I was online a couple of nights ago and there was a picture of Jean Pier Beltoise on a 50cc Gran Prix bike.
I don't think I realized he'd raced motorcycles before he made his way to Formula One.
Even though I know once upon a time a lot of top racers started on bikes first (Tazio Nuvolari to Jackie Ickx to Jimmie Johnson) I am still surprised about how many have and still do.
Also BMX riders should probably get an honorable mention here.
Travis Pastrana most recent example I can think of. Valentio Rossi was apparently no slouch in F1 car. You're missing Mike Hailwood in there for someone that played at the top of both. With age comes the cage.
Like John said above; the saying in the motorcycle world is: With age comes the cage. Especially in the off road motorcycle world where careers are generally shorter due to injuries.
Another one that comes to mind is Toby Price: multiple time Dakar winner on a motorcycle now races trophy trucks south of the border.
I used to be a nobody on a race motorcycle. Now I'm a nobody in a race car. Very much a result of the reality associated with not bouncing like I used to.
Good topic. I'd add John Surtees to the list.
Like many folks in the hive I started road racing motorcycles before switching to cars yet I'm still suprised by the number of professionals who raced on two wheels first.
There are a whole host of racers not already listed that I can think of in no particular order.
Mears, Taruffi, Ascari, Siffert, Miles, Cecotto, Leonard, Kahne, Bowyer and all of the Dakar riders who switched to cars.
It's totally my bias but I think racing bikes is every bit as valuable as racing Karts.
But wait there's more.....
Damon Hill, Behra, Lang, Depailler, Varzi, Carraciola, Rosemeyer.......
Even on the straight line stuff this applies. Antron Brown ran in pro stock motorcycles before moving over to top fuel and starting winning championships.
Seth doesn't post here that often but had a thread getting his kids into motor bike racing with some 50cc tracks bikes up to a grom. Was fun to follow but I haven't seen as many entry points for folks as karting/autocross/hpde maybe more accessible. There are a few motorcycle track days but not many that I've see. That reminds me I need to get out to our local flat track, they do bikes and karts through the warmer months on dirt. There was another thread on here with a guy running those as well but their name escapes me.
Coniglio Rampante said:Good topic. I'd add John Surtees to the list.
Yes, Surtees is the ultimate person for this list. He started on a bike and ended up in car racing, and he's the only person to have won a world championship on both two and four wheels!
I've always said riding motorcycles well translates to driving cars well,you learn(or should)that riding smooth helps keep you on the bike and off the ground.
Also driving cars on ice and snow is a major advantage to being good on a grippy surface.....the Finns are a perfect example.
Also Eddie Lawson to that list, although I don't think he stayed in CART very long.
At the amateur level I see a lot of crossovers as well, especially in karting because they can bring some expertise on the small motors. Sometimes the amount of injuries on bikes sends them to 4 wheels.
Jeff Ward had a few AMA Championships and was pretty solid in the IRL days.
I started racing bikes at 14, did that for a few years, then started racing cars in my 30's. At 45 I bought a trail bike, got the bug and been racing motocross and cross country since. I just turned 63 and hope to still race for another 20 or more years.
The bike experience definitely gave me an advantage in cars on the dirt oval
XLR99 (Forum Supporter) said:Also Eddie Lawson to that list, although I don't think he stayed in CART very long.
I remember reading an article on Eddie Lawson's CART experience. He mentioned that he struggled with the fact that he could use his body weight and placement to influence the bike's behavior but couldn't do the same with the car. Over the years I've met riders who can be fast on anything and riders who need a really refined setup to be fast. I've always found that interesting. I assume the same kind of thing exists in the four wheeled world.
Motojunky said:I remember reading an article on Eddie Lawson's CART experience. He mentioned that he struggled with the fact that he could use his body weight and placement to influence the bike's behavior but couldn't do the same with the car. Over the years I've met riders who can be fast on anything and riders who need a really refined setup to be fast. I've always found that interesting. I assume the same kind of thing exists in the four wheeled world.
So as an amateur who made the transition there are a few things I've found. Note I was a 125cc GP bike rider and my techniques are from riding that class.
Here is my list in no particular order:
I like a car that's a bit looser than most other drivers (my fellow ex bike racers seem to be the same).
I like more rear brake bias than most other drivers; to the point of the car almost being unstable. I'm used to a motorcycle that weaves under threshold braking. I counter the rear brake bias by preloading the throttle under threshold braking if the car gets to weavy.
Trail braking is king as high corner entry speeds means getting the front(s) tire(s) to stick. Trail braking makes that possible.
I prefer the softest possible set up; it builds mechanical grip and makes for the car more consistent to drive on bumpy tracks. (On bikes if the front end chattered over bumps you were eventually going to have a huge crash).
I prefer a car where the fast way is sliding it around so vintage racing is a good fit for me.
I watch the tachometer constantly; I want to know the corner exit RPM for every corner of every lap. If you scrub a 100 RPM coming off a corner that may equate to 300 RPM at the end of the straight. This is totally from riding a two stroke 125cc bike, these bikes have zero torque.
I run the tallest gear possible for a given corner; if you can roll through a corner in a higher gear it means one less shift. It also makes a car or bike less pitch sensitive; this makes throttle steering through double apex corners much smoother.
Our good friend Randy Pobst also knows motorcycles.
I don't know why it's surprising at all. I certainly did. Motorcycles are so much less forgiving than cars, which feel like a cheat code by comparison. I think that more people would do it if cars weren't so much more expensive to race.
In reply to Kreb (Forum Supporter) :
It's not surprising but as the title says I am still somehow surprised buy it. I think it comes down to while lots of us have made the transition we are still in the minority.
I make this statement to students at track days "I think everyone should start racing on motorcycles because when you do something stupid the ground comes up and slaps some sense into you".
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