[adouglas]

To me there are two kinds of riders:

1) Those who ride primarily for the thrill and the rush of speed. These are the riders who are prone to losing licenses and/or binning it in the first session at a track day. They are the ones who will likely, sooner or later, make an asshat move, take themselves or someone else out, and laugh about it as if it were a badge of honor. They tend to be adrenaline junkies who ride spectacularly, but not for the long haul.

2) Those who love the elegant art and science of riding... the blissful feeling of a corner taken perfectly, of braking just right, nailing the apex and driving out. The are the riders with a lifelong devotion to learning. They understand that any monkey can twist a throttle, but riding well takes real skill. They pursue knowledge and they listen. Speed is secondary to them. They are skill junkies, not adrenaline junkies, who ride for decades without incident and enjoy every second of it.

I am firmly in the second camp. I love learning and practicing the skill of riding well.

I would argue that the great racers are also fundamentally in the second group, with the added, unquenchable desire to win and the willingness to take the risks necessary to make it happen. I am convinced that they're not out there for the thrill. They're out to win and they know that skill is the path to the top step of the podium.