I found this on another forum. Interesting read. Nothing factual necessarily just a good story. I thought that some of you might like it.
It's a quiet night here on the forum so here's some bedtime reading to keep you busy. Don't complain about the long post - if you're not interested you don't have to read it.
You’ve done a lot of track days but now you’re looking for more of a challenge. What’s next? What about racing? Track days are not racing - not even close. So what’s it going to be like? Read on – Your Results May Vary.
- First Meeting. After months of preparation you turn up all excited and ready to go. You look like a biking god in your shiny, new leathers (you think). But wait! The organizers point out that you have to wear an orange high-vis vest to warn other riders that you are a potential hazard. You feel like a total moron wearing it. Don’t they know you “won” your last track day and would’ve broken the lap record if you weren’t scrubbing in a new set of tires? Oh yeah!
- First Race. You line up on the grid for your first race, surrounded by 39 other crazies. Your plan is to ride around in second or third place then sneak into the lead a few laps from the end. Hero! Tension builds, the lights go out and……jeezuz, wait for me, where’d they go? You spend the rest of the race fighting your way up to 25th, but at least you didn’t get lapped.
- On the grid for your second race. You won’t make the same mistake twice. The lights go out, you scream off the line with the front tire skipping along the asphalt. Beautiful! You haul ass to the first corner – in the lead! You sit up and brake as late as you dare. 15 riders swarm past. Several of them bang into you because they weren’t expecting you to brake that early. You finish 20th. This is intense.
- Progress. You’ve completed 10 races at several different tracks and didn’t get lapped in any of them. The sanctioning body no longer considers you a threat to mankind. You can ditch the high-vis vest. At last, now you can show off those expensive leathers. You feel like a pro. This is going to be a good race. You crash. Racer folklore – don’t race in new shiny, new leathers. Murphy’s Law says you’ll crash!
- End of Season. It came around so quickly – before you had a chance to show the world your real riding skills. You compile a list of bike mods to do to before next season. When you started this it was just for fun but fighting against guys on “faster” bikes is hard work.
- Second Season. Over winter you spent more than the original cost of the bike getting it tuned and prepared. It is quick. You can run with the fast guys but you’re still struggling in certain corners – any that go left or right! You can outbrake those guys but their bikes seem quicker coming out of the corners. A friend and fellow racer thinks you’re braking too hard. But you’re King of the Late Brakers so what does he mean? You respect his opinion (he is much faster than you) so you listen as he explains that those other guys are braking earlier, turning in earlier, getting on the gas earlier. Hmm.
- The First Win. You thought about what your friend was saying. You try it in practice. Feels like you’re braking way too early but the bike does turn better. You knock 1.5 seconds of your lap times! In the race everyone seems to be going so slow. You’re relaxed, your riding is smooth, it doesn’t feel that fast. You win!
- The Prize. Somehow you miss the champagne spraying frenzy (there wasn’t one). You go to race control to pick up a trophy (worth $10) and prize money (worth not much more). Win a few more races this weekend and you might cover your entry costs.
- Celebration. Your wife pretends to be impressed by the big win. Racing scares her but she knows how much it means to you. What an angel. You would take her out for a romantic dinner but you need the money for new tires
.
- Back at Work. You can’t concentrate on your job. You are so pumped about your first win. You are on a high until Wednesday. All you can think about is getting out there next weekend.
- Overconfidence. To get more track time you enter any class you can, sometimes racing against bigger bikes. In this race you’re dicing with a couple of guys on 1000s. You kill them in the corners but they blast you on the long back straight. It’s fun for a couple of laps but it gets tedious. You see a chance to pass both of them going into a fast section. You have a disagreement with your bike about how fast that corner should be taken. Your bike wins, it pitches you off at 110mph. Leaving the hospital they hand you crutches to avoid putting weight on your broken ankle. Unfortunately, you can’t use crutches because you also broke your wrist!
- Your Season Is Over. You need to get ready for next year. As soon as the casts are off you join the local gym to train over winter. You get addicted and start to consider it quite normal to cycle 15 miles to the gym, workout for 3 hours then ride home. Your friends think you’re nuts. They’re probably right.
- Fun in the Rain. It took a while to get used to wet weather tires. Once you found it was possible to drag bits of bike and body in the wet then it became fun. Now you’re splashing around, aquaplaning at 120mph but your smooth riding style is working. You take the lead but one lap from the end it all goes wrong – you push too hard and lose the front. In the wet you slide forever but no damage. The corner workers are great. They pick up your bike, check it over and help you back into the race. You discover the race has been stopped due to spills elsewhere on the track. The result is declared. You led across the line on the last full lap – you get the win. The two guys who passed you when you fell off are pissed. You buy them a beer later - you’re all pals again.
- Highside – The Meaning of Pain. Coming out of a right hander you gas it hard in second gear. The rear wheel steps out. You instinctively back off. The rear grips and suddenly you’re six feet in the air. You land on your back. Every last ounce of air is knocked out of your body. Your internal organs are so shocked they won’t work. You can’t breathe. Everything hurts – you’re convinced that every one of your ribs is broken. They take you to the medical center. There’s nothing wrong with you. Back in the pit area your friends have replaced the broken clip-on and brake lever. “Come on they’re calling your next race”. You don’t want to ride but they’ve worked like demons so you go out. You’re glad you did. The first couple of laps seem scary but you get over it.
- Leading. That crash put a dent in your points total but you are still leading the championship. You get a couple more wins and by year end the prize is yours. You get a big trophy that’s worth something - but they want it back next year. A famous racer presents it to you at an awards ceremony. The prize money is still crap.
- Big Time. It’s time to try something bigger. You enter a national event. You might even be on TV. The race is tough. Those guys are fast – that’s why they get paid to ride. You ride well, you’re smooth, hit all your markers and you don’t make any mistakes. You finish 25th but at least you didn’t get lapped. Sound familiar? You spent a lot of money and only got one race. You decide to go back to club racing where you can do six races in a weekend.
- Young Talent. A young guy from the local area has started racing. He was a motocross champ at 15 so he’s quite savvy but you’ve been at this a while so you give him some advice about lines and marker points. It’s his first race but he flies past you, bike sideways, as he backs it into the third corner. You know he’s going to crash. He wins his first race. In 4 years time he’ll be a national champion and compete in Grand Prix.
- Time For A Change. You still love racing but it’s getting harder. You’re not getting the same buzz. It’s getting expensive too. It’s almost ten years since you had a vacation – all your money goes on racing. Your career is going well. Time off work with injuries would damage your prospects. You decide to take a break. You do a few track days to help friends setup their bikes but you never get drawn back to it. The memories never leave you though and you still get a buzz thinking about it. You learned the true meaning of the word Commitment.
Of course none of this is true. In reality someone is going to pay you a big stack of money to ride a fancy works bike on which you’ll bag a couple of World Championships. Then you’ll wake up and realize it’s time to go to work. 
K9 Motorcycle Club Inc.
Annapolis, Maryland
www.k9motorcycleclub-md.com