How Bad Do You Want It?
By Steve Larsen
It has never occured to me to have guest writers on my blog, but one of my loyal readers and, indeed, both a close friend and writing (and riding) collaborator, Steve Larsen, has sent me a story and I am inclined to publish it today rather than save it for some lazy moment when I need a post. It deserves better than that, so here it is.
Ross Bentley, the former race driver and performance driving coach, wrote a column recently in Road & Track magazine titled “How Bad Do you Want It?” He made some interesting points, several of which I’ve paraphrased below:
– Frequently I hear the comment, “I’ve always wanted to be a race-car driver,” after people hear what I do for a living. The first thing that comes into my mind is, “No, you haven’t.”
– Why? Because if they did want to be a racer, they would have become one. But they didn’t want it bad enough. To race, at any level, requires sacrifice and commitment.
– Racing is accessible at many levels, it doesn’t require massive amounts of money to compete – but it does require desire, commitment, discipline, sacrifice, and hard work.
– If you’re unwilling to do what it takes to reach a goal, that’s fine. Admit it. But don’t fool yourself into thinking you can chase a dream without commitment.
This resonated with me in many ways. When I was younger I made a stab at racing Motocross. A friend and former racer had created a rough track where he could practice with his young boys. I spent several weeks learning the jumps, sliding through turns, landing without crashing. In my twenties, what most held me back and eventually caused me to stop was the speed and prowess of his young sons as they lapped me. That, along with listening to this guy with a barn full of motorcycle trophies and a house so full of them one could hardly walk, tell me that he quit racing because he’d not gotten his first motorcycle until he was seven or eight years old. And his competitors had all began at 5 years old, and what he would need to do to remain competitive was beyond his reach.
My motorcycle riding history is replete with countless attempts to improve my skills. I’ve attended racing programs by Keith Code (California Superbike School) and others like Reg Pridmore’s CLASS program and countless track days. I even wormed my way into a couple of multi-week police motor officer training programs and became the only civilian to complete the training. As a part-time motorcycle journalist, press credentials allowed me to attend many professional motorcycle racing events and meet the competitors. It was there the difference between those who ride for a living and amateurs like me became clear. But it wasn’t depressing. I noticed as I wandered among spectators and listened to them talk that my level of experience and riding skills allowed me to see a race they couldn’t. I saw and understood things they did not.
Several years ago I had the chance to watch a baseball playoff game in my home with Jerry Hairston Jr., second baseman for the LA Dodgers. Both the Diamondbacks and Dodgers had been eliminated. Jerry had played 14 seasons in MLB, never being sent down to the minors. Somewhere in the first inning, it was apparent we were not watching the same game. Other than grade school little league, I’d never played baseball. What Jerry was seeing on the screen, I couldn’t, until he pointed it out. And yes, it was fascinating. He told me who was going to attempt to steal a base, and when. He predicted correctly when in the count a player would swing and, if they connected, into which direction the ball would likely go. It was uncanny.
When we moved to Phoenix, I had a newish 1800 cc: yellow Honda Goldwing motorcycle. Tipping the scales at nearly 800 lbs., it was an unwieldy beast. At a motorcycle event, I happened to watch a performance by the Arizona Precision Motorcycle Drill Team. These guys were throwing their motorcycles all over, missing each other by inches, riding in perfect unison. And the motorcycles were huge Honda Goldwing’s. I found out where they held their practice sessions and began hanging around, watching, then helping to pick up cones, packing and unpacking gear before they eventually decided I wasn’t going away and began to give me exercises to try. After a few months, they asked if I was serious. Was I willing to commit to the level of practice and repeated exercises to ride, perform and eventually compete with them? I wanted to do it. I had the desire, made the commitment and followed through with the hard work and discipline it took, the first being to ride with them in twice-weekly practices, then in public performance routines and finally to compete with them in Nashville, TN where three years after I joined them, our team came in second in the world at this specialized sort of skilled, precision riding.
While attending many of Jim Hyde’s Rawhyde Adventures top-rated off-road riding schools and even joining him in 2011 to follow the Dakar Rally as it crossed the South American continent twice over 13 days, I knew the level of practice and work it would take me to compete in Hyde’s Adventure Rider Challenge event. Although he and his instructors urged me to give it a shot, eventually I decided the level of commitment required was beyond me. I’m willing to go and cheer on those that do put in that level of training, such as my friend and rider coach, Bill Dragoo. And I ride with them and try many of the exercises, repeating them until I feel comfortable. But not anywhere near their level. As Ross Bentley says, I’ll feel no shame in that. I’m content to understand and appreciate what Dragoo, Hyde, and Hairston have put into becoming what they are and having the skills they have.
About Ross Bentley: He’s a successful racing driver, performance coach, and author. His Speed Secret book series is top-notch and a requirement for anyone wishing to drive really fast.