Into the turn.

• Position: Final entry - Interview

Ryan Cunha, CPA, a manager at Mayer Hoffman McCann P.C., accelerated away from the family tradition of joining the medical field and took his head for numbers into the accounting world, where he found success. He is looking to keep up that pace in his motorcycle hobby, where he has been riding tracks around California trying to up his skill set and become a full-blown racer. We talked to Cunha about how he's navigating the twists and turns of that venture.

How did you first get in to riding motorcycles?

My dad and my stepdad were both into motorcycles. My stepdad always owned sport bikes and would watch motorcycle racing. I always thought it was really cool and exciting and couldn't wait to own my own bike.

What was the first bike you had?

I had a Suzuki RM-125 dirt bike when I was younger. When I turned 18 I bought my first street bike: a 2001 Kawasaki ZX-6R.

Do you build bikes, too?

I don't build bikes, but I do spend a lot of free time working on them-mostly maintenance and performance upgrades. Changing the oil, air filter, spark plugs, chain/sprockets, taking off the wheels for new tires, installing new exhaust system, engine management, suspension, swapping out the bodywork, changing grips, etc.

What sort of riding do you do?

It's not really racing, but I do get to ride really fast on racetracks. I do a lot of non-competitive "track days," where people get grouped by skill level and get to go out and have fun riding on the race track. There are a lot of organized racing clubs in California that I'm very interested in getting involved with in the future, but I still have quite a ways to go skill wise before I get into any actual competitive racing.

Does it take a lot of nerve to rip around a track?

Oh, definitely. The first time I went out I was very nervous and anxious. But the more experience you get, the more comfortable you get. As you get better, you go faster and brake later, and every time you push it harder it gets a bit scary. Every time I go out I still get the butterflies before the first session.

For the number lovers that read this magazine, give us some of the interesting data/numbers that go along with racing.

Well, I can't say there are too many numbers involved--maybe I do this because there aren't too many important numbers! But setting your tire pressure properly is one of the most basic things, and the pressure to set can depend on the type of tire and the temperature. Also, a lot of people pay close attention to...