It's Finally Happened.....

My son (Mason) who is 11 was bitten while setting up at Road A today. He is interested in getting into Mini racing and so I ask you my friends and family, who - what - when......
Is this an Ed Bargy class to get a license? What type of bike? I have seen them race at Tally, so is it a WERA class? I know most of you are heading to the track and might be pressed for time so any info is good right now.

 

My standard answer to anyone starting to race: 125's.

 

can he do that at 11 years old? where will he race?

 

i would do the mini racing first, a 125 might be alittle much if he doesn't have alot of seat time. Does your son have any road racing experience or even dirt bike experience ??? If he has no seat time at all, i think i would start out with a honda nsr50 or a yamaha ysr50, but the honda might be a better way to go. Great bike to start riding and learn the lines, braking points, etc... the nsr50 have only 8hp, alot safer then starting out on a 45hp gp machine.

Now if your son has some RR experience or alot of dirt riding under his belt, u can start him off in the 80cc gp class ( i know WERA has one, theres also a bunch of mini organizations nation wide ), get an pre95 rs125 chassi and swap in a 80/85cc mx motor ( cr80, kx80 etc.). Thats what im doing right now to my 92 rs. You can also go with a tz125 chassi but those are alittle harder to find. The best thing about the 80gp class is with the mx motor in them parts are cheaper, and easier to get a hold of, but u still get the feel of riding a gp bike which is very nice.

 

Get him a gixxer 1k, they are great to learn on according to OverReactor.

 

www.semra.org

At 11 he can't race a 125, I don't believe. I'm pretty sure he has to be 12. But still, mini road racing w/SEMRA will probably prepare him better than hitting the track w/WERA right now. The WERA mini class doesn't have alot of people in it. He needs the competition and learning from others that closer racing provides. After a year or two of racing minis, let him move up to WERA with a 125!

If you're not in the southeast there are other orgs out there that race minis. I think SEMRA has some of the largest grids, but there are several others across the US. Check out www.minigpx.com for their guide. They've got a great list of all the orgs out there.

 

Mark, if youre wanting to let him get his feet wet first, you can pick him up anything from a little 50cc to a 150cc 4 stroke to race the WERA Mini's with. This is not something he needs to take a class to do. All he needs is a WERA Mini's license ($35/year i think) and then enter a race depending on the class of bike he has. WERA runs the minis at Tally, CMP, Jennings, Nashville, and sometimes Barber. This is by far the cheapest way to give him a "taste" of roadracing.

I did this for my son 3 years ago when he was 12. I just picked up a little Honda XR 100, threw some street tires on it and let him go play. Its up to you how much you want to invest in the minis to let him race. If he REALLY gets into it, then you might consider spending some $$$ and get something that can be really competitive. Just keep in mind, most of the mini's that these kids are riding and doing well on, yanno, the ones running up front, actually turning close to mid pack novice 600 times, cost upwards of $3K and up.

 

yeah minigpx is a great website for mini's.

 

XR100 with street tires sounds like good fun. Did you ever let him ride it?

 

Yeah, you can definitely spend alot of $!!!! I've invested a small fortune in my son's bikes. Hopefully it'll pay off though, as he's taken to it like a duck to water.

 

LOL, actually yes, he rode it every local race we had over the last couple of years, all the tally rounds, CMP, Nashville (drug his knee for the very first time in T2 and scared the shit outta me), Jennings, and Barber. Ed even did one mini's school (he said he'll never do that again cus he had a classroom full of kids pumped up on redbull with the attention span of a knat). i Being an instructor for Bargy, i did have the advantage of being able to be his instructor that day tho, i borrowed an XR80 to teach the class with, and my son promptly spanked my ass that day! Ive only ridden his bike around the pits here and there.

 

SEMRA and some of the other org. are a good starting point. If you want to run WERA, a 85 MXer with the suspension lowered and the right wheels is all it takes. It is all you need to get your feet wet...no need for the RS conversion or MetraKit.
Add BeaveRun to Todd's list of tracks that run the mini's. Tally get's the biggest turnout that I have seen. We had like 10 riders last race.
Anything I can help with, just give me a call. Tryce

 

Mark, i've got a KX85 that's all set up and ready to go, for sale if you're interested, i can send you some more details!
-Rich

 

Thanks for the link. We are in Atlanta. I went last night and surfed SEMRA :up:

 

Todd,
He's ridden my pitbike, a Honda XR70 in our parking lot. We put cones out to make a course and I noticed that he was entering the corner kind of quick but instinctively slid his butt of the inside and held it. I didn't teach him that! He's even had his first low side while trying to catch me on the other 70. I think he will do ok and have a lot of fun at it. The cost thing doesn't scare me know that I have raced. And it less expensive than soccor once you get the Blonde wife, Ginormous SUV, elite class uniform, and house in the right neighborhood . He saw that Honda NSR50 at a shop and loved it. Thanks for the advise!

 

Yes please do and thanks! Just PM me or send an email with pics to [email protected]

 

Specially with the A, B, C options available on the new model.

 

Well heck, if you're in Atlanta then you're in prime SEMRA territory. You need to come out to the Palmetto trackday this Sat or Sun. We'll be there Sat. We'll have both of our bikes (KTM65 and CR85) so he can ride one if he wants to. It's only 35 bux per rider, 10 if you're "coaching" like me. Look up Elgin, SC. It's about 30 miles east of Columbia. Depending on what side of Atlanta you're on, it'll be about a 3.5 hour drive. Not too bad for a "trackday". And it's LOTS of track time. Not like a regular "big bike" trackday. PM me if you're interested and I'll tell you all about it.

Keep in mind, if he's going to ride in the kids class then a 65 2-stroke, or 125 4-stroke is as big as you can go. Those 85s are really stinkin' fast, you'd be very surprised! They're considered "heavyweight" in SEMRA.

 

semra