Anybody Race Flat Track?

[RRdvark]

Yes, I know there is an epic flat track thread, but after browsing through it, it seems more about professional racing and spectating.  Anybody here actually racing flat track?  After going to a local fair race last night, I think I need to try it.  I've got an XR100 in the garage and apparently there is great class for adults on XR100's and TTR125's - sounds like the perfect starting point.

So - anybody on here racing?  Advice and stories are welcome...

[black hills]

I tried it once, can easily see how one can get hooked on it!! My little brother was running the A class so I brought my gear and ran his bike in the B class. You should have seen the rest of the guys on the starting line when I lined up next to a friend and said " so, how do you do this?" his reply " well, you kind of, you sort of, you..... you'll figure it out"   Got the hole shot but when I backed off for turn one the whole pack passed me :rolleyes:I think I ended up 5th in the heat and 7th in the main??? It was a blast!!!

[DogBoy]

There is a small, groomed oval and TT track near by that I ride occasionally. I can borrow a bike from from a friend so I haven't bought a dedicated bike for flat track (likely my next purchase as soon as I get some iron out of the garage). Super fun to ride and you learn so much. Sometimes when I go out for a practice day with my friends, I swear its the most fun I've ever had on a motorcycle.

Classes vary by club but the small air-cooled singles like xr100s or crf150f/230f appear to be the most fun. I've ridden the 150F and 230F quite a bit and really enjoyed them. At 47, I just want to have a good time. Not worried about mastering the discipline.

[stromgal]

Here on STN, Bomber used to race. I have a friend in Texas who raced pro as a youngun', and now is getting back into 'old fart' flat track.

(So in other words, no, I have never turned a wheel on the blue groove.)

[RRdvark]

Seems the perfect type of racing for an "older" guy like me.  Too much travel and $$ to do road racing any more (did that when I was younger).  I tried MX but just can't manage to get comfortable with the jumping (okay, it scares the shit out of me).  A friend tried to talk me into hare scrambles, but there are too many trees on the race courses.  Vintage MX was looking like an option since the jumps are smaller, but I think flat track might be the one for me.  Plus, the races are short so I don't have to be in great shape (I'm not).

[black hills]

Seems the perfect type of racing for an "older" guy like me.  Too much travel and $$ to do road racing any more (did that when I was younger).  I tried MX but just can't manage to get comfortable with the jumping (okay, it scares the shit out of me).  A friend tried to talk me into hare scrambles, but there are too many trees on the race courses.  Vintage MX was looking like an option since the jumps are smaller, but I think flat track might be the one for me.  Plus, the races are short so I don't have to be in great shape (I'm not).

hare scrambles are great, I would give one a try. Enduro's are fun as well, but long so you have to be close to being in shape. At the end of the year they have a 3 hour/2 man HS. It is really fun, laps are about 12 minutes so you ride for 12 min. then rest while your partner does a lap.

[bomber]

the Old Fart LEague IS attractive to some of us with more developed right hands than sense, but make sure your knees are up to the task -- some tracks can be brutal on your left knee ;-}

check this joint out:

http://www.americansupercamp.com/


You CAN race, at an amatuer backlot level, fairly inexpensively, but, like any race, you can make a small fortune, if you start with a large one.

proximity to a track/tracks is key -- there are fewer of them these days than long ago . . . .  .

If you have any questions, lemme know -- I've not many good stories that don't involve being lapped by big name riders of the day.

[RRdvark]

the Old Fart LEague IS attractive to some of us with more developed right hands than sense, but make sure your knees are up to the task -- some tracks can be brutal on your left knee ;-}

check this joint out:

http://www.americansupercamp.com/


You CAN race, at an amatuer backlot level, fairly inexpensively, but, like any race, you can make a small fortune, if you start with a large one.

proximity to a track/tracks is key -- there are fewer of them these days than long ago . . . .  .

If you have any questions, lemme know -- I've not many good stories that don't involve being lapped by big name riders of the day.

If you're gonna get lapped, it's better for a big-name guy to do it, right?

The first thing I gotta figure out is tires.  The little XR100 in the garage has a 19" front and 16" rear so I have to find suitable flat track tires that fit the rims.  A little net browsing found guys using everything from street tires to dual-purpose tires with special grooving.

That supercamp looks fun, too.  I remember reading about the big-name GP guys going to Kenny Robert's place and racing around on flat-track XR's back in the eighties and nineties as training.  If it worked for them it has to be good enough for me, right?

[DogBoy]

If you're gonna get lapped, it's better for a big-name guy to do it, right?

The first thing I gotta figure out is tires.  The little XR100 in the garage has a 19" front and 16" rear so I have to find suitable flat track tires that fit the rims.  A little net browsing found guys using everything from street tires to dual-purpose tires with special grooving.

That supercamp looks fun, too.  I remember reading about the big-name GP guys going to Kenny Robert's place and racing around on flat-track XR's back in the eighties and nineties as training.  If it worked for them it has to be good enough for me, right?

Go to another race and walk around the pits. Ask about the best XR100 set-up for the tracks you will run. The racers will be very friendly and helpful. I guarantee it.

[bomber]

Go to another race and walk around the pits. Ask about the best XR100 set-up for the tracks you will run. The racers will be very friendly and helpful. I guarantee it.

^This

Flat track, both as a participant and a spectator, has a very familial feel to it . . .

My advice wrt tires is get the best performing rim protectors you can find, and leave the hand grooving alone for a season or so -- there's a great deal to learn, and, at first, the edge hand grooved tires will get you will be tough to experience as a beginner -- concentrate that getting around the track ;-}

[RRdvark]

Hell, there is no way I would try hand-grooving tires.  I can't even sign my name the same way twice.  That is just what I was finding in the internet search for "XR100 flat track tires".

Unfortunately, the next practice date is the middle of August and I'm too impatient to wait that long.  I sorta know a couple of the local guys that race and one of them has a son that races in the XR/TTR class, so I might be able to get some info from them.

[DogBoy]

Sounds like you're on your way. Remember to wear a helmet that allows enough cheek movement to laugh out loud. You're going to have fun.

[RRdvark]

Working hard to get the XR ready for practice on the 17th.  Needed new rings and valve seals (strange little engine doesn't have a valve seal on the intake side...weird), gaskets and a few other parts to get it running right.  And then there it was in the catalog - BBR 120cc big bore kit - cylinder, piston, rings, cam, valve springs, and gaskets for $300.  Of course I ordered it.  I hope I enjoy this flat track thing because I'm already spending more than I planned.

[DogBoy]

I'd like to encourage you to spare no expense building the ultimate XR100/120 flat track bike. (and then sell it to me)

[RRdvark]

All this and the wife thinks it is a good idea...life doesn't get much better.

[bomber]

All this and the wife thinks it is a good idea...life doesn't get much better.

You win the life sweepstakes, Vark -- no doubt about it whatsoever . . .

Now go buy a tire carver, for goodness sakes . . . . and a pit bike (remember it MUST be 1/10 the displacement of your race bike) . . . .

[RRdvark]

You win the life sweepstakes, Vark -- no doubt about it whatsoever . . .

Now go buy a tire carver, for goodness sakes . . . . and a pit bike (remember it MUST be 1/10 the displacement of your race bike) . . . .

Where am I going to find a 12cc pit bike?

[bomber]

No idea, but you can source the engine at your local model airplane hobby shop . . . .