Point/Counterpoint by Ed Sorbo and Michael Gougis

(Eds. Note: Racers Ed Sorbo and Michael Gougis talk incessantly about motorcycle road racing on the phone and in podcasts. Apparently, that’s not enough, because they also exchange emails on the subject. We’ll publish some of their exchanges.)

Endurance Racing: What Happened?

Ed Sorbo:

In 1986 my friends in Hawaii and I pooled our resources, shipped a bike over to the mainland and raced in the WERA National Endurance Series as Team Hawaii. Our endeavors grew over the years to include Team Hawaii Too, seven 24-hour races and many four- and six-hour races mixed in with sprint races at shared events. In 1990 we were high enough in the National points that we were guaranteed a starting spot at each event. This was important because there was always a waiting list, the grids were full all season with 40 bikes lined up for a chance to charge around for hours on end.

Fast forward to now. What the hell happened?

Used to be it was easy to find someone who would share a bike so maybe rising bike costs are part of the problem. Used to be that you could crash your steel-framed bike numerous times, whack the bars back into alignment, get re-teched on pit lane and just keep racing. Used to be you could work on your bike during a red flag…

Michael Gougis:

Dude, it’s not even sharing a bike that’s the big problem. When I helped start the racing series at Chuckwalla, we incorporated a one-hour tag-team event. You could let your friend race his or her bike for their leg, then you could do your leg on your machine. The freakin’ races even had a small cash purse for the teams on the podium. The first race, you had to swap transponders. The ones after that, you didn’t even need to do that – just come into the pits, tag your teammate and they’d speed off.

Grids – miniscule.

I wrote the rules for an endurance race Shandra Crawford staged at Willow back in 2010. It was just a four-hour.

Grids – miniscule.

I’ve got one thought as to what happened. With the rising average age of racers, fewer were willing to put in the effort of riding that long at a time. Part of the reason I’ve done as well as I have at the Solo 20-lap races at Willow and elsewhere is that so many other riders simply didn’t train or prepare mentally to ride for a measly 20 laps.

I think that a culture of six-lap sprint races has left the average club racer’s body and brain unwilling to try. And let’s put this into perspective: A 20-lap race at Willow is five laps SHORTER than the 25-lap AMA Superbike National that took place at the track in 1998. But 20 laps is considered an “endurance” race? Huh?

Sorbo:

I agree, Solo 20 is not an endurance race, it’s extra Saturday practice. You’re on to something with the six-lap culture. I’ve seen fast club guys show up at Pro races and only practice for their normal club amount of practice time. I never even saw them in the race.

Endurance racing is more work than sprint racing. It takes a different outlook and has different goals. It teaches different skills by rewarding consistency and planning above outright speed. It is therefore the best way to train. Ask Josh Hayes how many laps he did on Team Hammer endurance bikes.

Problem is very few people start out with endurance racing like I did. They need to be shown how good it is for them. At this point any club is taking a big risk scheduling an endurance race because most people won’t sign up.

In defense of the non endurance wimps, a modern bike with modern tires is a much faster combination than the bikes and tires of the eighties and nineties and therefore is more work to ride longer. However, that is all the more reason to work on consistency.

Whatever shall we do?

Gougis:

Ed, you’re wrong, and here’s why: It’s not harder to ride a modern bike than a bike from the 80s. People used to follow me into the pits when I raced a GPz550 and ask me what was wrong with the bike, because it looked perfectly evil out there – and I was like, what are you talking about? That’s normal!

I’m not sure it has anything to do with the machines. I think it’s the generation of riders raised on an 18-minute track day session diet – and many of whom can’t even make it through a session. Add to that a lack of an understanding as to why the club (or even pro organization) should offer such races, and the expense involved in doing it, and the fact that a club operator figures they can cram three sprint races into the space of a one-hour team challenge, and you’ve got an explanation as to the demise of the discipline.

The fix comes in small doses. CMRA runs Solo 30 and Team 60 races. They don’t do it every round, but when there’s time on the schedule, they slot them in. Those racers are using the shorter endurance races to get ready for the sprints – check out the names atop the points tables. And those racers are better prepared for not just the sprints, but for the full 4-, 6- and 8-hour endurance races. Moto West Grand Prix ran Solo 20 races in 2014. Ron Cole ran them and you could see him improve from weekend to weekend. By the end of the year, he was on the podium in the expert Formula One races.

The fact is that endurance racing makes better sprint racers – at least at the club level. Clubs could market that fact to their racers, give them just a bit of a break on the entry fee, and look for sponsors to back the races (I’d go with tire and oil companies, myself). When I say a break on entry fees, say for a 60-minute tag-team race, charge the team the cost of two sprint races. The club might be able to run three sprints during that period, so charging for two is a bit of a discount.

And stick with it. It doesn’t pay off immediately. But I can tell you that I know of people who aren’t sprint racing on Sundays because they no longer get to do long races on Saturdays.

Sorbo:

Dude, you get way too much enjoyment out of saying I’m wrong. Faster bikes are harder to ride than slower bikes. Lots of reasons why endurance racing has bottomed out. We agree that endurance racing is good for you like fluoridated water, vaccinations and the scientific approach.

That crazy club based in Texas is doing good stuff with endurance races, the mini clubs in SoCal are doing a good amount of endurance including true endurance racing, 24 Hours.

The fix is as easy as getting McDonalds to bring back the McRib. Vote with your dollars. Enter every endurance race you can. Explain to your friends why they should team up with you. You think tires will cost too much? Use track day tires, they cost less and last longer, less pit stops and the whole point is to work on your consistency.

Friday, June 12th @ Streets of Willow.

Limited to 28 clients.

Coaching and bike set up included.

I owned the race org and track day org at Hawaii Raceway Park. We had very few problems in large part because they were so few of us. It’s hard to be a jerk on track or in the pits when you know everyone there.

I want that kind of experience again.

If there are 28 people who like this idea we can give it a go.

I plan to organize private track days in Southern California for mature riders of any age and skill level, and machines of any type, from MotoGP machines to Ninja 250s to vintage racers.

These track days will be for riders who want an organized event that runs on time, riders who can pass nicely, riders who don’t need to prove anything, riders who don’t want to be put at risk by anyone who can’t wait a few turns to make a clean pass.

If you speed in the pits, you are not invited. If you can’t keep a dog on a leash in the pits, you’re not invited. If you’re coming out to “win” a track day, you are not the target audience.

I want riders who want intensive, personal coaching and assistance for their riding and setup on their machines, or riders with unusual, vintage or valuable machines who don’t want to risk them in the zoo of a regular track day, or riders who just want a more organized, less chaotic track experience.

No groups. Max of 20 bikes on track at a time or some format that makes sense based on who is riding that day. For example, if we have 14 small bikes and 14 big bikes we may run the small bikes for 30 minutes followed by the big bikes for 30 minutes.

ALS ambulance on site.

Riders meeting details will be covered by email before the event. At the track you will need to sign a waver. Tech will come to your pit. The rider meeting will be brief. If you choose to arrive after the meeting a staff member will cover the rider meeting points when you sign the waver.

We will take a one hour lunch break.

Scheduled coaching will start with a corner walk before bikes go on track. During the lunch break, optional classroom sessions will be held covering:

– How to self-debrief and take notes.

– How your suspension & chassis work.

– Riding skill sets.

– Lines.

– Making and sticking to a riding plan.

– And more.

Bring a note book and your lunch.

In the morning Ed will be available to adjust your suspension at your pit.

Multiple courses. At Streets of Willow we will run four different courses each day – short forward and backwards and long forwards and backwards.

We will have smart, experienced corner workers. They will not need permission to wave the red flag. If they see a problem they will flag first and report second.

When you arrive, you will find the track was cleaned and set up the night before. Cones will already be set up. Braking markers, turn in markers, apex markers, exit markers, pit in & out.

The rules will be enforced. No refunds. Endanger anyone on track or in the pits, or mess with the vibe of the event, and you just go home.

The price is $400 per rider.

Bring as many bikes as you like, you may even switch bikes with your friends.

The pit speed limit is 5 mph, not because we have a radar gun to bust you if you go 6 mph. It’s a test. It’s how we show each other that we understand the risks in what we do. It’s how we demonstrate to each other that we know what to do when you crash right in from of us. That we know what a red and a checkered flag mean. That we know how to signal to get off the track and all the other things that make me feel OK about being on the track with you.

If this all sounds good to you, join us.

Sign up and pay by May 8th.

Monk on the table and Plaid up front like the fence that keeps the dogs away but they really like the free food.

OK kids, pay attention. The first 250 Ninja came out in ‘86, see the sexy silver bike in the photo below. I had two of them. They did not sell and Kawasaki thought making them look more like the then popular 600 Ninja would help so we got the 2nd version, see fat ugly green bike. Note the 130 rear tire is really just a little wider then the 120 that came on the first bike, same rim size. All part of the marketing scam because American buyers think bigger is better.

Now the Ninja that you are familiar with, also green but in photo #3. Great bike, sold like crazy because the US market finally came around to where Kawasaki was waiting.

4th Gen Ninja is a 300 with fuel injection and Honda and Yamaha are now in the game.

All hail Kawasaki, you were right way back in ‘87!