2011 WERA Motorcycle Racing at the Nashville Superspeedway

Everyone who watches motorcycle roadracing has heard of AMA Pro Roadracing, MotoGP, and World Superbike but unfortunately many of us have not heard of WERA .  It's unfortunate because WERA is one of the older sanctioning bodies having been formed in 1974.  According to their web site they currently have 3,000 members with competition licenses.

Fall Race - September 24-25, 2011

Sadly this will be the last WERA race at the Nashville Superspeedway.  As a matter of fact it will probably be the last race of any kind at this facility, at least for a while.  It was announced a couple of months ago that the speedway would be closing after the 2011 season and I understand that the season ends for them in October.  So until some other organization decides to purchase the facility it has flown its last checkered flag.

I decided to take a few shots of the facility itself, just so I could remember it ;)

I hate to see it close down but I guess all good things come to an end sooner or later.  But today is still today and I'm here to see motorcycles.

OK, let's try that again ... I'm here to see motorcycles RACE.

First up were the "WERA Minis ..."

Sorry, that's the only class I know ;)  All I know is that next up was something a lot faster!

I took the photos below from the end of the front straight, going into turn 1.  It is the fastest spot on the track because the riders are just starting to get on the brakes to go into the infield section.

Between races I moved over to the infield.  The bikes aren't going nearly as fast but they are a lot closer when they come by me.

The weather gods were kind today and the rain that was to the west stayed away.  It got cloudy after a while but other than that and a bit of breeze it was a beautiful early fall day.

Another couple of site photos just because it was such a nice day.

And now a bunch of race photos.  I'm sure I got the breaks between the classes wrong, and I didn't stay for the whole event, but here's what I got:

And that's the end of WERA Motorcycle Roadracing at the Nashville Superspeedway since the track will shut down for good in a month or so.  I really enjoyed watching, and I wish it weren't coming to an end.  Let me know where you guys move this race to.  I may make it there as well!

Spring Race - April 16-17, 2011

I went to the WERA race here last fall and had a great time.  When I found out that they were running a spring race as well, I had to go.  The weather was perfect, the racing was great, and I'm ready for the fall race!

These were taken on the infield section.  This is a slow part of the track, the bikes were probably running 50 or 60 miles per hour in the corner, accelerating quickly through 70 or so coming out of it:

After a while we moved over to the end of the front straight, right where the riders start to get on the brakes.

The track is a 1.5 mile banked tri-oval with an infield section at each end of the track.  Total length is 1.8 miles.  The front straight is about 1/2 mile long.  The riders blaze down it and then get hard on the brakes to make a 180 degree hairpin into the infield section.  Take a close look at the first photograph.  Notice that the rear wheel of the bike is a couple of inches off the ground ... in a curve at probably 150 miles per hour!

If you think that the riders were just out there going around in circles by themselves, here are a few that might change your mind.  They were also taken right at the end of the front straight, the fastest spot on the track!