CC Track Events

Women of action

April 28, 2017 By Carol Carpenter

Women of action – make your mark!

So many times we discuss women helping women, yet it is just about that, mere talk with no action. What many of us forget is that as an individual you can change the course of things, including what inspires and motivates you, whose life you can change and how you make an impact on the world. You may not be able to do it alone, but as a group you can make a difference. Using this very philosophy after being an instructor for many track day companies over the years and being the go between for customers and the organization, it was time to fix what I felt was broken. You get to see the good, bad and ugly of the rolling circus and after listening to customers and how they felt, I could understand their frustration and decided to venture off on my own. Believing I could make a difference even though it honestly scared the living heck out of me, being fortunate enough to be in the position of my sponsorship and relationships built over those years, it was time to tackle this endeavor full force. It has been a very quick education of how track days are run and how the passion for the sport I love is not a great business plan for financial gain. However, I love this sport, I love every aspect, nook and cranny of it…the fact that it feeds my soul and makes me feel alive and I believe you must do what you are passionate about.

When I decided to start doing track days I was fortunate enough to speak with Doreen Walmsley, owner of Ducati Richmond, who has been an avid supporter and sponsor from the beginning. She’s gone so far as to close her shop one of the days to come join our events. She not only sponsors our events, but she brings her employees to join in the fun as well as customers and yes we are talking about them driving from Canada to participate. It has been a great honor to have her on our team and attend our days. This is a prime example of a woman owned business owner helping another and allowing growth and exposure together. She has been paramount in our success and we are proud to have her on our team year after year.

When we asked Jason Pridmore to do event days with us (yes I’m aware he’s not a woman), the truth is I never imagined he’d agree to do anything with us. He surprised me, not just that he believed in our mission, but he was so open minded and believed together we could make these events truly special. When I say we are unlike any track day company, it is completely true. CC TrackEvents/MotoVixens a woman owned track day company and the only one that I am aware of in the PNW and maybe even on the west coast. We are also the only track company that does special events currently in the PNW (not just days called events, but events sponsors donate items for raffling off, is catered, is done on a special schedule, includes vendors, etc. to make it truly special) and hires a guest coach who is so sought after he doesn’t have the time to do many of these events. Jason Pridmore (only coaches our track events in the PNW) is currently the only coach on the west coast that has won multiple championships worldwide, coaches MotoAmerica racers and is the commentator for beIn Sports. JP has been an instructor since his teens and the thousands of people he’s instructed will tell you that he is the best coach/instructor around. To top it all off his ability to teach any level of rider is astonishing, probably why his Star Motorcycle School sells out all the time. His list of credentials only requires a google search and you will find an extensive resume of his accomplishments (he would kill me if he knew I was writing this). We are also the only track day company where our focus is on education and comfort level of the student above all and our low numbers offer the ability for our elite instructors to give you the most efficient use of track time and help you achieve your goals for the day. Caroline Olsen (here’s our amazing woman) and Benny Solis , current MotoAmerica racers and JP43 training proteges, come up and help and we couldn’t have asked for two more charismatic and kind individuals to be a part of our events. If you haven’t signed up spaces are going quickly and I know because Doreen booked quite a few for her crew already.

MotoVixens recently teamed up to sponsor Caroline Olsen (AKA Carro43 and Caroline Racing). It is rare to meet a woman in this industry that is so composed, confident, personable, intelligent, kind, determined, driven, focused and professional and yet so young. When she heard about JP doing events with us, she jumped on the phone to me to say she’s excited and wanted to come and help. I’ve been fortunate to have these two women that I respect greatly and consider my friends, supporters for me as I am for them. Needless to say when I heard of Caroline’s need for funding, when it became possible for me to help, I did it without hesitation. To say racing is expensive is an understatement, the crew of people it takes for that machine to run smoothly is unbelievable and imagine being a racer having to try to fund this on your own, it’d be impossible. We are one of many sponsors that help keep Caroline racing and allowing her to focus on riding. We are incredibly proud to sponsor this young athlete and look forward to seeing her grow and succeed (bear in mind she is not in a special class, she is racing with the boys and always placing in or near the top 10), we know that Caroline will be an amazing up and coming racer. If you ever wanted the opportunity to get on the track with her or Benny come out to our events and ride with these two amazing young riders and yes our lovable JP too! Let’s support each other in our endeavors whatever they may be, together we can do great things and opportunities will naturally open up for all of us. Let’s be women of action…not just words.

Let’s ride! The season is upon us and after this lousy winter and spring, we deserve a bit of two wheeling fun in the sun.

September 10, 2016 CC Track Day

September 20, 2016 By Carol Carpenter

I’ve heard from many people that they think CC Track Events hosted by MotoVixens is only for women, let’s clarify, it’s for EVERYONE! Gals and guys. I think the confusion comes with the MotoVixens part, but I’m here to tell you it’s for anyone who wants to attend a boutique track event/day. I say this in part because we aren’t like any other track events/days, we are unique, the environment we provide is relaxed and friendly, we are focused on rider training, mainly street riders who are either new to riding or are looking to improve their skills, riders per session are limited to 30 riders, the main focus is for you to learn, ask questions, get help from our talented instructors. We are not the cookie cutter track day where each session is jammed well over capacity and track real estate is hard to find, we limit riders to allow more open track for you to practice. We may be more expensive than the average track day but we have to charge more if we cap the riders per session. From someone who has instructed for other companies, I know too well how dangerous and ridiculous it is to try to teach no less learn when the track is overfilled with riders. So next year for those who say this is a chick day, um no it’s for guys who dig chicks (on motorcycles of course).

Marie our awesome registration gal and Oliver J our talented rider who is overly obsessed with his perfect hair

Now with that taken care of let’s get to business, the weather for the day was stellar (which a week before had me worried) and we had Ducati Richmond and Pacific Motosports close down their shop on Saturday so they could bring employees and customers our to our day (because they are just that awesome). We had free classroom sessions through most of the day on the top of the hour for those who wanted to come, listen and ask questions. Later in the afternoon, Troy and I finally got some time to go out and ride around and we had fun just putting along and checking out who was riding and seeing if they were having fun. This track day was our way of giving back to riders as a community, we priced this day as low as we could to break even. My goal isn’t about making a ton of money running track days, it’s knowing that I helped someone, how happy they are at their new found confidence and being able to share my passion with others. I remember before I started CC Track Events, someone told me that once I make my passion into a business I’ll spend less time doing what I actually love. I didn’t believe it then, but I now see how your attention gets diverted to the business side and a lot less to the riding. That being said, I was unable to ride during our two day event in June, both my bikes were borrowed for the day so I was determined to at least get out 2 – 3 sessions this time. All I know is that when I ride, everything melts into the background whatever was on my mind a minute ago is no longer there. It centers me, reminds me why I love this sport, how much fun and challenging it is and how good it feels when everything clicks (even if its just fleeting). Mostly, the environment of our days is like hanging out with our friends and family everyone looking out for everyone else. The honest truth is every person on my staff is a friend, I appreciate and respect each and every one of them and I am so grateful to them for helping me to bring these days to you. If you haven’t joined us, please, do we are looking to expand next year depending on the availability of days we can reserve with the Ridge.

When you ride so hard you blow off the end of your exhaust

Next year we will do a two day event with JP again and if you didn’t get an opportunity, make time. What it would cost you to trailer down to Chuckwalla (or flight and rentals), accommodations and school fee would far exceed the price of our track day by a long shot, plus you can ride your own bike. We are literally a fraction of that cost (tiny) and we are doing it because we want to bring this special opportunity to you so you can learn from the best. I was fortunate enough to have the ability to travel to track schools, but I know not everyone can and that is why it was important for me to bring this to our local tracks. So as soon as we get the dates ironed out will post them on the website and Facebook, tell all your friends who ride to come out, it’s not just for gals! I am looking forward to seeing you again next season. Thank you to all my volunteers, instructors, control riders, tech and track control without you our days wouldn’t be the success they are.

Family, friends and fun!

Now get out and ride every chance you get, the weather is changing and the chances are getting slimmer. Hope to see some of you out there!

Track Days

August 25, 2016 By Carol Carpenter

I went to support my friend Cory Osburn on his last day to receive his endorsement card for successfully completing and passing his 3 day course with WMST. He had three great instructors, Chris, John and Ed, who welcomed me to stay and watch, cheer and proudly watch him pass this course. Upon completion of the testing, Chris stated something to the graduated class that seems like common sense, but many people don’t do it. Not only get seat time, but get coached properly, seek out more classes and instruction, build upon what you just learned. I can’t stress enough the importance of doing that, you just learned something, now go out and practice, practice a lot, if you don’t it will be forgotten. Practice with a plan and set a goal for yourself every time, it can be small like going up and down your street to get comfortable with your bike, then head out of your neighborhood, then tackle the freeway. Some people read to gain knowledge others do better by doing and attending classes, it’s up to you, but make sure you check in time to time with someone who can actually help you assess if you are improving or creating bad habits. Bad habits are hard to break and when they become second nature your tendency is to revert to them since the new concepts are harder to implement as they require more focus and concentration.

Riding is an amazing sport and for those of us who love it, we understand it is a never-ending process. You will never be able to fully appreciate what your bike is actually capable of, it is an incredible piece of machinery that you will get to know and love like your best friend (only it won’t drive you nuts). Some days you’ll feel like one with it and other days it’ll seem like a complete stranger to you, that’s completely normal but remember that the bike is the constant, it’s you that is inconsistent so if you are having an off day just be aware and adjust your riding accordingly. I still feel a great deal of anticipation and adrenaline every time I climb on to one of my bikes (each one rides so differently) yet somehow once I’m there, everything quiets down and fades away. Riding for me feeds my soul, quiets my mind, centers me and reminds me why I do what I do. Find a group or a friend(s) and get out there. Skills are tools that need to remain sharp so the more you practice technique the more comfortable you’ll start to feel in no time. Don’t let those tools and skills get dull and never be complacent about your riding. Things happen and they happen quick.

Track days are great for practicing, it is a controlled environment, controlled conditions and depending on which track organization you choose to signup with, can either be a great experience or one you may never attend again. For those new to track days look for providers who limit riders per session it will be a more relaxed environment for you to practice and learn instead of a stressful experience as you get buzzed or end up in a pile up in the corners. If you are more experienced you make those decisions of signing up knowing there is a chance of a lot of traffic. Make informed decisions based on your skill level. I’ve instructed at several organizations and I’ve seen tears, frustration and outright anger because of traffic on the track, just do your homework and make sure you get the most out of your day. With less riders there is more time to work on your technique and you spend less time figuring out how to negotiate your way out of traffic. Makes sense right? Nothing is worse than being super excited to ride and then encounter a misfortune in your first or even second session, it ruins your entire day. It can be due to individuals who can’t hold a line, someone clearly in the wrong level, a mechanical issue, lack of focus, too many people on track, etc. As an instructor through the years for track organizations, I’ve seen some pretty interesting things and knew that there had to be a better, safer way to put a track day on. If you haven’t had a chance to attend, sign up, we provide the perfect environment to learn, have fun, not feel self conscious or intimidated and our biggest joy is seeing you happy at the end of the day and smiling ear to ear. Our last day is on September 10 at The Ridge Motorsports Park and it is limited to 30 riders in each session. There are control riders and instructors there at your disposal and the classroom is free to everyone who wants to attend. Don’t forget to bring anything you might want to sell, barter or trade with other riders…you never know what someone might have that you absolutely can’t do without! (OK That’s the fashionista in me) Signup at www.motovixens.com/ccevents

Looking forward to seeing you out there!

June 27-28 Event Report

July 5, 2016 By Carol Carpenter

What an incredible two days at The Ridge Motorsports Park in Shelton, WA with Jason Pridmore, Caroline Olsen, Benny Solis, Redspade (Anna Rigby), her hubby Steve and David Kolb (marketing/social media/transportation-jack of all trades). We couldn’t have asked for a better group of people to come instruct and ride, than this crew. The weather was stellar, the people were in wonderful spirits and the pits were filled with riders grinning from ear to ear. Jason being the consummate professional and perfectionist squeezed in a lesson plan so filled to the hilt that it will require the remainder of the year to work on the intricacies of those techniques to feel confident enough to execute them consistently. The general consensus being that those who took the special session learned more in one day than they ever knew was possible.

In an environment of overcrowded track days and after instructing in many so overly filled every session that it was more a parade lap than the chance to work on practicing your techniques and working on your riding, we proved there is a better solution. The danger associated with overcrowded track days comes down to the sheer numbers of individuals on the track and the various skill levels. The two combined lead to crashes that could be avoided if we had less people on track and more room to maneuver. If we can provide an environment with far less riders where people can learn, go faster, is significantly safer and you can get knowledge from a renown world class coach who you can ask anything wouldn’t you want to? It’s a question I’ve asked myself through the years and after witnessing this during our event days, know that this dream is now a reality. Less traffic on track means more opportunity to work on your riding, making that plan and being able to implement it to practice and improve the timing and confidence of that technique.

JP and his crew are amazing people, not just referring to their riding abilities, but as individuals. Knowledgeable, kind, helpful, gracious, lovely and immensely talented people who truly want to better this sport and raise rider education awareness. JP having retired from racing, although still quite involved in training riders such as Caroline Olsen and Benny Solis (who are on the rise in MotoAmerica) as well as commentating with beIN sports for MotoAmerica, is still at the top of his game. JP and his crew rode with our clients, towed and instructed them and by the end of the day I saw remarked improvement in each rider. Sitting in the classroom and listening to JP teach and answer questions made me want to hop on a bike and go out and ride with all of them but alas I could not and still run the show. JP’s teaching style is one I’m especially receptive to, purely because when a question was asked, it was answered with facts to support the answer. No one left that room without a plan to adhere to on their session out on track, yet with that mission there was a levity and ease knowing that while we are working on these drills, we can’t forget why were are doing this…our love of riding. While this sport is inherently dangerous and things can happen, with the proper training you can only improve…your riding, knowledge and confidence.

From the outpour of emails, texts and calls since the event it is clear to me that people want more of what we offered with JP and our event days. When I started instructing, it was different, there was a sense of family and community in the organizations, but over the years that has changed. My goal is to kill two birds with one stone, provide an environment where staff feels appreciated as well as a part of a family and the clients have the best experience possible while in our care. I do this out of passion, for the love of the sport and keeping riders safe. This is not a lucrative business (very seldom is one done from passion), I could very easily just do track days and jam them full of people, but I love this sport and teaching riders is important to me. A great deal of planning goes into keeping costs down to pass them on to the clients, this is in hopes we make lifetime riders from everyone we touch. Whether you ride a cruiser or a sport bike, we just want to you have the skills necessary to enjoy this sport and share it with everyone around you. If you missed our event with JP we will be bringing him back again next year, so stay tuned for the announcement later this year (once I can pin him down with a schedule).

Our second day ended with a birthday celebration for Troy, the last two years have been celebrated at the track and how poignant since motorcycles brought us together three years ago. Clint and Di prepared a feast for JP, Caroline, Benny, Anna, Steve, David, Troy and I where we stuffed ourselves then got everyone on horses to show them what horsepower used to mean! The friendships we developed from this event, the memories and laughter we shared are experiences that we will remember for a lifetime. More than being about business is the sense of community and family which we will strive to bring back into our industry. Passion fuels my desire to make this successful, giving people opportunities that are hard to come by and options to achieve their goals, creating an environment to develop and grow, supporting our industry by providing continuing education to riders and advocating for rider safety.

Come out and ride with us, we have another date on September 10th and signups are limited. JP will be in New Jersey, but Troy Cook will be holding classroom sessions which will be listed the day of the event. The schedule will be that of a typical track day, 20 minute sessions every hour. Check the event listing for more detailed information.

Special thanks to Oliver Jervis (for breaking in my new bike and driving me around the track in his snazzy car), Spero Benias, Wendy Leber, Chrissy Wiley, Jenny Besaw, Brian Pinkstaff, Moaka Clay, Alan Schwen, Steve Cook, Troy Cook, Pat O’Connor, Adan Mendoza, Matt Staples, Chris Larabee, Tyler Oxos, Matt Darling, Marie Kile, Renee Johnson, Cory Osburn and James Ketchum who with their dedication and support on these days made it possible for me to focus on making this event fantastic for all who attended. Thank you Clint and Di for the lovely BBQ and fun at the farm for the gang after our two day event, they had more fun than they ever could’ve imagined. Also, huge thank you to Fred and Andy at the Ridge Motorsports Park for allowing us to take it over and put on an amazing two days. Not to be excluded all of our sponsors who so generously donated products to help make this event truly special: Ducati Richmond, Pacific Powersports, Triumph of Seattle, South Sound Honda, South Bound Honda, I-90 Motorsports, Sena, AGV, Dainese, Dunlop Tires, Cycle Gear, KFG Racing, Mike Sullivan, Cycle Wipes and Racer Gloves.

Investing in yourself

April 20, 2016 By Carol Carpenter

I wish someone had introduced me to motorcycles at this age, taken away all the mystery and fear associated with it and given me the ability to concentrate on strategy. What a wonderful gift that would’ve been, but since this is real life and my parents were deathly afraid of my brother riding motorcycles, that meant an absolute no for me. There is an inherent fear of motorcycles and the danger associated with them, when you get into a discussion with non-riders you find yourself almost defending why you ride, I had people go so far as to say I’m a terrible mother for wanting to put myself at risk. It’s interesting that people have such strong opinions about riding. For me and I believe for many of us that ride, it is our place of zen, somewhere where you can reconnect with yourself, have fun, feel the outside world whizzing by your face and through your body, it is completely visceral and centering.

Sure riding is inherently dangerous, however just like any other sport, the more you practice and are coached, the more knowledgeable and more confident you become. It is an investment in yourself. As riders we invest in gear, exhausts, aftermarket stuff, but we don’t invest in us and the knowledge we need to possess to continue riding for a lifetime. All that bling doesn’t mean a thing if you can’t ride it or are deathly afraid of it. Better to save your money, learn to ride skillfully and then bling out your dream bike. Let’s be honest, you will lay your bike down, you may lay it down a lot to start. It will hurt like hell if you have put on all the bells and whistles and it gets totaled. It may even keep you from continuing this amazing sport, so save your money for pimping out your bike in a savings account as a reward and invest in improving your skills. If you don’t think you have anything to learn, try a class and find out, I believe you will be surprised.

I’ve had the opportunity to travel and attend track schools, but I know for many this isn’t in their budget. I always wished they would come up to our area and put these schools on, but to this day only one currently does and with a hefty price tag. I started doing events to bring top level coaches and riders to our local track and give people the opportunity to experience the level of instruction that makes the difference. I believe that to be the best you need to learn from the best in the business. You may never reach their level, but you can always strive to be better every time, implement skills everyday and improve your riding every time you throw a leg over. It is a fraction of the cost of traveling to a track school and for many this will be their first time on the track so we try to make this as accommodating and comfortable as we can so you can have an amazing day of learning. Last year we had Ken Hill instructing and this year we have Jason Pridmore of Star Motorcycle School (currently commentating for beIn sports and MotoGP) for our two day event. On June 27th there will be three sessions: Group 1 and 2 are co-ed and open to everyone in limited numbers and Group 3 is the special session with JP in the classroom and then on track (please see the event schedule for more details). Group 3 for the 27th is a women’s session (which JP will love me for) so that we can provide an environment for gals who want to learn at their pace, no matter what level you are. On June 28th, Group 1 and 2 are co-ed and limited numbers and the special session is for men. Last year after putting on the event, I was approached by men asking if I would do one especially for them as well…you asked, I delivered. Click on the CC Track Events on the home page for more information and to signup. Spaces are limited so sign up and reserve your spot today. If you have groups of people 5-10, please contact me directly at caroltcarpenter@motovixens.com.

We will have giveaways and this year we have Dunlop Tires (a set to give away each day), KFG has donated a few setups, Cycle gear is donating gift certificates and the list is growing each day. There will also be demos available from dealerships (to be announced soon), JP will be doing two ups (get in line boys and girls, I get the first dance :D) as well as other world class riders he’s bringing to help you get the most out of your experience. JP will have a q & a during lunchtime open to everyone and then he and his boys will be riding as we spectate in the corners. The catering will be done by Viet NomNom food truck and lunch will be provided for participants. Snacks and water will be available, please bring anything you may need if you have dietary restrictions. Also, don’t forget to bring fuel for your bike, sunscreen and warmer clothing for the morning and cooler gear for later.