“There is no school that will make you fast if you don’t have it in yourself. Talent can not be learned.” This was said by a very good friend of mine. But I like to interpret it different from how it reads. I find myself over and over again trying to explain to friends, family, and other riders why I can spend fifty percent of my yearly earnings on something that, to them, shows no real return. For something all they see is little highs and a ton of lows. Lows that take a toll on funds, mental and physical health, relationships, and luxuries. And why spending $800 for 2 days on the track and time with other people who share the same passion for this two wheeled racing life style is acceptable but five dollars for lunch is out of the picture. Will racing ever be a career for me? No, for some yes, but for many not even a chance. So what is the purpose then? Why do we, as racers, make the life sacrifices that we do just for possibly one lap of perfection or one race that everything clicks. The answer to that is, I don’t know. It is something I think about quite often as I eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch today and will eat again tomorrow. As well as the day after that and the next. I am not just writing about road racers. Motocross, flat track, hare scrambles, etc; you all know what I am talking about. You will sacrifice what is needed to strap on the boots and bang elbows. Sacrifices you say? How is doing the coolest thing on earth a sacrifice? Now I can only explain from my personal experience and what is done so a few good laps can create just a perfect feeling that can be stored into my brain but only to desire that feeling again and again.
So what makes a racer a racer? This is something I never really thought about until recently. There was a post on svrider.com forum about track day riders looking down on street riders and racers laughing at track day guys. After posting and reading, the thought of when do you get the label a “motorcycle racer” entered my brain. Are you a racer after getting your licence? Are you a racer after winning? At what point do you get this “prestigious” tagging? And again the answer to this question is…. I don’t know. Can someone tell me? I have never really considered myself a “racer” until recently. Even at a younger age racing hare scrambles, I never felt like a racer. I remember my first race like it was yesterday. Sitting on the starting line aboard my 1997 Yamaha YZ80. Absolutely no idea what was going on and what to expect. How slow am I going to be compared to them? I ask myself over and over in my head. I felt like I knew everything there was to know about the trails where the race was being held. The horn blows and that 1997 YZ80 was the last bike to leave the line. 1 hour later I was crushed. How could they be that much faster than me in woods I ride all the time? In the next year I participated in 8 more races on my yzinger. Slowly gaining confidence and enhancing my riding ability. It wasn’t long after that I had to graduate to the 125 class. Again, this was a huge slap to the face. After 6-7 races, I still didn’t feel like a racer. Perhaps it was my involvement in other activities or lack of drive to be better then the others. I just liked to ride my dirtbike. It didn’t matter if it was in a race or at Rausch Creek Motorsports Park on their mx tracks and trails (which is sadly now closed). Today the story is different, I have to be out there competing and bettering myself as a rider. Enhancing all aspects of my riding so I can be one step closer to the next guy. But I also think what makes me a racer now is not the same as what makes someone else a racer.
There is a powerful video called “The Heart of Motocross” (link) that goes into great detail about the life and struggles of amateur racing families. They really hit in detail a lot of the sacrifices these families and riders make to race motocross. All of them are racers even though they all have different goals and face different obstacles in their racer lives. Goals range from qualifying for Loretta Lynn’s and simply making it to the starting gate at the prestigious ranch to winning motos and championships which lead to contract deals in the pro ranks. I like to put myself in the position of just making it to the starting gate. Do I want to win? Sure, but rarely can I put together a perfect race let alone a perfect season, but that is my goal. To put together a string of perfect races that lead to a championship. Man that sounds cool doesn’t it? A championship in road racing. Does it matter that it is only a championship on the club level and in the lightweight class? Not to me. Although at different levels, thousands of other racers share the same goal. Setting goals and striving to reach them is party of being a racer.
Goals come at a cost, but at what cost you ask? I think we can easily split the price of racing into three categories; Tangible goods, relationships, and well-being. Let’s start with tangible goods since that is lighthearted.
Money, with out it there is no racing. Racing is expensive and we all know it. I will break down the cost for me to attend a race weekend at Summit Point Raceway in West Virgina, and I get off very cheap compared to most when it comes to racing. I have a 1998 Ford E250 which gets okay gas mileage. I plan to put in about $75 in the tank to get me there and back. The bike eats about 6 gallons through out the weekend depending on how many races I enter, so there is another $25 in gas. I will normally enter at least 3 races, that will run $200+. Gate fee is $25 with additional $20 for power hookup. Another $30 for food and drinks. I sleep in the back of my van so I do save money on hotel room or on buying a camper. A race weekend will cost $375 which does not sound too bad. If I need tires, tack on $400. Add on another $100 in race fees if there are 2 more races to do. Sadly, I can easily be persuaded to go out to eat and drink one night, add $40 minimum. This total is not calculating in the cost of the vehicle, motorcycles, or gear. It adds up and adds up fast. My salary is not a hefty one by any means so cuts are made everywhere they can. As stated above, peanut butter & jelly for lunch most days during the week. It comes out to about fifty cents a sandwich. All groceries are purchased at discount store. When I was going into my first year of road racing there was no vehicle to get me to and from the track. A 1994 Chevy Astro van popped up for $1,000. Was it nice? No. Did it run? Yes. This van lasted me through two years of racing for only $1000. I went with such a cheap vehicle so I had no monthly payment. I didn’t want to have to worry about calculating a car payment into the race budget. Could I be driving a nice car? With out a doubt. But that is not important to me and conflicts with the racing budget. I found places to live where rent wouldn’t be over $500. Cell phone plan is $25 a month, horrible service but that saves me $40 a month to go towards racing. Friends ask if my salary was higher, would there be a nicer car or new phone plan? My answer is simple, no. If I could afford to buy more tires for racing, that is what I would do with a larger salary. This is where it gets hard to explain to non-racers why there is so much dedication to something that is nothing more then a hobby. It simply cannot be explained unless they themselves get on a motorcycle, get on the race track and compete.
Second of the three costs are the relationships with your friends and family. Depending on how often you race or practice, it cuts back on weekends you would otherwise be spending with friends or family. I have already missed a fair share of events so I could attend a race weekend that didn’t even go my way. Bike breaking or poor riding, it happens. I come home after the races and hear all the great stories and what is said about my weekend? So to them, its “you missed out on this just so your bike could fail you?” If there is no race, I have to cut back on how much I spend when going out with friends or even on my family. Birthdays, holidays, weddings, you name it. This is very sad but true. I would love to spend hundreds on gifts for my family every holiday season. The fact is there is a budget set on that as well. Is this selfish? Most may look at it that way. I would love for them to get me nothing or a $25 gas gift card that pays bike gas for just 1 weekend. In no way shape or form is their understanding of motorcycle racing and my crazed obsession with it expected. I am lucky enough that my relationships outside of racing have yet to be fully affect by racing. There are known professional racers to have very complicated relationships with their parents and families. MXers Josh Grant, Davi Milsaps, and Ryan Villopoto just to name a few. I will not go into detail but you can do the research if you want to know. It is not pleasing to hear.
Lastly, our physical well-being may be the greatest cost. Racers know the price. What more can you really say? Racing can have the worst outcomes one can imagine forcing families to endure tragedies they hoped to never experience. This is the ultimate price a racer and their families can pay.
As I move on in my racing “career” appreciation grows day in and day out for every racer out there. But yet as I write this I continue to ask myself what makes us racers and why do we do it? With a puzzled look on my face and for the life of me, I cannot put a finger on one thing. Could be the rush, camaraderie, competition, freedom, pursuit of perfect, or even the frustrating outcomes that have you asking why you do it. I do however know one thing, I will continue to race until I cannot race anymore.
“There is no school that will make you fast if you don’t have it in yourself. Talent can not be learned.” I quoted this at the becoming of the article but did not explain how I interpret it. I read it as you are born a racer and will always be a racer. You can’t be a racer if you don’t have it in yourself. It sounds like a stretch but a lot of how I see things is.
I would like to thank everyone who has made my racing life an awesome life and thank you to whoever I meet in the future at the races. Special thanks to Zoran Vujasinovic from TWF Racing in Reno, NV. He showed me the track life, he showed me what a real racer is like and what a racer should be. Without a blink of an eye, without even really knowing me, invited me out to his home in Reno. Got me a track day with Z2 Trackdays and gave me a bike to ride for nothing in return. He had no idea if I even had the ability to ride a motorcycle. If Zoran had never given me the chance to ride at Thunderhill on June 4th, 2009, I may have never gotten to have experience the life of a racer and the last 4 years of my life would have been completely different. To this day Zoran still continues to help me with what ever I need. He is a true racer and a great mentor and friend to me.
Of course final thanks has to go to my parents. If my father, Kerry, never showed up with that TTR125, drove me to those races, and fronted the bill for this insane sport (even when money was tight); well, I actually can’t really think of what would be going on in my life. I appreciate every drop of support you guys give me.
Thank you for reading,
Sam Wiest
CCS #145
(Former WERA #992, WERA #45, AMA District 6 #152)
