track instruction

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.

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!