Stunt riders and roadracers have been at each others' throats for years, and we wanted to settle the score once and for all. Can a roadracer pull sky-high wheelies, and will a stunter survive a track day in the fast group?
Parking-lot stunters pull off some gravity-defying stunts, while roadracers charge through corners fearlessly. But are the skills needed to master one discipline transferable to the other? Our guinea pigs for this experiment agreed to swap rides for the day and help us find out.
Chris "Teach" McNeil
Stunt-Rider Extraordinaire
"Pulling into the track on the morning of the 'experiment,' I was excited to ride, but also a little apprehensive about the dramatically increased speeds that I would be experiencing for the first time. I have to admit that I was also concerned with the well being of my 'baby' and had already stripped as many quality components off my stunt bike as possible. Road racing has always been on my 'to-do' list and I was confident in my abilities to hit the corners. After all, I come from a street-riding background, and before I started popping clutches I was hitting off ramps.
"I have an innate desire to go fast and push the limits, so after a few laps of follow-the-leader I began to pick up the pace, putting my knee down just about everywhere. Getting a knee down and feeling the speed of the bike gave me a rush that I don't get stunting, unless I nearly wad it up.
"Getting a knee down and feeling...
"Getting a knee down and feeling the speed of the bike gave me a rush that I don't get stunting."
"The highlight of the day came when the speedo registered an indicated 155 mph while I had my right knee puck scraping the asphalt through Turn 8. I definitely garnered some respect for road racers and their ability to manipulate the motorcycle at speed.
"I felt like my extensive stunting background helped me adjust to the limits of the bike pretty easily and it was nice to actually use the bike in the specific manner it was designed for.
"One of my favorite tricks on my stunt bike is drifting, and although the speed at Willow didn't allow any drifting, the familiarity of finding the limits of the motorcycle and tire definitely helped me, as I nearly lost the front end late in the day, but saved it with my knee.
"Stunting, like racing, incorporates a lot of throttle control and balance. Once I learned the track a little bit and became comfortable with the motorcycle (Teri's R6) it turned into a super-fun day ripping on two wheels. I'll be hitting up some track days in the near future!"
Teri's Rating:
"Chris is a natural on a bike; I honestly had the easy job in this case. When it comes to road racing you practice lines, passing and corner speeds-those are skills that every road racer practices every time they put a wheel on a track. I wouldn't be surprised to see McNeil at a club race or two in 2008...he had that look in his eye."
Teri Gorrell
600cc Club-Racing Queen
"I have been racing for several years-not at the pro AMA level but in a very competitive club 600 class. Riding is certainly a personal challenge for me, and I'm always honing my skills and trying to improve on the last lap time, while striving to keep both wheels on the ground. I have had a few offs, and one pretty serious crash that would scare the bravest of men, but ultimately the love for riding always prevails and I throw my leg over my R6 every chance I get. When I was asked to trade places with Chris, I thought: 'Why not? It can't be that hard.
"My first challenge was getting a feel for the dramatically different clutch-contributing to my difficulties is a damaged clutch hand from a crash in 2004. Chris had a shorty clutch lever on his bike which made it almost impossible for me to pull it, since my left index finger doesn't really bend due to the strategically placed pins. Luckily, Chris was prepared with a new lever (he may have anticipated machinery damage). Once we changed that I could use more than just my index finger to operate the clutch.
"My wheelies were weak, to say the least, and unfortunately my patience is short, which added to my frustration! Like anything in life, if you don't relax, slow down and concentrate, your skill level won't go in the direction you want it to. My frustration must have been contagious, because Chris yelled: 'Quit being a sissy and get on the gas!'