A need for speed: 944th chief races across southwest

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Susan Stout
  • 944th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  Editor's note: The following is part of an Extreme Sports series highlighting 944th Fighter Wing members.

The sun shining, engines revving, the smell of fuel in the air...just a typical race day for Chief Master Sgt. Wayne Nielsen, 944th Maintenance Squadron munitions systems flight chief.

For the last 25 years, Chief Nielsen has been riding motorcycles and has been racing bikes since 2000.

"I started riding sport bikes in 1985 and got hooked up with a local company, T.E.A.M. Arizona, to participate in 'track days,' in 1998," Chief Nielsen said. "Since I'm an aggressive rider, (T.E.A.M. Arizona) suggested I start racing."

He did just that. In 1999, Chief Nielsen got his racing license. He took a class to learn the racing flags and how races are run.

Since then, he has been across the southwest with the Championship Cup Series, mainly at Firebird International Raceway just outside Phoenix, and this season he has traveled to Las Vegas and New Mexico to compete in the series. This year was the first time the chief has raced the whole season. He placed second overall, beating 100 other racing enthusiasts.

"I like the competition," Chief Nielsen said. "On track days, you just run laps, so I prefer racing. I also like the family atmosphere with the other racers."

Although he usually only races once a month, he says the key is staying in shape.

"I run every day, watch my diet, and do a lot of stretching exercises," he said. Chief Nielsen also does push-ups and sit-ups. When asked about how he did on his most recent physical fitness test, he smiled and said, "I scored an excellent."

He has crashed three times this year and the worst injury being a separated shoulder suffered during the November 2006 race weekend. Although he was injured, Chief Nielsen continued to race that weekend. He placed second in one race and first in another.

"I don't race at 100 percent all of the time," he said. "I'm one of the few guys on the track who knows I have to work on Monday. The key is to ride smooth and take classes on racing and improve your riding skills."

Over the last two rounds, Chief Nielsen has placed first in five of the eight races and second in the other three.

He also said he focuses on the goal at the end of the season and not about winning every race.

"Consistency pays off in this sport," he said.

An instructor with T.E.A.M. Arizona since 2000, Chief Nielsen teaches others interested in everything from basic motorcycle riding up to racing motorcycles competitively.

"New racers have to get used to higher speeds, focus further down on the track, and get comfortable with higher speeds on the corners," he said.

Chief Nielsen humbly smiled when asked about his top speeds. "I race lightweights and they don't go that fast -- usually about 135 to 140 mph. A few weekends ago I was riding a friend's Suzuki GSXR 750, a heavyweight race bike, I saw 185 mph on the speedometer."