Tuesday, March 23, 2010

The Need For Speed!

Many of you commented on my last post about my son's motorcycle racing. Thanks for asking. So, to bring you up to speed, here's a post from October 2008 which may help to shed a little light. Oh, and you may click the photos for a closer look.

As a mother, all you want for your children is happiness and prosperity. And, when it comes to my son, he fills the bill. He's educated, independent and has a beautiful family of his own. He has also excelled in his career as a design engineer. What more could a mother ask for?

Since he was a little boy, Zac, has been a daredevil. It all started with his big wheel. It wasn't enough to peddle himself along the sidewalk, he had to find a hill to ride down; peddling with all his might he'd zoom down the hills faster than a speeding bullet. Oh, his outfit of choice - superman underoos with a towel-cape pinned to his shoulders along with a pair of cowboy boots. Wheeeeeeee! Get the picture?

Zac went through a number of bicycles and obtained the usual scrapes and bruises; however, nothing a little Bactine and a Bandaid couldn't fix. Then we went through our on-the-way-to-the-hospital-for-stitches phase. After two visits in one month, it was suggested by the ER physician that I chain Zac to the bed for the next few years. Yeah, right.

He then moved on to horses. Zac had what I referred to as "Black Beauty Syndrome". He would mount up (yep, still wearing cowboy boots) and off he'd ride at a dead run. I would remind him there were other gaits his pony was capable of; of course, he ignored me. One afternoon his pony, Scout, decided to show Zac a thing or two - he ran away - out of control - with Zac holding on for dear life. "Pull back", I yelled as they neared the fence. Scout stopped just short of the fence and Zac flew head first into the barbed-wire strands. Twenty-six stitches later, I restricted his riding.

Then came a series of four-wheelers and motorcycles...I held my breath. Aside from one minor accident, he made it through okay. Then, shortly after graduating from high school, Zac stripped the inside of his car, added nitros and participated in the 1/4-mile drags at the local raceway. He was awesome on the track; but, he did get a few tickets on the streets and roads for exhibition of speed. One night, as a friend and I listened to the police scanner, we heard the state police receiving registration and insurance verification for, none other than, Zac.

His fascination for speed was never really satisfied until he began racing motorcycles on a flat track at 185 mph. The first time I went to the track to support my son in his latest thrill, well, I was taken aback by the equipment required - a one-piece, fully padded leather suit, heavy-duty leather gloves, special boots and, of course, a full helmet. He looked like a storm trooper.

So, I asked him to explain the object and the rules of the race. Remember, he's an engineer; his response turned into a dissertation, "First, you buy a bike...blah, blah, blah". However, the glaze cleared from my eyes when he began to talk about "the rush".....

"It starts 15 minutes before you are called to the grid. That nervous anticipation/excitement of putting your ass on the line to show your stuff and live out your dream. Then you roll out for the warm-up lap. Your excitement turns into sharp focus as you circle the track and line up in the grid. Now, the adrenaline really kicks in. The countdown starts with a two, then one - it can't happen fast enough. You are waiting for the release. Then it comes. GREEN! You do your best to get the throttle pinned and the clutch out. You tip into turn one with five to ten other lunatics hell bent on being first, you stake your claim and then rip the shit out of it!"

Good, lord!

Funny, I still see that little boy with the towel-cape as he laps the track. No doubt, he was born with the need, the need for speed!


*photos by Tom Marrs, Phoenix.


31 comments:

  1. I love bikes but if I was to race my motorcycle the guys behind me would have to try to avoid the constant stream of poop flying out of my ass as I shit myself.

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  2. Although I certainly LOOK the type, I'd kill my ass on one of those things !

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  3. I think I missed my calling in life. I too could've been a racer....I used to ride my bigwheel DOWN the deck steps. I would do laps...building up speed....with the final approach I would hold my breath. The moment the wheels caught air my screams of delight would mesh nicely with my mother's screams of horror.

    I wore Barbie underwear though with my dishtowel cape....

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  4. That's an amazing story. My brother owns a Harley shop but I'm afraid you wouldn't catch me on one of those monsters. Good on your son. He's a brave one.

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  5. Can't boys ever see the joy of Tea parties?
    Must it always involve speed, stitches and mother heart attacks?

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  6. Some people are just born with that risk taker gene. I'm thankful that my boys were not.

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  7. @ moooooog - That's usually what happens to me as I watch from the pits.

    @ Heff - I hear ya, I prefer a cruiser myself.

    @ Daffy - LOL! I can just see you in your Barbie underoos....how cute!

    @ Dufus - Yes, he's very brave. He gets in "the zone" and rips the sit out of it.

    @ Mrsblogalot - I know what you mean, my daughter never went to the hospital while playing with Strawberry Shortcake and her side-kick Blueberry Pie.

    @ Tracie - Gee, I wonder where he got that gene from? Hmmmmmmmm.

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  8. Wow! What a shot. I'll gallop a 1500 pound horse down to a fence and jump it, but motorcycles scare the bejeezus out of me. Can't imagine being a mom and watching that although I do see a bourbon-filled flask involved.

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  9. That last picture is amazing. I love your story about your son.

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  10. I've had me a bunch of addictions in my life, but speedaholic I never got bit with. Sense of adventure, yes, risk taker for the thrill of it, yes, gettin' my ass in some deep doodoo more than once, yes, but ... the speed thang? Not The Old Silly's thang.

    Good luck with son, hey - some peeps just gotta have it, hmm? And you had him, so it's gotta be somewhere in those jeans - ooops, I meant genes (wink) - Freudian slip.

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  11. A wonderful post to read. My son was mad on football, you may think not so dangerous as motorcycles, but one year he had his jaw smashed, the following year his ankle, end of football career.
    We mothers love to see our offsprings happy, I wish him (and you) all the best.

    Yvonne.

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  12. @ Jayne - Oh, there are those tense moments when a ice cold lemon drop martini would certainly sooth the nerves, if only I drank.

    @ Heather - Thank you, it was taken by our good friend Tom Marrs, he's an awesome photographer.

    @ Marv - Well, I do have a bit of a lead foot, but nothing like the heavy hand on the throttle Zac has.

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  13. @ Yvonne - Yikes, I do know that contact sports can be very dangerous. I remember playing volleyball in junior high and getting beat up and my eye poked on a couple of occasions. Thank you so much for your well wishes.

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  14. WOWSA! That is wild and crazy.

    Yeah, I'd be dead.

    I'm glad he likes it, though!

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  15. AWE! Your son sounds awesome! If I was his Mom I would be freaking though! LOL! How cute you still see him in his towel. I often wonder that when I look at my little girls in their princess hooded towels.

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  16. He sounds amazing. My son loves has loved motocross since he was 6 or 7. He was jumping hills by 9. For him that rush is "catching air". I still clench my fists when I watch him.

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  17. My "little boy" is an athletic washout. He can't throw, hit, catch and he runs like a dork. But put him on a dirtbike and it's like watching a ballet. On dirt. With motorcycles.

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  18. Wow, what an adrenaline junkie! Sounds really exciting. As a mother? I wouldn't be able to stomach watching, I'm a sissy!

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  19. From a moms point of view all I can say is it's hell holding your breath while they do these things. But it sure makes you proud when they succeed.

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  20. Zac should have been in the military if he's into adrenaline rushes. They love people who like tearing up things.

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  21. Wow, your son is either extremely brave or very stupid. I'm leaning towards brave. You must be a very proud mother. :)

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  22. I am so glad none of my boys have been born with my thrill seeker genes. I have driven at the speed of ridiculousness. I have jumped from many planes for no good reason other than the somersaults that my stomach would do. I have jumped from bridges that should have resulted in ER trip after ER trip, or perhaps even the final trip to the morgue. Apparently I have some higher purpose yet to be revealed to me.

    My son did ask for a motorcycle. I told him sure. When they bury me, you can have one. While I can handle the thrill at full throttle for me? Can't watch my babies get hurt! NO SIREE!

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  23. And at what age did you have your first heart attack, Me-Me? Vlad has a motorcycle, but doesn't race... thank god! It's worrisome enough just to have him riding. He wants me to take the rider course so I can ride with him. Maybe on a scooter!

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  24. Sounds exciting, dangerous and fun. I think it would be great to watch. Has your son read this post? He would likely laugh about the underoos and cape part of the story, I would imagine.

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  25. I've got one of these boys at home, too. There's nothing you can do to stop them. Makes me all squirmy sometimes just thinking about the inevitable pain. He, however, just laughs it off.

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  26. Actually, I guess yours isn't still at home, except in your heart, right?

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  27. I ride this big fat pink lady.

    She's slow...and I like it that way.

    There was a day when I liked the go fast things. Now, I'm more into the long haul end of it.

    I can still scare the shit out of myself with it, if I need to ;-)

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  28. And,

    I am impressed. Zac is a badass!

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  29. Yeah I can totally relate to what Zac was saying about the Rush. I'm a bit of an adrenaline junkie myself.

    In fact I owned a moped once. So there!

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  30. Lovely post. I liked the last picture. It reminds me of how I tried doing that with my Bicycle and crashed into a woman.

    Your son seems to be enjoying himself on the track. Keep safe!:)

    Have a good day!

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  31. Your son is very brave. I'm a risk taker, but not this kind of risk. It's an exciting sport to watch, but if it would include my own son, it wouldn't be as exciting because I'd be a nervous wreck the whole time.

    Tasha

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