Latest / B 4EVA Kool "Race A Motorcycle" Podcast / B4evaKool "race a motorcycle" Podcast Ep. 06
Transcript
- 0:00Welcome to another edition of the be forever.
- 0:03Cool podcast. My name is Rex 45 and tonight
- 0:06tonight or today, I'm fortunate to have Leroy join us on the
- 0:11show. He's been, you know, we're gonna
- 0:15get into all of about his history, but, you know, he
- 0:17reached out to me after the first show and on episode 4, we
- 0:21played what he said. So and after that, I wanted to
- 0:24get him on just to talk about race and because he's done a
- 0:28lot. So welcome Lee.
- 0:30Roy, I don't if you don't give your last name or not Leroy
- 0:32courts, Urt. And you know where you from
- 0:35Leroy Georgetown Guyana Guyana. South America is like right
- 0:39above Brazil. Yep.
- 0:41Yeah, nice. Nice.
- 0:43And how did you get into motorcycles and and even getting
- 0:49into racing the motorcycle racing, I used to write on the
- 0:54street and then the racing started when I flew back
- 1:00together after being here for a while and then they race.
- 1:05And I just really gotten big in Guyana and then we somebody
- 1:09offered me a bike and a suit. And I just went on the truck and
- 1:13I after within the force, tulips arms like this is it, this is it
- 1:17here and and and, and did you automatically just start going
- 1:23to the track after that? Or did you go?
- 1:25Oh, I gotta figure out how I'm gonna make this happen to her.
- 1:29I can do. This all the time.
- 1:31Yeah. Well I was based in the u.s. so
- 1:33most of the the right after that I started.
- 1:38Well Guyana was the only space that I could.
- 1:41All right, I didn't know much about racing in the u.s. again.
- 1:46Like I said, being from the Caribbean you would think racing
- 1:48in the u.s. it's just MotoGP level.
- 1:51It's am a level, right? I didn't being the age that I
- 1:57was in, you know, I thought I'd surprise Is that so far?
- 2:00So I was like there was no I didn't think about it being
- 2:03possible in the u.s. so Guyana was my only option at the time.
- 2:08So what I would do is try to, I would come over here and work
- 2:11and then save up some cash and then fly back home during their
- 2:14events and try and do an event. But the problem was that I
- 2:18didn't have a suit. I was using I was renting or
- 2:21borrowing a suit and then borrowing a bike, right?
- 2:24You know, both the two times that I wrote there, it was all
- 2:27borrowed good, you know? So It didn't work out too well
- 2:31for me, you know, in, that's why it only lasted one to time two
- 2:35trips. Got you and what is the race
- 2:38Community like in the Caribbean or in Guyana?
- 2:42Because, in this, in your case, it's very big in a sense, we're
- 2:49there's a, there's a huge big, like, you know, football or
- 2:52soccer for the American folks or yeah, it's an event.
- 2:56Because remember, the crew in the Caribbean is not everybody
- 2:58looks for something. To do, right?
- 3:00They mean for my entertainment areas is parties, so anything
- 3:06young guy and yeah which is like a which would be like a football
- 3:09game cricket, we begin to Cricket.
- 3:11So anything along those lines, people always something to do on
- 3:14the weekends and then opportunity to drink racing
- 3:19became popular, as you know, and a lot of people have been into
- 3:23it since like the 70s again. Oh, wow.
- 3:26Yeah, this is a lot is about deer.
- 3:28They were heavy into the cars, it's Most recently, we started
- 3:31getting a lot of motorcycle reason.
- 3:33Yeah. And, you know, full disclosure
- 3:36and he invited me to go to Jamaica, to go racing and and
- 3:40even talked about, I didn't realize like people were racing,
- 3:42it was organized and folks are racing in the Caribbean like
- 3:45that. And it's, you know, and not just
- 3:47some in South America, you know all around.
- 3:50Yeah. It was crazy.
- 4:03The amount of people that reached out to me like, oh, you
- 4:05from, I'm from Jamaica. I got guys from Antigua st.
- 4:11Vincent, Barbados. A lot of people that are based
- 4:15in California in Florida, even and they were like, there's
- 4:18racing in the Caribbean I'm again.
- 4:20And, you know, they always try to figure out how to make it
- 4:23work, right? But right now, there's no like
- 4:26an easy. You can get your bike from The
- 4:30US data to the Caribbean islands so easily and then get it back
- 4:34for you to go participate in the u.s. because it takes at least a
- 4:37month Customs. Yeah.
- 4:39And you know, shipping and if you can't pay somebody off,
- 4:42right? He like, you don't know what
- 4:44you're gonna get it, they don't have a good system right now, we
- 4:48write and most guys, as you know, with Races, they spend so
- 4:51much money into getting their equipment.
- 4:55Set up for them. Great to go to a different
- 4:58island or country. Three different environment and
- 5:01then jump in somebody's machines as built for them, right?
- 5:05And I'm being performed because, you know, partner is in his
- 5:08performance. Everybody wants to do.
- 5:10Well, when you got your soup build, you know, did you
- 5:13automatically was it a no-brainer?
- 5:15Like, I'm putting my Guyanese flag on my on my suit on my
- 5:20bike. I'm ready.
- 5:21I'm repping the Caribbean weapon way from, is that?
- 5:23That was automatic, not the, the first suit I had made was a
- 5:27white suit. Okay?
- 5:29But and why I went to the have a suit made is because the forces
- 5:33that I borrowed it was a bit short around the neck.
- 5:37So like I couldn't Lean Forward, right?
- 5:39Right. That would be in chilled.
- 5:40So all the writing pictures from that first time, I rode in Ghana
- 5:43it was, I was operate. Right?
- 5:45You know. And so a lot of people were
- 5:47talking about it. So I was like, all right, let me
- 5:50go, try and find this suit make. Oh, right?
- 5:53I could make it the way I want it.
- 5:54You know, my arms are bigger, my legs a bigger, you know.
- 5:58Bam, Bam. Bam.
- 5:59Yeah, so I did that. I had a custom suit made and but
- 6:03it the first time I wrote, which would be the second time in guy
- 6:07and the first time, I use the suit at a big accident and
- 6:11totally suit. Yeah, I was raised.
- 6:14We went down for the Caribbean Championship, so the
- 6:17Championships. It rotates around the Caribbean.
- 6:21Jamaica, Barbados Trinidad, and gather, wow, Dan is usually the
- 6:26last event in November, okay? All the islands would send
- 6:31Riders over and they would participate.
- 6:35So, we had a big group that time in Guyana and I remember going
- 6:39down there and borrowed bike, you can buy the new suit.
- 6:43And the first raised the, I didn't get an opportunity to
- 6:48risk because the bike wouldn't start all of a sudden.
- 6:51So I was like that was so eggplant because I spent so much
- 6:55to go there and be a part of this new and then I miss the
- 6:58first race because the bike wouldn't start.
- 6:59Art finally, got the bike started and then we went out to
- 7:04race and I was just trying my best pushing my body and then I
- 7:09think it was of think around the sixth of the eighth lap.
- 7:13Hmm, I got a bit, a guy wrote on the Me Maybe passed me on the
- 7:18inside and I guess being a new writer, you know, the first
- 7:22thing you thinking on the turn is over guys.
- 7:24Possibly let me go pasta. Yeah so I hit the gas, the back
- 7:29wheel spot. And then there's a there was a
- 7:31guy from Barbados behind me. He was trailing, I didn't know
- 7:34right, hit me. And he wrote over my head.
- 7:38Oh yeah, the back wheel. It spun on the helmet, kick the
- 7:42helmet off. So I hit my head on the, on the
- 7:45tarmac. Uh-huh, was out.
- 7:47Wow. Okay.
- 7:49Okay. That was this.
- 7:50That was my mean deeb you basically, right?
- 7:53And after that you said I'm gonna do it again.
- 7:55Well, that was so coming back to the suit.
- 7:58That's why this suit was. Total because I passed out and
- 8:03they had to cut it off. They have to cut it.
- 8:05Yeah yeah so the second suit that I actually had well I knew
- 8:09at that point custom suits got to be got to be custom suit but
- 8:12it was so comfortable. Okay, I haven't done custom yet,
- 8:15I'm a homo, perhaps hoping to have one this year.
- 8:19It's I mean, but if you fit into the the off the rock stuff you
- 8:23you find but I couldn't because certain parts would be tight for
- 8:26me. Yeah, I wear Dainese.
- 8:28I think I'm part of town. Yonkers.
- 8:30They seem to fit pretty good when you when you get a custom
- 8:35pseudo is like because it's so you could really fit it to your
- 8:39purse. Yeah, I know you look like some
- 8:41of the races at Loudon. They're like, like, if you
- 8:45remember Jason, he has suit fits his personality, my suit, right?
- 8:49So color like we've done, may look like a superhero.
- 8:52Yeah, yeah, a blue dragon. So that's that's basically what.
- 8:56I that's the fun part of having a custom suit put Put aside the,
- 9:00the fitment aspects of it. Right?
- 9:02Right. No, it definitely.
- 9:04And it represents your the personality as you mentioned.
- 9:10Now speaking that accident and and just riding down in Guyana
- 9:16and I've seen video from from races in in Jamaica and and and
- 9:21and looking at the track condition from the video.
- 9:23You know, you know I hear you know, going up and down the East
- 9:25Coast. I hear Riders talk about Loudon
- 9:27and and talk about you know, how Added is and and in this kind, I
- 9:32look at videos. Like I said Jamaican.
- 9:33I can't speak of Guyana and any other tracks.
- 9:35But you know, how does the tracks in the Caribbean compared
- 9:39to the to the tracks in the u.s. that you've raced that or wrote
- 9:42on and and and just you know, the safety part of it in in most
- 9:50of the, well, one of the most feared trucks right now is in
- 9:55Jamaica. Actually, there's a track called
- 9:57over here. Yeah, right.
- 9:58You're right at the Side of the mountains, they built a truck
- 10:01and intent in the mountains like so it's like some of the third
- 10:04you comment on the mountain face is on your left side.
- 10:07You know you comment on this the the longest straightaway.
- 10:11Hmm and then there's a barrier and then there's a cliff, you
- 10:14know? So if you don't if you don't
- 10:16make that very break as for you on the side of the cliff, you
- 10:20know, right. So you know that thought that
- 10:23took a lot of guys to get accustomed to get the courage,
- 10:26dear to get a little bit and then the the This is not the
- 10:30it's not as smooth as as the u.s. trucks, you know?
- 10:35But guys like I said we went to to Barbados and dudes are
- 10:40pulling up with girls in the back of the bikes if they flick
- 10:43their mirrors in and then you go race and I'm going to finish
- 10:45racing, you just come back out. Girl, jump in the back and then
- 10:48the writer the right off. That's not a track day.
- 10:51That's a race is a race. That's a race weekend in
- 10:54Barbados. So the see if the aspects of it,
- 10:58like I said, it varies based. Based on economics.
- 11:01Right, right right now makes is a big issue with in with the
- 11:04people in the islands and for sure that's why you know, like
- 11:08we don't you won't see us reassured in a Dainese suit or
- 11:11what with airbags. You know, we would write mostly
- 11:13like whatever without a bag. Whatever somebody can hand down
- 11:17or whatever, like custom suit down there.
- 11:19It's not. It's unheard of you know, right?
- 11:21And and, and now are they riding two-piece suits and stuff like
- 11:23that? Yeah, mostly whatever they get.
- 11:25Like what we start? What do you have to start doing?
- 11:28Was we had to To get people to the line.
- 11:31They used to say we gotta we are you have to wear like a
- 11:34Timberlands and jeans and stuff like that.
- 11:37That's how they started, you know.
- 11:39And then from The Pick of the lot, you would see the ones that
- 11:43are one in a better economic position.
- 11:46Right, right, right. And that's the biggest part to
- 11:48afford to see if t.i., you know, because like you said, you know,
- 11:51you need tires. Yeah, that'll get tires right?
- 11:53I get a suit. Yeah.
- 11:55You gotta get gloves in the helmet.
- 11:56The guys are racing that where it's not the intent Berlin's and
- 11:58jeans. Let me see.
- 11:59Yep. Mmm, they belong.
- 12:04Yeah, meet emblems are not the best boot to be shifting fast
- 12:09and quick, right? Because it's so bulky volume
- 12:12element Timberlands or big in the US then.
- 12:14Yeah, yeah. Yeah, right, right.
- 12:19You know, but that the surface part of it, the truck, it's not
- 12:24again, it's like Indiana. There's the the truck.
- 12:28The Box, straight of the truck was an actual road that the
- 12:32trucks would transport son. Hmm from the interior parts into
- 12:37the into the city, okay? So like on a race weekend they
- 12:40would actually have to block that part at the back straight
- 12:44and then clean the truck from the Sun and stuff.
- 12:46So like that's what we write we write whatever they whatever
- 12:49start on the surface. So when I go to loud and they're
- 12:52like Loudon is about track is Bumpy and like what bumps what
- 12:55it is, what wall you know like we talked about a year In the
- 12:58bottom like in Jamaica, the ear is between you and the cliff
- 13:01Cliff, you know? So so so I love loading because
- 13:07when I did, I did some other tracks.
- 13:10I did Pittsburgh with it, when it just repaved it, it was, it
- 13:14was like eating food without spice, right?
- 13:18Right. That's all I expected.
- 13:19A lot of people like when you go to loud and you get some spices
- 13:23into it, you know, you get a little bit of pepper here,
- 13:25right? You know I'm a part-time cook.
- 13:27So that's The best way I could have experienced on.
- 13:30I love the bumps. I love the little cracks.
- 13:33Right? Right.
- 13:34That makes loaded what it is. Yeah.
- 13:36You know, I guess I wrote Pittsburgh.
- 13:38Like I said, there's nothing I could remember other than the
- 13:40long drive because the truck was so smooth.
- 13:42It was just the design. You come off the track with load
- 13:45and you looking at a bump, you hit a bump.
- 13:47You avoiding a line because you're gonna slide you know
- 13:50you're right. It makes it makes a truck.
- 13:52What it is. And that's was loading, is yeah.
- 13:55And you know, for me I didn't I raised only loud.
- 13:58Until I think 2019. So that was my only experience.
- 14:01And, you know, after being able to do like the CCS series, the
- 14:06different regions and stuff like that, you know, like loud and
- 14:10prepares you for all these other places and a lot of fast guys or
- 14:14not so fast, folks that refused to race at Loudon that, you
- 14:19know, even folks that started at Loudon have have gone off and to
- 14:23greener pastures in their mind and refused to come back and
- 14:27race. But it is such a fun track and
- 14:31and it teaches you so much and it, you know, in my mind it's
- 14:35like, you know, I'm not going to try to do something that I can't
- 14:39do because you know, the track is going to let you know, you
- 14:42don't know what you're doing. Exactly.
- 14:45You know. And, and so now coming to the
- 14:47u.s. and, and and and you come into Loudon, which is, you know,
- 14:52you're, you know, you're based in New York and and, you know,
- 14:56jerseys down the street from you.
- 14:58But, you know, you decided to come to Loudon and and cut your
- 15:02teeth there. The, the resident, the u.s.
- 15:06started after the accident because after the accident, I
- 15:11realized, I couldn't, you know, use somebody else's equipment
- 15:14and stuff. So, I went and invested in a
- 15:16motorcycle, right? I said, I had to bike based in
- 15:19Guyana and I was going to do the following year.
- 15:23Like I said, CMR see which is a Caribbean Motor Racing circuit
- 15:28It. All right.
- 15:29So I got a bike up here. I shipped it home, together,
- 15:33whatever. And I had them ship it to
- 15:36Jamaica. Okay, wow, yeah.
- 15:39So I would just fly to Jamaica on the bike would be there.
- 15:42So, when I got to Jamaica, the bike was there, but it wasn't
- 15:45working. So I never done.
- 15:47This was a next trip that I saved up for got out there and
- 15:51then the by couldn't work. So I borrow somebody else's bike
- 15:53to do a couple of laps. Right?
- 15:55So at that point, I got frustrated, I saw the bike right
- 15:57there in Jamaica. And I went back to the States
- 16:00and I was like, you know, this is two trips I've made.
- 16:03I it was a lot of money to get there and then I didn't I ain't
- 16:07got nothing out of it. So I had a cousin that was
- 16:10racing at Loudon, so he told me to come up into a class and you
- 16:13get, you get your license and you get to race.
- 16:15And I started up there and within the first week and like I
- 16:19said, we do to my personality. You know, a lot of people kind
- 16:22of like reached out and mailed it with my and that's that
- 16:26became my home truck, right? You know, so even though jerseys
- 16:29two hours away, it's worth the five and a half hours, because
- 16:33I, as I explained to you guys in a voice, not last week, racing
- 16:36is 15 minutes, right? And the rest of the time.
- 16:40It's actual you want. It is so going on the track for
- 16:4415 minutes, it is fine. But when you come off, that's
- 16:47where recent really expands for me.
- 16:49It's the commitment, the, the relationships with all the
- 16:53people at Monroe me, right? You know, anything your
- 16:56personality to, to Just because I, you know, I was at Loudon,
- 17:01you showed up at Loudon and I like, I say to myself, I'm
- 17:04always in the weeds and, and like you said the first weekend,
- 17:07you know, you're hanging out with woods and and talking with
- 17:10everyone is that just your personality or is it?
- 17:13Just the how you feel about the motorcycle Community or not?
- 17:18That that's my personality because I was always the ones to
- 17:23push the people around me, right?
- 17:25You know, if, if you, if you Ask anybody around.
- 17:29I'm always the one making the bets.
- 17:31Yeah, yeah, quick to do the one that talks up.
- 17:33So it was kind of very, it was very awkward for.
- 17:37Most of the people, I met New Hampshire when I showed up there
- 17:40because what I would forcing I came up there.
- 17:43I was a novice and then I'm challenging people in an office
- 17:46groups, right? So no, there it is.
- 17:48All these experts are watching at this guy to just come.
- 17:51He can ride and he's challenging next Rider to be tried in race
- 17:56and right it's like it's like a top.
- 17:58In a sense, I would call it because as fast as you could
- 18:01write, you would never see somebody I could write a write
- 18:03better than you, right? But that was a big thing in the
- 18:05Caribbean, you know, you quit you drink to bear and then right
- 18:07to be like, I'm going to race. I'm gonna beat you.
- 18:09I can beat you so. So that was the way I brought
- 18:12that there and it's still there to this day.
- 18:15It is still there today, to this day.
- 18:16I mean, we see folks making making these side bets for fun,
- 18:20all for fun, or for the horn, Becca fun.
- 18:24Just just to just for other Riders and and like I said, you
- 18:28you You brought that, you know, that ease the tension to the
- 18:32track where, you know, you can we can laugh and have to say
- 18:35wasn't there before but not like, you know, like you can
- 18:40spend, you know, six seven hours going around from Paddock to
- 18:43Paddock from area to area just talking to people and
- 18:46everybody's having a good time, social media made it.
- 18:49You know, made my job a little bit easier because I was able to
- 18:52just jump on Facebook and call Outdoor writer.
- 18:56And again, like I said, these are the things that people We're
- 18:58doing up there so I but I got opportunity to do it.
- 19:01I started calling. As soon as I got bumped up to a
- 19:04mature, I picked on somebody there, you know.
- 19:07And then a few years and I picked, I started picking on the
- 19:09experts, I'm like, hey you can't pass me in this lap because I
- 19:12usually start ahead of us. Yeah, you're right.
- 19:14Right and then no. And then as you said, I got I
- 19:16got some of the bigger races just noticing that, this little
- 19:21amateur guy, you know, can ride and it, is he stalking up and
- 19:25then they made it their duty to come and try and catch me on the
- 19:27truck. Right.
- 19:28Which made it fun for the sport, you know.
- 19:30I remember one time, we had one of the biggest reasons, they're
- 19:33the fastest guys there. I'm doing push-ups and eating
- 19:36Donuts, because, you know, he couldn't finish the race in
- 19:39front of me. Right.
- 19:40Right. Right.
- 19:42It's fun. It's a lot of fun.
- 19:43And I brought a lot to the track there and that's what makes the
- 19:46five and a half. Like I said sometimes when I
- 19:48drive him back I'm like wow six hours I think.
- 19:51Yeah but it's worth it when you when you when you think about it
- 19:55I can't wait to do it again after choose it because, you
- 19:57know, Mom After reasons, you just don't even want to think
- 19:59about risk, right? Right.
- 20:01Right. That's kind of decompression,
- 20:02decompression and and stuff like that and then, you know, and and
- 20:05let's talk about how you get to the track because, you know,
- 20:09your, you know, your vehicle. I don't know how you have room
- 20:12for yourself after you pay after you back everything, you know
- 20:17that, like, you know, that, that, that whole process is it
- 20:20like, did you figure that out quickly?
- 20:22The spend you like, you know, day or two that like, how am I
- 20:25gonna get the bike? And because, you know it, you
- 20:27know, he's He's coming in a caravan, right?
- 20:29And your and you got everything you need in the Caravan.
- 20:32Yeah it took some, it took some planning.
- 20:35Hmm. You know, I knew Force, I got to
- 20:37get the bike in there and then I knew I did.
- 20:40I saw again going up there the the restrooms are, you know,
- 20:46quite a few steps away, right? And to get to a tour of
- 20:50specific, turn to watch the race because I always tell people,
- 20:53I'm a fun of recent first race and then I became a racer.
- 20:58You know, so like I'm up there to see the races, right, you
- 21:02know. So a lot of times I'm like
- 21:03shocked that the guys like when I'm not in a particular race,
- 21:06I'm rooting for guys that I actually race with mean, really.
- 21:09Sorry. That's the fun part of it.
- 21:11So, to get around to these locations quickly, if you needed
- 21:14a an additional transport, right?
- 21:18Most guys up there would have a bicycle or a scooter.
- 21:21Right. I end up buying a scooter.
- 21:23So now I have to fit the bike and scooter in there, you know?
- 21:26So it was just like, Put it in and then I would.
- 21:29And then with my bike, I'll have to take off all of the fairings,
- 21:32right? Like the let it pass the
- 21:35entrance of the the Dodge. Yeah, press the, I used to take
- 21:39it off and then everything will just fit and I like the toolbox
- 21:42and then ice cooler because they got to put, you know, your beers
- 21:46and then I got you know, my suit I had few laughs you will jug
- 21:51had extra tires. It was so it was a process that
- 21:54I get but as I explained to you NE vais, not all, that is part.
- 21:58The reason it like I couldn't wait till Thursday afternoon to
- 22:01come home and start trying to put this puzzle into this
- 22:03minivan, was it fun part? And then that one say, you know
- 22:08what, I'm not gonna do this, just show up and, and, and show
- 22:12up with good spirits and like you're saying in a voice note,
- 22:16you know, you are one of the let the last folks to go to bed.
- 22:20Yeah. You know, and even times you'll
- 22:23cooking and and and try to, you know, just spread the love as
- 22:27much as possible. Possible.
- 22:29Yeah, because like I said, when I get up there you like,
- 22:32literally a wave. I was for me, I was away from
- 22:34everything. I mean I'm far away from Gay and
- 22:37then for the way from New York and New York was a lot of, you
- 22:40know. Now I wouldn't call it stress.
- 22:42Cause I like what I do. I like my job, right, you know,
- 22:44but it was a getaway driver. Literally, I would turn my
- 22:48phone's off and just let everybody know if they're
- 22:50checking in on me, is just a check in to see how I'm doing
- 22:53our if I spaced in a race or whatever.
- 22:56But I would all the business Stresses are used to keep that
- 22:59away from the truck, you know. So for that treat is being
- 23:03there. It was like a different
- 23:05environment. All these two things you
- 23:06thinking about. What am I eating for breakfast?
- 23:08What time is my race? What are we eating for dinner?
- 23:10That's it. Yeah, pretty much.
- 23:12Yeah, that's pretty much it. No, you're not thinking about
- 23:15bills and not thinking about no girlfriend.
- 23:18Nothing at all you know. That was part of my regime going
- 23:21up there. No stress.
- 23:22No females, no Nails. No, just the people that are
- 23:27there. Parts of the race.
- 23:29And that's how we were focusing on nice.
- 23:31And, and coming up there, how did how like, you know, your
- 23:34first weekend and and like, what was your thought of?
- 23:37Just how the layout and folks and coming to garage for and
- 23:41and, and, and seeing all that and seeing all the different,
- 23:45folks, all the different ages male or female, or, you know,
- 23:48riding, it was an eye-opener, it was, it was fun because, like,
- 23:54you got to remember, we come in from, like, grass roots in the
- 23:57Caribbean life. We just have a shed that they
- 24:00built and to block the rain and the Sun from you, you machinery,
- 24:04and that's it, you know, and then you know, like they would
- 24:08hot, I would call it hot wiring just so you can understand
- 24:11electric electric electricity electricity from the power
- 24:14lines, right? We just throw two wires on the
- 24:16thing and bring it into the shed, and that would be power
- 24:19for you to run a light bulb. Did you get like?
- 24:22Yeah, so that's where I'm coming from.
- 24:25So, when I, when we come from something like that in the You
- 24:28see, now you walk into a garage, it's just a shuttle.
- 24:30There's ear, you got electricity Outlets, you know, restroom
- 24:36that's between the heaters and dryers and hot water and cold
- 24:39water, like showers. I like this, like this.
- 24:42Like this was like night and day for me so I instantly, you know,
- 24:46was attracted to it, you know, it wasn't, it wasn't, it was
- 24:49impressive for me, right? You know.
- 24:51So like I said, if you notice like a few times on the post,
- 24:55when I see people posting, you know about Loudon, and And the
- 24:59arginase. I'm like bro, you just be
- 25:01appreciative of what you got. Oh yeah.
- 25:02I got a chance to go race. You should see what we try to
- 25:05do, what we try to do with what we have, you know, so like this.
- 25:08I every time I used to come back from the truck.
- 25:10I would tank people ride loud. I'm like, oh, great grace, I
- 25:13came on my life. I'm happy.
- 25:15No, I completely agree after after after going to other
- 25:18tracks and and and seeing some of the conditions allowed and
- 25:22has one of the best facilities out there, I mean, probably next
- 25:26to Daytona, I haven't been to the I drove middle of the
- 25:28country and West so I can't speak for that.
- 25:31But up and down the East Coast. Yeah.
- 25:33I got one of the best facilities and and I didn't like we started
- 25:36in that so I didn't really, I didn't understand it and I went
- 25:39to some other tracks and I'm just like you want me to shower
- 25:42in there, you know? So you know, now I built a
- 25:48shower in my trailer so just because yeah, like all that
- 25:52isn't that was weird for me to like, I see guys with two bikes.
- 25:56They have a rain by Canada. And a bike for the hot weather.
- 25:59I'm like, wow, you don't like me.
- 26:02You like I said, I guess, I guess I got a lot of
- 26:05depreciation because I came from the Caribbean.
- 26:08I see that quickly, right, right.
- 26:10And I still there, you know, you know, this he I'm fortunate to
- 26:13have a beer bike, you know. But no, you know, it's you know,
- 26:17when you just have what you have and you just start.
- 26:19Now you really have tools and you barely have Tire warmers and
- 26:22you really have all these things.
- 26:24You know, the love of racing is just going to make you show up
- 26:26and work it with you got Because you know, even this past year
- 26:31the guy that won the amateur azra super sport series he was
- 26:36racing a 20 year old bike stock suspension and my okay.
- 26:40Well what will like it? What am I going to say that?
- 26:44I need this on my bike, I did that on my bike now you just got
- 26:47to go out there and ride what you have.
- 26:48Yeah. You know, and and so that, that
- 26:52that, that that's, you know, that's the crazy part of it is
- 26:54like, yeah, you can have a bite be bikes and all this stuff but
- 26:58you know, At the end of the day, you know, you got to ride what
- 27:00you have and then you gotta ride the race that your bike gives
- 27:03you. Your body gives you your mind
- 27:05gives you and stuff like that. So, we haven't really talked
- 27:07about that part of of you on track and and and and like, how
- 27:11do you prepare once you get out there, how do you, how do you
- 27:15get around and figure out, you know, where you going to push or
- 27:18not to push? You know, I like it for about I
- 27:23would say about two, three seasons, it was most of my
- 27:29reason at Loudon was just for the experience.
- 27:35I wasn't thinking about pushing and like, I remember like one
- 27:40sees now I was trying to find some cameras to put on the bike
- 27:44because what I would do, I knew I was fast, but so what I would
- 27:47do, I would pick on a guy. And now you knew a fast because
- 27:51of street riding, or just I knew I was fast because a based on
- 27:55among the effort, I would have to put to be in front with the
- 28:01group of, with the guys, that is because the bike that I believe
- 28:04was fast and I knew where it was stronger than most of the bikes
- 28:09out there. So I knew if I focus on, I used
- 28:13it. The, the strength of the bike I
- 28:14would actually it would make the racing easier because if I know,
- 28:19Coming out of 12, I could pass a guy on the street because I my
- 28:23bike has a faster pick up so I could ride around the whole
- 28:26truck following him and soon as we get the street, I passed him
- 28:29right next guy, same thing, follow him and then she was
- 28:31getting straight, I passed him. So I knew what my strengths were
- 28:35and I knew what the bike was. So what I started focusing on
- 28:38trying to get good videos. MMM.
- 28:40You know, so I remember whole season that was it.
- 28:42I was just trying to write up next a guy and then wait until I
- 28:46get her a certain part and then destroy and pass and then some
- 28:49Gonna be nice and video. We're going to look for that
- 28:51guy. Alright, good.
- 28:53And I can go down to the so most.
- 28:54So when you talk about focusing on where to pass and how to
- 28:58think it was, I kid, you not three seasons.
- 29:01I remember, I was just focusing on just enjoying it.
- 29:04I'm the last one to go to bed because I said, if I go up this
- 29:07weekend and you're in your sleep early and I got an extra and he
- 29:12got into some problems and he drinking for some reason.
- 29:15I am the one that was there doing going with him but I
- 29:19Throwing down in the next morning is stuff together.
- 29:21But I am the up that person because that moment we spend
- 29:26drinking and then I'd get him to open up and then I see a
- 29:29different part of the life, right?
- 29:31That they're going through and then it's like, wow.
- 29:33I see why he's coming to the track because he shares what I'm
- 29:36sharing. This is a get away from what
- 29:39he's going through, right? So, it became curious to me as I
- 29:41started doing it more often. So I'm now out there.
- 29:44Now I bring the beers are bringing food.
- 29:46All right. Who come bring me problems that
- 29:47we, let me tell you trash it. Out.
- 29:49Some guys want going ride. Dr. Cort 1:00 in the morning
- 29:52with a racing right? In the dirt bikes in the in the
- 29:55dark and I'm there right. Right.
- 29:57Right now. And then we build a bond.
- 29:59So for Ike started enjoying doing it because I'm building a
- 30:03memory. Yeah, I guess I do want to use
- 30:05race and doing dirt bikes in the in trash and then both of him,
- 30:11you know, the next day he would get up.
- 30:12And then I would feel our closest with him because when he
- 30:14gave me that look is like, hey thanks.
- 30:17You know, I used to I used to really enjoy That was part of my
- 30:20tree season there. Yeah, you know, and and you know
- 30:23I haven't had that experience because again I'm I generally
- 30:26you know, try to stay away from folks but I you know I guess the
- 30:29memories I have is and I saw this firsthand when somebody got
- 30:33hurt and you know another Rider decided to not race and go check
- 30:38up on the writer at the hospital to make sure he's good and stuff
- 30:41like that. And and you know we're seeing
- 30:43that it's just kind of like wow this person just you know what?
- 30:47I got to make sure this person is okay because you You know,
- 30:49you're I find myself doing that last year, when one Rider went
- 30:52down and he had no one to take him to the hospital and I was
- 30:55like, yo, I'll take you because you know your health is more
- 30:58important than what's going on right now and you know, he had
- 31:01like, you know, five broken ribs or five ribs broken in five
- 31:05different places you know for a collarbone and whatnot but it
- 31:08was just kind of like, you know, and my mind I was just like, you
- 31:12know, he came, he has people around him and he's in pain and
- 31:16no one thought to say, hey let me just take this too.
- 31:19The hard to get to the hospital and that he was asking and he
- 31:21was asking, but he wasn't expecting people to pull out of
- 31:24the race. I was like, dude, everybody
- 31:25like, let's go and because it's like, you know, at the end of
- 31:28the day, if it's something serious who you know, you want
- 31:31to get it taken care of soon and important sooner than later.
- 31:34So, you know, so II had that experience last year with that
- 31:38because, you know, the motorcycle community.
- 31:41And I've always said this is like, you know, if the world was
- 31:43like the motorcycle Community, it would be a better place
- 31:45because, you know, if I'm on my bike and I'm pulled over
- 31:48somewhere on the streets. I'm making a call I'll see
- 31:50people pulled over just to make sure I'm good.
- 31:52Yeah you know I mean and if I'm broken down in my car that
- 31:55doesn't happen. What if I'm on a bike, you know
- 31:59I'm saying like you know, and and that happened again, even
- 32:02you know, last year coming back from Daytona.
- 32:05You know, I was at to get gas and, and, you know, I saw this,
- 32:08the, these guys had, you know, two blown tires.
- 32:11You know, and I'm like, and I'm passing them on the highway
- 32:14getting off the exit I'm like, oh, that's gonna suck.
- 32:17I'm like, I know in my mind I'm like why They just pull over and
- 32:20change the tires. They can't they end up coming to
- 32:22the gas station. I was and I was about to pull
- 32:24off all up. Everything ready to pull out and
- 32:26some just says, just go check to see if they good.
- 32:29You know I'm saying? I walk over to them and they
- 32:31were not good, you know, they didn't have a jack, they had one
- 32:34like two ton jack but they had like a friggin 20-ton 20,000
- 32:39pound trailer with bikes and everything in it, right?
- 32:42So, that one Jack was a moving, nothing, you know, and we were
- 32:46out there for at least two and a half hours, you know?
- 32:48And And, and because they pulled off the highway, the tire was
- 32:52all banks in between the brakes and all the stuff in the
- 32:55trailer, you know. And I was just like, you know,
- 32:58and you know, and I help them out and, and in my mind is just
- 33:01like, no, it was a Sunday night. There's like eight o'clock at
- 33:05night, they would not help for until the next day, you know,
- 33:08and maybe even had to tow the trailer somewhere.
- 33:11You know what I'm saying? So like that, that that painted
- 33:13forward or just the community in general, it's been a beautiful
- 33:17experience, you know, since And doing it, you know, almost 10
- 33:20years. I'm guilty of that same thought
- 33:24that you just brought up there because I drive past people.
- 33:28And I would even think to stop them if I see a biker, I kid,
- 33:32you not, I have personally, stop blasting.
- 33:34I thinking about the, oh, this could be a killer exactly.
- 33:37It is the force that you would think.
- 33:38When you see a cash trying to get to see it from the movies
- 33:41and whatnot, and remember, I'm so, and when I'm driving on the
- 33:46street, if I see a bike in my rearview, I always pull over.
- 33:49You know, just the other day, I did it and he signals.
- 33:52So when he saw me put my hand out, he knew I was a Racer bike,
- 33:55right? Signal the hand signal.
- 33:57Yeah, so when I, when I pulled the decided Lane to allow them
- 34:00to pass and I had my heart out he signal and he blows on and I
- 34:04was like, I can you get a connection?
- 34:06Yeah, but I guarantee if you see a car coming up the lane last
- 34:09thing I'm like, nah, no block this girl.
- 34:11Yeah, no, no. I'm very guilty of what ux?
- 34:14No. Same same here.
- 34:15Same here. I see guys pulled over with a
- 34:17flat tire in their cars. I'm You should know how to
- 34:20change a tire. I'm gonna keep going.
- 34:23I saw that movie. I ain't stopping for this.
- 34:27You know. No, no, no.
- 34:28Not stopping for that at all. So yeah.
- 34:31So you know we're going to wrap up this the be forever, cool
- 34:35podcast and and we're trying to do something we clear it with
- 34:38you know just talking about racing in general.
- 34:40I find that you know it's you know there's something that's
- 34:45kind of been missing in the community and and you know, you
- 34:50know we're trying to shed light on it and and and talk about
- 34:53racing because like I said until you know our buddy Jesse didn't
- 34:58you know until he's like yeah come racing.
- 35:00I had no idea that, you know I could go racing motorcycle
- 35:04somewhere, you know, and not to say, I didn't know about, you
- 35:07know, the top levels of motocross and and and and AMA at
- 35:11that time and stuff like that. But, you know, as a 40 year old
- 35:15sitting here saying, oh I want to go race, a motorcycle and try
- 35:18to be competitive. Of, you know, that that didn't
- 35:20even cross my mind, you know? And, and I think a lot of folks
- 35:23are in our position where, you know, we would love to go race
- 35:27if we knew it existed. That's exactly what happened to
- 35:30me. Because I always there's this
- 35:33guy up at Loudon. I always tell him that.
- 35:36He's the one that I started was actually two guys.
- 35:39They're actually no. There's one guy cuz I was going
- 35:41through you too, buddy. And I saw this guy with a full
- 35:45Gray beard, and he's in a bunch of championships and stuff like
- 35:49that. So when I saw, I saw him racing
- 35:52and my heart is age. I'm like, wow.
- 35:54So like I said, I told you me coming over to the states.
- 35:57I was only we only see Well, I only thought I knew what I saw
- 36:01on television I'm like racing is just AMA Motocross MotoGP.
- 36:06You know if you're not 16 years old in a motorcycle Camp right?
- 36:09You're not racing right. Yes.
- 36:11And so when I see this guy still doing it and I heard about it,
- 36:13no Club racing. All right.
- 36:15Good. You know that when I got up to
- 36:17the truck I saw you know or close friend.
- 36:19Vinnie mean, he's 60 years old. Riding.
- 36:22The R6 kicking ass. Yeah.
- 36:25So like he so when I saw him I'm like guilt that's who I'm going
- 36:28to be at Stay, you know, six and now he's x 63.
- 36:32And he's still, he's an export, right?
- 36:34And I are 6-0, you know, a sport bike in easy to push.
- 36:36No, you know, what Vinnie's? Doing this thing at his age.
- 36:39And I like I said, all this just opened my eyes to what I need to
- 36:43be where I need to be heading down that line.
- 36:47I see you doing the different tracks and stuff like that as I
- 36:50explained to you. That's where I see myself taking
- 36:53this racing because what do you raise it for Plastics?
- 36:56You know, you're not making any money, but right I like That you
- 36:59travel and you get an opportunity to go try a new
- 37:02track. So that's something I definitely
- 37:03is going to put you know put my future had my future down the
- 37:06line. Yeah.
- 37:07With so it also helps me with my fitness, you know, like I
- 37:12wouldn't have any reason to go into Jimbo flight your but if I
- 37:14bet this guy luckiest, a beer like a beaten, egg strong, I
- 37:19guarantee you two weeks before the race time in the gym.
- 37:22Are you training for the bed or you training to beat because,
- 37:26that's what they look at me. They like, are you eating,
- 37:28doughnuts and Drinking the beer, you know, but now, I like I
- 37:32said, I know, I know my capabilities.
- 37:35I try to push a little bit towards the end, but, you know,
- 37:38like I said, within a week before, I'm the one pushing the
- 37:40bed salt and trying to get everybody hyped up to be there
- 37:45and that's, that's the great thing about loading right now is
- 37:47like, we got a good chemistry. Like I said, the Han back of fun
- 37:50that you were talking about, that's why everybody.
- 37:52Look, there's a big race, everybody's look for that,
- 37:54right? I'm as you going to pass the
- 37:56guy, you know how much money you're going to lose to pay to
- 37:59the the fund to assist the other writer.
- 38:01So I kind of found my way now and I found a road that I'm
- 38:05going to do, you know, Health Wise long-term goals.
- 38:09But why do I like I work hard because I know I want to buy a
- 38:12bike part or I want to write or to the race next week.
- 38:15Exactly. You know.
- 38:16So like when I, when I weigh all the options, it's for racing has
- 38:20been a good thing for me. So, you know, putting aside
- 38:24everything else. It gives me a better quality of
- 38:27life health and Work the work ethics because like I said, I
- 38:31would take an extra job because I know that job will have paid
- 38:34for some tires. Right?
- 38:35You know, so it works, it works a lot and with recent brick
- 38:39building up in the Caribbean, you know, my whole purpose of
- 38:42coming on the show was basically just bring your awareness of
- 38:46racing in the Caribbean. Yeah, I hope more people that
- 38:50watch the show and stuff like that.
- 38:52They become aware of it and then we could get more people to go
- 38:55and raise the Gory, so we still got to Jamaica.
- 38:58Yeah, we got it. We got to make that At happen.
- 38:59The pandemic killed as I had my ticket everything.
- 39:02I was ready. Yeah.
- 39:04I remember that. Yeah.
- 39:05You want to rent a bike or six and stuff?
- 39:07Yeah, you know, but, you know, it's same thing, you know, it's,
- 39:12you know, because of the pandemic I was I stumbled on
- 39:16racing up and down the east coast and racing the CCS series,
- 39:19and trying all the different regions before that, I was, you
- 39:23know, going to watch MotoGP races and different countries
- 39:25and stuff like that. And after the pandemic, It made
- 39:31me realize like, well, I can go watch somebody race or I can go
- 39:35to these tracks and go raise and, and that's kind of how it
- 39:40flipped for me now and it's like my goal is just to race as many
- 39:43tracks as I can one time or many more times or whatever.
- 39:46I'm not know, chasing any championships or nothing like
- 39:49that. Just write some new tracks and
- 39:51just just have that experience because, you know, like, I
- 39:55remember you guys use the world, talk about pit and, and, and
- 39:59new. New York, New Jersey, and all,
- 40:01and all these different tracks that you that you guys been to
- 40:03n.c. bike. And I'm sitting here like, man,
- 40:06I only been too loud. I got to get to another track
- 40:08and I got to Homestead and saw that was like, and you know, and
- 40:12the crazy part it is like, you know, get go to Homestead it.
- 40:15You know, I was just like, oh, I don't know how to turn, right?
- 40:18Because Loudon only has like, learn three.
- 40:21Is there is really the only like two like, right turn, right?
- 40:24And it just, it just, you know, it makes you a better Rider when
- 40:27you when you can get on all the tracks.
- 40:29And and and and try, you know, and try your skill set.
- 40:33Yeah. I from, like I said, I my
- 40:36porpoise of comment on here. Was basically the bring me
- 40:39awareness to the Caribbean side of it, because that's where I'm
- 40:42from soon. As I know people watch and they
- 40:45hear about it. We really reach out to you.
- 40:47Great, I can help because we working on, we definitely
- 40:50working on that that Avenue for American races, Caribbean Beast,
- 40:55that want to do get that experience.
- 40:57Because, like I said, partner is in is only 15 minutes on the
- 41:00truck, right? Well, when you're in Jamaica,
- 41:02it's fun to think. What are we going to go eat
- 41:04tonight? Be right, well, if we're in the
- 41:06grill, we gonna go, you know. So like I already know the
- 41:09whole, the whole experience when you in Trinidad, you know?
- 41:14As soon as you finish races and you link up with the locals
- 41:16there, like, what are we doing? Where we gonna party?
- 41:18We write that the night, you know, so Guyana is different.
- 41:21We got their own Vibes there. You know, we just recently we
- 41:24built a just in October, we built a 1.6 Mi Fa A spec
- 41:31racetrack. You know so, wow.
- 41:33Diana's stepping it up. When it comes to racing, we got
- 41:36the fastest car in the Caribbean drag race.
- 41:39A GTR. Wow.
- 41:40You know. Yeah, we do a lot of gold are.
- 41:43So a lot of the men, they're big with money.
- 41:45So we got the fastest car. We got most in the Caribbean, in
- 41:49the Caribbean. Yeah.
- 41:51Yeah. Cause some people Jamaica when
- 41:53it comes to the motorcycle racing Guyana.
- 41:55Definitely. On top of the right now, you
- 41:59know, Jamaica when you go to Jamaica, got 20 guys on the line
- 42:02which you don't really find in any other cut in the other
- 42:04Islands. Okay?
- 42:05So I like that, I like that Spirit from Jamaica and of all
- 42:09the trucks I can say, even though I'm from Ghana Jamaica is
- 42:11this, but I get I kid, you not the atmosphere, the people and
- 42:16they love bikes just as much as guy and he's like, bikers, yeah,
- 42:19you just calm down, he's shooting his hippie, don't
- 42:22people taking it out for you, people, taking pictures with
- 42:25you, you know, the one move your bike help, you know, they
- 42:27wouldn't do that if Michael Jackson Or any celebrity walked
- 42:30in right now? It will celebrities.
- 42:33We don't even notice. So, as a collaborator like
- 42:36yourself, like I said, just being in the islands, the that
- 42:41feeling that the people, I'm give you, right?
- 42:43It's like a drug, you know, you'd mention that and I want to
- 42:47go check it out and feel it because you know it it's a
- 42:50beautiful atmosphere and it and it it generally rewards you more
- 42:54than it doesn't. You know, yeah man, I want thank
- 42:58you for coming on the show, man. And we don't we all keep
- 43:01chatting and and I can't wait to see you out this this year at
- 43:04Loudon and see what happens and see what the classic look like
- 43:07and what kind of bets you going to make?
- 43:11You know if folks are trying to find you you do you want to give
- 43:13out your platforms information so folks can find you Just
- 43:19Google Leroy court on Facebook that's about it.
- 43:21I guess that's the only way you could reach out to me.
- 43:23That's the only way you almost like big eat, he Every week,
- 43:28There's a new way to find them that big e.com.
- 43:33There we go. Exactly.
- 43:36Peace. Every week, There's a new way to
- 43:29find them that big e.com. There we go.
- 43:34Exactly. Peace.