 1 on the first lap proved to be a great example of what happens when a bunch of idiots go racing. I personally witnessed more carnage in T1 then anywhere else. Guys ramming other riders seemed to be a most popular activity. Let me stop here to explain something to everyone about safe passing: 1. You do not hit the rider you're passing! 2. The rider in front owns that piece of pavement he/she is on. It is not yours! You must earn it cleanly and safely! 3. It is the responsibilty of the rider doing the passing to make a safe pass. Use your head guys! Roadracing is NOT a contact sport! If you want to ram/hit me in a race, let's go down to the local go-cart track on Saturday night and have at it. Let's not do it on a motorcycle capable of speeds exceeding 160mph! Thanks to one unknown Kawasaki rider ramming a fellow competitor into me in T1 on the restart of the race, I unknowingly lost my front brake lever. When I came screaming into T3, I had no brakes! To say the least, I was terrified. So I wouldn't kill another competitor, I crashed my R6 to save him and other riders. I hit the tire wall hard and got knocked out! Thankfully someone was watching over me and I didn't die or seriously break any bones in my body. But I now have a useless totalled R6, a destroyed helmet, gear, etc. because of a rider riding rough. I wasn't the only one who had this happen this weekend. Guys this stuff has got to stop, NOW! NO MORE ROUGH RIDING! If you can't pass a guy clean, back off! We're club racers! Very few, if any, of us make $$ club racing. It's supposed to be fun! I'm all about hard close racing, but it has got to be clean! Especially you experts! You have a white plate for a reason, you know how to ride. Start riding like it! You don't need to knock guys down to win, you need to simply RIDE BETTER! Feel free to comment on this. Thank you all for letting me step up on the soapbox to address this. This is really all I think I need to say. Use your heads guys! Thank you. Steve Bell
Well put Steve. I will have to totally agree with the dangerous riding. I don't know you, but I hope that you're doing OK. I didn't run into any of those bumping problem this weekend though. I did in fact have the guys that like to fly into the inside of turns and stop in front of you problem. I am in the novice class and I guess that I have to deal with the non experienced riders (not that I'm Mick Doohan or anything). C'mon though, if you're not as fast as another rider, then don't try to stuff him on the brakes and have him almost smash into you, because you can't take a fluid line, and then hold him up for the next couple of turns. I am really getting sick of that crap. If you're late braking a close competitor then that's one thing, but geez learn how to ride before you try to win a race. Sorry for the bitching, but I'm sure there are other Novices who feel the same.
I think Steve about said it all. I lost 2 years of hard racing, a job, and a fair amount of money because of someone that had to win at all costs. It ain't like WSB, GP, or AMA where Dr. Ting or Dr. Costas is waitin' to fix you up, or you have the large contract that is going to pay you while that plated bone heals. Nope. I'm all in favor of hard fines and suspensions.
Sorry about your R6 Steve, but glad you are well enough to type. Based on your post and another post by Brian on the WERA BBS, there needs to be some discussion about passing on the race track. WERA122's reply on the other post and your 3 rules for passing absolutely say it all. We can only hope that the next time some hamfisted hardcharger is using some part of his anatomy other than his brain to think with , he takes only himself out and leaves more space on the track for the smart riders. Hope you are up and running soon.
Just a piece of advise if you haven't already drill the clutch and brake levers so that they will brake towards the end instead of braking off the whole lever. Once at Nelson this came in handy when some fatass on a TL moved over into me braking for turn one. Only the outer 2 inches broke off and left me with enough to finish the race and more importantly not crash.
Hey Steve I was rite behind u when u went down. I wasnt sure what went wrong, but now i c why. I saw u put your foot down & I let off the gas. If u wouldnt have put ur foot down I might have been in it with u. I also had my fair share of bumps and scrapes on Sunday involving a lost clutch lever goin into 3 only to find it missing into 5. Not quite as bad, but a definite scare. Indiana, I had my levers drilled, but alas it didnt save me. I posted my comments on the weekend in a different post from summit, but I am rite with you Steve on the subject. If you need some help gettingparts for your R6 let me know, I get decent deals on parts.
Good post Steve. I was in the back of the group on my TZ just watching the carnage in turn 1 in awe. I saw the bumping and pushing and then you crash in turn 3. The entire group was so bunched and frantic that everyone was crawling through the 1st 6 turns holding each other and even slow me up terribly. It is incredible that people run so hard for posistion in our Club level of racing and do not have an escape plan or even a clear line before throwing their bikes into a corner. Yes, there must be some trust, especially in the Expert ranks, to compete in close quarters, but the scene in that race was out of hand. Now that I have a TZ250, I have to run with the big bikes in Formula 1 and the Mediumweight crowd. The mediumweight solo 20 Expert race last weekend just might keep me from running it again at Summit...Nelson, on the other hand is a different story. See everyone there!
Steve, it wasn't just at Summit as very similar events took place at CMP this past weekend. At one point we sat for over an hour while we waited for both ambulances to transport and return. I personally witnessed a 7-bike pileup in turn 1 at the start of a race, which clearly could have been avoided. We all know you can't win the race on the first lap. I had a guy leaning on me through one turn, another guy chop my front going into a turn and saw many other idiotic displays of riding. I don't know if it was the heat or what, but it sounds like it was everywhere. Your open letter was very well said, and if I was an expert and could ride anywhere near as fast as you I'd say you could ride next to me any time. But what reality forces me to say is, I'll run consistent lines and give you plenty of room when you come up to pass me should we ever meet in any combined races. Good luck getting back on the track and I'll see you at the races!
My friends made me race motocross before they'd let me rider school at Summit. Taught me to deal with traffic and use my head. I actually had to learn not to run into the guy ahead of me just because I could go faster, DUH! When I talk to people at the track and discover that they don't/haven't raced dirt bikes, it really makes me wonder. It's so important to work through the steep part of the learning curve in the dirt. Also, the experts at Daytona this year, my first weekend as an expert, didn't impress me. Passing me in practice only to highside a turn later, riders chasing a bike into T1 that was clearly leaking fluid, again in practice, and getting hit by 3 separate wheel weights at once at the start/finish (one went through my fairing to be found in the lowers later) shouldn't be the actions of the expierienced. My advise? Ride your damn dirt bikes occasionally!!
I can understand riding dirtbikes for fitness and stamina, and learning to slide a bike around, but clean passing is clean passing, whether in dirt, cars, boats or whatever. If you ride like a dick in the dirt (Pretty cool Sammy Hagar reference, eh?) then chances are you'll ride the same way on a paved road. It sounds like WERA needs to make all new racers take a Track Etiquette Aptitude Test before they get their PN license. Maybe even a rookie test like they have at Indy for new drivers in the 500.
Good post Steve, come to think of it, when was the last time you heard WERA fine a rider for rough riding? ...Sean?
Wow. No Comment other than WERA has a lot on their plate besides trying to be Judge/Jury. I know they suspended a rider a few years ago that fell down too much but they cannot be called in every time a little paint is swapped.
Well, this is not NASCAR and paint swapping can be very bad and dangerous between motorcyles...especially in CLUB RACING which is only a WEEKEND HOBBY for most. WERA does not need to be judge/jury alone, other racers should be involved in pointing out rough riding and at least getting a statement to each and every rider that "rough" riding should not even be happening at the racetrack anyway. I think some people should have a little self control when they are passing or trying to pass considering that they have other people around them who could be injured.
That's an excellent idea and I saw a similar suggestion in another post here on the BBS. If you confront a rider yourself, he's most likely to flip you off or mess with you on the track. If enough people keep telling WERA about the same riders, WERA will talk to them and if it keeps happening I'm sure they'll take action and possibly even fine or suspend the rider. We need to police ourselves. WERA officials know most of us and know we can ride. They trust our judgement because we're the ones out there putting our necks on the line. If enough clean passing, sensible riders speak up, action will be taken. I'll see you guys (and pass you cleanly) at the track!
I won't give out details but recently.... We have also sent riders back to riders school in the past and we suspend licenses as well. Luckily talking to the riders usually fixes the problem prior to going any further. And I do mean talking - not screaming at them because they took you out.
