This is the story of my experiences in building a race bike and getting into vintage road racing at 50 years young. It starts in 1993 when I volunteered to help Duncan Craick at SIR. Duncan races a Nourish Weslake 750cc engine in a Commando frame. I helped Duncan for a couple of races and thought it would be fun, but never having road raced, I had my doubts. I did a lot of dirt racing back in the 60s and 70s and had friends who road raced, but never got into it myself.

About the third race, I decided to build a race bike (I was 48 at the time) and try my hand at vintage racing. I decided to build a street-legal cafe racer in case racing scared me I'd at least have a neat street bike. Soon after I decided to go racing, I met Les Cook who races a 750cc Norton in a P11 frame. Les started racing at 51 and thoroughly enjoyed it, so I started to feel better about my decision.

I am into Nortons, so I figured I would build a modified version of a Norton production racer. I started my project in the fall of 1993 with every intention of having it ready for the 1994 season. To make a long story short, with my business (something that really gets in the way of fun) and underestimating the scope of the project, I didn't get on the track until the middle of the 1995 season.

I continued to assist Duncan and Les at as many races as I could, and as I look back on what was involved in getting myself out on to the track, the time spent with them really helped. When I finally got my bike running and was ready to take the WMRRA race school, I knew a lot about what was going to happen.

Sitting around listening to riders bench race, going to the riders' meetings, watching a rider take a bike through tech inspection, talking about making a bike race worthy, and seeing the enjoyment racers get from racing all prepares you for your own enjoyment.

The first step to racing is to buy or build a race bike. I think building and maintaining your own bike provides you with greater pleasure (also you are less likely to drop it, for you know what went into it). I spent too much money and time building my bike, but the average person should be able to take a Norton, BSA or Triumph (there are other bikes that can be vintage raced, but these are the most common) have the engine and transmission gone through, do some safety wiring, change the bars and tires, and go racing.

You have to remember the fun in vintage racing is getting out there. You don't have to win--someone has to win, but you don't. You will find that normally there is someone to race against. Last September in Portland, we had 15 750cc bikes on the grid. It was my fourth race and my most fun (they all seem to get better). There were three of us back markers who were wheel to wheel for the whole race, changing positions back and forth. We got lapped just at the end of the race but had as much fun as the front runners.

The second step to racing is getting the proper protective equipment, leathers (one piece or zip together), back protector, helmet, gloves and boots. You don't need new equipment, but I personally think the leathers need to be good quality with built-in body armor. Your equipment, along with your bike, will be inspected prior to each race.

The last thing you need to do is get your race license. Both WMRRA and OMRRA offer classes throughout the racing season. I took WMRRA's school and was very pleased. I learned a lot and got lots of track time. The two-day school is one day of classroom instruction, followed a week later with one day of track time. When you complete the school you get your novice license; however, vintage riders can compete in vintage directly and don't have to race in the novice class.

I recommend you take an existing racer to assist you at the track session, so you can get the most from your time. In my case my bike broke midday, and if Duncan hadn't been there to lend me his bike, I would have missed out entirely. Duncan volunteered to assist me partly because I'd helped him and partly because that is what vintage riders do. You will find riders helping other riders to get more bikes out on the track, even when that rider may beat them. Again, it's the participation and comradeship, not the winning that is important.

A friend of mine used to say heating with wood warms you twice--once splitting the wood and again when you burn the wood. Vintage road racing provides you with four times the enjoyment--once building the bike, twice actually racing, third watching people ogle over your bike and fourth the next week or so after a race reliving each turn. As I like to say about my racing, I'm dirt slow but I have the biggest smile.

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