Privateer Profile: Paul Merwin

May 28, 2010 by admin
Filed under Privateer Profile

Name: Paul K. Merwin

Race Number: 419

Hometown: Monrovia, CA

How did you get introduced to motorcycles?
Dad introduced me to bikes at age 6 or 7, and Mom was there too. The first lesson was to ride around in circles on the dry lake and stay away from the bushes. Flat is for pancakes and sheets, so I headed straight for the bushes! I got bounced off immediately but hung on, which pinned the throttle and dragged me back onto the dry lake, where I finally let go—right in front of Mom. Between the adrenaline rush and the look on Mom’s face, I knew bikes were for me.

WSMC 450 racer Paul Merwin. • Courtesy Merwin

What made you want to start racing?
I’d been riding sports bikes in all of my local canyons for a few years on an 1987 GSX-R750, and I’d crashed a few times and had a few close calls with oncoming traffic in my lane, wildlife, water, rocks … the list goes on. Then I did a Friday track day with Tom Sera at WSIR in Rosamond, California, and my first glimpse of the track was bikes flying at almost unreal speeds through the desert (what I would later come to know as Turn 8). I soon learned I wasn’t as fast as I thought I was, but I was instantly an addict. I signed up for the new racer school with WSMC the next day.

How do you finance your racing habit?
My family is my greatest sponsor in every way. My wife and I do a good job of budgeting our incomes, and I’m an eBay whore. Besides the family, I’ve been fortunate to be surrounded by some of the nicest people in the business. I have to thank Gavin Tripp of 450moto.com, Steve and Ralph with Scotts Performance Products, Bryan of Hinson Racing, and Danny Beck of Form450. Without such great support, I wouldn’t be on the track as much as I will be.

What do you find most difficult about balancing your racing with other responsibilities?
I’m of the opinion that racing forces you to be more responsible in every other aspect of your life. Plus, many of your other responsibilities directly affect your racing (i.e. work equals tires, health equals endurance, and knowledge equals speed). I’m probably in the best mental and physical shape of my life, thanks at least in part to road racing.

What series and region do you race, and who are your toughest competitors?
I’m presently racing with WSMC at Willow Springs International Raceway in Rosamond, California. WSMC races on both the “Big Track” and “Streets Of Willow” course. I hope to do some select events with WERA and/or AFM in the near future, and I’m also looking forward to the possability of a series at Chuckwalla Raceway in Desert Center, California, in coming years.

Describe a typical race weekend.
Our race weekends usually start early Saturday morning with methodically packing the truck, utilizing every inch of space. A quick stop at 7-11 for coffee, ice, and water, and then we’re off to the track, which is about a 70-minute drive from home. I’ve made a good friend in Danny Beck, who also races a 450 single, and we’ve been sharing a canopy. Last month was my first time on the Formula 450 single, and I had a blast! It was also my first time back on the track in tens years, so to say it was surreal to go home with a third-place trophy would be an understatement. It was so much fun to be back on the track, but I have a lot to learn about carrying speed through a turn. The 450 is slightly different from the CBR900RR I raced in the late ’90s from 150hp to 50-plus hp; this bike is a lot easier to load and unload at 240 lbs. full of fuel.

How would you describe yourself as a racer?
I think I would describe myself as a patient racer. I’ve learned not to change more than one variable at a time and to pay attention to how my actions affect my lap times. First and foremost, I race because it’s fun. I almost always have a grin on my face when I remove my helmet.

Courtesy Merwin

What activities do you do outside of road racing, either for fun or for training?
Outside of racing I enjoy dirt bike riding with my family, dragging my family fishing, and sculpting/creating. I love to make things from aluminum and found objects. A friend gave me a skull from a waterfowl and I made a body and wings for it out of aluminum, and it was a pterodactyl sculpture. Also, in the near future I hope to get on a bicycle a few times a week.

What other road race series do you follow?
I’ve been searching the ‘net for singles road racing exclusively for the past few months and haven’t looked up. Oh, plus Thundersport in the UK.

Your road racing hero or heroes?
I think if I had to choose a road racing hero, I’d say Scott Russell. I was always amazed to watch him slide a bike around.

Your own personal favorite race or best finish thus far?
My best finish thus far is a second in Open Superbike in the late ’90s, and one of my favorite races was when I saved a highside and landed straight on the seat, which checked up the guys behind me and I checked out.

Your career goals (if any) in racing?
My goals at this point in my racing are to go out and learn as much as I can and apply that knowledge. I want to win races over and over again, but the bottom line is I want to go ride my bike and have fun. I’d also like to continue to race as long as I’m physically able. It’s too much fun.

Where can people learn more about you or follow your on-track progress?
Danny Beck’s website will probably have more mention of me as I get up to speed and challenge him, and there’s the WSMC site for race results and class standings.

Courtesy Merwin • Photo by CaliPhotography

People you’d like to thank?
I’d like to thank my family and my wife, Jade, for helping make racing possible again. Jade is my crew chief, assistant mechanic, personal assistant, dietician, and best friend. I’m ready to ride when it’s time, every time, thanks to Jade. And I wouldn’t be surprised to see her on the grid in a 450 race in the future. Thanks also to all of my above-mentioned sponsors and to everyone else I called to talk to about the Formula 450 bikes.

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