Article submitted by forum member gbcap

 

Want To Start Racing?

There are so many questions for the first year racer to answer before they enter their first race. What class should I be in? What bike should I race? What series is best for me? How much is it going to cost me?

I will do my best to answer most of these questions in this article and maybe some more that were overlooked. Racing can be a daunting task for a new rider or a newbie to racing to think about tackling. It has a whole new set of responsibilities to consider beyond going trail riding with some buddies on the weekend. Race preparation must be considered among other things. During a day of joy riding, if a chain breaks, simply pack up and head home, no big deal. But during racing, the travel is typically farther, there is admission to the track, entry fees for the race and a battle for the top of the class at the end of the year is always a thought. So an ill prepared bike holds a lot more dire consequences when racing.

Bike Selection

Ill start from the beginning. Being successful on a bike starts with being comfortable on a bike. Just because the biggest baddest bike on the market just came out does not mean it will do well. Horse power and expense by no means equal a podium spot. Just ask any C class rider that has over ten thousand of upgrades to their bike and still hasn’t gotten first even in his/her class.  Go to several dealers, sit on the bikes, and check out all their specifications. Ride a few buddies’ bikes; rent something at a track if that is available. Make sure the bike is right before purchasing. The worst experience for a new rider is to spend six thousand on a new bike and race one race and not be comfortable on it. It’s a very important decision that can’t be taken lightly.

Class Selection

The next thing to consider is ones riding ability and what class that places them in. Most series have a Pro, A, B, and C designation for their classes. Pro being the fastest and C being for the novice or beginner racer just out to have fun. Just because a rider is the fastest rider out of a group of buddies doesn’t mean they are an A class rider in the local/national series.  Most new racers will enter the C class for the first few races. This will let them become acclimated to the racing environment and let them test your skills as a racer. If they win their first race they are probably not in the right class and need to move up. 

What plays another big roll in a class decision is the bike that has been chosen. Although I said earlier that a bike needs to be picked to fit the rider it also needs to fit a certain class. A 200cc Yamaha Blaster might be the bike best for the rider not be the best choice for an A or B class. Other bikes will out power and out handle a Blaster and leave that rider out of contention. Also some classes have a maximum or minimum CC requirement which the bike will have to adhere to. Combine the decision for a bike with the class chosen to run to decide what bike is best.

Budget Considerations

A huge part of racing is a budget. Often overlooked by the weekend warrior, the expenses of racing can catch up with a rider fast. Most beginners race a few races a year and never see the expenses that pile up. Add together the fuel to and from the track and for the race bike. Food while away from home, eating out and eating on the road gets very expensive. Race entry fees and gate fees for spectators seem reasonable for a race or two but can add up to be hundreds of dollars in an entire season. Wearable and broken parts from abuse during racing pile up much faster then while trail riding.

Make a budget at the beginning of the season. Look at the schedule and project the distance traveled to each race and the fuel needed to get there and back. Certain farther races might need to be left out to make a budget work. If you want to race an entire season consider maybe a more local series that keeps races within a few hour radius of home. Stick the schedule you have made for yourself so you don’t find yourself missing out on races at the end of the season because the money ran out.

Figure a cross country race weekend is going to cost about $150. $10 for gate fee. $40 for entry fee. $20 for fuel for the bike. $20 for drinks and food the day of the race. $15 for a race event tee shirt or other desirable goods and $45 in random expenses and wearable parts for the bike including, tires, bearings and damaged parts from accidents. Notice this does not even include the fuel to transport to and from the race because that can vary drastically depending on distance. Motocross racing has its own expenses depending on involvement and series run. This is just an estimate of expenses and your budget needs to very depending on the series you are running.

The money can add up quickly, putting a stop to a racing season in a hurry if the budget is not followed or other major expenses take from the racing fund. Do not be fooled into buying aftermarket parts or upgrading certain parts of a bike because a few bucks are extra laying in the bank account. Do the research and pick the best parts and the parts that are going to give the most bang for the buck while starting out. Worst thing to do is spend 10k on a bike and then realize 3 races into the season that ATV racing is not all it was thought to be.

To finish a race season successfully the money must be there at the end of the season. Making an accurate budget, following it strictly and even putting some considerations in that budget for unforeseen expenses. The series that is chosen plays a big roll in the budget and the budget might alter the racing series that is chosen.

Travel Arrangements

As it was discussed in the budget section, travel to and from the races is a large portion of the racing experience. With riding areas getting harder and harder to find, the average racer drives up to 3-4 hours for a race. Competing in a national series could mean travel time of up to 12-36 hours for races. This puts a huge burden on the racer, family and the vehicles used for transport. The best thing for a new racer to do is find someone in their local area to split driving time, expense, and miles on their vehicles if possible.

Also to consider is safety of your race machine. Are all the races local and can be made in day trips? Are they requiring overnight stays that need a lockable place to store the bike overnight at the hotel or overnight at the track?  All things that need to be considered. If the racer wants to use hotels for overnight stays it is a good idea to get a small enclosed trailer to store the bikes in at night to keep them safe from theft or vandalism. At the track, the bikes are normally safer because racers aren’t going to take other racers gear. But don’t take that for granted. It is a common occurrence for bikes, gear and parts to disappear from races overnight.

Bike Prep and Upgrades

Racing takes a lot of dedication to have fun. Racing is much harder on machines then normal trail riding so they need much more attention before and after the races.  Race prep should begin the night or the day after you get home from the last race. Wash the bike thoroughly and tear it down slightly to get all the major dirt and grime off. This is important to be able to inspect the bike better.  After it is clean, take a very close look at everything, including but not limited to, all bolts for missing or loose bolts, all suspension and frame for cracks or stressed areas, all tires for leaks, punctures or chunks missing from the rubber that might cause an issue in the future.  Take the time to do this early in the week or multiple weeks before the next race. If there is an issue with the bike it gives ample opportunity to get the problem solved.  The old adage of “an ounce of maintenance solves a pound of problems” rings very true in the racing world. Keeping everything greased, lubed, cleaned and inspected will make the bike last a whole lot longer.

Upgrades are a wonderful addition to any bike. The newer bikes are getting better and better every year, but the manufactures can’t please everyone. A stock bike might please the average rider, but as the skills increase so will the desire to upgrade the bike. A huge mistake by amateur riders is to spend money in the wrong places first. Most racers and riders are working on a budget, so spending 20k on a bike is normally not possible. So knowing what to spend the money on first is a huge advantage in the long run.  While cosmetic parts make the bike look awesome, they do nothing for the performance of the bike and can drain loads of money out of a budget really quickly.

Suspension will help a racer go faster much more then engine work will. If you have 60hp, great, but it won’t do you any good if your running tires that won’t grip and suspension that won’t soak up the hits that are now hit much faster with the extra hp. A good working suspension, whether it is factory re-valved shocks, or aftermarket replacements, will allow a bike to go much faster thru any terrain. Along with a good suspension is a set of tires that match the riders abilities and tendencies. Ride a few buddies bikes before sinking 200+ into tires and find what works best.  The final must have is a good steering stabilizer. It will take most of the vibration and hard hits that your tires and suspension fail to absorb.

Before upgrading the want items the must have items need to come first. Here is a small list of the order I believe parts should be purchased in. This isn’t for everyone and a budget might change the order slightly of what is bought. But if the money is saved for the larger items it will be much more worth it then the bling brake reservoir lid.

Skid Plates; Tires; Steering stabilizer; shocks; Handle bars; Controls; wheels; other suspension (arms, swing arm, axle)

Again this isn’t a have to follow progression of upgrading, but it gives an idea of what order they need to go in to get you the best performance the fastest. Don’t just buy the most expensive parts out there, that doesn’t mean they are the best, it also means they aren’t the best for YOU.

Clothing and Gear

The right selection means everything when it comes to picking out your riding gear. As with the bike upgrades, there is no reason to spend $500 on gear before your first race. A racer is going to need a few basic items to enter a race. A helmet, gloves (don’t need to be riding gloves but do need to be comfortable), over ankle boots, and goggles. Once the decision is made that racing is what you want to do then you can invest in a few more things. A nice set of riding gear, jersey and pants will give added protection and comfort while out on the trail and track. A nice set of roll-off goggles or tear off goggles will give you the added benefit of renewable vision several times during a lap or a race without changing to a new pair of goggles. A nice set of riding boots will add protection as well as stability to you while riding. A lighter helmet will be more comfortable for the longer races, putting less strain on your head/neck. Read the reviews, look at the features and figure out what item is going to be the best for you and your riding styles. There is no need to buy a $500 pair of boots if your going to race once a season. Although boots are made for racing they are a nice added piece of gear for regular trail riding as well.

Goals and Achievements

Setting a goal at the beginning of each season or each race is a great way to gage how you have done each time out. Don’t make unrealistic goals for the first year out. Don’t expect to win a few races and finish top 5in the series the first year racing. Finishing every race is an accomplishment in itself. Getting a top ten for the year and completing an entire series of races is a great achievement for the beginner racer. Each year push yourself to one up the last year. If you got a few top fives, strive for a few top threes or a class win. But whatever you do, don’t give up on yourself it you don’t meet your goals every time. Racing takes an extreme amount of commitment, time and practice to become very good.

Every racer wants to have that factory ride, but for every 100,000 quad riders one might have the chance at a full ride. So don’t get into it thinking that in 2-4 years racing will be free because someone else will pay for it. Know that it is an expensive sport, and it is very addicting and will consume a lot of your spare time and cash to regularly compete. If you’re an avid rider it is well worth the investment because the return is an experience only a racer can describe.

The Year in Review

Racing is expensive, racing is addicting, racing is time consuming and if done right racing can be rewarding. Having a lot of the answers before you’re invested into the sport can reassure that the choice being made is a good one or a bad one. Not everyone is cut out to be a racer. Some are just meant to cruise the trails with their buddies every weekend. Take on the task with the knowledge necessary and you will have a blast racing!!!

Find some friends in your area that are also into racing. They will understand the commitment and dedication it takes and most likely will be right along beside you. Having the support of others around you will help ease some of the burdens and you will be able to split some of the costs with them also. Having the family support is defiantly a great addition as well; they will be along side you all the way. Have fun and I hope you enjoy the sport that has given me a lot of memories over the years!