My experience is only in vintage racing with AHRMA.

I got my racing license after completing a one-day racing school put on by Lone Star Track Days that was held in conjunction with a track day at Texas World Speedway.

The racing license was issued by C.M.R.A., and accepted by AHRMA to start racing immediately in the Novice Historic Production class. Basically, stripped down street bikes. I can't race with CMRA 'till I do 2 weekends of track worker duties, that's just one of thier rules. AHRMA's rookie rules required me to wear an orange vest or t-shirt over my leathers for the first 4 races.

It doesn't take more than the first time out on track with a mixed multitude to find out whether you think you can handle close racing at speed; ESPECIALY if you're on a little old pushrod 650 twin and you're being zinged by guys on ZX600s & GSX750s!

I didn't loose my driver's license or have it taken away, I got rid of it on purpose.
I found out I can control a bike not to crash in turns, never have yet, but trusting others is reflex taboo so I keep my distance thank you. Do they race scooters?
Till then will watch others living it up.

It's not a scooter, hobot, but with karts you can find eleven tenths without pain. Another inexpensive way to "go racin".

Agedsmell, That is the sluttiest sexy VW I've seen, way cool. I'm impressed greatly by the Karts get go and turning/drifting ease. They are my main challenge in parking lot corner chicanes to match or beat on Ms Peel. Also they don't get knocked over by deer and big animals, though of course you can flip em if you do it right. There is a way to to enter phase 4 turns similar as Ms Peel does, by hitting curbs to launch in air and get kart to twist air borne and rev up so hits lined up right on smashed down rear patch that can hook up the leap ahead. One big advantage of low down karts is they don't wheelie. The maxed out classes are more capable G's machines than many world case race cars. These karts can pull off phase 5 handling too, which is keeping rear in best grinding traction slip while straight steering full upright so not to drift just turn sharper harsher. i fear doing this on race bike might get me pulled off for reckless riding, even if no one around me.

Historically the early track racers had more potent cars for bootlegging business as not race rule limited.

In karts there are two kinds of fast, shifter karts and the little alcohol burners (Three carburetors on a little two stroke looks wicked too). The last year I raced we built a 250cc Rotax 6 speed, rear wing, kanard, the whole bit and I didn't have what it took...or even close. That thing was well...in a word - VIOLENT. It would outrun my eyeballs. I put an American Pack turbocharger on an XS-1100 Yammerhammer in the late 70s and it outran my eyeballs AND good sense. In third or forth gear when the turbo spooled up, if you were far enough back to keep the rear tire from lighting up the the bike would wheelie and visa versa. If you were off throttle in a fast sweeper and so much as touched the throttle, it would stand up and go wherever it was pointed and straighten the curve out...right now. Those were the two most uncontrollable, guaranteed to make you pee yourself, insanely fun, things that ever whooped my butt. Somehow I managed to get rid of both of them before they killed me.

I'll email you some more pics of the VDub. Those windows were 51/4 inch mailslots! Tilt fiberglass front end. 92mm pistons and the goodies to go with it.

Mike

Gosh I love it when you talk nasty engine and weight language : ) Eureka Springs hosts a WV rally that all kinds/flavor of extremists shows up. Wes my Cdo buddy lives next to 5 acre WV bone yard. Ken Canaga last year tried Formula V racing and liked it but had too many irons in the fire to go to enough events to matter.

I've had a bit of accelerating too fast for eyes to change focus and blood pools at back of skull or drains out for tunnel vision, but I can relax in the straights to catch breath back. Till I ever do work up to race I'll just have to absorb the track glow from you all. What I want to practice most is stunt riding on a Commando and to play with karts if I dare. Next thing would be timed track days to compare notes and bike pecking order.

I thought I would offer a disclaimer as to the quality of my insight, sage advise and technical ramblings;

Just after providing my expert opinion as to how Kyle should enter turn 2 at Talladega to have maximum exit speed from turn 3, he totaled another one of Felix's cars exiting turn 3. I believe that was 1991. He told me later to stick with the motorcycles before I killed somebody!



Just kidding, I've been fortunate to be able to spend time with some of the legends in Nascar and NHRA. My most prized picture is of my son at 6 or 7 being given a high five by Alan Kuwiki (misspelled) the year he was killed. Dale Earnhart Sr. kidnapped Jason one year. He came running up, grabbed him up and said "come on boy, I'll let you sit in a real racecar" That was after Benny Parsons had asked Jason who his favorite driver was and he said "Dale Earnhart and anybody racin' Darrell Waldrip" and Darrell was standing there, that's when Kuwiki gave him the high five. Jason's even helped Kenny Berstein pack his chute. Kenny said he was the only person he had every let help him pack his chute (Now he was 7 yrs old, mind you!). He got to be honorary Crew Chief with the Star Motorcycle racing team at Bandemiere Speedway in Denver one year when he was about 10. During that same weekend (his first close-up exposure to drag racing) we were just settling in about four rows up at the 100ft mark on Fri night about dusk. Jason lingered at the fence. A top fueler had a blower explosion right in front of him with parts and piece flying everywhere. I dove down 4 rows to grab him, completely deaf from the explosion, thinking he has pooped his pants - when I grab him he's got this ear to ear grin - wide eye and excited. He goes "Dad, do they all do that?!" I couldn't peel him away from the fence for the rest of the evening, sometimes I would see him shiver when they launched. His face was black when we got home and he wanted to leave it on. I knew then that I may have created a monster in my own image...very scary to think about1

Another funny note: I ask Bobby Allison why he thought so many women were into racing and Nascar in particular. He responded "Well, even my Mama looks over at the guy next to her at the redlight and thinks..."yea, I can take 'em!" Motorsports are kinda like handguns. As we say in America, "God didn't create all men equal, Samuel P. Colt did!"

Quote from Patrick Bedard on slowing open wheel racing speeds: "All a racer is trying to do is put a lap on the undertaker... and I've never heard one ask for a slower car to do it with yet!"

Since I returned from Vietnam with a zero give-a-shit factor I have sought eleven-tenths in everything I do and I have the decrepid body to prove it! As hobot sorta said in that hobot way, it's not if you're going to fall down, its when. I feel that I'm an excellent street rider and have never had a solo accident or caused one, yet I have been run over about every way a car looney could think of to run over a motorcycle. I've even been hit, actually run da hell over...while parked in a parking space with no one else around. Westminster Mall in Denver which is a huge parking lot to be zeroing in on me! - the lady was fumbling with a baby in the back seat moseying across the mall parking lot and ran over the bike from the side with me sitting off to the other side waiting on a friend.

There's just nothing like the smell of burning bean oil, the tears from the fumes of exploding nitro-methane or just that sound of high compression and lumpy cams. Once it gets in your blood it can take all your money. I lost everything (wife, car, the dog, my business etc.) chasing a record when I was in my twenties and didn't learn a damn thing from it! Even Karts are a big money hole!

Mike

MIke people of our nature are blood brothers and most we will get out of life is the thrills of motor sports and sharing it with others before we go. I mean would ya rather have sex or ride out a race craft event. One sure lasts longer.

There is a book of prop days flying called "Fate Is The Hunter". Search it and read their example story and know life is pure magic and too short not to try to get away with what every ya can that ain't hurting others.

Yes you have imprinted your son to carry on and maybe die doing it. When I was 3 at a zoo I squeezed between fence posts to stand right against the lion cage bars and he leaped off perch to land full extended against cage which shook hard, 4'x me height over me with a road that recoiled everyone on the path back a few feet, but all I did was scream in glee yelling " Make him do it again!"
Oh yes it gave me an intense spike of adrenalin toe nails to hair roots.

Thank you for sharing the soul experience and glad you made it this far.
Same to the rest of you all able to feel as alive.