"Start with the buttcrack." This is the kind of advice you hear when you begin learning how to race motorcycles—at least if you have the kind of friends I do. Other pieces of wisdom include not eating spicy food the night before, because when you crash you won't be able to tell if you're really injured or just having intestinal problems. It's a potentially messy and unusually butt-centric sport, at least from what I've gathered so far.Because of a promise I barely remember making in a bar one night, I am taking road-race school on a borrowed vintage Honda 160 motorcycle this weekend. I've never been on a track before, but a bunch of my friends race. The class and all the races are run by OMRRA, Oregon Motorcycle Road Racing Association, at Portland International Raceway. I'll post the full report this afternoon, after my first official race as a licensed novice. Meanwhile, come out to the track and watch your humble correspondent be further humbled by a buzzing swarm of really fast, really cool folks hanging off their loud-ass, crazy-looking machines.
Sunday's races run all day, but the vintage bikes go at noon and 5pm. Ask about volunteering at the track; volunteers not only get their PIR entry fees refunded, they also tend to have the best views of the race.

To get to PIR take exit 306B off of Interstate 5. Check out www.omrra.com for all the details and a full schedule of races for the year. And watch this space for updates!



[Image: www.tacsafety.com]