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Racing: "Just for Fun"
By Simon-Pierre
Smith
 For
the majority of my racing life I took the whole game rather seriously, a bit too
seriously for my skill level. Once a season had started and a few points were
earned, it seemed wasteful not to do my best to continue and improve. This led
to the inevitable Friday night rebuilds with red-labeled parts. If the bike
couldn't be made 100%, or even 75%, or the weather was atrocious, I rode anyway.
There were points to be earned. Anyone who sat out a race, even a better rider,
would fall behind in the points. This is how season trophies are won.
Above: Other
than the KTM Supermotard bike, the entire front row of FZR400s costs less than
one GSXR 1000.
Then in 2000, after racing three bikes in four classes,
and traveling to Daytona, I was burned out and broke. I made a change. For the
first time I scaled back, lightened up, and started racing "just for
fun."
 Racing
for fun is the heart of the club scene. Bragging rights are earned not by race
finish or at season's end, but rather corner by corner, one pass at a time. The
requirements are simple: a reliable and cheap machine, and other bikes of a
similar speed to race with. Head-to-head, wheel-to-wheel racing is what sends
you back to the pits with a big grin on your face.
Above/Left: When
theyre this close entering the front straight anyone might be leading into
turn 1
There are two bikes that have seen a surge of growth due
to their capacity for fun racing. The first is the Yamaha FZR400. This little
screamer was last sold in the U.S. in 1991. It stayed at the pinnacle of small
displacement racing until the Suzuki SV650 demolished it. In the last couple of
years they all but disappeared. Then people started to see the opportunity. The
bikes are still nimble, fast enough to command respect, bullet proof, and very
inexpensive.
The second bike that has risen as a poster child for fun
racing is the CB160. A vintage Honda from the
60's used mostly as a college kid runabout or back yard scrambler, these bikes
can be found in alleys and sheds for essentially nothing. A clean up and rebuild
can produce a functional race bike for under $1,000. For $1,500 you get a good
looking machine capable of winning races, if you can ride well enough.
Competition is fierce. Packs of swarming "angry bees" draft in chains
down the straights and scoot by in the corners anywhere a door is left open. A
gentleman's agreement not to spend money on hop-up motor parts keeps things
cheap and reliable. A fist full of 100-dollar bills would guarantee an easy win,
but what's the glory in victory without the risk of failure?
 A
side benefit of the "race for fun" attitude is the camaraderie that
develops. Crashed or broken? Ask around and boxes of parts are laid at your
feet. Those in the know give advice and spin wrenches. Is it broken beyond
repair? Your bike becomes the donor, stripped of parts for those in need and
reassembled at day's end. Tow rig in the shop? A few phone calls hook you up
with the caravan. Everyone goes out of their way to get competitors on the grid.
Above/Left: Professional
chef Jeff McChesney prepares to fatten up the competition while cackling,
Seven pounds is one horsepower!
 Another
aspect of riding for fun is the desire to try new tracks. Without any special
goals to win points for a championship, the schedule is much more open for an
occasional road trip. Mission in British Columbia, and Thunder Hill and Sears
Point in California offer fun tracks at a reasonable distance. Of course,
anything further east requires more determination. A new track gives a handful
of curves for the mind to piece together. There are lessons to learn about what
you can do, what you can't do and what you don't want to do. So if you're ever
out at the track and see a bunch of racers fighting for position like a life and
death battle when there's no appreciable prize, or if a group is racing on bikes
that make you wonder "Why are they riding THAT?" just remember,
they're racing for fun. SR!
Above: Podiums,
trophy girls, and Canadian hospitality finish a great race day at Mission, BC.
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