Why racers do what they do?

I remember back in the days when i choose my first bike, it looked all race like. Full fairing, aggressive looking design, head turning striking kawasaki green Ninja 250R. Yes say all you want, that’s the sexiest bike i thought i could afford at that moment (actually the first love was the ZXR250). i had it sold off months later and set my eyes on a 2009 Kawasaki ZX6R and it took me a year to save up the necessary amount for the downpayment. It is only after i owned a sports bike for 3 years that i kept buying different types of bike such as a supermoto, tried a naked sports, had a vespa, did some riding on a DP and to some extent, i did sat my ass on a Harley but keeping the ol’ faithful ZX6R in the process. it has been almost 12 years of riding now and my mindset has changed to bike is just another bike and everyone can own one. If its not a BMW it is a Suzuki otherwise a Kawasaki or even a Ducati.

To most racers out there, It really doesn’t matter what brand or type of bike they should be getting just to race. Race is not even the reason to get rich and fancy. In fact it will make you poor and well, less fancy. So why do these idiots race for?

1. Challenge

What initially started out as a “challenge” is nothing more than just a bucket list, since MSF Superbikes is an easy entry after all. While some people like me, has reached a point where motorcycle doesn’t thrill as much as before but It is only after the first race start then these racers realise there’s more potential to their race bike and themselves. Human works in an interesting way. Whenever there’s potential to gain or something to learn or could be achieved. They will usually resort to own mind fucking session and kept telling themselves that they are better than that last race (in layman term. HOPE). Thus moving forward, they keep seeking for that advancement in lap time and also to beat the crap out of their competitor in and out of the corner. In a race the challenge is to keep climbing up the grid till there’s no one else ahead of you. When that has been achieved, there’s another category ahead. As long as there’s “challenge” or id say hope, these racers will keep climbing till they meet a dead end or a plateau period. It is only then, the real “challenge” begins. Like we’ve mentioned earlier, racing is a highly addictive sports. Once you are in it. It is also very challenging to get out of it.

2. Fame

In Malaysian motorcycling scene, you’re bound to meet someone that most group refers to as “Otai” (a word derived from Old Timer), Racer, God or Deity of a certain sunday riding route.. Well to sum it up, racing gets you that status. Be it road racer or circuit racer, though most road racers usually shy away from the title above when a circuit racer is around. Hence the title would automatically be nullified. Take it like Magic: The Gathering card game, Whenever a stronger card is present, automatically nullifies the attack or subdue the threat level. When someone races, their street credentials automatically increases. Their lean angle, lap timing is often a talk when the racers is not around. Some even got themselves students/disciples because they carry the title of MSF/MSBK Racer. I kid you not, motorcycling is a very small community. Racing an even smaller one. Whoever races, bound to get some fame and acknowledgement whether you like it or not. No one wants to be that another random dude with a Superbike. Among your workmates you might standout but not in the scene itself.

3. Self Satisfaction

Well not everyone is an attention whore. The fame is still a by product of winning. You won’t get jack shit if you DNF/DNS (Did Not Start/Did Not Finish) a race ain’t it. if you are thinking that only those podium finishers get those satisfaction then you are wrong! dead wrong on racing or any competitive sports. Sometimes when you watch the chequered flag, the racer in position 10 had a larger celebration of victory compared to the podium finisher. Yes, some would say it is silly for that huge of a celebration but that’s the ultimate satisfaction of completing a race. When asked about this, these racers do say that it didn’t occurred to them that they would finish the race or even participate in a race. To finish on the same circuit raced by these MotoGP heroes, racing through the same finishing line, sharing the same view point of the chequered flag is truly an emotional ones. Some celebrations even carried over to a second round in a “bistro” nearby.

4. Adrenaline

Ever felt blood boiling, heavy breathing, shakey limbs, widening of pupils with full of murderous intent on a rider in front of you where your sole objective that day is just to overtake him/her and all this were compressed into 5 laps (approximately 15 minutes) of course you haven’t. Thats why you are reading up till this stage (well if you have, we shall see you in race soon). Need not to say adrenaline during a race is a whole lot of mixed feelings. The need to go faster than the front runners, the need to balance the entry speed so you won’t crash out, sense of fear for not having enough grip or lean too low and yet still having a good drive out of the corner and sticked the front tire right beside the rear of the zx10r on the outside  with a slight 4 inch wheelie out of Turn 14. The surprise that you did all that and has never done it ever kinda give you that motivation to do more now. At times you might even be amazed by whatever you did back then without even realising you were planning to do that. Happy, anxious, fear, envy, excitement (sounds alot like a drama but that’s racing for you)

5. Crazy people

Its risky, everyone around you worries about you, its frightening even to tell that you your mom but why do racers still race? it merely just describe racers are just a bunch of crazy people but isn’t this the thing that people tell you when you get yourself on a superbike in a race track? sometimes we love being crazy, we enjoy being childish but does not mean we dont cherish our life. This bunch of racers had a colourful life to begin with. They often do things to challenge the norm just so that their life wouldn’t be mundane. Of course racing is not our occupation but that’s what keep us going in life and a getaway from the typical 9 to 5 work. Away from the eat right live right approach. Its like being clark kent and turns into superman once in 2 months. Some people goes for vacation but we just go racing.

The above article serves as the writers view on the subject matter and has nothing to do with the living or the deceased.