The thread for lame excuses of why you're not currently racing

300-1000cc... just about everything in between!
I am owed a day with Fun on Sept 20... its a Monday. On the 3 mile (east) side.
So it will be kind of a quickie... arrive Sun depart Tuesday. Hadnt booked anything yet so flexible to arrive at an airport near you!
$160 pre reg... they have a "double session" deal if you want to ride the Intermediate/Expert for 40 mins of every hour for $240...lol.

 

I bought this money pit last winter to come back.Every time I turn around it needs something else.
My helmet is out of date,gotta pay the ama,tires, trailer, although I did buy the trailer hitch.
I had big plans for this season,but giving up being a truck driver for a regular 9-5 job put a big cramp on my budget.
Not to mention beer is delicious,and there's Soo many new flavors for my fat ass to try!
Pics won't upload;

 

Isn't that the truth!!!!!

 

My NC30 is getting a fresh coat of paint and I will do a trackday this summer. If it survives and I sort it out, I might do a VRRA weekend soon.

 

My last racing season as EX I caught myself hesitating on making a pass or backing off in a particular corner here and there. Having 3 kids and a mortgage was getting in my head and I realized I didn’t want to spend big $$$ riding around giving up lots of positions. I knew it was over. Fortunately I was able to help with track days for a few years, which was awesome, but after the 4th kid came it just got to be too much traveling and time away. I still have my old R6 and gear tho.....

 

If I can't afford track days I sure as shit can't afford racing either.

 

Shoulder separation spooked me with how long it took to heal. I have two boys under 5 who need to learn to throw and shit. I'm too old and slow to justify the risk.

 

Dude, you are slow. I woulda figured a kid knew how to shit by the time they were five.

 

Depends if proper cleanup is factored in. One's in diapers and the other still yells "someone come wipe my butt!"...so, we're not out of the woods yet.

 

Craig,
Are you going to Blackhawk or Gingerman with AHRMA? I can bring you your DT250.

 

I'm too

I didn't know any orgs did this. It's an awesome idea. I'm gonna pitch it to some of the orgs I ride with and see what they say.

 

Spent the last two years helping my mother. Got fatter and older. Leathers currently don't fit. Delusional (or not) to think I am fixing these. Oh and getting ready for a move so LOTS of work (though I hope to have Spitfire International XR100 dirt speedway built once I take over the property).

 

I’ve been out of the racing game for a little over 10 years. Back then, manufacturers were releasing new bikes every other year, and it just seemed like a money pit keeping up with that cycle to stay competitive. I also didn’t like that I was putting all of my financial eggs at the time into one basket (ie racing motorcycles), and realized there is more to experience out there. Since then, I’ve traveled to all 7 continents and got into triathlon. Those led me to mountaineering, which is the perfect blend of everything I’d done before - adrenaline (from racing), traveling, and endurance sports. I was literally getting ready to pull the trigger early March 2020 on climbing Manaslu fall 2020, until COVID exploded. I decided to sit this year out of the Himalayas, as respiratory problems and high altitude don’t mix. While there was significant success on Annapurna, Dhaulagiri and Everest have had COVID roll through. Anyway, its somewhat ironic I left racing for cheaper interests, and ended up with a hobby that is significantly more expensive.

I don’t feel that not racing is “lame”, as the thread title suggests. There is plenty more to experience in life. That being said, I certainly value the experience of racing, as it taught me mechanical skills, fast decision making under high consequences, and value in pursuing and achieving goals.

 

Hey Ken. My plan is to do both. Believe it or not I was hoping to contact you before those races to see if you still had that thing kicking around and wanted to do anything to get rid of it. Are you racing either of those events or live somewhat close to either?
Craig

 

It's interesting reading this thread seeing as how I'm on the opposite side of the spectrum being a 42yr old rookie to racing. Would have been nice to get into it earlier, but it was a potpourri of excuses from prior posts that delayed my decision. First on the list was lack of funds. Had to scratch together coins and do some hard bargaining with the wife just to do a track day. Now that funding isn't too big of an impediment, time to see what this is all about. The only real obstacle that could derail the train would be injuries. The wife says it's over after the first hospital visit. You can't win a race if you don't finish, so hopefully the dirty side remains down. Keep it to 80% this season and bump it up as I get better.

 

Hospital visits are no way to gauge the risks of racing/riding compared to a life w/o motorsports. I've had a dozen broken bones, only half of them came from riding. The other half was stupid, unfortunate, accidental incidents that could happen to anyone for any reason. Life isn't safe, either. Is your wife gonna say your life is over if you end up in the hospital after stepping on a Lego, or do the kids not get any toys anymore?

Not gonna tell anyone how to live their life but...
I have a friend whose wife got bent over him crashing. He now has a girlfriend as wifey done got kicked to the curb.
My wife totally supports my riding, regardless of hospital visits.
I'm the only one who's gonna dictate whether or not I ride/race/play on motorcycles.

 

Everyone's life situation is different. I'm the sole provider for my family, so if I go down and can't work for an extended period, life will get interesting. Sick time and disability only cover so much. Thankfully I have that safety net, but I certainly don't want to test it out.

Life is a calculated risk. As I see it, racing is an absolute risk, but in comparison to riding on the street with all the jackwagons on their cell phones and little old ladies not seeing motorcycles, it's less of a risk. I calculate my risk of injury at the track is about the same as me playing in old boys rugby matches.

 

Rugby, enjoy the ride. Funny how my situation was similar to yours. I didn't start earlier because of too much work, but mostly because I didn't think that I could do it. My wife was against every single bolt on any motosickle, much less track days, much much less, racing. She never went to a single event, which made getting home with broken bones a bit more interesting. Kids, and your preparation for the unknown is important. But, I'd suggest that if this thing is something that lights your rocket, you should put a stop to her leading you in life, in short order. I can tell you for certain, that if I'd followed her bitching and that influence, I'd have never done a single damn fun thing in my life. You only got one, and it's over soon enough. Nobody as the end ever said that I wished I'd worked more.

 

I learned to quit playing rugby before quitting/pausing racing. A day after a good game feels like someone went over my body thoroughly with a meat tenderizer.

 

Craig, I plan to make both, but Blackhawk for sure. I am putting together an FZ600.