All about racing motorbikes

Let’s face it, motorcycles are one of the most popular types of vehicles around, especially with the younger generation. It is fast, adventurous and glamourous, and riding one is exciting and invigorating. Motorcycle enthusiasts spend a lot of money to keep their bike in a well-maintained condition, even paying the high motorcycle tyre prices in Sri Lanka, to keep their machines running and looking beautiful.

Of these motorcycle lovers, are a different breed; those who love motorcycle racing! It is an exciting (and extremely dangerous) sport, and many people love the rush of adrenaline they feel on a race track. In addition, if you are into racing, then maintaining your bike can be a hugely costly affair. These machines need specific accessories and tyres which can be very expensive, and hard to find too through online tyre shops. This does not stop the racing over though, because they find ways and means to fund the maintenance of their bike, whether it is to give it more speed and power or get new tyres in Sri Lanka before a race.

What is motorcycle racing?

A motorcycle race is a fast-paced event that happens on a track with two or more machines racing against each other for supremacy. The tracks can be of different types; asphalt, dirt or grass, depending on the type of race. MotoGP (Moto Grand Prix) is a very famous even that happens the world over, and is a form of road race, where powerful machines are used.

Different types of motorcycle racing

There are many different types of races using different variations of these machines. Some of the more popular types include:

●       MotoGP: Industry standard bikes are used for MotoGP races which are run on paved surfaces. Some of the machines used for this type of racing are custom built and can be extremely expensive, both to buy and maintain. Most MotoGP racers therefore, have sponsorships from popular brands in the vehicle industry, which helps them financially. According to the bike’s type and engine capacity, there are several events that run in this race, including MotoGP, Moto2, Moto3 and MotoE.

●       Motocross: This is essentially off-road racing for motorbikes, where the participants have to run through an uneven course of dirt, gravel, sand, mud, grass etc. In addition, there can also be elevation change sin the surface, with bumps etc. The type of bikes used for this type of racing are call dirt bikes, and during the course of the race, they can get both dirty and damaged due to the type of course involved. However, unlike MotoGP, this type of race has many thrills and spills, with riders doing jumps, turns etc to entertain the crowds as they move ahead in the race.

●       Superbike Racing: This is a race that is very similar to a MotoGP, but uses only 4-stroke bikes with engine capacities between 800 and 1200 cc for twin cylinder engines, and between 750 and 1000 cc for four-cylinder engines. In the past, this type of racing was considered to be extremely dangerous, however in recent times, with many popular bike brads sponsoring riders by offering top of the line production bikes from their factories, they tend to include a lot of safety measures on the machines.

●       Enduro Racing: This is similar to off-road racing, but its focus is more on endurance than speed. These races consist of different stages, and a certain time limit for each rider to complete a stage. The rider needs to make the exact time, because if they come in too early or too late it can mean negative points for them. The stages are all different; some may need the racer to seed up in order to make time, while others may allow them to make it a leisurely pace.

●       Track Racing: Track racing is done on an oval shaped track made of concrete, grass, sand or even ice, and is quite different to the other forms of racing.

What are the most popular bikes for racing?

There are many different brands and models of bikes used for racing purposes, but it must be remembered that in general, a rider will use only one brand, rarely changing the brand they are used to. Here are some of the popular bikes for racing this year.

●       Suzuki SV650.

●       Kawasaki Ninja 400.

●       BMW S1000RR.

●       Aprilia RS660.

●       Yamaha YZF-R7.

How important is it to maintain a racing motorbike?

Keeping your machine is a well-maintained condition can mean the difference between life and death for a racer. This sport is an extremely fast-paced one, where anything can happen at the blink of an eye. There have been instances where riders have crashed with each other, with other items on the track, bikes have caught fire etc, which have caused extensive injuries to the riders and huge, costly damages to the bikes themselves.

Although you never know when a racing accident may occur and how it will happen, keeping the bike well maintained is very important. Riders generally have an entire team of specialists who inspect the bike before a race, and make any required adjustments. In addition, much prior to the race they will do a complete check of the machine to see if there are any issues that may cause it to fail. Owners will replace parts, tyres and anything else, in order to keep the bike in tip-top condition for the race, and to ensure that the rider is safe at all times.