track days

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!

Races at Chuckwalla Valley Raceway

September 20, 2016 By Carol Carpenter

I sat down to write about the September 10th track day, but after watching Caroline Olsen and Benny Solis race on Sunday, I felt compelled to write about my trip first. Chuckwalla Valley Raceway is about 3.5 hours southeast from Santa Clarita, CA where I am presently residing, off the 10 Fwy by Palm Desert and Joshua Tree National Park. To say it was hot would be an understatement (I mean huge), it was scorching (the high was 110 degrees that day), so the thought of riding and racing in triple digit weather did not sound in the least bit appealing. The track is 2.68 miles with 17 turns and the entire track can be seen from the bleachers by the hot pits. I arrived to see Jason Pridmore (Star Motorcycle School www.starmotorcycle.com) coaching this duo at their pit. The series is Chuckwalla Valley Motorcycle Association (CVMA – www.cvmaracing.com) and it was their first round of races of the season, they don’t start until late when the weather is more manageable and ride through the winter and spring, I can totally understand why now.

Upon my arrival I was met with smiles and hugs from everyone as they were getting ready for the first race of the day which Benny and Caroline were both entered in. Benny Sr. (Benny’s Dad) is Benny’s pit crew, always there encouraging and handling the bikes in the pits and the board at hot pit while Marco (the one in the background) does data acquisition. Caroline was racing Benny’s backup bike and to watch the two of them talking was heartwarming, they are each other’s support system, encouraging each other all long the way. The first race ended with Benny taking first and Caroline, second which ended up being the way it went all day for the races they were both entered in together. However, on the one race with just Caroline, to see her do her thing was nothing less than pure art. She is so smooth and determined and to just imagine what those guys felt as she took the lead with an amazing start, I could only imagine it as deflating. I did watch them try to catch her, but it didn’t take long for her to break away. What’s even more impressive is that she wasn’t on her own bike, a slight disadvantage, but she rode it like she had be on it for years. And Benny, he’s amazing, lightning quick and so in control, in fact he won every race with a significant gap to those placing second. Not to mention his amazing hair even after the helmet came off (see picture below)!

Pre ride talk

I got a chance to speak with both Benny and Caroline between races in the trailer and for two 20 somethings they are wise, focused, disciplined and kind. In particular, Caroline and I got a chance to speak in private about our industry, this gal is a fireball, you have to be in a male dominated industry, as well as thick skinned and strong willed. Listening to her I had nothing but admiration for her dedication, overcoming adversity and becoming one of the fastest, if not fastest girl in the US today. Being in the age of social media, you can become easily mislead, people posting about how fast they are or in cases of the female variety using their feminine wiles to get them noticed (not that there is anything wrong with that, but what are you saying, I’m fast or I’m hot). True talent doesn’t require talk or pictures, the proof is in performance. These two not only deliver, but they do it with a humble nature. To me it says a lot about the way they have been raised. I am looking forward to seeing these two rise to the top and what makes it extra special is knowing them and how deserving they are of it.

Jason is the consummate coach, making sure they are hydrated, talking to them immediately before they race and right when they get back in the pits. He’s timing, watching every corner, pass, supporting and cheering them on from the pit wall. You can tell he loves what he does, but above all he cares deeply about them and wants the absolute best for them. There is a mutual respect and a lot of ribbing, I had a great deal of fun watching everyone have their turns with each other. David Kolb, who drove up a handful of bikes from California for our two day event, was also racing on Sunday and JP was there at the wall for his races encouraging him all along the way. With this group you aren’t just friends, you are family and that’s what this sport is all about.

We are currently ironing out dates with JP and his crew to join us again next year and we hope you will take this opportunity to join in and learn from an amazing coach and his talented riders, otherwise you will have to wait for the following year. The information and techniques you will learn will open your eyes and watching everyone have these moments of clarity made putting these event days on worth it.

Looking forward to next season, now get out there and ride!

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!

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.

Endurance Racing

May 27, 2015 By Carol Carpenter

Team shot before the races

Memorial Day weekend was WMRRA’s Sprint and Endurance races, which has been consistently iffy where weather has been concerned and if it was anything, it was consistent. Greg Canright (number 888) has been asking me for years to join the endurance races telling me how fun they are, but in my mind just seemed like too much work so I never signed up. Well, I have to say after doing it I’m sorry I hadn’t done it before, the teamwork and camaraderie was amazing and throwing together a team with sheer ignorance was a blessing. Chris Johnson, owner of WMST, came to me saying he wanted to do an endurance team and got Phil Melnyk of Pirelli and Premium Rush to donate the tires, would Troy and I join the team? I offered up my bike for the race and we had originally signed Matt Staples (lovingly known as the Ginger Avenger), but he got injured Sunday during the race and had to pull out. So there was our team Chris, Phil, Troy and myself with Phil as the only person who had any experience or idea what this race would entail. We assigned roles and responsibilities, items that were necessary for that day and Troy got busy making the bike ready for the 6 hours of riding my R6 was going to endure.

Fast forward after the sprint races, most everyone had been there since Friday (track day) and feeling pretty beat, yet there was an incredible excitement and energy in the pits on Monday when the paddock started stirring with people. Everyone had staked out their claim for real estate along the wall the night before, literally sitting on the concrete barriers before trailers were even out to make sure they got a prime spot. The weather never did give, it was misty to misty and dry most of the day and cold, not optimal conditions for the race. The canopies went up and teams started their setups, bikes were fueled and prepped, riders were getting geared and discussing order and time of each rider, signals for emergencies or wanting to come in next lap. The rules of the race requires an expert to start and end the race for the first and last 30 minutes, then the order can be determined by the team and the length of time each rider wants to be on the bike.

Shot with my R6 after 6 hours of riding

Each tank can take about an hour of riding and holds close to 4.5 gallons so we could ride till the light came on or just come in when we got tired. Only one bike can be used, but a team can have multiple bikes with multiple riders in case one crashes out. Troy had a great start and I came on deck next, followed by Phil when we encountered our first little setback. He had only been out 2 laps and we heard over the radio he was pitting out, so we knew something was wrong…one of the rearsets was dangling, the bolt had backed out. No one had thought about that so we did a mad dash to the trailer for parts, which hurt us for time, but since we had agreed we were doing it only for fun we wouldn’t stress. After what seemed like forever we got a bolt (from another Vortex rearset), loctited everything and sent him on his way. Phil was followed next by Chris and I got hydrated and fueled up myself to be on deck for my turn. When Chris came in we checked out the tires and they still looked decent so I went out again, but at this point the tires were getting worn and the team knowing this they had prepped another rear for the remainder of the race. In I came after my turn and the bike was placed on its stand as the tire was changed as quickly as Troy could get it done, then with a tap of the back off Phil went. While picking up Troy realized he forgot the spacer in the wheel and we had to ask control to black flag our rider to pit in. Phil had only completed 2 laps and came in wondering what happened, but a quick redo of the tire swap and safety wire and off Phil went. Phil loves riding and he was so focused all of our attempts to get his attention down the front straight went unnoticed, the rule required an expert to complete the race so we had to get him back in, we finally asked control to black flag him. Troy finished the race for us, no one crashed, we had a few snafus and poor Phil got black flagged twice (although he wasn’t in trouble we just needed to get his attention), we didn’t have a program down for issues and we didn’t have a quick fuel can, but we ended up 7th out of 15. Not bad for a group of riders who threw together a team at the last minute completely unaware of what they were getting into.

If you’ve never done an endurance race, you should! Get a team together, 4-5 is perfect and no one gets too tired. Have spouses join in for moral support and help, it was more fun than I ever thought it would be. We had a team next to us that was just a blast and while everyone is competitive, it’s really just about the love of the sport and sharing that with others who have the same affinity. The season is upon us and track days are rampant, find one and signup to really understand why we love this sport so much. If it is your first time on track, sign up for a school, if it’s been a while get a refresher. Riding is a dangerous sport, but we can take the element of surprise out of it by arming ourselves with knowledge and skills. See you out there on track or on the street!

Vixens Ride!

Too much excitement!

Ready to Ride?

February 18, 2015 By Carol Carpenter

With the weather warming up and sunny days peeping in more frequently, I’ve seen an increase in riders on the road so I thought I would just mention a few things to remember. We take our bikes for granted and sure hopping on the bike at the first peep of sun seems like a great idea, but have you had a chance to tune it up and get it road ready and safe for your spur of the moment ride? If your bike has been sitting for a while, take a little time checking the fluids (water, oil, brake fluid), do a quick walk around the bike, pump your brakes to check for air in lines or accumulation of moisture, make sure the electronics are all working properly, fire up the bike and let it run (if it is dead might need a new battery or if it sounds rough the fuel may have condensation in it and you may need to pump out the fuel and add fresh fuel), check condition of tires (cracks or even the need for new ones) and always check tire pressures. KFG will do a free multipoint inspection and repairs down in Auburn and if you are up north call and/or drop in to 2 Wheel DynoWorks for any repairs, check our special offers page for participating dealers to get your bike ready to ride. In addition, quick look at your gear and if it needs a bit of dusting off now’s the time or maybe it’s even time to do a little shopping! Oh I just love getting new gear! Just a few minutes of precaution can save you a ton of heartache in the end. Remember we are entrusting our lives to these machines and they will serve you as well as you remember to service them.

The best thing to do of course is to plan ahead, if you know it’s going to be great weather soon and you are planning to get out there, do your maintenance and check a week before your ride that way you can fix the things you need to and venture out confident your ride will be enjoyable. The weather is still brisk and just a reminder that your tires are not going to get warm enough to get premium traction so take it easy, not to mention the moss, leaves, gravel, oil, etc on the roads out there…it’s gonna be slicker. We are also a bit out of practice not riding as often as we’d normally ride when it’s spring/summer, not a good time to go balls to the wall first thing, ease into it and get your bearings. Be safe and let your head, eyes and reflexes get up to speed again. Drivers also need to get used to seeing more motorcycles on the road again so they might not be as aware of you, be extra vigilant and focused when you ride to avoid meeting unexpectedly…we all know they aren’t aware anyway, but let’s try to give them the benefit of the doubt here due to the winter months. Springs-a-coming and track days are around the corner…save those crazy speeds for the track…there are heightened patrols out there and I know none of us want to get a ticket to ruin our day.

Be Safe and Vixens Ride! See you out there on the roads!

Lines on the track

September 9, 2014 By Carol Carpenter

Track-Map-with-Numbers-and-Names-Sized3-e1321882861754 During the classroom portion of track schools, one of the lessons is about lines around the track. We talk to countless people about them, track day riders who most of the time have never taken a class and I see a look that usually means they either have no idea or they have a very loose understanding of what lines really are and why we use them. Firstly, lines around the track are a guide and they are usually set up with cones on various places around the track. If you come to a track day you have several visual cones to help you work your way around. There are cones for braking, entry, apex, exit and at times specific cones set for passing for different levels. It is very much like a puzzle and getting everything timed just so to work for the perfect turn or turns which is what we try to aim for and when it works, it feels fantastic! Secondly, the reason we use lines is it is the fastest and safest way around the track, that’s why racers use them and visualize how to set up each corner linking one to the other all the way around.

The typical setup to a corner is braking cones (where you would start braking and it is to your comfort level, you can brake at the furthest cone if you are unsure all the way to the last cone if you want to really test the size of your balls). Then comes the entry cone where you want to start or initiate your turn, somewhere in the middle of this turn you should see the apex cone which will give you a perfect line to the exit cone. The trick is to link these all together in not a sweeping motion, but more like a straight deliberate line setting you up for the next set of cones. Now not every corner will have braking cones, mostly you will see these down straight aways where you can gain a tremendous amount of speed so these are let’s just call them your mom/bf/gf/significant other screaming at you to brake before you hit something (when you get to the last one you are in deep shit). In the areas where there are no braking cones these are followed by entry, apex and exit cones to guide you through. This is where setting yourself up for the next set of cones is important, if you miss an exit your entry, apex and exit will be sloppy or even missed in the next turn. I always say if you set yourself up well in one turn you will be pretty good for the next two…however missing one will cause you to keep correcting for the next two turns.

Some people may have no fear and brake late, but suck at corners, others may suck at braking, but are phenomenal in corners. Being great in corners and knowing your lines will make you a faster rider as your speed will eventually increase as well as your taste and mastering of braking later. Liter bikes are monsters on the straight for sure, but it requires skill to harness and control their power through corners. Smaller bikes lose to that power on the straights, but their cornering is phenomenal and easier to harness and can whip around them with a huge amount of agility. Now imagine having near perfect lines, just using that alone you are already faster without ever having to increase speed. Add speed and you’ll be pretty darn wicked! Lines are also the safest way around the track for that reason, it literally aims you to where you need to go, like connect the dots. If you follow them and learn them you’ll not only be the one of the fastest around the track, but you will do so with very little “OH SHIT” moments in your head. If you aren’t prepared things tend to go wrong right? SO the track and the lines are your plan that you try to perfect so you can have a great day. It’s not a contest, you aren’t getting a prize and push too much and you’ll end up with an ugly bike and some physical souvenirs. Challenge yourself a little every time, improve and soon you’ll be zipping around the track like a pro! Please please please take classes, these are an investment in your skills and in turn your life. We should never stop learning and what you get in one day in the classroom is so overwhelming that you will honestly only apply one or two principles so come back and build on what actually sunk in.

Track season is almost over in the PNW, so if you want to hone some skills before we lose to the weather, sign up! And as always gals and guys alike…Vixens Ride!

Rider beware, part 1

July 14, 2014 By Carol Carpenter

It’s summertime and the weather is beautiful, the kids are out of school, people are vacationing and we are out riding whenever we can. This sounds absolutely wonderful, but it is also a recipe for disaster. Everyone that knows me, knows that I advocate confident riding and with that is rider training…seeing there are too few places to learn how to become better riders at speeds higher than a parking lot, I hope many of you are taking the opportunity to sign up for track days and track day schools. While rider training is absolutely crucial no matter what speed, once you feel comfortable riding around at parking lot speeds and on the street a while, please go to the track to learn at higher speeds so that you are able to process information quicker allowing you more time to react.

You may ask why the track? It isn’t about racing, it isn’t about getting your rocks off at high speeds, it is about knowing your bike and it’s capabilities, knowing your limits and seeing how little you were actually processing on the street. On the track we teach seeing a wide view…not just what’s in front of you, but everything in front and around you. What you should process as important and requires some of your attention and then to discard what is not. Why is this important? Let me give you an example, I was riding behind a car, who clearly did not know where he was going. He signaled left and moved two lanes over to get in the left hand turn lane, I sped up to get on the freeway, he then decided he picked the wrong lane and swept across two lanes and cut me off…I had to break hard, but I saw him looking around so I had anticipated that he might try moving back. He had no idea I was there, he didn’t even stop to look, even when I was behind him honking, he didn’t realize he could have caused a severe accident. Truth is without the time on the track to learn and be confident in my skills, I could’ve ended up having a very bad day.

That is only one of several events that happened on that particular day, but it made me more aware that we need to not just make drivers more aware of us, but to also arm riders with enough knowledge (if not experienced) to make it through unscathed. You have to anticipate people and their actions and even then it’s really a crap shoot. Someday I hope we can add a chapter in driver training on motorcyclists and to be aware of them on the road, but until that day happens, it is up to us to be proactive. Sure you can wear bright colored clothing and helmets, have modulating lights, but in the end that will not keep people from not seeing you. With the smartphone, people in cars are clearly distracted and it is up to us to help ourselves. Take your rider’s education in your own hands, I was always aware of motorcyclists because my brother and many of my friend were riders, I always gave them space because I had seen many of them get into an accident with drivers and it made me extremely angry that people didn’t realize that a poor decision they made in their car had serious repercussions for the rider. We are exposed, quite literally with very little protection in comparison to their cages.

Remember, we have the benefit of speed on our side, use it when you need to to get out of clusters as I like to call them. Go around them (safely, of course) and find yourself a nice open area to ride more comfortably without worrying about someone making a stupid move (not seeing you). A cop who pulls you over will understand if you explain to them you just didn’t feel safe riding in the middle of a cluster and just wanted a little breathing space, this shouldn’t be a free pass however to be a tool and ride like a madman. He will know the difference, trust me. I’ve had many a cop drive up next to me after I broke clear of a cluster and just give me the hand wave of slow it down and I nod my head, but they really do get it. Also, be aware that while you are close to a car to pass, they don’t know what you are doing, so give yourself enough of a cushion should they brake check you. Again, another reason why I’d like to educate drivers in general. Many don’t understand that you are trying to calculate speed to pass safely and may do the worst thing possible for you and hit their brakes, but most of the time, many will change lanes. Do not tailgate them for a long time or they get edgy and things could get heated.

There are so many other things that I want to discuss, but that is enough for now to at least get you thinking. I will do a part two here about how to make yourself seen better, at least giving you a fighting chance of being seen without any special equipment, just awareness. It really is up to you especially if you want to get the most out of your experiences out there on the road and to free up more of your time on enjoying the ride. And don’t forget to give the courtesy wave, two wheels down, hang loose, devil horns…whatever hand signal you choose, customize it if you wish to fellow riders. We are all out there having fun together and heck it’s just common courtesy! It’s gorgeous out there, what isn’t to love? I don’t know about you, but I am always smiling ear to ear everytime I’m out on my bike and it is my honor to share the road with my fellow riders.

Vixens Ride!