Michael Moore
Well-known member
. . . that I've decided that 2019 is going to be the year I stop renewing my AFM license.
I've held mine since the 1978 season (AFM South, then North in 1980), but the last two times (in the last 10 years or so) I've RR'd have been with AHRMA on borrowed 200GP vintage bikes. My last AFM races appear to have been in 1997. I always hoped I'd get back out with AFM, but the vintage class has been pretty dead for decades and many of the other classes I might consider (small to mid-size singles, twins, 125GP/Moto3 bikes) look to be a lot faster now than they were in the 1980/90s and everyone else got faster while I kept going about the same comfortable speed as always. I also spent way more time building project bikes than I did riding them on the track, but building can be a lot of fun too. I was always at least as interested in building the bikes as I was in racing them.
I've raced the following with AFM: Sprint races on 500 Yamaha (singles, 600SuperStreet, 500GP), 216 Honda (vintage), 250 and 350 Ducati (vintage and 250 Mod Prod), EX250 (250SS), 750 bevel Ducati (750 Mod Prod, 750 SS), 750 Laverda (vintage), 650 Cagiva (650 Twins, 750SS), and RD350/early ZX6/500 Yamaha singles in 4 hour endurance races. I was never a KFG but I picked up a few trophies along the way in the "backwater" classes I liked to race in.
I got to race with AFM at Ontario, Willow Springs, Riverside, Laguna Seca, Sears Point and Thunderhill.
41 years with AFM seems like a good enough run, and I suspect there are few other people who've held their license continuously for longer than I have. I've already retired from racing in the dirt and cleared out all dirt bikes and anything vintage, but I'll hold out a small hope for one or two more AHRMA (I have a lifetime license) RR events (SOS3) at Sears Point if I get a last modern project bike built. But trackdays are likely my best option now when/if I get something going.
It was mostly fun (and usually expensive!) though I didn't enjoy seeing fellow competitors end up seriously (and in cases permanently) injured. I'm 65 now and bowing out while still uninjured seems a reasonable thing to do.
The joy of getting old . . .
I'd like to thank AFM and my fellow (and fellowette) club members who worked the races and raced with me. Road racing (and AFM) seem to have fallen on harder times compared to when I was active, and I'm glad I got to race during what might qualify as "the golden years" (you know, back when there were big grids full of real GP bikes and AFM riders graduated to be National and World Champions).
Best wishes to you all for 2019 and the future,
cheers,
Michael Moore
AFM #364 (for a bit longer)
I've held mine since the 1978 season (AFM South, then North in 1980), but the last two times (in the last 10 years or so) I've RR'd have been with AHRMA on borrowed 200GP vintage bikes. My last AFM races appear to have been in 1997. I always hoped I'd get back out with AFM, but the vintage class has been pretty dead for decades and many of the other classes I might consider (small to mid-size singles, twins, 125GP/Moto3 bikes) look to be a lot faster now than they were in the 1980/90s and everyone else got faster while I kept going about the same comfortable speed as always. I also spent way more time building project bikes than I did riding them on the track, but building can be a lot of fun too. I was always at least as interested in building the bikes as I was in racing them.
I've raced the following with AFM: Sprint races on 500 Yamaha (singles, 600SuperStreet, 500GP), 216 Honda (vintage), 250 and 350 Ducati (vintage and 250 Mod Prod), EX250 (250SS), 750 bevel Ducati (750 Mod Prod, 750 SS), 750 Laverda (vintage), 650 Cagiva (650 Twins, 750SS), and RD350/early ZX6/500 Yamaha singles in 4 hour endurance races. I was never a KFG but I picked up a few trophies along the way in the "backwater" classes I liked to race in.
I got to race with AFM at Ontario, Willow Springs, Riverside, Laguna Seca, Sears Point and Thunderhill.
41 years with AFM seems like a good enough run, and I suspect there are few other people who've held their license continuously for longer than I have. I've already retired from racing in the dirt and cleared out all dirt bikes and anything vintage, but I'll hold out a small hope for one or two more AHRMA (I have a lifetime license) RR events (SOS3) at Sears Point if I get a last modern project bike built. But trackdays are likely my best option now when/if I get something going.
It was mostly fun (and usually expensive!) though I didn't enjoy seeing fellow competitors end up seriously (and in cases permanently) injured. I'm 65 now and bowing out while still uninjured seems a reasonable thing to do.
The joy of getting old . . .
I'd like to thank AFM and my fellow (and fellowette) club members who worked the races and raced with me. Road racing (and AFM) seem to have fallen on harder times compared to when I was active, and I'm glad I got to race during what might qualify as "the golden years" (you know, back when there were big grids full of real GP bikes and AFM riders graduated to be National and World Champions).
Best wishes to you all for 2019 and the future,
cheers,
Michael Moore
AFM #364 (for a bit longer)
Last edited: