Track for minors

[Golgo13]

So my kid, currently 12, periodically bugs me with questions like "So when can I start to ride a scooter or motorcycle?"

My response to this is usually "Well, I think when you turn 16" (although maybe it ought to have been "Go ask your mother").

Anyhow, one day I commented that you can actually race bikes on the track when you are 14. This was greeted with amazement and followup questions of "Can you really do that?" and more recently "I would like to try that... maybe"


So a couple questions:
1) Are there really 14 year olds out there racing? Are they coming into this from dirt backgrounds or are these kids basically learning to ride on the track?

2) What class would be most appropriate/typical for them? I think the first step is to go watch some races to get a better feel of things, so I need to pick a day to be a spectator.

[csmutty]

I would have him start out on a dirt bike, or ride a small YSR50 or something of the sort in a parking lot, so that when he can start to race he can race. I wish I had gotten into it that early.

[Kitt]

mini gp racing, mini supermoto, and flat track.

[Scottg22]

There are no 14 years learning to ride at Loudon. They typically have been racing for 5-10 years (dirt Track/MX/mini roadracing).

[Doc]

Get him a minibike to learn to ride on in your yard... If you don't have a yard you are going to have to find a safe place to teach him. (not the track)

You could bring him up to VT and we could let him ride around the minimoto/karting track.

[Expat]

I looked at mini roadracing for my son but the only real place I could find was New Jersey, the cost of getting there never mind racing was enough to make us think twice. He has been riding MX which is more available and is improving up at Crow Hill. My friend has an XR100 with street tires so we may hit a parking lot with a bunch of cones once it warms up to see how he go's on the Black stuff!!

[FTMS]

Some local mini motard racing NEMM Thread

[nt650hawk]

Min. age at Loudon is 14. My friend Jeff is constantly being asked by his son Jake about getting onto the track. He has been practicing on trail and on his ysr50 in preparation for next year when he is 14. They picked up a 125 this year. Jeff is having fun on and shaking it out. Jake is playing a big roll in helping and understanding what it takes to set up the bike and watching/learning from the side of the track.

http://www.nestreetriders.com/forum/...ake-vader.html

[The Snowman]

I guess my son will be disappointed then. He was looking forward to my starting to race, so I could get a pit bike for him to ride around. Looks like he'll be waiting another 3 or so years.

[nt650hawk]

I guess my son will be disappointed then. He was looking forward to my starting to race, so I could get a pit bike for him to ride around. Looks like he'll be waiting another 3 or so years.

14 on the track. You can still go racing Chuck. I think there may be other rules for the pits. I'm not sure of those ones.

[Chippertheripper]

C'mon dad, get him the pitbike now so he can get used to cruising around the infield on it. And you can hang it over his head so he does ok in school too.

[The Snowman]

14 on the track. You can still go racing Chuck. I think there may be other rules for the pits. I'm not sure of those ones.

No, I meant the only reason he'd go up there is to ride around. He gets bored of watching the racing. He doesn't share the same enthusiasm that I do for riding and watching others race.

Since it looks like the restrict the age of people riding around the pits, he'll have to wait.

[FireboltEric_MA]

But Daaaaaaad!!!!!

[The Snowman]

But Daaaaaaad!!!!!

I thought it was a bit odd that when we were headed to turn one last year, we got stopped at the gate, because no one under 16 is allowed outside the gate. That bummed him out too.

[Golgo13]

Thanks everyone for the tips on mini Moto etc. It looks fun but it is just too much of a haul given all of the other stuff that goes on on the weekends. Too bad there isn't anything more local (and frequent) for eastern Mass.