I'd like to participate in the endurance race, however it seems that in the rules you must be an expert.

I was wondering if there was any chance of participating in this event. It seems like a lot of fun!

Didn't need to be an expert last year and I don't remember the rules changing. I beleive it stated you needed to have participated in 4 race weekends to run in the endurance race; but, that's just going off of memory.

9.4.2 Rider must have expert status OR have finished four races (not race days)

hey ev, you need a teammate?

you guys realize there isn't an SV650 class, right? You'd have to run against 600's.

joe wrote:you guys realize there isn't an SV650 class, right? You'd have to run against 600's.

So? It's not like a team of novices is going to win it, anyway.

I highly recommend the endurance race. Nothing beats seat time and you get LOTS of it.

Just a reminder, the closing speeds in the endurance race are faster than you'll EVER see in practice unless you're running in group 5 or 6 and are cruising. I'd just be careful racing it as a novice, as it was certainly a suprise to me last year to have Ken Hill pass me in the esses, jumping curbs on one wheel to get by (!!!).

And who's to say novices couldn't win a class? I see no reason novices couldn't have won 250sb or 450sb last year (two novices and an expert took third in 450). That wasn't my point. My point was just that if you're riding to "get seat time" maybe a track day would be better for everyone as opposed to a race where other riders aren't fucking around.

i would do it to have fun, i mean isn't that what this is all about?
so what if we're "competing" in the 600 class, i'm sure that there will be battles for position among different riders on different machines running close to the same lap times, that to me seems like it would be fun!

Oh, and as to closing speeds, the fast open GP guys were lapping some of us 650tw guys(ok, i got lapped by 3 of them!! ) so i have an idea of what you are getting at with that

dude, I get where you're coming from, I'm a novice too, but seriously, getting lapped three times isn't the deal. I did the endurance last season after only four races, and I'm sure it doable, but try getting passed several times per lap sometimes, and by guys going 10 seconds a lap faster. Then do that for the equivalent of 2 or 3 races cramped into 4 hours (your time stint more than likely).

Point being, some guys are out there to really work it out, and not just to "have fun" (in other words, they get their fun by going FAST, and not by just getting seat time). You might want to think about that before fielding a team of novices and riding with 40 other bikes of varying speeds.

But, again, I did it last year, running about the same times as you guys, and on a smaller bike, so for sure it's doable. Just thought I'd throw out some caution as it can get pretty hairy if you're not used to getting blitzed.

Oh, and another thing to realize is the 4 hour beats bikes down, and you'll then have to race the next day in your normal races. So, you might wanna think about not using your own bike if you can.

Maybe we can get 650T novices to go after it. Mike, John, and myself could be fun.

And we're definately using Johns's bike!

Ducky_Fresh wrote:.

And we're definately using Johns's bike!

hell no!!!!

yours is the one with no paint!!!!

joe wrote: My point was just that if you're riding to "get seat time" maybe a track day would be better for everyone as opposed to a race where other riders aren't fucking around.

Chill, Joe. By your logic, unless you're in contention for a podium, you shouldn't even be out there?

I go out every race knowing that realisitically I'm not getting a podium. I'm "getting seat time," though, and I'm improving. The endurance race is an amazing way to get lots of race "seat time." You're not out there to just turn laps, it's on and you get lots of real experience and really gt to know the track.

The one time I've been in the endurance race(as a NOVICE mind you), I was running 1:46-1:48's. The fast guys were running about 1:42's. If you are 13 seconds off the pace, the lapping has GOT to be frightening! GP

[quote="eeeeek"]

joe wrote: You're not out there to just turn laps, it's on and you get lots of real experience and really gt to know the track.

That's exactly my point Vic. I've heard lots of guys say, "We should totally do the endurance race, we'll get so much seat time, it'll be great." But the point is, while you're getting seat time, you're also out there dealing with guys MUCH faster than you're usually used to as a novice, and yes, there were guys running in the high 50's last year while the leaders were rocking low 40's and lower.

So, again, just make sure you know what you're getting into. But, AGAIN, from their times, I'm sure they'd be fine. I just thought I'd toss some feedback from another novice who had done the race.

And, no, I don't think you should only race if you can podium (by that logic I'd never be out on the track), I just know some people have entered the race to run a few hours and "get time".

Actually, my bike is being painted John. So now you're screwed! It's totally going to add 5hp!