S.P.Rocket Girl

Girls of Motocross

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 17:57:10 -0500

Girls of Motocross

Vintage Flat Track

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 12:45:39 -0500

Vintage Flat Track

Motoress

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 12:37:55 -0500

Motoress:

Great site that provides all sorts of useful information to the woman rider!

I cannot say enough about Go Pro cameras and how they have...

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 12:35:06 -0500

I cannot say enough about Go Pro cameras and how they have helped me improve. Initially when I got the go pro I first just thought of it as a way to make cool videos of where I rode. During my first race at Infineon I found out what an amazing learning tool these little cameras could be. Below are some of the things that I have done to learn from my go pro.

Listen to the sound

One of the first things that I learned to do was to listen to my engine noise compared to that of the other riders. My friend Eric had me listen to when he would get on and off the gas. Then there is also how much he got off the gas when I’m letting off. After listening to Eric’s engine noise I compared it to my own. I found I spent allot of time coasting around the track instead of being on the gas. I could barely hear the engine as I went around the corners and did not get back on the gas soon enough. The best position for the camera to be in to hear your engine noise is placed on the tail section.

Placing the camera on the tail section

A camera placed on the tail section facing away from you lets you see what other racers are doing behind you. When are they closing a gap on you during a race? When are you gapping them? A camera pointed at you on the tail section gives you a good idea of how you are moving on the bike. Are you moving too little or too much? Are you moving on the bike at the right times?

Have someone follow you

When someone follows you with a camera you can see your body position, how smooth you are through your transitions. Are you lines correct? Are you hitting your apexes?

Why have multiple cameras?

Eric Kondo (aka KAZMAN), one of my team mates, brought about four of them and I sat there thinking why does he need so many cameras, isn’t one enough. Soon I would learn why Eric had so many. For one thing if you are making a video you can have multiple camera angles to make it more interesting and thought provoking. Two works well to learn the above things without constantly trying to change the cameras around, but can be accomplished with only one.

Watch other people’s videos

Analyze other’s videos to see where you need to improve, and where their weak points are on the track. This will give you a better idea on how to pass them without even having to ride behind them for a lap. You can also look at videos of tracks you haven’t been to get an idea of how to ride the track before you even get there.

Tip for a cool angle:

Place a camera facing up at you. Note: the only cool views from this angle are when you turning. When you are on a straightaway it gets really boring, but you can edit those out and combine the other shots with angles from your riding.

Photo

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 19:36:52 -0500

"Four wheels move the body. Two wheels move the soul."

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 18:09:00 -0500

“Four wheels move the body. Two wheels move the soul.”

No this movie is not about racing, but about the journey of...

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:54:42 -0500

No this movie is not about racing, but about the journey of motorcycle riding. Where it takes you and how it transforms you as a person. This short movie struck me for many reasons: for one it hit the artistic side of my soul and then it hit me for the journey I have found myself on through riding motorcycles. Four years ago I started riding a Triumph Bonneville and I had no idea of where this journey would take me. I did not have the vision that I would end up garage full of motorcycles. I never imagined myself in love with dirt bikes and road racing a ninja 250.

When I met Brian Bartlow for the first time in March I hadn’t ridden a street bike for almost nine months. My life revolved around riding my supermoto and dirt bike, with little supermoto racing put into the mix. Getting on a sport bike had become foreign to me since I had become so accustomed to my dirt bikes. As I rode through the day I started to improve, but still felt like a fish out of water on the bike. I was timid, not pushing into the turns, and definitely wasn’t aggressive on this small bike with minimal power. At the end of the track day Brian asked if I wanted to race and my crazy self said yes. I had only been on a track maybe a handful of times and for some reason I thought that this was great idea.

I have come along way in the last season. For me racing has not only been a journey on learning to ride better, but a personal journey. Even though I have always been a person who enjoys a challenge, motorcycles have pushed me far out of my comfort zone many times. Through racing I have been able to learn to channel my anxiety-ridden thoughts and to focus on meditate on the task at hand. Racing is not just about going fast, but also a mental game. As an adult getting into racing it is something that I have had to learn. I have always been involved in some sort of competitive sport all my life, but not racing. I was not brought up in a racing family where racing was ingrained in me. For me it has been an incredibly fulfilling journey that has spread into other aspects of my life.

Photo

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:47:57 -0500

When AMA had Supermoto

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:07:00 -0500

When AMA had Supermoto