Racing bikes on NASCAR tracks is damn cool. When I saw this race come up on the calender, I had my doubts. I just didn’t understand the concept. When I arrived at the Richmond International Speedway for the race, my mind was blown.
I immediately had visions of Ricky Bobby and Cole Trickle. These are my NASCAR heroes. I would get to live out my Day’s of Thunder dreams on my bike. The race was well organized. We parked our cars on the infield. Registration took place in the media room on the track. Warm-ups were taking place on pit row. Again, this was all pretty damn cool.
If you haven’t been to a NASCAR track, the first thing you will notice is the steepness of the banks on the track. I’ve never raced in a Velodrome, so this would be as close as I could get to that kind of experience. It was windy and cold. Every race had a full field. People came from far and wide to cure themselves of the cabin fever and lack of racing due to the winter storms.
The racing was fast and furious. Of course there were a few crashes. I felt bad for the guys who went down. Cracked frames, busted forks, the smell of rubber burning, road rash, and broken bones. Tough day on the track for some unlucky riders.
I raced in the 3/4 race. It was fast, and I had fun. The guys in the field were a little more chatty than usual. I had Cole Trickle on one shoulder and Ricky Bobby on the other giving me advice. Ricky Bobby just wanted to go fast. Cole Trickle was a little more cautious. Cole was recovering from a nasty crash and had me with my hand on the brake lever just in case. Sure enough as we hit the last turn for the sprint finish, 3 guys went down hard in front of me. For those of you who have raced and seen crashes unfold in front of you, it’s a surreal experience. It all happened in slow motion. I felt like Cole Trickle trying to weave his way through the smoke, desperately trying to find a good line. I made my way through safely, but didn’t get to sprint for the finish. I was kinda bummed as I wanted to see what kinda sprint I had in the legs. There are no yellow flags in bike racing.
Bryan Vaughn of the Haymarket Team had a helmet camera and took some great video from the Cat 1/2/3 race. Check it out!
Richmond Raceway Crit – P/1/2/3 – Last 10 laps from Bryan Vaughan on Vimeo.
