The Weapon
Racing for the Win – What it Takes
by David Pullen, NESBA SE CR, WERA Expert #317
What does it take to race? Not a whole lot, actually. Watch any WERA race, and you’ll likely see some guys out there just cruising around, enjoying themselves, and having a lot of fun. It’s a lot like a track day for them, but with a little more excitement.
What does it take to win? A hell of a lot, particularly if you are going for a championship win. Even in the novice class, it’s hard as hell. And not just in the ways you might think.
There’s a lot more to it than just being fast (and figuring out how to go faster)…
Driving
There’s a lot of driving. To win a championship, you have to be there for most of the races, if not all of them. Your competition is going to be there, that’s for sure. You may be faster than them on the track, but if they race more rounds than you, they can steal the championship from you (this happened to me last year…).
The Battlefield
And it’s not just the driving. It’s driving late at night to get to the track. Then racing all weekend. Then driving home, completely exhausted, late Sunday night, and getting up for work early Monday morning.
Time
The back-to-back weekends are the toughest. There was one point last year where we were at the track 6 weekends in a row. Granted, some of those were NESBA weekends, but still, that’s a lot of stuff to do. This was my typical schedule during that time:
• Monday evening, unload trailer
• Tuesday evening, strip bikes down, change oil/filter, check brake pads/sprockets/other wear items, lube chain/axles/etc; process videos, etc
• Wednesday evening, set up suspension/geometry/gearing for next track, put fairings back on, clean everything
• Thursday evening, get provisions for next weekend, load trailer
• Friday evening, drive to track, set up paddock
• Saturday/Sunday – race
• Sunday night, drive home
• Repeat
• Tuesday evening, strip bikes down, change oil/filter, check brake pads/sprockets/other wear items, lube chain/axles/etc; process videos, etc
• Wednesday evening, set up suspension/geometry/gearing for next track, put fairings back on, clean everything
• Thursday evening, get provisions for next weekend, load trailer
• Friday evening, drive to track, set up paddock
• Saturday/Sunday – race
• Sunday night, drive home
• Repeat
On top of all that, I had my day job Monday through Friday, and of course exercise – aerobic training (running or biking) at least twice a week, and strength training (weight lifting/crunches/etc) at least twice a week.
The Warrior
And for national events, where practice was on Friday, the above schedule gets compressed by 1 day.
Family
One of the hardest aspects of this schedule was deciding that we were not going to do other things – visit family/friends, travel somewhere other than a race track, or just relax. Lynda and I are both very active, and we love biking, kayaking, hiking, agility competitions with our dogs…we realized that most of this was going to be put on hold.
Lynda was absolutely amazing through all of this, and I could not have done it without her. Not only did she provide invaluable support in the paddock, but also encouragement and an undying can-do attitude that allowed me to keep going between races. Plus, she made sure I was well-hydrated, fed, and not stressed out or overheated.
We don’t have any children, but we do have 4 dogs. We love having them with us at the track, but it is challenging managing all of them, making sure they are taken care of, fed, and not bored out of their skulls (and getting into trouble). Lynda makes this process so much easier. Barber Motorsports Park is problematic because they don’t allow dogs. This adds extra hassle of finding a pet sitter, dropping the pups off before we leave and picking them up after we get back.
It’s important to remember that your Significant Other is essential in this process, and to reciprocate as much as possible. I’m fortunate that Lynda loves to ride, and actually started racing last year. I still think she’s hot in leathers! When not at the track, I spend as much time with her (and the pups) as I can, and I will continue to encourage her development on the track.
Money
Fighting for the Lead
I thought track days were a black hole for my bank account! They don’t hold a candle to racing. Anyone who says racing is cheaper hasn’t really raced to win. Tires and fuel are a big expense, as are the race entry fees. Having good sponsors can help (I had some very generous sponsors last year). Crashing, though, is probably the biggest cost. As you push harder, the crashes often get bigger and do more damage. I was fortunate not to be injured, but I had some pretty spectacular crashes that required extensive and costly repairs.
The Win
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean to imply that I didn’t enjoy it. I would have enjoyed it even if I hadn’t done as well as I did. And I certainly wouldn’t have done it if I wasn’t having fun. But toward the end of the season, when every race, every position counted, it started to feel like a job. In the end, it was worth it. But it certainly wasn’t easy…
