Not sure if its a result of not racing every month, or getting older, but I for real have lost 5 seconds a lap compared to my hayday at the age of 50 LOL. This last trackday in the a group at the new Buttonwillow track was a bit painful. Between learning the new Kramer and the new track, I wasn't comfortable with the reality of F'ing hacks on 220 HP bikes blasting past me. I either need to figure out a way to compete on a regular basis (probably impossible due to my travel schedule) or just poke around in the intermediate group. I guess I could also go AHRMA racing. I was out at Willow Springs last Saturday and didn't see one bike in the 20's. Some of those dudes on TZ250s should have been doing 24's. Weather was perfect. Life of a frustrated ex-racer I guess. Possible to still have fun racing while going slower than you're used to?
I was having as much fun as a slow-ass track rookie as I did in the subsequent years while getting a little faster. I am assuming that if I had been around long enough to see the other side of the hill, it would have been the same on the way down. I think that what matters is how close you are to your current limit. One caveat,though: I never had much of an ego with respect to racing. I started late and I knew that I was never agreeing to amount too much. I would have never become one of those guys who quit when they bumped to expert and start getting their asses kicked. So, maybe that helped.
I've never been a KFG, but I had some success with winning championships and races, so I guess I thought that was normal. So the issue is... can I still have fun without the knowledge that I have good speed? I did a trackday on the new supermoto last weekend and while I'm sure I was a million miles off of true race speed, I had a blast. Just not sure I can be satisfied going slow on a big track with a highly capable bike under me.
Although I like being at the front I'm just as happy to have a race long dice with someone for a minor place these days... as long as I beat them.
I think that's key. I cannot imagine not having fun while battling against someone of similar speed/ability regardless of where we are overall. I've had races for 5th-10th that were more fun than races I won running away.
One perfect corner is enough to make me happy. I have boxes of plaques and trophies. Been there and done that.
@motion, Your ballz have shrunk, they all do, although I was turning my fastest times at a few tracks in '21/'22 (albeit trackdays), at the age of 51/52. I'll give bike (Aprilia RSV4 Factory) and tire technology some credit, but i'll take some as well. I had thought about giving racing another go round, but after a 30 yr track career and at 55, a supervisory promotion at my job, and retirement barreling at me faster than I could ever imagine, I hung it up in '23. Maybe in the back of your mind you're thinking about the 'what if' happened on Sunday at the track.
You can't learn a new track at the age of 50. It's that old dog new tricks thing, the hard drive has too much information so new information cannot be stored.
"If you're not getting the results you want there are 2 options: 1) Change what your doing 2) Change your expectations" These are perishable skills and if you don't work at them, they dimmish, not to mention as we get older, the same results from a younger age takes more work. I'm 61 and work my ass off more than ever at still be reasonably quick. Edit - As we age, the biggest factor is your vision. The quality of your eyesight and what specific references you are looking at. Ken
BS. Technique is technique regardless of the age. I learned 3 new tracks last year and hauled relative ass. The difference us it takes work to maintain skills as we get older, but not impossible at all. Ken
