After spending the better part of my life with motorcycling (as well as things of a tactical nature), it has occurred to me that there have been people who did not return after a brief meteoric debut in racing. This has led to other manifold revelations, but the primary reason folks leave racing has been that they did not perceive motorcycle roadracing as their foremost career choice. Oh sure, there have been the Johnny Come Latelys, or the Crashing Carmen, but neophytes often turn to numerous other avenues of employment to whet their appetites for ultimate fulfillment. Darn Shame. Motorcycle Roadracing has so much to give that anyone who truly loves racing can surely find some billet within her ranks for the future. If you find that hard to believe, wangle a subscription to some of the dealer publications such as Motorcycle Product News, DealerNews, or Motorcycle Industry and you will be astonished at the faces you know from the race track. There is a legitimacy to this that you will comprehend immediately; they like it here. They found early on, that roadracing in general, and Motorcycle Roadracing in particular, had that certain something that they simply could not do without for any length of time.

Our very own Editor- in-Chief, Joseph "Racing" McKay, has an alter ego that will someday manifest itself for all to see. Until Joe comes out of the phone booth, he asked to keep that information on the down low, so if you already know about it, you didn’t hear it from me. He is trying to make a difference so that racing in general will be the better for having brought him into the fold. He is one of many people who have given back to racing more than they extracted. They are one and all a credit to our sport. Just think, people could be referring to you someday with that tone of reverence that is reserved for those who walk and talk the sport they love so well.

People like Ron Foster from Vance and Hines. Ron has been a long term employee at V & H, driving the long hours and even further distances as a race tech for Terry Vance and Byron Hines. We have worked shoulder to shoulder at just about every Grand National event in the United States for many years. He is a trusted friend of the high road and the lonely empty racetrack. We have experienced the loss of another friend, racer Larry Schwartzbach, and been elated over the paring of seconds off of an endurance race pitstop. I have observed his handiwork in closeup and discovered it faultless, in a personal workspace so clean a surgeon would have felt right at home. He, too, is a fine human being and a credit to the sport of motorcycling. Recently Terry Vance and Byron Hines recognized Ron in a way befitting his long hours and dedication; they made him Vice President of Vance and Hines. They couldn’t have found a better person for the job.

While Ron is certainly one of the highlights in motorcycling, there are many with a story similar to his. Terry Vance and Byron Hines themselves are basically ‘hometown boys made good’. Terry with his quick reflexes and Byron with his engine builder’s talent grew their successes at the dragstrip into roadracing and the aftermarket business that it is today. Neither person knew it would blossom the way it has, but they followed their instincts, hired good people, and stayed loyal to the motorsport that had given them their big break.

Regular readers of National Privateer remember that I have mentioned former World Champion Doug Polen in my editorials before, but few people are aware of the impact that Doug has had on the Italian motorcycle industry. Prior to Polen’s hiring, the average Italian motorcycle was something of a joke. Plagued with problems from substandard electrics to poor quality control, they were constantly beset with financial woes that stemmed from lousy sales figures and buyer remorse. Cagiva discovered after purchasing the remnants of Ducati, that the Ducati name still garnered more brand recognition than Cagiva, or their previous name Aeramacchi Mechanichia. They knew that reviving Ducati would require a successful twin since Italian fours had never been widely received from a unit sales standpoint. While many riders were interviewed to help develop this twin, there was clearly only one choice: Doug Polen. The reason Polen was selected was his unique ability to ride what was presented to him and explain to the engineers what they had done right, and what was needed to improve the product. His success at the racetrack translates to what Ducati is today. Other Italian motorcycle industrialists gained knowledge from what Ducati was fielding to update their own product line. The result is that an entire national industry was improved by the abilities of one single person. Doug Polen proved that one person can make a difference; the next time around could it be you?

Keith Code is another fine example of people who stay on to better the sport. Remember the unusual shoes that Elton John was fond of wearing? Well, Keith Code used to make them for him. After getting involved in roadracing, Keith quickly concluded that here was a sport and business that he wanted to stay with. Keith developed the California Superbike School, and has been providing training for aspiring racers for nearly 25 years. 2003 will see his 100,000th student cross the threshold of his 53 foot race trailer in preparation for their track day training. Mr. Code has engineered different motorcycles to test leaning, panic stops, and wet weather riding that are being used by the entire motorcycle industry for everything from tire research data to motorcycle frame manufacture. He even has a complete line of instructional videos and racing manuals. His successful students are legion and classes are often booked solid months in advance. His cheerful demeanor is to be relied on at racetracks nationwide and virtually no one can say that Keith has not made an absolute sterling impression on the face of motorcycling in general, as well as motorcycle roadracing in particular.

Doing everything correctly requires a sharp sense of diplomacy. Remember, the people in racing will be the people you have to please, so don’t forget to be genuinely cheerful with your peers in the sport. Just about everyone can spot a fake these days, so don’t bother with that salesman’s ceramic smile and snappy patter. Be interested in what your fellow man (or woman) has to say, and always, ALWAYS, remember their names. This is an endearing quality, one that will remain with you for years to come. People naturally are more agreeable to someone who can place a name with a face with easy recall.

Be particularly considerate of people you come in contact with on a regular basis. You never can tell where life and your profession will take you.

“We All Got It Comin’, Kid”

Being a seasoned professional will someday open doors for you too. What is required of you varies with your job. In Ron Foster’s case he was always meticulous with everything he touched. If your idea of a race tech is a cigar-chomping, foul-mouthed, greasy guy from Alabama, you’re in the wrong comic strip, bubba. That’s not to say that some wrench from the deep South couldn’t be a good race tech, it’s just that things have changed. Nowadays you’ve got to be surgically clean to handle today’s race hardware, and look the part to boot. In most full-on race shops dirt is simply non-existent. You have to have those stringent high standards in order to place consistently and win; and since winning is the name of the game, you’ve got to be Mr. Clean.

If being a rider is more of what you’re all about, then you need to understand things have changed there as well. It used to be if you could make the machine go faster than stink that was pretty much all that was required of you. The modern racer needs to speak the technical jargon of a knowledgeable development rider in order to communicate on the same level as his or her technician. The new motorcycles (or cars for that matter) are so technically complex that a person has to steep themselves in as much technobabble as their already overworked minds can possibly stand. All this helps you to better acclimate yourself into the general theme of racing motorcycles. Do it and you prepare a place in the motorcycling industry itself, meeting and greeting others within this fine sport as you complete each new day. When sponsors, manufacturers, and co-workers all see how genuine you are and how eager you are to learn, they will assist you in your quest to become the consummate professional.

Can I Come, Too?

Like most privateers, you are racing on a shoestring, so out of necessity you have to keep your hobby affordable. Hobbies grow up though, and the same woman racer you might see club racing today could be tomorrow’s superstar. It has a lot to do with the details as you ‘re coming up.

Sponsors don’t give you money or product just because they’re looking for a tax shelter. They want to know that you are going to be a good representative of their company. The image of you is what other people see at the racetrack. Is your pit area clean and trash free? Are the sponsor stickers on straight and displayed prominently? Is your bike devoid of race thrashed hardware, neatly painted and clean? What about your leather? Did you know a set of leathers that show a lot of get-offs can speak of crash bred failures to the rank onlooker? Gloves that are decomposing as you race can telegraph a poorly fielded effort; how do you deal with that? Indeed Miles Fredericks already owns a plethora of folks’ first-borns, so promising yours isn’t going to light up his face. If you plan to stay in the sport, your racing persona is what the public sees first. You can do it ‘just for fun’ and look like it, or you can be a professional; it’s your choice. High dollar race bill not withstanding, you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you have fielded a formidable entry. That will further your career in motorcycling far more than buying lap dancers for everyone at the Shark in Daytona.

Absorb the knowledge that is presented to you. Learn slowly, but deliberately; don’t convince yourself of your greatness so early on that it precludes any chance of achievement. It happens, believe me. Frequently. When that occurs, people liken your career to the arc of a comet. The industry likes people who are humble enough to know when they are in their learning curve, but talented enough to improve themselves with others guiding them. Promise yourself that when you arrive you’ll position yourself on that ladder of success so as to give a hand to the person below you on the way up. The view is great at the top, but it’s always highlighted if you have someone to share it with.

‘Xin ông chi du ò ng gium tôi’
Vietnamese: ‘Please show me the way.’