Smaller Grids and Bigger Egos – Track Wars

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Your standard track day, a place of sanctity, a place where everyone is a winner. That’s right another cynical narrow minded racer article not understanding the growing fascination with another way we pussify every man, woman, and child by letting them believe they are amazing. Let an overzealous riding coach following you for a bit, tell you to hang off like Casey Stoner, hand you a new color sticker that allows you to move up class. With a fist full of your giant rejuvenated motoboner, you can show your girl toy how fast you’ve become in only 4 days. The next step is to tell Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and the forums your new achievement. This is all in good fun. When you’re a track noobie every single improvement feels amazing. That next group up is like taking a drug-X for the first. Everyone strokes your ego for you. The only way you can lose is by tumbling that precious bike over your giant ego which is now deflating almost as fast as it grew. Need to just stop there so we can get to the point.

If you ask racers what one of the biggest problems in is racing right now, almost all of them will say the grid size. A big reason could be the economy or just lack of public eyes seeing road racing. The other main reason, track days. They are taking the thunder out from under the starving racing community. But why? Because you can’t lose at a track day. The second you start a real race and finish 23rd out of 23 riders you realize that maybe you’re not the bee’s knees. Maybe all those knee dragging track day photos on Facetwitagram don’t mean diddly-doo-squat. That is unless you’re just another attention diving whore. Finished 3rd out of 3, got a trophy. Track days and the generic upbringing of kids has taught us that you need to share every single accolade participation medal even if the feat is stepping over a 6 inch ant hill. So if this is the case, why ever quit track days and move on to racing? Sure, there are still many riders who want to improve their skills and express their competitive nature. The next step to doing so is making the leap into racing. Many find it to harsh of a reality and quit racing. You can always tell what racers are still track day riders at heart and who are at the races because they truly love this sport.

If you’re a “top level” track day RIDER, not racer like many track day folks like to tell themselves, what is holding you back from giving racing a shot? We as racers would like more friends to battle with. You may think you are battling during that track day session, but you aren’t. You may think you’re going as fast as you can, but you aren’t. If you don’t think you’re “fast enough”, think again because speed does not matter when you are starting to race. There is almost always someone to battle with, someone who can help you enhance your skills, and someone who is looking for the exact same out of you. You level headed track day riders, no matter what group you’re currently in, take the race school and join the racing community. You won’t regret it.

This post has already been read 1333 times!