What could be better than exposing yourself to all sorts of poisonous chemicals, working insane hours, sleeping in bedbug-infested hotels while you're out criss-cross the country in the back of a clapped-out box van, and existing on a steady diet of soda and lukewarm hotdogs?
Sound like your dream job? Welcome to the realities of being a race mechanic.
Racing is hard work, but there’s nothing like it. And working as a top-line race mechanic will open doors for the rest of your life.
Lots of race mechanics are former racers who worked on their own bikes and found they had more talent behind a wrench than behind the handlebars. Plus, racers relate well to tuners and mechanics who once raced themselves.
Formal training is another option. Race teams typically recruit top graduates from schools like the Motorcycle Mechanics Institute. Nationality doesn’t matter—no matter what language you speak, if you have the technical skills you’ll find work.
Working at a dealership that sponsors racers is a natural way to get started, as is an apprenticeship with one of the bigger teams. Plenty of mechanics and technicians got their start chasing down parts or standing over the solvent tank with a brush. And while you’re doing all of that, make sure your bike always finishes, and usually wins.
What could be better than exposing yourself to all sorts of poisonous chemicals, working insane hours, sleeping in bedbug-infested hotels while you're out criss-cross the country in the back of a clapped-out box van, and existing on a steady diet of soda and lukewarm hotdogs?
Sound like your dream job? Welcome to the realities of being a race mechanic.
Racing is hard work, but there’s nothing like it. And working as a top-line race mechanic will open doors for the rest of your life.
Lots of race mechanics are former racers who worked on their own bikes and found they had more talent behind a wrench than behind the handlebars. Plus, racers relate well to tuners and mechanics who once raced themselves.
Formal training is another option. Race teams typically recruit top graduates from schools like the Motorcycle Mechanics Institute. Nationality doesn’t matter—no matter what language you speak, if you have the technical skills you’ll find work.
Working at a dealership that sponsors racers is a natural way to get started, as is an apprenticeship with one of the bigger teams. Plenty of mechanics and technicians got their start chasing down parts or standing over the solvent tank with a brush. And while you’re doing all of that, make sure your bike always finishes, and usually wins.