GP Future » The British Motorcycle Racing Campaign Site

This page is aimed purely at those people who want to start racing. In here, we hope to cover the mechanics of getting to your first meeting as a racer. In our How Much Will It Cost? page, we cover the things you'll need to start and estimated budget costs. We have freely obtained information from a variety of sources both online and in person. We hope to have covered most of the stuff you need to know but will add more information as we get it.

Racing motorcycles is one of the most dangerous sports in the world. If you race, there is a high chance of injury, which could easily be serious or fatal. With this caveat in mind, we can continue.

Before you start, we strongly recommend attending a race meeting and talking to other racers. They are all very friendly and approachable and share your passion for the sport. A chat with racers can be worth far more than any amount of time spent on the internet. This should be the first thing you do.

Starting Up

Once you have made the decision to start racing, your first move (after getting the equipment) is to obtain an ACU licence. Since 2003, all riders wishing to race must attend an ACU approved race school before getting a novice licence. The school provides the opportunity to assess your ability and make sure you will be safe on the track. It will cover track safety, etiquette, warning flags, race craft and general admin issues. Race schools are run by experienced racers and provide a good opportunity to assess your ability and suitablity to race. BEMSEE runs its own approved two-day race school in February but there are other non-affiliated schools such as the Ron Haslam or Mick Boddice racing schools, which are run throughout the year. Successful completion, along with passing the ACU theory test, will get you a "Competence To Compete" (CTC) certificate.

Contact the race series you wish to join (see some suggestions in our Links page).

• They will send you an ACU licence application form and an application form to their race series.
• Fill in the forms
• Get an eye test and get a certificate from the optician
• Send all the forms back to the race series organisation, including your race school certificate, licence application, club membership fee and a fee to cover the cost of your orange novice bib.
• The club will stamp the forms and forward them to the ACU for you.
• You will shortly receive an information pack and bib from your chosen club.

Having got your information pack back from the club, we recommend that you contact other racers within the organisation that you have entered. Whilst highly competitive on track, racers tend to be great friends in the paddock and will always be willing to help out a novice. Forums are also very useful for staying in touch outside of a race meeting and any kind of advice - many club and class-specific forums exist.

As a new Clubman licence holder, you must race wearing an orange bib. Before you are allowed to drop the bib, you must have at least ten signatures on your competition record card (the rules for gaining a signature will be explained by the club officials). At this point you can race without the orange bib.

The club you join is really down to preference and location. The biggest short circuit racing club is the British Motor Cycle Racing Club (BMCRC or BEMSEE). BEMSEE offers the most meetings and race at circuits mainly in the south of the country (Brands Hatch, Snetterton, Silverstone), although they also visit Pembrey and Cadwell Park. The cost for annual BEMSEE membership in 2011 was £32. You then pay for each meeting you choose to enter - usually a few weeks before the meeting. Once you become more established, you may decide to pay for the whole year by sending post-dated cheques. doing so will result in you being allocated a number for the season. If you race on a meet-by-meet basis, you may be allocated different numbers during the season. Of course, clubs other than BEMSEE are also available and can be found in our Links page.

Before spending money on a bike, get some high-quality protective wear: proper race leathers, helmet, back protector and boots. Do not cut corners when it comes to protective gear; it is the single most important category of purchase you will be making. Don't get caught up in wanting the flashest helmet and leathers with all the nice graphics. Remember; all gear looks the same once it's been in the gravel trap... It is more important that it all fits properly and that you are satisfied it will properly protect you, should you have a bad fall. One thing is certain; if you race you are going to crash at some point.

Once you have your clothing, you will need a bike. The 600cc classes are very popular and the racing always competitive. Additionally, there is usually a large choice of second-hand race bikes for sale over winter. However, due to the class popularity, it will often be oversubscribed, so getting a grid space is not guaranteed. Clubs will usually give priority to riders who are contesting in the championship and thus competing in all (or most) of the meetings over the season. Most clubs will also run 600 classes for riders in their first year of racing. Similarly, the 400cc and 250cc (YPM, MZ) classes are competitive and a good place to start racing. Bikes may well be cheaper to buy and there will often be less demand for grid positions, so getting entries might be easier. For 2012, BEMSEE has added a new class, the Kawasaki National Junior Cup, which will race the Kawasaki 250 Ninja sportsbike. The competition will provide a (relatively) affordable introduction to racing and is hoped to become the preferred entry level to Moto3.

To get to a meeting, you will need a car and trailer or a van. You can buy a bike trailer or a box trailer for a few hundred pounds or, if up-front funds and storage space are tight, you can always rent either. Sharing with other racers is another option - a large van can transport 3 bikes and a weekend's kit easily and cutting fuel bills can really make a difference to your annual costs. For most, a van or a box trailer seem to end up as the preferred budget choices - although you'll find all sorts of other solutions like converted horse transporters and Lutons out in the paddock. Covered transport will keep the bike and kit dry and secure; it will carry more gear and provides overnight accommodation for meetings that are a long way from home. Alternatively, another popular combination is a van (to transport your bike and gear) towing a caravan. Caravans can be bought for as little as £500.

At this point, it's worth adding a note about the value of pre-planning and of having a crew. You'll have too much to think about when you're at the race, where you really need to be concentrating on the business of racing. You should therefore spend time in the week leading up to it getting everything in order. Make sure you have everything ready and loaded the night before you set off. Lists may seem a little OCD but the time spent making sure you've got everything will save headaches after you arrive.

Whilst it may seem a little over the top to have a crew, especially on your very first race day, you need to concentrate your efforts on the actual racing. It's always advisable to travel with friends or family, as they provide great moral as well as practical support. While no one wants to think about it, they will also be there to help should things go awry. Moral support is priceless in itself, plus they will be there to look after your gear while you are busy being a riding god. Even just having someone who can fuel the bike, adjust the chain or fit tyre warmers will take some of the pressure off you. Just try getting a bike onto a paddock stand without help... Having everybody muck in at the end makes clearing away a lot easier, too.

Race Day Timetable

Step 1: Scrutineering (07:45).

The first thing you will need to go through is scrutineering, where your bike and riding gear are checked for safety and functionality. This is for your safety and the safety of others. The scrutineers will check the following:

• Handlebar clipons are securly fixed.
• Handlebar and levers do not foul the fairing on full lock.
• Levers have rounded ends.
• The steering is checked to see that full lock is limited only by the lock-stops, not by other obstructions such as poorly-routed cables.
• The throttle freely returns fully shut when opened released.
• Front and rear brakes work.
• Forks compress freely.
• If your front brake hoses have a 1 into 2 join, this must be above the bottom yoke.
• Belly pan incorporates a catch tray and is free from holes. (The catch tray prevents oil getting onto the track after retirement/crashing.)
• All bodywork is firmly attached.
• Sump plug and oil filler are lock-wired.
• Footrests are firmly attached and have rounded ends.
• Exhaust can is firmly attached.

Once the bike has been checked, your race entry card will be signed and a date sticker attached to the bike. You must then have your riding gear checked. The scrutineer will check the leathers, boots, gloves and helmet and your ID tag. Once satisfied, another date sticker will be applied to your helmet. You will then go to race control office where you exchange your signed entry card for a practice permit and an official programme.

Step 2: Practice (09:00).

You must usually complete at least one practice or qualifying session before you are allowed to race. The sessions run a little like track day sessions on Saturday and are 10-15 minutes long. If they are classed as qualifying sessions, your fastest lap time will determine your grid position. However on Sunday, sessions are usually only 2-3 lap shakedown sessions. You go to the collecting area on your bike with your practice permit. You will get out on track and do the session. Practice sessions are a good opportunity to check the bike is working well. Once the session is over, you'll ride back to your paddock space, put the bike on the paddock stand, fit the tyre warmers and wait for your race to be called. The first race of the day is usually around 10:30.

Step 3: Racing Starts (10:30).

The race programme will tell you what event numbers you are racing in but not race start times. Organisers cannot guarantee start times for a number of reasons (weather changes, incidents on track, etc.), so there may be delays in the timetable. You should therefore listen out for the event number, which will be announced over the paddock tannoy, when you must get the bike to the collecting area. The call will usually come just after the start of the previous race but you will see your fellow racers putting gear on and warming up their bikes.

Once in the collecting area, you will be let out onto the track to line up on the grid at your designated grid position - which you will have been told as you entered the collecting area. You are then waved off a row at a time for a warmup lap before reforming on the grid for the start of the race. Once the grid is formed, the start marshall points to the lights and gets off the track. The lights go red, then off and the race gets under way. About 12-15 minutes later you will (hopefully) see the chequered flag and it'll all be over. Big grins are not mandatory but likely.

Should you not finish, due to either parting company with the bike or the bike deciding it's had enough, you will need to get off the track as quickly and as safely as possible. If there is any fault or damage to the bike, it will need to go through scrutineering before you can race again.

Step 4: Packing Up (17:00).

Once your day is done, you'll need to pack up everything and get off home. It's times like this when you really need friends to help out. If you're well organised, a lot of the clearing away can be done before your last race, so all you will have left to do is get out of your gear and wheel the bike into the van.

So; What Next?

Realistically, it will be a while before you get a sniff of the podium but whether you get in the top three or not, you will still gain vast amounts of experience and learning through competing against your fellow racers. Plus there's the camaraderie, experience and assistance of the other riders and teams in the paddock. The more experienced guys will always pass on tips, advice and encouragement to the youngsters and novices. Everyone in the paddock is willing to lend a hand from tuning advice, help with repairs and finding, giving or lending spares. Then there's the social time at race meetings; paddock parties, barbecues, beer...

Most (but not all) club racing is done on tight budgets but competing at any level is still real motorcycle racing, racing against other riders to get to the top of your championship. Superteen 125s are restricted to 33bhp but they still exceed 100mph and average lap speeds of 70mph. Racing at this level can lead to racing in national Grand Prix 125 competitions. From there it's theoretically possibly to get into MotoGP support races.

A commonly cited example of this is 2011 MotoGP champion Casey Stoner, who started his proper racing career here in the UK, when he competed in the Superteen Aprilia series, on his way to winning the 2008 and 2011 MotoGP championships. Like Casey, you are more likely to get there via the Spanish CEV championship or the Red Bull Rookies series. In addition, you either need to get picked up by a major team or have the finances and sponsors to take yourself forward to compete. Either way it's a tough, difficult route to follow and not for the faint-hearted (or shallow pocketed). If you put in the race time and show true commitment both on and off the track, there is no reason why that ultimate goal cannot be achieved.