Racing, it’s easy… isn't it?
Scooter sport has gone through many changes in its 50-year history, morphing through several styles of scooter ‘racing’ to reach where it is today.
Right from the 1950s there was the desire for scooterists to compete against each other in different ways. At the start it was High Speed Trials… to see if riders could keep going at a (relatively) high speed over many hours and hundreds of miles. Those machines were not hugely fast, but it was also about consistency and reliability. In 1969 those races developed into the early versions of circuit races as we know them today, with the scooters and rules being cleverly developed over the years by various organising bodies. We’ve now arrived at the modern set of rules where the machines still look like scooters, but are permitted huge developments which give both speed and reliability, and have contributed massively to the development of fast and powerful road engines.
So, in this 50th year of scooter road racing, although numbers have taken a slight dip (it always goes in cycles), it’s great to see the interest in two types of event that both hark back to past times for potentially cheaper ways to push your scooter to its limits. The Whacky Races event held recently looked an absolute hoot… get on a twisty, and relatively slower, kart circuit and get out on track with just very simple criteria. Fast or slow, there was a group for you, just two of them… simple. It’s a great way to give people that first potential taste of riding a scooter as fast as they can, in a safe environment, with very little rules and regs. It is all about having fun and experiencing a taste of the track. There were only short straights and lots of bends, so top speeds were relatively low, and if you did fall off your chances of any serious injury to yourself or the scooter were minimal. You could be on track for as little as £10, which was brilliant... just turn up and ride; no need to go through an expensive or time-consuming race licence process. This type of event is brilliant to get that taste of speed.
In September there is a six-hour endurance race coming up at another kart circuit in the northeast. This will cost a bit more, but it will still be relatively easy to get a scooter out there. Simple classes and
rules. It’s about getting together with friends and club mates to ride fast over several hours, sharing the cost of the scooter. Reliability and consistency will be more important than big bhp. Just like those early days! The challenge and buzz from riding with your mates in a shared experience is something you will remember always; one of life's great adventures to tell your grandkids about. It is brilliant.
But wait… when you’ve had a little taster, and enjoyed going relatively fast, what next? There is the obvious route to BSSO scooter racing, a true British championship. But this is a whole new level. Indeed, a whole new world. Yes, for sure you will need to go through training and tests to get a race licence. You’ll need race leathers and equipment, and although not strictly necessary ,you are very likely to want to build a specific race scooter. Circuit racing is a much more professional, fast and dangerous activity. You cannot just go and do it on a whim. Anyone that has raced in recent years has likely seen and experienced at close hand some very nasty crashes and life-changing injuries for some riders. It is a blast until it goes wrong. The race licence and training are there for a reason. Racing at the top national level is a whole different ball game. I have raced on and off for over 30 years and seen good friends broken, bent and unconscious on the track and in hospital. I have commentated and tried to keep things entertaining during radio blackout following accidents involving friends who are injured. This side of things is a lot less fun.
It’s easy to think you are a talented rider just because you’ve ridden down the bypass and around a roundabout pretty quick. But top-level racing in the UK has some of the best scooter riders in the world. Conneely, Edmonds, Day, Geyton, Bamber, O’Brien and the like are on a whole different level. I could go out with some local clubs and ride off into the distance through bends and roundabouts with ease, thinking I’m super-quick, but put me on the track and those names I’ve just mentioned will be lapping me very quickly. New riders can take years to build experience and speed to compete and, of course, 30 years around racing has shown me that once it gets a little more serious and there are some plastic trophies involved, all the fun of the Whacky Races starts to dissipate. Precise rules and regulations are needed, back-biting starts, everyone wants a level playing field for all (except for the guys at the front who want to stay there), and everyone wants to feel like a winner or champion. Even the guy in third place will be posting on Facebook about his achievement of being third in class at the weekend … obviously ignoring the fact that he's 40 seconds off the lead and there are only actually three in his class! But at whatever level, if you want an experience of scooter sport I’d recommend it. Just don't expect to be a champion straight off!