druiid
03-09-2007, 12:24 PM
If you ride a motorcycle, you might also race them. Not everyone does, though. Some reasons might be cost, time involved, relative dangers to the sport and many others. These are certainly valid concerns when considering the sport.
While it is safe to say that motorcycle racing is safer on the whole than street riding, that is not to say it is without dangers. Crashes happen, sometimes often. When a motorcycle and rider are pushed to limit, there comes a fine line between going faster and making a mistake. It can happen. This is simply part of the process. The majority of the time the worst that is going to happen with a racebike will be a bit of lost pride and maybe some bruises. With street riding a crash can quickly become dangerous or deadly. There exist a tremendous number of dangers, namely cars. If a crash happens, even single vehicle (motorcycle alone) it won't be happening in a controlled environment like a track where there is adequate run-off and fewer obstacles. Taken alone, this is a great reason to consider either track riding or racing. There is more reason, though.
The greater reason that racing and track riding are a great sport is that they are purely fun. On a racetrack you don't need to worry about how fast you're going, if a cop or car is about to ruin your day among a whole host of other reasons. This brings up the idea of cost. This is a valid complaint. Racing is expensive! There are many costs involved, among them are: tires, fuel, lodging, food, parts, gear (although a generally one-time investment) and of course the racebike. All of these can add up. So together, cost, danger and other reasons might keep people from the sport. With this, I would like to suggest and avenue for some. This would be the CMRRA.
The CMRRA is a racing organization run by one of the nicest people you're bound to meet, Al Lyons. He has run the organization since 1993 and has sponsored at least one current MotoGP racer (John Hopkins). What makes the CMRRA different than many other racing clubs is that a different kind of motorcycle is used. Rather than racing on a 600cc supersport bike, smaller displacement motorcycles are the name of the game. Among them are the NSR50, YSR, RS-50, supermoto bikes (up to 450cc 4-stroke), many 100cc class 4-stroke motorcycles and a host of other bikes. Rather than stressing overall speed, corning speed and technique are what drive these class of motorcycles. It's possible that many people here have heard about the organization before. Myself and at least one or two other members of the socalsv forum ride with the CMRRA. Many more might not even know it exists.
I hope that can be changed. The great thing about this kind of riding deals with some of the reasons people might not race in general, being cost and potential risk. While cost is still a factor, it is generally less so than supporting a full 600 class addicition. For instance, a well apportioned YSR can be found for as little as $700-$800 at this point. An NSR50, currently one of the most competitive bikes in the club are generally in the range of $2000 at this point, sometimes even lower on places like ebay. The NSR is a great example as well, being a born racebike. It comes from Honda 'stock', ready to be raced. The biggest concern would be to make sure that it has gas and oil before you take it on the track. Danger is less a factor as well. Rather than pushing 100+ type speeds, the range is generally more around 45-75+. By this alone the danger is lessened, with the facts as well the high-sides and similar big-bike fears are removed from the picture. Still, there might be some hesitation to try it out.
What myself and several other members of the CMRRA community would like to do is reach out to riders and give them a chance to see what it's all about. Either mid/late April or May we will be organizing a 'trackday' at Grange Racetrack in Apple Valley (http://www.grangeracetrack.com). Several members will be bringing their bikes out and giving people a chance to try their hand things. I don't have an exact number of bikes, but if there are enough people interested I don't believe it should be a concern. We'll provide everything needed to give it a shot, although you would need to bring full motorcycle gear (helmet, gloves, boots and a 1 or 2 piece riding suit). If you would be interested in finding out more, feel free to respond to this thread or e-mail me at jlondon@syrussystems.com and I'll be happy to answer any questions you might have. You can also find out more about the CMRRA at http://www.racecmrra.com
-Justice London
CMRRA #25
While it is safe to say that motorcycle racing is safer on the whole than street riding, that is not to say it is without dangers. Crashes happen, sometimes often. When a motorcycle and rider are pushed to limit, there comes a fine line between going faster and making a mistake. It can happen. This is simply part of the process. The majority of the time the worst that is going to happen with a racebike will be a bit of lost pride and maybe some bruises. With street riding a crash can quickly become dangerous or deadly. There exist a tremendous number of dangers, namely cars. If a crash happens, even single vehicle (motorcycle alone) it won't be happening in a controlled environment like a track where there is adequate run-off and fewer obstacles. Taken alone, this is a great reason to consider either track riding or racing. There is more reason, though.
The greater reason that racing and track riding are a great sport is that they are purely fun. On a racetrack you don't need to worry about how fast you're going, if a cop or car is about to ruin your day among a whole host of other reasons. This brings up the idea of cost. This is a valid complaint. Racing is expensive! There are many costs involved, among them are: tires, fuel, lodging, food, parts, gear (although a generally one-time investment) and of course the racebike. All of these can add up. So together, cost, danger and other reasons might keep people from the sport. With this, I would like to suggest and avenue for some. This would be the CMRRA.
The CMRRA is a racing organization run by one of the nicest people you're bound to meet, Al Lyons. He has run the organization since 1993 and has sponsored at least one current MotoGP racer (John Hopkins). What makes the CMRRA different than many other racing clubs is that a different kind of motorcycle is used. Rather than racing on a 600cc supersport bike, smaller displacement motorcycles are the name of the game. Among them are the NSR50, YSR, RS-50, supermoto bikes (up to 450cc 4-stroke), many 100cc class 4-stroke motorcycles and a host of other bikes. Rather than stressing overall speed, corning speed and technique are what drive these class of motorcycles. It's possible that many people here have heard about the organization before. Myself and at least one or two other members of the socalsv forum ride with the CMRRA. Many more might not even know it exists.
I hope that can be changed. The great thing about this kind of riding deals with some of the reasons people might not race in general, being cost and potential risk. While cost is still a factor, it is generally less so than supporting a full 600 class addicition. For instance, a well apportioned YSR can be found for as little as $700-$800 at this point. An NSR50, currently one of the most competitive bikes in the club are generally in the range of $2000 at this point, sometimes even lower on places like ebay. The NSR is a great example as well, being a born racebike. It comes from Honda 'stock', ready to be raced. The biggest concern would be to make sure that it has gas and oil before you take it on the track. Danger is less a factor as well. Rather than pushing 100+ type speeds, the range is generally more around 45-75+. By this alone the danger is lessened, with the facts as well the high-sides and similar big-bike fears are removed from the picture. Still, there might be some hesitation to try it out.
What myself and several other members of the CMRRA community would like to do is reach out to riders and give them a chance to see what it's all about. Either mid/late April or May we will be organizing a 'trackday' at Grange Racetrack in Apple Valley (http://www.grangeracetrack.com). Several members will be bringing their bikes out and giving people a chance to try their hand things. I don't have an exact number of bikes, but if there are enough people interested I don't believe it should be a concern. We'll provide everything needed to give it a shot, although you would need to bring full motorcycle gear (helmet, gloves, boots and a 1 or 2 piece riding suit). If you would be interested in finding out more, feel free to respond to this thread or e-mail me at jlondon@syrussystems.com and I'll be happy to answer any questions you might have. You can also find out more about the CMRRA at http://www.racecmrra.com
-Justice London
CMRRA #25