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Photo from Dave Cook Medford roofer Dave Cook tears around a corner at well over 100 mph. He has topped 180 mph on the straightaways. Cook feeds need for speed Cyclist ranks high among road racers By KRIS HENRY Dave Cook knows he is a bit crazy. Not only does he acknowledge that fact, the Medford resident seems to revel in it. Then again, what do you expect from someone who goes hurtling down a straightaway at 188 mph elbow-to-elbow with other motorcyclists and then backs down to a mere 150 mph in the turns? "It's just the need for speed," Cook says of his racing passion. "You crave it." Often referred to as "one of those drag-your-knees guys," the 5-foot-9, 150 pound Cook has always had a love affair with extreme speed. Cook poses between his two Yamaha motorcycles. "Ever since I was a little kid I was always racing motocross or bicycles or figuring out a way to make other things go fast on two wheels," he says. "It just kind of came natural. I like going fast." That overwhelming desire has translated into a successful career in road racing. One of two racers for the www.motorcycleusa.com team, Cook currently stands first in the point standings for Oregon and Washington, and has held his own in national events. Cook, who turns 31 on Aug. 21, placed second in the featured race of the Formula USA National event July 17-18 at Portland International Raceway in Portland. That effort came on the heels of a first-place dash in his usual 106 horsepower class. Cook gained the lead with three laps to go in the 13-lap, 106-horsepower event and easily pulled away. In the 15-lap Formula USA Superbikes race, Cook pushed his underpowered bike to the lead, only to fall short in his bid for a second title. "That bike was really not competitive for that class," recalls the vice president at Hoag Roofing. "I usually race a Supersport engine bike, where modifications are limited. In nationals, it's whatever goes. Whoever has the most money usually wins." For asphalt racing, another key to victory is which driver has the most nerve to push the envelope. "The biggest thing is controlling your fear," says Cook. "The equipment takes care of everything else." Well maybe not everything. "It's a really good spectator sport because of the element of a body exiting the bike," Cook says. "People like that stuff. I do too, as long as it's not me." Not immune to the dangers of road racing, Cook has broken both knees, his hip, heel and toes. That protruding knot on his right knee actually is a bolt used to hold together his anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament. Last October, a crash left him without feeling in his legs for a few days. "I've been pretty banged up, but something keeps me going," he says. "I'm amazed (accidents) don't happen more often because you're so far on the edge the whole time. Your body is exposed to whatever decides to impact. There's no roll-cage, there's no doors, there's no sheet metal. It's you and 15 millimeters worth of leather. Whatever decides to impact is what you feel." With danger around every turn, road racing requires total concentration and some quick thinking throughout the six-month season. A clear head sometimes can be the only thing saving a rider from a painful wreck. "When something goes wrong, I'm usually thinking about how I can save it," says Cook. "I'm thinking how can I keep it on two wheels, and how can I keep the bike up. It's amazing because your brain is thinking so quickly because you're going so quickly. You're thinking so far ahead, you usually know when you're losing it way before the actual crash." The equipment worries are left to chief mechanic Don Becklin, who also is a partner in the team's Internet site. That way, Cook says he is able to concentrate solely on the race and not on the potential performance of each part. Racing has brought several opportunities besides his work with the Internet site. Cook also teaches a road racing class three times a year at Portland International Raceway and represents 45th Parallel in Salem, a new road gear clothing company. In his classes, Cook teaches basic riding principles such as braking, cornering and steering techniques. Several Medford police officers recently took advantage of Cook's Aug. 9-10 class, offering the teacher a chance to get in the good graces of the area's finest. "You never know when you might need help from these guys," Cook chuckles. "I've got to make friends with them all so in case I get nailed here they can hopefully take it easy on me." Of course, they may have to catch him first. Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, OR U.S.A.