Start Racing Part 3
In this final part of Start Racing, we look at what to expect at the club paddock and from a seasons racing.
 Deserted circuits are transformed into a hive of activity once the club circus arrives. The race paddock is one of the best places on earth. Everyone walks around with a knowing glint in their eye. It's not just the racers themselves. There's an army of marshals, scrutineers, circuit staff and medics who are also up for the craic. After all, they are enthusiasts as well. It's these guys who come along and make the race meetings possible. There's a tangible sense of community spirit to be felt at the club paddock. You can talk to anyone and anyone will start talking to you. Work and homelife are forgotten for a few days as club racers immerse themselves in their passion.
In my experience, I detected no hierarchy between the haves and have-nots in the paddock. The plush motorhomes and the trailers and tents. We all know that the track is the best leveller of men and women, whatever their status and background. It's interesting to find out what people actually do for a living. You'll get highly paid professionals racing against tradesmen and labourers of all ages. I took up racing as part of my mid-life crisis and when my disposable income became worthy of note. However, there are many teenage club racers with supportive parents who can go 'proper' quick. My respect for these youngsters has grown a hundred fold. A few of them will become our future champions. It's a privilege to share the same piece of tarmac with them.
Transport and Accommodation
There are various options for getting you and your kit to the circuit depending on your pocket and parking capacity. The obvious and most popular is a van where you can put your bike and kit and it can double as a place to sleep. But there's the running costs and insurance to think of for a van that you may only use a few times in the year.
Of course, you can use an open or box trailer to hook up on your car. However, you would need a tent or book into a B&B during the race meeting. It's surprising how cheap you can pick up a secondhand caravan for. There are plenty of bargains to be had in the free-ads and the internet. I know some guys who have chopped a whole in the back of their caravan to get their bike in. Be warned that your neighbours may think that travellers have moved in next door!
My personal experience is that race weekends can be very tiring. This is because I've been on my feet all weekend, either walking the circuit, chatting, working on the bike, waiting around before the race, racing, watching the other races and have a few drinks in the bar. When I get home on a Sunday night I literally collapse and consider phoning in sick on the Monday. A little comfort and a hot shower during the weekend works wonders. Yes, I admit that I've slept in pit garages and behind any open door in the circuit buildings in the past. This approach didn't last long and the B&B beckoned.
Spares and Tools
It's easy to work out what basic spares you will need for a race meeting. Obviously, you may not be able to pack a spare engine. Spare wheels fitted with wet tyres are a nice touch. You won't have to join the queue at the tyre changers when it rains. Pack stuff that is easily broken in a crash such as levers, clip-on bars and rearsets. If you have a spare helmet and gloves, bring these along just in case. Sure, you can buy this stuff at the circuit but you will have a limited choice.
You can buy very cheap tools nowadays. Drills, drivers and socket sets can be found in the High Street for peanuts. However, buy yourself a 'proper' ratchet driver as the springs will break within five minutes on the cheaper models. Cordless drill/drivers are nice and impact wrenches useful if you can afford one of these.
If you have a bike that is new to you, stage a practice wheel change on a quiet weekend at home. Do the front and rear sprockets and adjust the chain as well. These operations will be common place at the race meeting and you need to get them down to a fine art. You will soon find out if you have all the correct tools for these jobs and what goes where. Beware of wheel spacers that you think are fixed but will actually drop out. If it begins to rain 10 minutes before your race then at least you've practiced a wheel change rather than fluffing it up under pressure. Same goes for the sprockets, especially the front. You might need a block of wood to wedge up the back wheel and a long wrench to release the sprocket nut. Pack spare sprocket bolts and nuts as these can thread easily. Don't get thwarted if you have no help during the race weekend. Practice this stuff at home and you will somehow grow a third hand and manage on your own.
You will go through a number of sets of tyres during a season. There will be a tyre suppliers available at the meeting. Keep worn tyres as these can be sold off to other racers or trackdays goers. You may want to keep them for future practice days. Unfortunately, the faster you become the more tyres you will get through. The rear tyre will begin to chop up or you will notice it begin to slide when bringing on the power. It's time to fit a new one. Some circuits eat tyres more than others do and you will soon notice which ones and what particular corner. Last season I used 7 rear tyres, 4 fronts and a set of wets. That's about £1,200 and I was well off the pace early in the season. Next year that figure could be more like £1,500. The UK weather being what it is you need to get out in the wet and go for it. You'll need wet tyres, wet kit and develop an approach for your wet riding style. The Minitwins championship leader would often do my dry time in the wet. So I had that information in the back of my mind as a comfort factor.
Unless you've got in early, the pit garages will soon be choc-a-bloc with bikes and you'll be looking for a spot under the stars. So you'll need some kind of cover to park your bike under and offer protection should the heavens open. You'll be able to continue to work on your bike and keep relatively warm and dry. High Street retail outlets do cheap awnings or garden gazebos. But be warned that cheap ones will buckle as soon as the wind picks up. I've been through two of these last season and given up on them.
A Typical Race Meeting
The early bird catches the worm. Most meeting start with the Friday practice day. This is perfect for the Rookie as you have an extra day to acclimatise to your surroundings. You can get focused on learning the circuit and gauging your competition. Depending on your location it's tempting to leave work early on Thursday for an evening journey. Once you have found a spot the first thing to do is get the bike unloaded and get yourself set up. Take a note of where the PA speakers are located. You'll need to hear announcements such as when to go to the collecting area for your practice session or race. There are not many circuits that have power distributed right across the paddock. So you will need a generator for your tyre warmers and kettle. You will need about 2kW as a minimum output for your tyre warmers. Remember to protect your power leads and sockets against the rain with plastic bags and tape. The practice days are run just like a trackday with a number of 15-20 minutes sessions. Keep an eye open later in the afternoon as some clubs run scrutineering sessions at the end of the day. This will save you running around early on race day.
On race day, you'll need to be up and about from 07:30. This is when scrutineering officially starts and a queue will quickly build-up. The scrutineers want you to race and aren't too picky. As long as you know how to prepare your bike then you will sail through. Offering them a clean bike won't do any harm. They will check all controls such as throttle spring back and levers. The clip-ons must be secure and bars free to rotate past the fairing on the steering lock. Rearsets must be secure and serviceable. You will have lock-wired everything so no worries there. They may check your wheel bearings for free play. Don't be worried about dents and scratches on your bike. Same goes for your kit. Leathers and gloves can be scuffed but as long as there are no holes or loose stitching you'll be fine. Lids must be pucker with no large dents or scratches and fit snug. If they spot something then you'll have to go away and re-submit your bike/kit. I got pulled once because my bar grip wasn't glued on properly and he pulled it of. Fair play. It's all about common sense. You will not get onto the track if your bike or kit are falling apart.
Signing on begins early as well. You hand in your signed scrutineering card with your ACU license and in return you get a practice pass. It can seem like a long wait for your 10 minute practice session. The heart rate will begin to rise, as it would before a parachute jump. To keep me relaxed, I like to check over my bike, keeping one eye on the clock. All sorts of weird shit goes through my particular head. Is there still time to pop to the bog? Did I tighten my rear axle bolt up?
A Seasons Racing
As I've said before, racing can be a cruel sport with little reward. However, you will build close relationships with your competitors and the feeling of comradery will be strong. Your competitors, the circuits support staff all help you to soldier on. You will realise that it will be alright should anything bad happen to you. And it will. It's guaranteed that you'll come off at some point during the season. I've even known racers to be knocked off on their way to the collecting area. Your pride and joy will get battered and your leathers scuffed. These shenanigans will harden you up and make you into a true racer. People trying too hard or riding beyond their limits is the cause of most crashes that I've witnessed. And I include myself in this statement. Your first season is a massive learning curve. A year you won't forget. By the end of the season you will be racing with your new found mates at the legendary UK circuits. This may cause you to re-evaluate what you do with your road bike. If you still have one.
Your bank manager won't forget your first season either. You've forked out for a lot of kit all designed to get on track for a few frantic minutes. Costs can spiral out of control. Most of us know that it can't be sustained without financial help or a sugar daddy sponsor. To give you an example, I left my tyre warmers during a session at the Friday practice day, when I went on track. Came back and they had melted. So a new set me back £150. I needed new tyres that day as well. Another £200. So with the practice day, race entry fees and expenses, a single days racing at my local Brands Hatch cost me £600, Ouch. That's nothing. I've been lucky. Some guys have had a number of offs during the season. We are talking new fairings, end-cans and forks on top of the small-fry items. They kept going though and fair play to them. I dread to think how much it set them back financially!
Throughout these articles I have hinted at the rough costs of things to get you on the grid. The big one-off purchases like the bike, transport and kit will vary a lot depending upon your requirements and circumstances. For a seasons racing you need to pay for your race entry fees which are something like £160 for the weekend. Practice days are a must for a Rookie and these cost about £90. The tyre bill I mentioned earlier will also vary depending on your bike and skill level. Whatever, your tyre bill won't be small money. There's the expenses getting you to and from the circuit and fuel for the track. I have chosen specifically not to work out how much I spent last season otherwise I'd have to check into the nuthouse. Your best financial estimates will definitely fall short. Having said that I've 'priced up' a fictitious Rookie season, assuming that you have leathers and helmet already.
Upfront costs
2003 tuned race bike (inc. spares and wets on wheels) £4,000
Service and Dyno £500
Suspension setup (inc. new springs) £300
Transit Van (serviced and insured) £2,500
Generator £300
Tools £150
Awning £250
Paddock Stands £120
Race school £120
2 x winter trackdays £160
Transponder £200
Lap timer £100
Memberships £60
Odds and sods £350
TOTAL £9,110
Running costs for a season (8 race meetings, Fri - Sun)
Race entry fees £1,400
Friday practice days £750
Crash damage contingency £1,000
Apparel contingency £250
Refresh and Dyno £1,000
Tyres (10 rears, 6 fronts, 1 set wets) £1,800
Fuel £250
Travel £400
Food/drink £250
Bike sundries (oil, filters, plugs) £300
TOTAL £7,400
Grand TOTAL £16,510
I decided to go for it myself after watching Reynolds and Kagayama hack around Brands Indy at a trackday. Rizla Suzuki had booked out the fast group for themselves. It was a real treat to listen to their highly tuned engines sing out around the Brands Hatch bowl, popping on the overrun. Just over a year later I was at my first club race. Exhilarating isn't quite the word I'm looking for. The starting lights, the clutch, the draw of breath, the roar of exhausts, stone chippings hitting my visor, then turning into Paddock Hill Bend with the pack. You will undoubtedly have your own inspirations.
I hope I've given you, dear reader, a rounded view of what's involved in club racing without being too woolly. There's are ups and downs, pluses and minuses as I hope I've illustrated.
What to take with you
There's nothing worse than realising you've forgotten something once you've arrived at the circuit. Here's my checklist, which I run through before I set off for a meeting
ACU license
Race entry form/scrutineering card
Dog-tag
Clothes
Food/drink/water
Keys
Leathers
Gloves
Boots
Helmet
Wetsuit
Back protector
Ear protectors
Generator
Tyre warmers
Tyre skins/covers
Tool box
Spares box 1
Spares box 2
Spare wheels
Fuel cans
Awning
Table and chairs
Tyres
Paddock stands
Cooking utensils
Bucket and sponge
Umbrella
(Barbecue)
Matt Goswell
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