WMRRA
 Spend A Day At The Races
Since Speed Channel made it’s debut on cable television, a
lot more people are watching motorcycle races.
The cable channel carries races from all over the world and devotes the
entire Tuesday night broadcast to the sport.
Watching motorcycle racing on
television is about as exciting as watching golf.
I prefer the Indy 500 type broadcasts that feature profiles on the
drivers and get behind the scenes to show you the machinations about what makes
the sport.
Another missing ingredient in the Speed Channel broadcasts
is that we rarely see a local rider on television. But, they do exist. And
better yet you can watch hundreds of local riders race motorcycles in person at
Pacific Raceways a number of weekends each year.
Since 1974, the Washington Motorcycle Road Racing
Association (better known as WMRRA or affectionately called “Wimra”) has been
putting on races at Pacific Raceways, over specified weekends, from
April to September of each year. For
the price of going to a movie you can drive, or ride to Pacific Raceways and watch races from
the grandstands, as well as other prime locations along the track.
You can also stroll the pits and meet the riders, who make up
our racing collective, first-hand.
 So what kind of people race motorcycles in Puget Sound? The WMRRA membership is made
up of racers from all walks of life, ranging from mechanics who wrench at local
dealerships to Microsoft millionaires, who enjoy riding at high speed on the
track, rather than on public roadways. And
it’s not just men racing, but a percentage of the roster is made up of women
riders.
Above left: Steve Smith who rides for Post Falls Idaho's Beaudry Motorsports
The weekend begins with practice runs on Saturday, from mid morning until the late afternoon.
The track is closed down and
utilized for auto races in the evening. Sunday
morning the track re-opens to motorcyclists for a full day of racing that
includes Supersport, Grand Prix, Vintage, Classic and Sidecars classes.
There is no assigned seating; so you can bounce from the
grandstands to other locations along the track at your leisure.
Some of the best racing occurs on the backside of the track that winds
through a series of 9 turns amongst the forested and hilly terrain.
If your legs can make the mile long walk each way it’s worth grabbing
your camera and walking to the west end to watch riders pass through turns #2
and #3 which is a twisty set of “S” curves.
The Supersport and
Superbike classes are some of the most popular and have varied heats throughout
the day of 11 laps each. This is
where you’ll find the top dogs who have been riding on this circuit for many
years.
Then there are the Vintage and Classics categories.
What’s the difference? “Disc
Brakes” suggests Classic rider Tom Wicken.
These categories are made up of bikes that are 25 years or older in most
cases and run on the technological envelops for motors, frames and suspension of
days gone by.
 One of the most exciting races of the day is the Sidecar
class. Unlike typical motorcycle
sidecar rigs, these specially designed carriages look more like that of a
three-wheeled go-kart and utilize the entire back area for the second rider,
sometimes called the “monkey.” While
the driver controls the rig, the monkey throws their weight from side to side
continually changing the center of gravity on the rig. This allows it the ability to
enter and leave a turn at higher speeds, while maintaining it’s stability.
Because of the limited time available for racing, certain
classes are lumped together into the same race with staggered start times of a
few seconds. Each bike carries a
radio transponder, which is used to time each individual rider's start and finish
time.
 The number on each bike usually says something about how
long and how well a racer has been riding.
New numbers are issued each year and those who have done well and been
with the organization move up to lower numbers. 1-50 typically includes riders who have been racing for five
years or longer. 800 through 999
suggest these are one to two year novice riders. Novices have their own races separate from the seasoned
riders, so that they may hone their craft with other riders comparable to their
own skills.
Above left: Eastside Harley-Davidson/Buell's Scott Moon has been a WMRRA Racer for more than 10 years.
Strolling the pits is another thing to do while you’re
at the track. It’s your chance to
meet the racers first hand, chat with their pit crew, or admire that Classic,
Supersport or Sidecar rig that just won the last race.
There are no additional passes needed and you’ll find a friendly,
relaxed atmosphere as you wander from row to row.
It's also your chance to get a glimpse of what goes into preparing a bike
for a race and learn all the intricacies that go along with
that.
If you plan on spending the day at the track, no doubt at
some point you’ll want lunch.
Pacific
provides concession stands that provide the usual burger and dog fare, but you
can pack a picnic lunch yourself and enjoy it anywhere on the grounds.
We also recommend you bring a set of earplugs.
In addition to Seattle, WMRRA races take place in Spokane and Portland,
a few times each
year. If you’re up for a road
trip, the same experience can be had in either of the other two cities.
For a full schedule of WMRRA events visit their website at http://www.wmrra.com or pick up a schedule
at a local dealer. This is also a
good place to begin if you think you might like to get into racing yourself.
Pacific Raceways events are listed on the Sound
RIDER! Calendar page.
PT/Summer 01 (updated Spring 05)
|
