Ray Jones of Donkey Punch Racing describes his experience during his first AMA Pro Daytona SportBike race weekend

What is it like being on the track for the first time with experienced AMA racers? We talk to a first-time AMA Pro Daytona SportBike rider, Ray Jones, who gives us the lowdown of what it took to get there, what it was like preparing for the race, and what it means sharing the track with some of the fastest racers on the AMA circuit.

Jones bought his first street bike in 2000. After he began riding with a friend, as he put it, “We were riding too fast for being on the street and it was dangerous.” His friend suggested trying the track, and after his first day at Pocono Raceway, he was hooked. He had always been competitive, and, realizing that this was something he really loved to do, he decided to pursue the sport.

In 2003, he and his friend both attended the race school at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) where he attained his amateur license with the Champion Cup Series. In 2004, he raced his first full season at Loudon, N.H., and in 2005 went on to win all three amateur championships there; afterwards, he was bumped up to expert level. Since 2006, he has had 10 top-five finishes, including three podiums, 27 top-ten finishes and 29 top-fifteen finishes. After 2 and a half years of racing at the expert level with WERA and CCS, he accumulated enough points to apply for his AMA license, which was approved in the spring of 2009.

He had previously raced Mid-Ohio at club level a couple of times, and noticed that his lap times were good enough to qualify for AMA races held at that track. Jones explained why he chose Mid-Ohio as his first AMA race: “Here’s a track that I know that I’m fairly quick, quick enough to make the grid. Here’s where I’m going to take a shot…this is my best chance.”

His first practice round at Mid-Ohio wasn’t all that memorable: “It wasn’t like they were screaming past me like I was standing still.”

But the race itself was a different story. Jones describes what it was like during his first race, having a front row seat for what most of us only watch from the stands or on TV.

“They were definitely moving at a much faster clip than I was. It was impressive just to be there next to them as they were coming by me out on the track and to  see how smooth and precise they were. Being directly behind them, I could see all four riders and it was like synchronized riding. All four of them backed it into the corner as smooth and as cool as you can imagine. It was really impressive just to watch. It’s like, you’re getting passed and you’re not upset about getting passed. You just sit back and think, wow, that was really cool. Not a lot of people get to see it from that angle. Television definitely does not pick up on how extremely technical and in control they are. It’s extremely impressive.”

At one point during the race, Jones saw the blue flag being waved, which is a signal that leaders are coming and the rider must allow them to pass as soon as possible. He explained that when this happens, the rider maintains their pace and doesn’t make any erratic moves. He or she then leaves extra room for the leaders to get around and then rejoin the race line after they pass.

“I definitely didn’t want to be that rider that screwed up the race for somebody,” Jones explained about allowing the leaders pass. “Those guys are battling for the championship; I’m just out there to fulfill the goal of being able to do it.”

Jones finished toward the back of the pack that weekend, something he admitted that he’s not used to. It didn’t bother him, though. He knew he was racing against a totally different class of riders in AMA and was excited just to be out there.

Racing is an expensive sport and Jones talked about costs of racing. Although racing fees are fairly reasonable, he explained that fuel and travel are probably the biggest financial issues that many racers face.

Tires are another big expense. In club racing, Jones normally goes through two sets of tires, but for the AMA weekend, he went through four sets. He had a fresh set for practice, one for qualifying and another set for each race. He explained that WERA races at Mid-Ohio are normally 10 to 12 laps for longer races, six to eight for sprints. The AMA races are 21 laps, riding at full pace, which is a long time to be out there. As far as accommodations, he and friends often split a hotel room or camp at the track to save money when times are tough.

Jones also spoke of the relationships and kinship that racers, and motorcycle riders in general, have with each other: “The racing community is just unbelievable. Riders borrow tools and parts from each other. I’ve even seen competitors lend their backup bike when the other racer was having problems with their own.”

He also said that friends he races with sent him money before the AMA race to help him out and told him they would be cheering for him.

“I don’t know any other sport where people do that.” Jones commented.

During the 2010 season, Jones plans to attend the season opener at VIR, and the two rounds at Beaverun with WERA. He also hopes to do several rounds with LRRS and the AMA pro event at Mid Ohio. His current sponsors include Kneedraggers.com, JamInTheValley.com, Maxima, Vortex, RonAyers.com, Dunlop and Chicken Hawk Racing, although he still funds 90% of the costs himself. He is looking for additional sponsors to enable him to participate in more races next season.

He has an impressive club racing resume and the passion and skill to continue building on it. If you are interested in seeing Ray Jones’ full racing resume and/or sponsoring his racing efforts, he can be contacted at Roadracer171@yahoo.com.

Ray Jones Quick Facts:

AMA Number: 99
Age: 32
Occupation: Mechanical Engineer
Hometown: Buffalo, NY
Race Organizations: Western Eastern Racing Association (WERA), Championship Cup Series (CCS), Loudon Road Racing Series (LRRS), AMA
Tracks Run: NHMS (Loudon), VIR, Mid-Ohio, Beaverun
Years racing: 7