KINGSTON — A multi-sport athlete at North Kitsap High School in the early ‘90s, Brad Haley had not yet discovered the sport that would envelop him like none other.

But he’ll tell you his love of road motorcycle racing — now a full-blown self-proclaimed “addiction” — was a passion he’d found better late than never.

“It’s such an addiction,” Haley said. “It’ll take over your life — all your money goes towards racing.”

At age 26, Haley has only raced for one Washington Motorcycle Road Racing Association (WMRRA) season. But he’s already established himself as a contender, taking a fourth place finish at his last novice race of the season in 2003.

He’s also developed a love for speed, though he said he admits it’s specific towards racing bikes.

“I don’t like going fast in cars,” he said ironically.

Handling a 400-pound bike going at speeds of up to 140 miles per hour, however, is no problem for the recently converted racer.

His outlook for racing on 2004 — now joined with fellow NKHS graduate Jesse Grantham in his own club, the “Pushrod” Racing team — shows no signs of slowing, with a full race schedule for the summer and fall.

Haley traces his love of riding back to when he was in diapers, on the back of his father’s Harley Davidson motorcycle. When he was 10 years old, he began dirt biking, first with a Yamaha YZ 80 and then a 1984 Honda CR 80.

“I rode that thing until it died,” Haley wrote in his Web site.

At age 18, Haley became interested in riding on the road, rather than off it. He and his father rebuilt a 1976 Harley Davidson Super Gilde that Haley rode for two years.

“It’s safer on a race track,” Haley said. “Everyone’s going in the same direction.”

Another reason for changing to the pavement over the dirt was that he preferred staying “grounded.”

“I don’t like jumping,” he said. “I like staying planted (on the ground).”

In the summer of 2002, Haley and some fellow motorcycle enthusiasts towed their bikes to the World Superbike Races in Laguana Seca, Calif.

“We did as much racing as possible when we weren’t at the race track,” he said.

To compete in the WMRRA series, Haley had to undergo training courses that, to pass, he’d have to complete successfully on the track without an accident. After two tries without a crash, he was graduated.

Each WMRRA race is about 10 two and one-half mile laps. The average speed on the course is about 85 miles per hour, while on straight stretches, speeds can reach 140, Haley said.

It took some time for his parents, Cherlyn and Robbie of Poulsbo, to get used to Haley’s new passion, he said.

“At first, they weren’t too excited,” Haley said. “Now, they’re my biggest supporters.”

His father has even become what he likes to call Pushrod’s “pit chief.”

Each weekend of the race, there are three practice sessions prior to the main event. A qualifying race also determines which position the contestant will ride. Like NASCAR, the better the qualifying time, the better the starting position, Haley said.

Every time he leaves the starting line, Haley said he experiences a rush that he believes might be similar to “jumping out of a plane.” The most difficult thing about racing, he said, is controlling his motorbike at extreme speeds.

“Controlling the bike on edge … you’re pushing it to its limits,” Haley said. “And (it’s) pushing you to your limits.”

Taking corners at speeds in the range of 90 miles per hour, Haley has to quickly put his knee to the ground, as it creates a “tripod effect” to keep a racer balanced, he commented.

“When you’re hanging off of a bike doing 90 to 95 miles per hour, it’s pretty exciting,” he said.

Bike racing has not been a cheap habit for Haley — the novice racer spends about $500 each weekend that he races. Most of that cost comes with getting a new set of his Pirelli tires before each race, which run up to $360 per set at a go. The team is sponsored by Fulmer Helmets, though.

Haley has crashed once, in a racing event last year. Taking a corner while going 65 miles per hour, the back wheel on his Buell lost traction, and he skidded for 150 feet off the track.

“I can still hear the sounds, feel it in slow motion,” he said.

Two hours later, he was back on the track again, racing as if nothing had ever happened.

His goals for this season are to finish in the top 10 of all of the novice races in which he competes. On his Web site, he is quick to point out that he’s “really looking forward to flying the Pushrod Racing Flag the entire 2004 season.”

Haley asked that anyone coming to see him in action be mindful of one thing: never mention that he “be careful.” He’d prefer not to think about the possibilities on the track.

“Before I had my wreck last year, my supervisor told me to break a leg,” Haley commented. “That was a big no-no.”