Well, it’s all over for this year.
Must be time for the official 2022 motorcycle racing season recap for FIWOP Racing, as well as our vision for the future.
First, the last motorcycle race recap
The last race weekend at Roebling Road was pretty uneventful, to be honest. My main two competitors for the season didn’t show up, and all I had to do was finish both races upright in order to take 4th in the southeast championship. Two second places later, and the job was done. Yeah, it was my best placement of the season, but after all that, it was kind of anticlimactic.
Now, the motorcycle racing season recap
My racing results this year have been nothing short of surprising to me. I told my daughter Annie at the beginning of the year that I was pretty sure I was going to come in dead last at the first race, and possibly every one after that. That didn’t happen, which was a joy and a surprise. In fact, I won first place in F Superstock Novice in the in Atlantic Coastal region. I also came in fourth in the Southeast region, which is my home region where I was concentrating, and fifth in the Mid Central region. For the first time racing in more than 15 years, I’m going to call that a success.
While the racing has been amazing, rediscovering the racing community has been even better. Each of us racers in the paddock is joined by the common bond of this sport we love enough to risk everything for. The common love and the high risk makes for some unbelievable connections. I have a whole new group of friends, and they’re some of the most welcoming supportive people I’ve known. I’m not sure how I forgot about this part of racing, but it’s what will keep me coming back.
So what’s next?
Nobody but me is surprised that I’m going to do it again. I can’t look back on the results and fun I’ve had this year and say no to another season of racing. Hopefully some of my prior sponsors decide to renew, and I’ll gain some new sponsors to help finance this effort once again.
The Ninja 250 is up for sale to make way for either a Yamaha R3 or a Ninja 300 to make up the horsepower gap. I’ve suffered long enough! I’ve decided that if the points chase requires it, I’m going to add one race weekend to next year’s calendar to see if I can put together a second regional championship. I’d also like to see if I can win one race next season.
I have three main goals for the 2023 season:
- Win a race! I managed to put together a championship this year, but no first place trophies came my way in 2022. Time to change that. I’m not alone by any stretch – there’s been one MotoGP championship decided that way, and two nearly so – Nicky Hayden and Joan Mir.
- Win two regional championships. Hell, if I managed one, why not two regional championships if I come up with a faster bike? I’ll also consider racing at Summit Point if the points are close on the Atlantic Coastal championship.
- Crash less. I crashed three times this season, once in practice at Roebling Road and twice during races at Road Atlanta and Talladega GP. Crashing is painful, expensive, and doesn’t help my championship hopes. Let’s try to do that fewer times, or eve better, not at all.
Thanks again to everyone who followed this season, and to all my sponsors who made it possible. I hope to see you again next season.
