Opinions - The nut behind the handlebars

Motorcycle racing, for all it seems to be shown and portrayed as, is fundamentally a combination of a man and a machine powered by an invention of the previous era; An invention that is quite firmly on the way out and is having its last hurrah at the moment. The machine itself is the invention of a previous era, even if it is less than a century. Racing came into the fore only in the 1930s and the 1940s. The golden age of motorcycles and racing is speculative, but all firmly agree that it was anywhere between the 1980s and the early 2000s. Talk to the new generation, and a second golden age is happening.

And over the years, after all the riders that have come and gone during their time at the highest (professional motorcycle racers), or the most lowest level of racing (trackday racers and enthusiasts, like me), a fundamental truth has emerged, one that has been reinforced many, many times over the years.

The truth is this - The most important aspect of motorcycle racing is the nut behind the handlebars.

No, I am not talking about the nut that keeps the handlebars in place on the bike, allowing the rider to exert the forces to haul a bike fast around the racetrack. I am talking about the human on the machine. The rider that wills the bike to do his bidding; the mind inside the helmet that is forever on the go, trying to achieve perfection all the time. But perfection without perspective is meaningless.

What is the perspective?

The perspective is this - That someone has to be crazy, or just nut enough to be able to do something like this - taking a motorcycle, often at speeds that would scare most people, around a strip of tarmac that is designed to challenge and reward. That consequences exist.

So why is it the human on the machine a nut?

If someone believes that going fast in circles on two wheels is the best [or second best thing, if you ask me ;)] feeling they will ever get to have, how can one not be a nut? It takes someone crazy (and accepting and rational enough) to accept the risks. Motorcycle racing is inherently a risky business. Crashes hurt. Bike parts break. It can get expensive. Injuries can take time to heal.

Without control, speed is just another weapon which can stab you in the front.

It takes a nut to understand that everything can end in an instant. It takes a nut to be able to accept that the few seconds of pleasure that come from string together a perfect lap has to be let go in the pursuit of another lap. One more time. One more lap. The high doesn't seem to last, nor end.

It takes a nut to realise that speed is inherently dangerous; Speed thrills, but it has its consequences. Without control, speed is just another weapon which will stab you in the front. It takes a nut to understand this, and to accept that at times, speed and control may not necessarily come together.

It takes a nut to do all this. There is no other explanation.