June was an incredibly busy month for track days and if you add the number of days I was at the track along with auditions, bookings and shoots it was exhausting. I am not sure I’ve ever relayed what I do on the side besides MotoVixens (and just appointed AXO dealer), I am a mom of two sons, one going to college and one just turned 16 (and driving!)…I am also an actor/model/voiceover talent/whatever they need me for and pays ;). What ends up being a week where I believe I can gain headway and write a blog, ends up being booked up with auditions to sometimes as far as Portland. This brings me to my first love motorcycle riding…it is the most rewarding thing I do. Honestly if it paid well I’d give everything up just to do it, but since it doesn’t, I have to resort to spreading myself around…
The one thing that I’ve noticed as an instructor is that track day companies are now very focused on street riders which excites me tremendously, one for the fact that they are reaching out to people who need to gain more knowledge and skills for surviving the craziness out there and two because seeing the person start the day nervous to ending it with a great big shit eatin grin makes me feel honored to be a part of that journey. The truth is there is a lot to be gained by riding on the track; knowledge, confidence, no cops, emergency vehicle (in case), adrenaline rush in a safe place and hopefully keeping that off the streets where there can be dire consequences and above all what you accomplished while there for the day. I try to attend every session of every school Mark puts on and while I know the curriculum, each class is unique in that with each group there are things that get stressed more due to the questions raised. Plus the truth is, I’ve sat through a couple recently where I got a refresher on things that I’ve forgotten to pay attention to, so I still continue to learn. It is an ongoing thing and honestly your brain can’t wrap it’s head around ever concept discussed in one shot, it requires repetition, practice and nailing one concept down is an accomplishment. I encourage students to go away with the knowledge they’ve obtained work on one or two things then hit a few track days and take another school course and build upon what they have as the foundation.
The focus is clear – teaching riders to make better decisions, knowing their machines capabilities in a way they never thought possible, trust themselves and the machine together, understand how to make it work for you and giving them the knowledge and confidence to survive even the most hairball situations out on the road. Panic is not our friend, it causes people to make kneejerk reactions which upset the bike and in turn the bike ejects you for pissing it off…we hope that in the knowledge you gain, you KNOW you can handle it and will stay relaxed when such an event happens and it does everytime you ride. So let’s save our fellow riders and tell them how beneficial track riding is and let’s all be around for a very long time!
Vixens Ride!
