WERA and CCS are the two "local" race organizations that hold races at various tracks throughout my region. There is more race organizations/levels of racing throughout the country (AMA, FUSA, Louden, CMRA, to name a few).

I race in the mid-atlantic region for both organizations. The mid-atlantic region consists of racers from New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia. The majority of the tracks are in our region, though there are a few races in South Carolina and Georgia.

Points are awarded for your finishing position in a race. First place gets 20 points. Points are awarded all the way back to 15th place receiving 1 point. Through the season your points are accumulated per class you race in your region. For me the classes I race and accumulate points are D-Superbike and F2. This accumulation of points determines your over-all position per class for your region. First place in your region gets the title of class champion. The top five point positions get moved to expert status the following season, and the top 15 positions get invites to the Grand National Finals.

Classes are designed to give the majority of machines and racers a fair chance against machines of a similar type. The classes are roughly based on the size and type of bike you are racing. There are 3 sizes of bikes you can race (not counting Vintage machines for any of this). The 3 sizes are Heavy weight (unlimited engine displacement and up to 750cc engine displacement), medium weight (up to 650cc engine displacement), and lightweight (up to 430cc engine displacement). Among those sizes you can have 4-stroke, v-twin, and GP machines of various configurations. You can also differentiate between stock and non-stock machines.

The classes I race are D-Superbike and F2 (Formula 2). These classes are designed for lightweight machines. The D-Superbike class includes bikes mostly like mine. To get into the specifics would take to much. To learn more, click here. The F2 class is like D-Superbike, but more modifications (including engine displacement) and more types of lightweight bikes are allowed. My bike and my skill are more competitive in D-Superbike, so I focus more on those races.

see question 4

Racers are divided into two statuses, expert and novice. When you first start racing you get a status of novice. If you finish the season in the top 5 in points for your class or finish in the top 10 at the GNF, you'll be moved to expert status. Statuses are designated by the color of the number plates on each bike. A rider of expert status has white plates, while novices have yellow plates. Expert and novice racers can race together in the same race, but are gridded and awarded point's separately.

WERA's championship race held at the end of the season at Road Atlanta in Atlanta Georgia. Those who finish in the top 15 in their class and region are invited. At the GNF's you race everyone else in your class from the other regions.

Lightweight bikes (in my opinion) are cheaper to race, safer, and the best way to really learn how to ride.

They are cheaper because they don't wear out parts as fast as the larger machines. I can go a whole season on 3 sets of slicks ($300 a set), while a heavy weight bike can go through a set of slicks in one weekend or a single day depending on the track and temperature that day.

They are safer because they go slower. Hitting a tire wall at 140mph seems a lot more appealing to me than hitting it at 175mph. Lightweight bikes also don't carry the momentum a heavy weight bike does. The riders of lightweight bikes also seem to be more responsible for each other. Unlike other classes, we hardly make contact with each other on the track.

Since I began riding motorcycles (a little over 2 years now), I've always been interested in riding the best I could - maybe it's the fact that my life is at stake. When I started racing, it just made sense to start small and actually learn what was going on - instead of hanging on for dear life hoping my knuckles didn't burst through the skin trying to stop a bigger/faster bike. Now that I've done a season on a lightweight, I'll probably just stay with lightweight machines.

It's cheap. Lots of parts out there, and handles great.

Couldn't tell you. My bike doesn't have a speedometer, but I've heard it can top out around 140mph. When I get an electronic lap timer, I can get average speeds per lap/race.

No. It's scary going that fast then slowing down to 40mph in a matter of feet and making a 180-degree turn in the opposite direction.

Sure, but crashing hurts most if you go airborne or hit something. The leathers do a real good job of protecting you when you're sliding across the ground or pavement.