Can you give this 15 year old some Advice?

[VianteSBK]

Originally Posted by psych0hans

I don't mean to rain down on your dreams, but this is the harsh reality of motorcycle racing...

Man that really does suck. But I don't care I'll probably just race for fun while attending college.

I thought every rider in MotoGP got atleast a decent paycheck every 2 weeks. I understand you race because of love and passion, but why do these guys continue to dedicate their whole life to racing and not get a dime back?

Even if they had rich parents, I couldn't see myself depending on my family at 26 years old.

[choneofakind]

I think you should double check your ideas about schools as well.

I graduated from Hudson 2 years ago (one of the best in the state, offers every AP class, etc). We are a great school, consistently turning out a Harvard student, multiple military academy students, many grads go on to high powered private schools.

My aunt works in HR at Cornell. From her I learned that there has been no one from Hudson even accepted into Cornell for over 5 years, and many have tried. if you want to go to a great school like Cornell or Case or whatever, you're going to have to focus more on schooling in high school than you think. Shoot for top 10 in your class.

That doesn't work well alongside spending every minute/dime on motorcycle track time, and working your butt off at a job or two after school to afford said track time.

I recommend motorcycles. I highly recommend track time. I even cheer on those who choose to race as a hobby. But it simply is not affordable for a high school kid who doesn't have insanely rich parents. You just don't live enough hours in the day to successfully do school work well, work a job or two to afford the bike stuff, and ride the track enough to become a pro. On top of that, you need time for a social life. High school can be fun. You grow up a lot socially in high school and that's just as important as getting the class work done.

trust me, coming from Hudson, I've seen some kids with some pretty outlandish plans, like gymnastics or ice skating at the olympics, etc fail because they couldn't get enough time to still be focused on their class work. They were rich even by Hudson standards and they still found that they would have to put aside their education completely in order to get their goals met, and that wasn't an option.

Stay in school. Rock at school. Ride track in your spare time as a passion that you spend all day thinking about and looking forward to. Race on weekends. Get serious about moto2/wsbk/ama after high school.
Posted via Mobile Device

[lgk]

Originally Posted by codestp202

i dont remember his name, hopefully someone else can chime in, he had a 250, got it totaled and just recently bought an r6. the thread is multiple pages long

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showt...=110230&page=1

[ai4px]

@VianteSBK, you sound like a really well rounded young man. I'm impressed. Too often (particularly with football), the athletes go to college as a means to play football and break into the pros. On the other hand, many college nerds with a 4.0 never see the light of day and haven't got a lick of common sense. Ohh and when you get to college, all those B.S. electives you have to take will also make you more well rounded. Grin and bear it. Well rounded.

One more tip... there will be a fair number of guys riding bikes when you get to college. But if you can say you race on a track, you will be a rock star with the girls! ha! They won't know the difference between a R6 and a 250r, they'll just see fairings on a cute bike and love ya! Be sure to quietly wear your leathers to school a few days a month to further emphasize what a great rider you are in their eyes. Wednesdays or Thursdays would seem the idea days. Yet another reason for AGATT eh?

Originally Posted by lgk

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showt...=110230&page=1

That is him!

[psych0hans]

Originally Posted by VianteSBK

Man that really does suck. But I don't care I'll probably just race for fun while attending college.

That's exactly what you should do... If racing takes off for you and you become the next Rossi, nothing like it... If it doesn't, at least you have something to fall back on. Good luck and god speed!!!

[VianteSBK]

Originally Posted by choneofakind

I think you should double check your ideas about schools as well.

I graduated from Hudson 2 years ago (one of the best in the state, offers every AP class, etc). We are a great school, consistently turning out a Harvard student, multiple military academy students, many grads go on to high powered private schools.

My aunt works in HR at Cornell. From her I learned that there has been no one from Hudson even accepted into Cornell for over 5 years, and many have tried. if you want to go to a great school like Cornell or Case or whatever, you're going to have to focus more on schooling in high school than you think. Shoot for top 10 in your class.

That doesn't work well alongside spending every minute/dime on motorcycle track time, and working your butt off at a job or two after school to afford said track time.

I recommend motorcycles. I highly recommend track time. I even cheer on those who choose to race as a hobby. But it simply is not affordable for a high school kid who doesn't have insanely rich parents. You just don't live enough hours in the day to successfully do school work well, work a job or two to afford the bike stuff, and ride the track enough to become a pro. On top of that, you need time for a social life. High school can be fun. You grow up a lot socially in high school and that's just as important as getting the class work done.

trust me, coming from Hudson, I've seen some kids with some pretty outlandish plans, like gymnastics or ice skating at the olympics, etc fail because they couldn't get enough time to still be focused on their class work. They were rich even by Hudson standards and they still found that they would have to put aside their education completely in order to get their goals met, and that wasn't an option.

Stay in school. Rock at school. Ride track in your spare time as a passion that you spend all day thinking about and looking forward to. Race on weekends. Get serious about moto2/wsbk/ama after high school.
Posted via Mobile Device

Hudson is a very good school, as so is Western Reserve Academy, and University School!

I go to St. Benedictine (Private All-Boys Catholic School) if you're from around that area, I'm pretty sure you've heard of it.

Many of our Seniors we're sent off to fairly "good" schools from what I know. My preferred colleges are Duke, Stanford, and Cornell but I'll settle for Ohio State or UT-Austin, which both have great Engineering Programs.

[csmith12]

http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/mcy/3193095711.html

The deals are out there....

[CC Cowboy]

Originally Posted by VianteSBK

Hudson is a very good school, as so is Western Reserve Academy, and University School!

I go to St. Benedictine (Private All-Boys Catholic School) if you're from around that area, I'm pretty sure you've heard of it.

Many of our Seniors we're sent off to fairly "good" schools from what I know. My preferred colleges are Duke, Stanford, and Cornell but I'll settle for Ohio State or UT-Austin, which both have great Engineering Programs.

MIT, if you can get in. The best engineering school and it's in Boston, the best college town. There is also 4 tracks close by.

[dfox]

To play devils advocate, Who says you have to go to college right after high school? Is that the path of most, yes, but do you have to follow that path, no.

It takes a brilliant mind to race a motorcycle well. Spatial reasoning skills have to be top notch. Just because you are smart doesn't mean you're wasting your skills racing.

[Jiggles]

Originally Posted by CC Cowboy

MIT, if you can get in. The best engineering school and it's in Boston, the best college town. There is also 4 tracks close by.

I wanted to go to MIT but I only had a 4.0

[choneofakind]

Originally Posted by VianteSBK

Hudson is a very good school, as so is Western Reserve Academy, and University School!

I go to St. Benedictine (Private All-Boys Catholic School) if you're from around that area, I'm pretty sure you've heard of it.

Many of our Seniors we're sent off to fairly "good" schools from what I know. My preferred colleges are Duke, Stanford, and Cornell but I'll settle for Ohio State or UT-Austin, which both have great Engineering Programs.

*were*. Just sayin

meh. WRA is over rated; many of their grads go to ou or Miami. I'm not convinced they do anything special compared to Hudson besides need the entire campus to be a school zone from 7:00am-9:00pm because they're too retarded to look before crossing... At least, nothing special enough to merit 30k/year in my mind. University school is all guys as well right? a childhood friend attended there, and while he is very bright, the guys from there seem socially challenged when talking to people because they seem immature to me. Not saying all guys from there are that way, just the ones that I've met when hanging out with JC.

Coming out of that school, you're likely pretty much "expected" to attend college correct? I still stand by my earlier post. Have fun, ride track only, race as a hobby, but don't expect to go pro. Its like guys who don't do hw because they're expecting to play pro ball and hw is taking time away from soccer. Dumb.
Posted via Mobile Device

[yzfr6i]

I admire the goals you have set for yourself, but slow down and enjoy the path you take to get there. If every time you swing a leg over the bike you beat yourself up to go faster so you can turn pro you'll be burned out before that factory phone call comes.

My son is your age, and raced motocross from the time he was 4 and was a natural on a bike. By 7 he had a dozen corporate sponsors, and at 10 he walked away from the sport. The pressure turned something he loved into something he dreaded doing. Yes you should take your riding seriuosly, but never forget why you wanted to do it in the first place.

Just remember. At the end of the day; if it doesn't matter whether you're in a moto gp race riding in front of 40,000 people or a local race with 5 or your buddies cheering you on, your just happy to be doing what you love... That's a good place to be.

As for college. GO!!!! It sounds like you're very strong in physics. Even if racing doesn't work out for you a degree in physics could lead to a job designing motorcycles. Maybe even working on a factory team. The guys that design the bike are just as important as the guy that rides it.

[CC Cowboy]

Originally Posted by dfox

To play devils advocate, Who says you have to go to college right after high school? Is that the path of most, yes, but do you have to follow that path, no.

It takes a brilliant mind to race a motorcycle well. Spatial reasoning skills have to be top notch. Just because you are smart doesn't mean you're wasting your skills racing.

You make me feel brillant!

[Cab305]

Not to rain on anyones parade or be the party pooper, but....

Do you even know how to ride yet? Have you ridden on dirt? Because it's not even remotely similar, a go kart? I'm guessing you don't have much driving experience.

I'm not trying to bring you down, but I can go to best buy and get some golf clubs... aspire to play pro in a couple years and marry a blonde dutch chick while wearing a green jacket. (actually I hate golf, don't know why I even used that analogy)

What makes you believe (again if you feel it, by all means do it) that you can be a pro racer. Here's a spoiler alert: Going really fast is kinda scary, definitely not for everyone.

But I'm just a noob on my first season CCS, so shoot for the stars..... from your college dorm.

[RedOctober]

Plenty of people appear to be able to combine their schooling and their love of riding. Heck, one of our club members stores his 636 in my garage while he's working on finishing up his undergrad degree and then going to law school. He also just got his yellow plates and will be racing in CMRA. But he's going to school FIRST and racing SECOND (and when he finishes law school he'll have plenty of $$ to support his racing habit).
I am 33 and didn't discover bikes until last year after my divorce. I now have 2 bikes in the garage, teaching gf to ride, have been to probably 15 track days this year alone. Why? Because I have a well paying job that allows me to enjoy the lifestyle. Will I race in AMA? Not bloody likely. But this will remain a hobby for me and if I find myself good enough to go at CMRA pace then I might move up there (also not likely but who knows, I'm a slow learner, too careful).

So: Study first, ride second. You're only 15, decisions you make now will either set you up good for the rest of your life or they will hold you back.

[RiderOnTheStorm]

I don't know if this has been said, but since it seems like you are interested in engineering and passionate about bikes, what about looking at a mechanical engineering degree and try to work for one of bike OEMs? Those machines are designed by really intelligent engineers and do have to be tested by some people who love and understand bikes. It might be a way to make a great living and do what you love.

Plus then maybe we could finally get a Kawi 250 with FI, ABS, and MAYBE even TCS...

[Jiggles]

Originally Posted by RiderOnTheStorm

Plus then maybe we could finally get a 250 with FI, ABS, and MAYBE even TCS...

They have those, they aren't that great. I think they are called a honda??? not sure tho

[RiderOnTheStorm]

Originally Posted by Jiggles

They have those, they aren't that great. I think they are called a honda??? not sure tho

I updated it to say Kawi 250. And from I've been reading, I don't think I'd want Honda's 250.

[Jiggles]

Try searching for 2013 ninja 250. Who knows, miracles have happened before

[RiderOnTheStorm]

Yeah I've done that but seeing is believing for me!

[Jiggles]

Try it on youtube

[CC Cowboy]

Originally Posted by Cab305

Not to rain on anyones parade or be the party pooper, but....

Do you even know how to ride yet? Have you ridden on dirt? Because it's not even remotely similar, a go kart? I'm guessing you don't have much driving experience.

I'm not trying to bring you down, but I can go to best buy and get some golf clubs... aspire to play pro in a couple years and marry a blonde dutch chick while wearing a green jacket. (actually I hate golf, don't know why I even used that analogy)

What makes you believe (again if you feel it, by all means do it) that you can be a pro racer. Here's a spoiler alert: Going really fast is kinda scary, definitely not for everyone.

But I'm just a noob on my first season CCS, so shoot for the stars..... from your college dorm.

The entire thread is a goof. Just go along with it! Everyone knows that a 15 year old kid just wants to get laid. If he can tell girls he is a racer he has better chance.

[pomartin]

[Cab305]

Originally Posted by CC Cowboy

The entire thread is a goof. Just go along with it! Everyone knows that a 15 year old kid just wants to get laid. If he can tell girls he is a racer he has better chance.

15 year old?

Dude I wip out my CCS license if someone so much as says fast! lol....

[dino74]

Originally Posted by VianteSBK

How do you gain Wildcard Entrys to WSBK to Moto3 races? Jake Holden gained a wildcard to WSBK, I don't even know how, he's not as good as he used to be. He is now asking for Donations on his website, and he's always switching teams.

Looks like he is getting out of racing...

http://roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=49434

[edxmon]

glad you changed your mind about skipping college

[greg737]

Everyone knows that a 15 year old kid just wants to get laid. If he can tell girls he is a racer he has better chance.

and...

Everyone knows that 15 year olds don't need advice. And 16 year olds need even less.

[VianteSBK]

Originally Posted by RiderOnTheStorm

I don't know if this has been said, but since it seems like you are interested in engineering and passionate about bikes, what about looking at a mechanical engineering degree and try to work for one of bike OEMs? Those machines are designed by really intelligent engineers and do have to be tested by some people who love and understand bikes. It might be a way to make a great living and do what you love.

Plus then maybe we could finally get a Kawi 250 with FI, ABS, and MAYBE even TCS...

Well, Mechanical Engineering is the degree I'm going for along with some other Minors. I hear it's tough to break into the Automotive/Powersport Engineering industry due to budget cuts and stiff competition. It would be awesome to design and develop the bikes that you guys love.

[choneofakind]

Originally Posted by VianteSBK

Well, Mechanical Engineering is the degree I'm going for along with some other Minors.

you're gonna be working your butt off to fit minors in. A math minor isn't hard, but the 2 extra courses you have to take are hard. A physics minor requires like one more lab and one more class, but labs take a lot of time. Sometimes scheduling is the only reason that minors are hard to do. My room mate is doing a physics minor with his ME major, and he's doing another physics lab, which is hard because he's also in football and he already has limited spare time. Another friend is going for a math minor. He has to take Calc 3 (stupid hard) and stats (not a fun course either) It's a good idea to be having academics in mind, but your plans will change as you go, just keep that in mind.

Right now I'm just doing my classes for my ME major. I could likely fit in extra classes for a physics minor at the expense of some of my exercise. My biking and running and intramural sports keep me sane. Not getting my exercise in the name of taking more classes is not an option. That's another thing to keep in mind. Not only do you have to be able to be good at the classes you take, you have to be rounded in areas outside of academics. Also, working off stress is huge, especially when finals week comes around. There's no use taking 22 credit hours and loading up your schedule if it means you're going to be stressed out and exhausted and not ever able to relax. Keeping sane is important.