A day at the races

I had quite a unique experience this weekend watching motorcycle races at Sears Point, just a short drive north of the city. I went up with Mickey who has been racing for several years. We went up on Saturday to set up a tent and drop off the bike, and then Sunday was race day. There were probably about a hundred or more similar tents set up outside the track area with people working on their own bikes or just hanging out and having fun. The first race on Sunday got off to an ominous start - two riders were somehow knocked off of their bikes in the massive rush to accelerate out of the start zone. One lay limp on the pavement screaming, while the other one didn't look alive at all. Yikes! They were both helicoptered out and treated for what I hear were very serious but treatable injuries. In any case the rest of the day's races proceeded as scheduled.

I found myself holding my breath at the start of each race, waiting for another senseless accident, but once everyone took off and started battling for the lead it became much more exciting. These guys travel on the straightaways at something like 150 mph, and during the turns the bikes and riders tip over almost 90 degrees. The tilt is so extreme that the riders end up dragging their knees on the ground. It was a lot of fun and I learned a good bit of racing jargon. For some excellent action shots and a full account of the day visit Mickey's blog.