The Journey to Road Racing with S.O.A.R
The world of Motorsport encompasses anything that has wheels and an engine and can be used to determine who is the best driver. Whether it is a motorcycle, a car, a truck, or even a lawnmower — yes people do actually race lawnmowers — you can be assured that someone somewhere is racing it. For over 30 years James Perreault has been riding and racing motorcycles throughout North America. His talent and expert knowledge of how to handle these beasts with two wheels has allowed him to compete in and win numerous motorbike races. Just like many Motorsport athletes, James’s enthusiasm for the sport manifested itself at an early age in the form of motocross.
James and his father share a love for anything automotive, and it is because of his father’s interest that he is riding and racing motorcycles today. At the age of 10, James bought his first dirt bike, a Kawasaki MC90, from his neighbor. This was the beginning of his ambition to continually improve in the world of Motorsport. In the years following James would collect empty beer bottles to raise money to buy a new dirt bike. This strategy proved to be lucrative enough that he was able to purchase a new bike each year. The constant upgrade allowed James to progress through the ranks of motocross.
“The second I push the bike out onto the tarmac here, that’s it, I’m done, there’s no more nerves. And the second I’m on that grid and I’m waiting for that red light to go out, it’s all business at that point”-James Perreault
Motocross, however, was not the end all for James. When he was 16 he turned his interests to street bikes. Racing bikes on dirt and over jumps is fun, but there is something about being able to unleash the power between your legs on asphalt. In 1987 he purchased a Honda Hurricane, igniting a new flame within himself. Like most teenage boys who acquire powerful automotive machines, the joy of racing and showing off his new toy got the better of him after being introduced to world of street racing. After proving that what he had learned in motocross could be translated to the street, a friend of his suggested that he start competing in road racing (the legal version of motorcycle racing).
The skills that he had first learned in motocross, then in street racing allowed James to excel in this new sport. He traveled the circuit, competing in races throughout Canada and the United States. Being a rookie in the sport he often started races at the back of the pack. Before he had completed his first year of road racing he traveled to Daytona Speedway to compete in a race. He started the race in 40th with no thought of being able to reach the top 10. His skills, however, proved to be his largest asset as he passed one last man just before crossing the finish line. Unbeknownst to him he had won the race, as the man he passed happened to be the leader. It takes an advanced set of skills for a person to start a race in 40th and finish it in 1st.
“You know what the difference is between a fast racer and a slow racer is; the ability to control your anxiety”-James Perreault
His journey however, hasn’t always been smooth sailing. In 1992 he was run over by a semi-truck shattering and breaking multiple bones. While he didn’t get back onto a street bike for the next 6 years, he did keep racing. When his business started to take off in 1997 he decided to leave the world of road racing. However, once someone has a passion for something, especially racing, it never really leaves. In 2009, James discovered S.O.A.R (Southern Ontario Association of Racing), reigniting the fire in his soul for competing in the world of Motorsport.These days he may not take racing as seriously as he did when he was younger, but the joy that he gets from sitting on his race-built Kawasaki is next to none.
James continues to take part in S.O.A.R events but does not consider himself competitive; at least not as much as his younger self was. However, a person’s competitive side never really leaves them and James is a prime example of this. While he may not consider himself competitive anymore, he ended the year by leading his division by 1 point. If he can continually win races with a “non-competitive” attitude, I can only imagine what he was like when he was younger and considered himself competitive.
We here at The Daily Apex want to congratulate James on his win and wish him the very best in the future. May you continue to dominate the circuit and show the younger racers how it’s done.
