Thinking about starting to race

[jacob92icu]

Hey,

Anyone from Washington that knows a good place to race in Washington state?

Plus any thing super obvious that a regular rider wouldn't know but needs to know in order to race? Thanks fellas!

*edit* I want to do moto gp style racing with twistiesand knee dragging. By the way, I'm like 200 pounds and 5'11, is this a disadvantage? All the gp racers are like jockies... Haha
Jake

[spcassell2125]

If you are riding a gs500 good luck what you really need is something like an sv650 to really be able to compete atleast thats my thought on the subject!

[jacob92icu]

Well yea, but isn't there races class for the sizes of the bikes? Eventually i would have and race something that is much bigger.

[wera90ex]

I don't know much about them but they've been around for quite awhile.  http://www.wmrra.com/

[wera90ex]

Just looked at some of the rules and it looks like there's a place for your bike. Personally, I think starting small and working up is the way to go. Learn what your doing first and work up. Never race anything  that will change your life if you wreck it. Over time and you get better, when you start beating bigger bikes, the victory is much sweeter.......... Besides that, You never have to ask the question,"Does this big GKXYRZS-1000 make my **** look small?"

[catch2otwo]

Have you done any trackdays yet?

[jacob92icu]

Never. I have just been riding for about 3 years, and I have always been interested in racing, freaking TT man... so exhilirating. That would be my goal if I started racing, is to get to the TT and meet Valentino Rossi hahaha... I have ridden big bikes 1000+ but I think that starting on a gs500 would be good like someone said above.

[jacob92icu]

I don't know much about them but they've been around for quite awhile.  http://www.wmrra.com/

Hey wera, are these just walk on races? Thanks.

[wera90ex]

  I'm sure they're not. For obvious safety reasons you'll have to graduate from a school,meet equipment standards, both personal and machine. You'll also have to have plenty of sessions with control riders at reduced speeds to make sure everyone stays safe.
  Another web site you may want to look at is www.wera.com . Click on BBS. They have a new rider forum that has plenty of info.
  You might even look for some info from Kieth Code. "A Twist of the Wrist"  and "Soft Science of Motorcycle Roadracing".  Being on the west coast,he might even do a school up there.

[jacob92icu]

Damn that sucks. Safety first for everything.... Haha. Well i need to practice first on mountain roads anyway. Practicing turns and possibly knee dragging or close to it. I need good gear first though.

[wera90ex]

  Well, motorcycle roadracing is a pretty dangerous sport in itself. I fully understand your fervor, but it's not just you out there. Not only that , but if the sanctioning body ran they're program like that they wouldn't be around very long.
  So Jake, take some advice. Find out what WMRRA's schedule is and go watch. Talk to some of the people there and tell them what your intentions are. Most likely they will direct you to who you need to see to get you started right, and safely. 

[jacob92icu]

Yea i definitely will do everything by regulations lol, thanks for the advice everyone. More us always appreciated.

[burning1]

Trackdays are the first step. You do not want to be the guy out in race practice running 20 seconds below pace.

WMRRA is the race org to take a look at up north. First step is to review the rule book to see if there's a class the GS500 can be competitive in. Even if it's not going to be competitive, you can learn a lot from running it... But looking at the chart will help you decide how much effort you want to put into a GS500 program.

E.g. If you're going to run against SV650s, do the tires, suspension and ergos, but avoid dumping $5K into the engine, and instead save your money for a SV. If you'll be up against EX500s, it might make sense to do a full build.

WMRRA runs in the rain. I'd suggest a Katana wheel swap at the rear so you can run 160 profile rear tires.

After you've done a few trackdays, start a new thread. We can provide a huge amount of info for successfully racing the GS.

And for the love of god, keep an eye on your oil level.

[catch2otwo]

If you haven't done a trackday yet, put your racing dreams on the back burner for just 1 minute.  Get yourself some good gear, be sure your bike meets safety criteria, then go find some buddies and go do a handful of trackdays.  see the link below for some local organizers.

http://www.r6-forum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20633

Good luck and have fun!

[jacob92icu]

Haha burning I will definitely keep an eye on my oil. And catch I shall put my dreams on the back burner for one minute 

So I am going to need some kind of motorcycle safety course, or will they just check the bike over and make sure it meets safety criteria?

[SAFE-T]

Around here you need to attend a 'race school' that covers track preparation and rules of racing ~ flags, course marshals, etc. usually put on by the local area motorcycle racing club. Once you have your 'race license' you are good to go in the Novice class, which up here means you can race whatever you want, until you graduate to an Intermediate level where there are more specific classes of bikes.

[SAFE-T]

I have volunteered for a couple of years with the local club in our area, and have seen a lot of people racing that found it was more than they could chew. I would definitely advise against trying to 'practice your cornering' on the open road ~ it's a good way to lose control and hit something hard. I would look for a track day with instruction, or a performance riding school. Some of the local fast guys here do a track day / riding school that will help you get comfortable on the track and perhaps avoid some otherwise costly and potentially harmful mistakes ~ see if you can find something like that to start

[burning1]

Haha burning I will definitely keep an eye on my oil. And catch I shall put my dreams on the back burner for one minute 

Trackdays are the next best thing to racing. You'll be out on the track with the other fast riders, but under less pressure. Good place to learn to pass, and get comfortable with the bike. Once you have a few trackdays under your belt, you'll have a good idea of whether or not you are ready to race.

Don't think about it as putting your dreams on hold... Think about it as the first step towards racing.

Being on the track is a completely different experience than riding. I promise you'll love it!

[jacob92icu]

Safe-t, good advice. I will definitely look into any local motorcycle racing club racing courses. How much do these courses normally cost?

and burning1, I believe I saw some of your u-toob races. Pretty BA if  you ask me. Is that the blue gs500 in your picture that your racing on in the videos?

[Bluesmudge]

Are you not reading what everyone is posting?
http://www.wmrra.com/ has all the information you need and a dedicated forum to new racers.

You are looking at $400 for a transponder
$300 for class and licence
A lot of time safety wiring and race-prepping your bike

Then, do you have a vehicle that can load the GS or one that can pull a trailer?
Track tires and probably tire warmers
Good 1 piece leathers, good boots gloves and helmet

How much money does it take to do motorcycle road racing?
- All of it.