I-90 Motorsports Archives

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.

August 13, 2015 Event Report

August 19, 2015 By Carol Carpenter

"2-Fast Track Day on August 13, 2015 at The Ridge Motorsports Park in Shelton WA. Photo taken by Ian Tanaka"

MotoVixens track day at The Ridge Motorsports Park in Shelton WA. Photo taken by Ian Tanaka”

What an amazing turnout of ladies and men for the Women’s Event and Track Day! Ladies your enthusiasm and determination on this day was inspirational and men, I loved the ones that showed up in their tutus to support their gals, be their pit bitches and brali boys, very cute! I can’t say how excited I was, except that the lack of sleep for many days prior probably didn’t reflect how overly surprised I was at the turnout of riders both male and female. This women’s event was designed around having a perfect learning environment, low numbers, vip treatment, catering and Ken Hill, the best riding coach out there, as well as the added bonus of the best woman rider currently out there, Elena Myers. We wanted those who signed up to know they were being attended to by the best instructors in the track community with the most knowledge and that their questions would be accurately answered by either Ken, Elena or one of our staff. It was important that our ladies understood we were there to help them with whatever they needed and it showed when we had one of our ladies go down in the first session. She was fine, a little shaken, but she was more concerned about her bike and that she rode in. She rented a Ninja 250 for the next session and when lunch came we got her bike and everyone in the pits banded together to get her the parts necessary to get her bike back together so she could finish off her day. This is the motorcycle family, we take care of each other, we don’t ever leave anyone behind, it makes me terribly proud of everyone that was on my staff and vendors for making her day.

“MotoVixens Track Day on August 13, 2015 at The Ridge Motorsports Park in Shelton WA. Photo taken by Ian Tanaka”

The classroom sessions started with the ladies getting booklets to record their progress, write down key points, morsels of information that they felt would be important to their development. As the day progressed the room became more and more crowded, instructors sat in on the classroom session as well as marshals who wanted to hear what valuable knowledge Ken would impart on the class. It was impressive to see the classroom so full each and every hour then watch the sea of women depart the class to get on their bikes to ride on track with their instructors. What an amazing sight to see 25 women on track with their instructors, learning, improving and excited to take the lesson in the class and execute it on track. No one knew how 30 minutes was going to start affecting people, but around the 4th or 5th session ladies were getting beat and their focus was starting to wane. So next year we will do the 20 minute format with 3 sessions still limiting the maximum riders per session. The overall consensus is that Ken had an amazing way of simplifying things, methods, techniques and concepts so that it was easily digestible for the ladies. He has an aura and confidence from his years of experience that helps even the most nervous to feel more at ease and his willingness to be part coach and part psychologist to help you get over what is holding you back is what makes him the best at his job. Then Elena riding on track with the ladies, speaking to them in the classroom, open to photos throughout the day and just the fact that she carries herself so well at 21 years of age makes you believe that the right type of parenting makes all the difference. She is a credit to our sport, her parents and herself. I had the pleasure of spending time with this young lady and not only does she have a wicked sense of humor, she’s a very well spoken intelligent young woman. I look forward to following her career for many years to come.

“MotoVixens Track Day on August 13, 2015 at The Ridge Motorsports Park in Shelton WA. Photo taken by Ian Tanaka”

The Track only session was a group of men who really enjoyed the open track for 30 minutes each hour and when I got the opportunity to speak to some of those guys, they looked at me tired, sweaty and happy at having spent the day playing on a track with minimal traffic. I was told over and over, put another one of these on and I will sign up in a heartbeat! While most of the love went to the ladies session the men didn’t get neglected, they got to have marshals and instructors who are fantastic riders, help them in their session. However, many did find me to ask if I would bring Ken up to do a men’s day and the answer is YES, we are working out details so stay tuned. I do believe this school will be a sell out in days so if you want to be in the know, make sure you tell your peeps to signup on the website as they will be the first to know as soon as we have dates confirmed. While I won’t open up registration till the beginning of the year, it will allow you to save the date and start thinking about the wealth of knowledge Ken will impart on you to help you get one step closer to the rider you want to become.

“MotoVixens Track Day on August 13, 2015 at The Ridge Motorsports Park in Shelton WA. Photo taken by Ian Tanaka”

Thank you again to all my sponsors: Ducati Richmond, Pacific Powersports, I-90 Motorsports, Triumph of Seattle, South Sound Honda, South Bound Honda, Paulson’s, South Sound Motorcycles, WMST and Family First Allstate. Special thanks to Alan and OPRT for their help in staffing the event. Thank you to my supporters: Sena #RideConnected, Forma Performance Boots, The Beauty Lab, Cycle Gear, Raci Babi, Massage Envy, Ambrosia Medspa and Cycle Wipes. To the vendors who came out and provided services, thank you Premium Rush Rentals and Tires, Jason Tanaka and KFG Racing for helping our day run smoothly. I can’t thank all of you enough for making this event the success it was!

“MotoVixens Track Day on August 13, 2015 at The Ridge Motorsports Park in Shelton WA. Photo taken by Ian Tanaka”

Adam will be bringing Rickdiculous and Ken up the the Ridge next year and I will be working with them in booking dates before or after their days for my events. Whether you are new to riding or been riding for years, continue learning, exploring, pushing your limits, that’s what makes you a better rider. I have an enormous respect and passion for this sport and want to share it with others, I hope you will be a part of one or many of my events in the years to come as well as visit me at OPRT where I instruct. For those who want private instruction, please contact me directly, throughout the year. I look forward to seeing you all out there again next year and stay tuned for updates about the events for next year. It is about imparting knowledge to make lifelong riders of all of us.

Vixens Ride!

Women’s Event and Track Day

July 4, 2015 By Carol Carpenter

For those who are savvy to track days, just skim to the section that applies to you, for those who are virgins to track days…let’s get you comfortable with the concept. Track days typically are structured with three 20 minute sessions per hour distinguished by groups, a level 1 (novice), level 2 (intermediate) and level 3 (expert) or something of that nature to clarify which group you will ride in. Most track days will limit their sessions to 40 people per session not including their marshals and instructors. Marshals are individuals who ride the track to police traffic and help those riders who require assistance or go to a corner to help deal with a crash. Instructors are assigned to students and are specifically there to help those individuals. Instructors and Marshals wear different color vests (depending on the track day company) and are there for the customer’s safety. If you see a person wearing an instructor vest, be aware that the student (who is also wearing a vest) will be either in front of or directly behind the instructor…do not try to pass in sketchy areas, try to complete a safe pass by both of them. For this Event, we are doing two half hour sessions…that’s a whole 30 minutes on the track to warmup, get your groove on and then push your limits a little to really test your skills. For those attending the track only session which is open to all riders, male or female on any bike, Mike Sullivan will be offering up private lessons so sign up at registration. For both sessions, there will also be signups for 2 up rides, if you’ve never gone 2-up on the track, I highly recommend it. It will open up your eyes to how late and hard you can brake and how quickly you can get on the gas. This is open for male and females so please sign up in the hospitality tent as soon as possible.

For my Women’s event on August 13 at the Ridge Motorsports Park in Shelton, WA, we wanted to make this extra special, do what no one has done here before and provide an incredible experience for everyone involved. We wanted to get the best riding coach out there to run the classroom and teach riders concepts and techniques the top riders use and apply that to their level of riding. Having that solid foundation to build from and reference, as your skills and confidence increase, is invaluable. We asked Ken Hill, currently coaching at Rickdiculous and Yamaha School of Champions, and he was thrilled to jump on board and bring his knowledge and teaching methods to us for this event. His willingness to better the sport through education speaks volumes, his enthusiasm, charisma, understanding and wit make learning fun and easy. The list of Ken’s clients include many top level riders today and I consider it an honor he would agree to come do a school for us gals up here, so you really need to jump on this unique opportunity. Now to add icing to this already amazing cake, we asked Elena Myers to join us. She is in her own right a very accomplished rider, but what people do not realize is how down to earth and sweet this gal is. Not only is she inspirational, she is kind, not what you’d expect from someone who has accomplished so much in her life and at such a young age. Ladies, you are in for a treat, she will be riding with you during your sessions on track while Ken will be at pit wall and signaling people in for drills to work on. Elena and Ken will be working hand in hand while you are on track to help you get the most out of your day. The classroom session will be 20-25 minutes and for those who would like to stay and ask questions, Ken will be available to do so while we are making the transition to the track at which time Ken will be in the hotpits eagle eyeing people to get them to work on a specific topic. The half hour after lunch we’ve discussed bussing people to corners to watch Ken, Elena and some other racers come through and discussing what it looks like when you come in too early, too late, with too much lean angle, etc. This allows a bird’s eye view of what you should be working on when entering and exiting those corners. To sum up we will have 20-25 minutes of classroom time followed by 30 minutes on the track throughout the day.

The cost of this event has been a topic of discussion, so let me clarify, renting a track and hiring coaching out is expensive which is why most track companies rent a track, provide their own teachers, instructors and marshals (at no cost) and then fill them (or overfill them) to make money. A normal track day consists of 120+ signed participants riding in one of the 3 sessions, we are offering 2 sessions with 60 people, a total of 30 per session. This event and track day was designed to make your experience at the track, whether it is your first time or you are a track junkie, memorable. Everything we can think of is being provided from top level coaches and riders to help with this day to catering, hospitality tent with snack and drinks, provided by WMST (Chris Johnson) and Allstate, dealerships and demos, prizes and giveaways. Some of those prizes have a retail value of $200 (i.e. 2wheeldynoworks dyno, OPRT track day, Forma Boots, Spa treatments, etc) and there are loads of little giveaways sure to make you smile, including Cycle Wipes and a signed poster from Elena Myers for all sign ups. Let’s talk about the 30 minute sessions vs. 20 minute sessions…you are getting just over two extra sessions this day than you would get in a normal 20 minute session track day (which BTW ranges from $190-$220 for just the track day to $255-$320 with instruction included). Our pricing is competitive and designed to help us break even. This allows us to hire those top level coaches which make this event completely one of a kind. To top it off, both of these sessions are limited to 30 people per session…Maximum track time with minimal traffic. Imagine how much you can learn with all that extra space and time to do it in? For an additional $100 you will get top level coaching in the Women’s Event (as well as the following) and for the track only session additional track time, limited signups for more actual available track, VIP treatment, catering and memories to last a lifetime. Jason Tanaka will be on hand to take pictures on and off the track which will be available after the event just visit his website at www.JasonTanaka.com. In addition, Phil Melnyk of Premium Rush Pirelli will be in the pits if you need tires and KFG Racing will be there to setup your bikes. You can not miss this event! Sign up at www.MotoVixens.com/events, spaces are limited!

Thank you to all our sponsors for making this event possible! Ducati Richmond/Pacific Powersports, I-90 Motorsports, Optimum Performance Rider Training, Triumph of Seattle, Paulson’s, South Sound Honda/South Bound Honda, South Sound Motorcycles, WMST, Kevin Gibboney – Allstate, 2 Wheel Dynoworks, Sena, Forma Boots, The Beauty Lab, KFG Racing, Jason Tanaka Photography, Cycle Gear, Premium Rush Pirelli, Cycle Wipes and Raci-Babi.

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