Optimum Performance Rider Training

Sena Prism review at the track

August 21, 2015 By Carol Carpenter

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wetiXfijJSU[/youtube]Optimum Performance Rider Training had it’s last track day of the year on August 16, 2015 at The Ridge Motorsports Park, it was expected to be full and it did not disappoint. The pits were full of eager individuals to get their last taste of riding before the season was officially over for OPRT. Unfortunately that also meant a lot of people hoping to run their fastest lap times of the year and it led to many get offs on the track. Sunday was not unlike any other day at the track, but the feeling was thick with a level of anxious tension and we all know what to expect when that happens so we try to keep our students safe and everyone having fun as the day progresses. The classes were full in both the beginner and intermediate classes and we had every instructor out to help make the day run smoothly. One of our riders crashed out in the first session and he was absolutely adamant on getting his bike from home to finish off his day. After asking him did he know why he crashed he said he tucked the front through the turn and completely totaled his bike. When asked the question about his tire pressures…he said he was running Pirellis and they should stick. HUH! Well when asked what kind of tires and pressures we concluded that 32 lbs. of pressure in the front and rear of Pirelli track tires was ridiculously high and they are supposed to be 29 cold in the front and 20 cold in the rear. There could’ve been a completely different outcome but not making a simple inquiry about his tire pressures and having a pressure gauge caused him to total his bike. Quite literally a question and a $20 gauge would’ve completely changed his day. While this is only one example of things we see during the day we can’t help but shake our heads at individuals who get passed, get that red mist and next thing you know we see them off the edge of the track hopefully upright, but majority of the time, not. This set the tone for the day and it got worse as the day went on with the bike toll.

I was asked to ride with Jonathan the next session, when I met him he seemed nice, but he is asian and not to be stereotypical (I’m asian too) I didn’t want to ride with him if he was going to be some arrogant rich asian kid who was willing to take unnecessary chances and not listen. It turns out I was wrong and was so happy about it, it turns out this kid can ride, but he has a few things that need to be worked out, so I asked if he minded if we did some film? I used the Sena Prism anchored to the rear cowling of my GSXR and asked Troy to take him around since we were going to be going out again in the next session with another student to record his riding. Jonathan is great getting on the gas, however he man handles his bike with his upper body and his body positioning changes drastically after a few laps letting me know he doesn’t use his lower body properly and engage his core. Anyone that says this sport isn’t physical is wrong, I haven’t met a single rider who doesn’t take their helmet off who isn’t sweating like crazy. He gets so tired he starts yanking his bike instead of allowing his lower body to stay anchored and control the bike with the change in which peg he weights. He’s great going left, more tentative going right. His lines are ok, but they can be better, he needs to use the track more and not be following the turn so long at a lean to get a quicker and better drive. He needs to look further. I know you have all heard this and what this means is seeing as far down the track as possible, but still seeing and using rapid eye movements to focus in and out to the reference points. For example, when entering the turn you should see the apex, but be looking for that exit and all the while focusing in and out from apex (without concentrating on it) to the exit ready to get on the gas. It takes practice and sometimes when you are tired your eyes just get lazy and you find yourself looking only to the next reference point. Jonathan was a great student, he listened, he asked questions, he understood and when he got on the track he went to work. It is students like this that make being an instructor fun, being able to touch people and change their lives in some small way and to give them direction to work on things that may be holding them back. Unlocking their potential and giving them the confidence to get out there and do it better each time. Thank you Jonathan for letting me use your video and just talk briefly about the footage as a learning tool and letting me discuss your riding. My Sena Prism has been an invaluable tool in my teaching at the track and I look forward to recording, posting and critiquing many more students in the upcoming year. I want to thank Robert Knoll for sponsoring me, my company and what we are doing for women riders, it is individuals like this who believe in our causes that help us to succeed.

Vixens Ride!

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.

Track Days

July 4, 2015 By Carol Carpenter

oprt_logo_full_new I was recently at the track more days of the week than not, not complaining at all, most people would kill to be in my position that is for sure. I’m fortunate to be in a position that allows me a bit more freedom to schedule myself out and unless there is a project that I absolutely must do, I can make myself available to be at the track to fulfill my passion…helping others learn to ride. I was recently at the Father’s Day track day with OPRT on Sunday and we had a full house, as usual, level 200 was full and people signed up for levels that were either above of below their skill set. As the day progressed and people were shifted to their appropriate levels, things started to mellow out and everyone got in a groove. I was teaching a student in level 200 and due to some technical difficulties I had to pull off, check my bike, then I jumped back on to find my student. I came across a rider that looked a bit confused about the lines so I tried to block his inside so as not to have him spooked by passing riders, he tended to swoop a bit so I figured if someone tried to pass they would notice that, back off a bit and then choose a safer place to pass. I must remind riders all the time, it is the passing riders responsibility to execute a safe pass, if you can not, just don’t do it. It leads to bad consequences…as we saw on this day. [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3T7XbD8u-Y[/youtube] As we both entered turn 10 the rider behind us decided he wanted to pass so dropped back a bit and went to the right in hopes of getting a straight shot into 11, however as I previously mentioned the rider I was protecting would swoop, which is exactly what he did causing the rider who wanted to pass to panic and brake so hard he did an endo. This led to a scattering of bikes and one rider behind to hit the rider that went down, all this was caught on a video that was posted on youtube and I later shared that on my timeline. Never overtake someone until you watch them through a few turns, just understanding what they feel comfortable doing helps you make a judgement call as to when it is safe to pass. All in all, the rider looked ok and he rode off the track 2up with a Marshal.

The next day was a track day for South Sound Honda and I rode around the first few sessions to get warmed up then noticed some gals that could use some help. I came across a gal named Julie and helped tow her around a bit to get her to follow my lines and she did awesome. Next session I found a young gal named Sienna, who was pitted with her father and boyfriend and asked if they wouldn’t mind if I took her around a bit? She was on a CBR250 and she was new to the race track, but had been on dirt tracks most of her life. We did a few sessions together getting her used to riding a race track and trying to teach her to the lines to help her acclimate getting her track legs. I then went back to Julie and we hopped on and we were planning on doing a few lead and follow laps, first I let her lead to see if she was paying attention, then I got in front and led. During this session I was hit as a rider tried to come on the inside of turn 12 and as I was leaning over felt my bike start to slide, then as I was accelerating out, I felt a big clunk. I was unaware I had been hit and the rider that hit me had high sided, until I heard the scraping of metal behind me, I shook my head and motioned back to Julie to follow me as we would go for another lap. When we came around we saw the rider was ok, but there was fluid on the track so they motioned us to one side and we got up a hand to exit the track. This was Julie’s first time on the track and she was stunned to have witnessed the crash, but saw that despite being hit you can still stay upright and continue on. A great lesson that could never have been described, but only witnessed. Upon entering my pit, I told my boyfriend, who is hard of hearing, I was hit. He said, “I know someone high sided and crashed.” At which time I repeated a little louder, “No, I was hit honey.” “Oh” was his reply as I got off the bike, “Are you OK?” Yup all good and then we looked at the bike where we saw that he had hit me, his bike flipped and his handlebar came down on my passenger cowl and took a chunk of paint and scraped the tail section as is came down. That explained that clunk I felt. The guy that crashed seemed fine and the only thing he was upset about was telling his wife.

Track days are fun, they are for learning and pushing your limits a bit to see what your bike can do. Bear in mind, you will never be able to outride your bike’s capabilities, so don’t try, everything in baby steps. The track is a safe controlled environment consisting of the same corners lap after lap for you to try to perfect your entry and exit speed, your lines, gear selection, braking, reference points, etc. If your goal is to drag a knee or get faster, you are that guy that will either end up crashing or causing a crash. Getting faster is about practice, not just practice, but repeated perfect practice. You are never going to be perfect, but you can get close once in a while and that is what will bring you back, that pursuit of perfection. Everything is a byproduct of the last, in getting more skilled, smoother, faster, you will naturally drag a knee or a knee and elbow, but that shouldn’t be your goal as it can lead to dire consequences. All the skills you acquire at the track directly translate to the street, but at a different speed and with far more obstacles to be worried about. Vision, which is learned at the track, helps a great deal with this as well as reference points, the speed you must acquire information is much faster at the track and once you’ve gotten acclimated it is amazing how slow things happen on the street. It gives you the ability to troubleshoot and create escape routes just in case. You will find that your mind works quicker and your ability to predict obstacles or accidents is heightened after you start making track days part of your life. Track days can be an incredible learning experience, a place to hone your skills, a place to release stress, ride at ridiculous speeds without getting a ticket, being part of a community and push your limits in a safe environment. While my last two track days saw some crazy things, the benefits far outweigh the risks. You will learn more that you’ve ever imagined and you’ll end the day hot, sweaty and feeling completely drained, but it will be with a gigantic smile on your face.

Novice Racing

September 27, 2013 By Carol Carpenter

I have recently been asked by several women why I chose to be a novice racer and is it something they can do as well? The answer to the first question is I’m a little whacko and truth be told spent most of my life trying to make others happy while neglecting my needs. Becoming a mother in my mid-twenties and having been a part of corporate America since I was 18, I knew the ins and outs of that world, thus I became a corporate wife (sort of). As my boys were growing up, my marriage was coming to an end and I needed to find myself again and this is how my journey with motorcycles began. Having always wanted to learn how to ride and it having this bad ass kind of feel to it that was incredibly empowering (should I survive) I was game, again this is where the crazy comes in… The BRC class was my first foray into the world of motorcycling and after 3 terrifying and exhilarating days I received my endorsement. Then came the search for continuing my journey, my next step. I found that there were intermediate classes offered but most were after you completed some riding time on the street (since riding in a parking lot wasn’t real preparation to riding in everyday conditions). Not helpful. Then in searching for schools, up popped “track training”, 😉 hmmmmmm what is that? Well, that ladies is how it all began for me…The California SuperBike School (http://www.superbikeschool.com) was the catalyst into finding out about track schools like 2 Fast (http://www.2-fast.org) and OPRT (http://www.optimum-performance.org). Being a gal you certainly stand out in a sport mainly dominated by men, but I believe that walking into racing completely unaware was a blessing, the fact that I was so naive and genuine, those guys took me in, taught and have helped me along the way. By no means do I even know all I should, but now I’m much more aware if what it takes and it’s been a journey that I would’ve taken many times over exactly the same way.

As for becoming a racer, it is actually fairly easy. Search for an organization in your area under road racing associations and if you live in Seattle it is WMRRA (http://www.wmrra.com), Portland it is OMRRA (http://www.omrra.com) and nationally there is WERA (http://www.wera.com) too, check your area for a local one near you. Visit their website, find out how to become a racer and start your own journey. There is one thing I wish someone would’ve warned me about though, it is that racing is great until you crash then it becomes expensive and a mad rush to get everything put together again before the next race. Be prepared to spend every free moment searching for parts, finding the right people to fix your bike and make sure you have great health insurance because everyone eventually will require some form of medical attention. Please be aware of the risks involved and don’t believe that you are exempt from falling, we all do and it happens so fast. There is risk in everything, but this allows us to race with controlled risk, every racer knows what they are getting into. We all have to go to work after the weekend is over, have families to return to, loved ones to care for so there is almost a gentlemen’s code that you don’t take out people intentionally, you race with dignity. Sure sometimes accidents happen, but when they do there is no hard feelings and it is funny at times to see one guy walk up to another and say, “Hey sorry about that man” and they shake hands and get busy fixing their bikes for the next race. This is the only place where I’ve seen one guy take out another and they will actually give each other hugs, yeah we are seriously twisted. I’ve found a place where I feel at home, where competition and camaraderie co-exist, feel like I’m a part of a huge extended family, part of a community…I finally found myself in this crazy place that I now call home.