Yes I’M The New Guy, Yes I Wanna Race At Bir
#1
Posted 13 February 2018 - 08:29 AM
#2
Posted 13 February 2018 - 09:25 AM
Your best choice would be to jump in a ZARS track day, and/or Road Closed track day. You'll learn you otherwise would never get to know or learn on your own:
http://www.ridezars.com/
http://www.roadclose...ing.com/drupal/
Fun times at Pro Kart:
Maple Grove: https://www.youtube....h?v=E3OyTQzlwnE
Burnsville: https://www.youtube....h?v=HIHFiYmXX1o
Go kart tracks: https://www.youtube....h?v=HIHFiYmXX1o (Apparently I thought the music was more important than the bike sounds

DCTC: https://www.youtube....h?v=46LpiCiJbO0
#3
Posted 13 February 2018 - 09:33 AM
Be aware that the minimum age is 18 but it is possible to petition and has been before.
Your F4i is not legal for the LW class. It would be Middleweight. Small bikes are good too, but imo, it makes the most sense to get on track with what you have and decide from there if you think it necessary to swith platforms.
Whatever you do, your first step should be to sign up for the New Racer Seminar next month: http://www.mnsportbi...showtopic=80240
Then, review the rules found on the CRA website to get an idea of the structure and how the classes are organized.
#4
Posted 13 February 2018 - 09:43 AM
#5
Posted 13 February 2018 - 10:54 AM
#6
Posted 13 February 2018 - 11:03 AM
That One Kid, on 13 February 2018 - 08:29 AM, said:
My advice is always to start racing in a low power class, lightweight or even ultralight. I even published a book that talks about how racers who start out with bikes having gobs of power have a much harder time learning to corner fast. Far too many point-and-shoot, park it mid-corner then light it up on exit riders are born from 100+ horsepower bikes.
I'm saving up for a RS390 myself. It's doubtful that I'll ever be back on the racetrack but I'm sure I'll have fun breaking it in before it goes to my son in a few years.
You can find "Motorcycle Track Day Handbook" by Kent Larson on Amazon for cheap if interested. It has some general advice about getting into racing and a great chapter on suspension setup.
Later,
Kent Larson in Woodbury
#7
Posted 13 February 2018 - 11:13 AM
That One Kid, on 13 February 2018 - 10:54 AM, said:
If you have never ridden the track before, there's no need to worry about lap times. There's no problem racing even if you have no trackday experience. Getting thrown in the deep end is the fastest way to speed up the learning curve, especially with the CRA. There are fast racers in all the classes and they'll do a fantastic job of helping you out as well as humbling you with theire experience and craft.
Trackdays are also an option and another way to get your feet wet before committing to a race effort. My advice would still be to go to Motoprimo on March 18th and see what it's all about.
#9
Posted 13 February 2018 - 11:56 AM
#10
Posted 13 February 2018 - 12:04 PM
With that said, if you can petition your way into racing, it will teach you a lot more a lot faster than track days, and the CRA is a great group. Middleweight novice however is not a very good place to start with limited track experience. Race prepping a street bike is also a moderate to extremely expensive commitment, depending on the class you want to race. If you are hell bent on jumping into racing, and you can get the age petition approved, I recommend starting in the N250 spec class, featherweight, or ultralight depending on how much money and time you have to spend on your bike. The N250 spec class is by far the most economical way to race a motorcycle. I also recommend buying an existing race bike.
If the racing thing does not work out, your best shot at getting on the track ASAP is an incremental approach that involves riding track days with your existing bike. I am not sure how Road Closed and ZARS handle under 18 riders. Figure that out first. Then take your 600 to a couple DCTC track days, and then take it a few BIR track days. Most of the ZARS coaches are (or have been) racers. ZARS also has a race specifically for non-licensed racers each time they do a BIR track day. The ZARS "shootout" is a great way to try racing for the first time, and you don't need a fully race prepped bike.
#11
Posted 13 February 2018 - 12:04 PM
That One Kid, on 13 February 2018 - 11:56 AM, said:
Ok.
#12
Posted 13 February 2018 - 12:22 PM
#13
Posted 13 February 2018 - 12:28 PM
aj_day, on 13 February 2018 - 12:04 PM, said:
The N250 spec class no longer exists in CRA. However, you can race a N250 in FW. You can even build a N250 to superbike specs, and still be FW SS legal. I definitely wouldn't recommend turning your F4i into a race bike, for a few different reasons. One being the cost, it would cost far more to convert it, than what you can buy a race prepped bike for. Two, the F4i is not a common race platform, so the availability of parts would be limited. If you were extremely fast, maybe the F4i would be competitive in novice, but you wouldn't stand a chance against experts. I also think going out racing with zero track experience, and only one year of riding under your belt would be quite intimidating in the MW(600) class. I recommend Featherweight or Lightweight. Those are the classes that are really competitive based on your ability, and not so much the machine. Right now, there are only a couple novice racers in ultralight, and its an odd class where there arent that many bikes available that are competitive, you would probably end up riding by yourself out there.
As was stated above, definitely sign up for the CRA new rider school at MotoPrimo, there is lots of valuble information there. Doing a track day isn't necessary, but being under 18, you are going to have a hard time getting the stewards to allow you to race without any experience. There is a reason why that rule exists. But definitely come up to BIR for the race weekends. Talk with racers, check out the bikes, and do some volunteering. Quite a few new racers come to the track thinking that they are going to be the next Valentino Rossi, but the truth is that if you havent been doing this since you learned to walk, you probably wont ever become more than a club racer.
That being said, I hope to see you up there, and look forward to you becoming a racer, good luck!
#14
Posted 13 February 2018 - 12:29 PM
That One Kid, on 13 February 2018 - 12:22 PM, said:
How deep are your pockets?
Either way, those are UL bikes, and like I mentioned above, there are very few novice racers in UL. And dominating the expert UL class are the Kraemers, which I dont think a 450 would compete with.
http://kraemer-motor...ucts/hkr-evo-2/
#15
Posted 13 February 2018 - 12:36 PM
That One Kid, on 13 February 2018 - 12:22 PM, said:
No, you are not used to it. You may be able to ride street with it, but you haven't really ridden it. Do track days, start at the bottom and earn your way up as you find your riding skill. If you really want to, start with the CRA first and get right to racing. It's possible. But just understand that you don't know as much as you think you know. Many of us have been where you are. Trust what we have to say.
WIth that said. Try your F4i at a track day. You'll find out a lot about your bike and yourself. Then save yourself the money of converting an outdated platform into a race bike and buy a Featherweight, Ultralight or Lightweight race bike. Or build a bike for those classes if you have the money and want to do it that way.
Other higher weight classes are an option, but I would recommend having more track days experience before going that route. For safety.