Firebird International Raceway provides speed therapy

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Tong Duong
  • 56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  With a twist of the throttle, some bikers can reach speeds in excess of 155 miles per hour within seconds. With the heat rising, and the urge to take to the streets, some Airmen are practicing their motorcycle skills and testing their limits in a safer manner via the Firebird International Raceway.

Technical Sgt. Kyle Klein, 56th Equipment Maintenance Squadron, and his wife, Senior Airman Nikki Klein, 56th Component Maintenance Squadron, came to the Firebird Raceway to take part in the AZ Track Days April 23.

According to Sergeant Klein, AZ Track Days offer street riders and racers the opportunity to practice their skills in a controlled environment, whether it is for better street riding abilities or to test and tune their race bikes.

Airman Klein, who was tired of standing on the sidelines cheering her husband on, decided it was time for her to have fun and learn more.

"I wanted to improve my riding skill," she said. "My main reason for doing the track day is so I can practice safely in a riding environment with no traffic."

According to Sergeant Klein, who has been riding street bikes for more than 18 years, every time he rides, whether on the track or street, he learns something new.

"Some of the skills used on the tracks do transfer to the street," he said. "Things like slowing to more suitable entry speeds when cornering, using the slow, look, press and roll' technique and scanning the road ahead."

Sergeant Klein, who started racing in June 2005, has spent the majority of his off-duty time either working on his bike or reading books that explained the art of motorcycle control. So far he has spent $20,000 on the sport.

"The average club racer spends about $15,000 to $25,000 per year," said Sergeant Klein. "At the club level it's all out of the racer's pocket. You can win small amounts of money, but it's not until you go pro that you can break even. In Europe, some club-level racers make an average of $20,000 to $30,000 per year, which is due solely to the fan base in Europe. In England, club-level races have attendances of 10,000 spectators. In the states, we haven't reached that level. A normal weekend draws about 500 spectators at the most."

A day at the race track is also a great way to spend time with your children and teach them, at a young age, the right and safe way to ride said Staff Sgt. Anthony Nelson, 56th Aerospace Medicine Squadron.

"I brought my son Anthony, 2, to the event, because I wanted to expose him to the sport of racing at an early age," he said. "My son is fascinated with motorcycles, and I felt that showing him at an early age the safe way of riding in a controlled environment would be beneficial.

Not only is Sergeant Nelson showing his son the ropes, but he is also looking to race. "I have always been fascinated by speed and more importantly speed on two wheels," said Sergeant Nelson.

Other events hosted at the raceway include, drag racing, off road rock climbing competitions, boat races and more.