Check out http://www.cvmaracing.com for more information about racing in southern California.

Check out http://www.roadracingworld.com to find out more about motorcycle road racing in your area.

The post Video: Stuman Rides: “How To Get Started In Motorcycle Road Racing” appeared first on Roadracing World Magazine | Motorcycle Riding, Racing & Tech News.

To read more articles like this one originally published in the December 2015 print issue of Roadracing World, subscribe to Roadracing World. (The article has been updated with additional photos and information from later MotoAmerica racing seasons.)

By Dr. Laura Ellis

Racers and team owners place great emphasis on building and tuning fast, lightweight, reliable bikes, but building and fueling the rider is just as important. Motorcycle racers are extreme athletes frequently performing in difficult conditions. I get a lot of questions from racers on how to optimize their performance. This article addresses some of the most common concerns I see in the sport.

A critical part of fueling the racer is optimal hydration. Consider it part of race preparation. The two goals of optimal hydration are to improve athletic performance and prevent dangerous complications of dehydration, some of which can be severe.

In this article, we will define hydration and its relevance to racing; provide scientific facts to dispel some myths about hydration; and give the reader excellent hydration options.

In medicine, we define hydration as “the status of the fluid-electrolyte balance in a patient.” Fluid in this case is water. The electrolytes we’re concerned with are sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium.

The human body is 60-75% water. Some parts of the body have more water than others. For example, the brain contains 95% water, the lungs 85% and blood 82%.

Body water is stored in two major ways; 2/3 is intra-cellular (inside the cells) and 1/3 is extra-cellular (outside the cells), in the blood stream and in between the cells.

Water is replenished by ingestion of food and water and is lost in a variety of ways called “insensible losses,” via exhaled air, urine, feces and sweat. Insensible water losses vary substantially with small changes in ambient temperature, humidity and physical exertion.

For optimal health and daily function I recommend drinking half your body weight in ounces of water. This assumes you are at or near your ideal body weight. For example, I weigh 132 pounds, which is ideal for me, so I drink around 66 ounces of water every day. That’s about 2.0 liters a day for me. Don’t count what you drink during exercise-that’s in addition to your baseline volume. Nearly everyone is under-hydrated so if you follow my daily rule you may find that you urinate quite frequently for a day or two. You’ll adjust. And you’ll notice you feel better, sleep better, are less hungry and lose unwanted weight easier. The feeling of thirst is a signal from the brain indicating we need more fluid. This thirst mechanism diminishes as we age so don’t rely on feeling thirsty before you drink. In fact, by the time you feel thirsty you’re already behind and will be functioning sub-par. Catching up can take hours or even days depending on how under-hydrated you are.

Current evidence suggests that many athletes start a training session or competitive game or race under-hydrated and do not consume enough fluids to replace sweat loss. This puts them at a distinct disadvantage, mentally and physically. Under-hydration can lead to dangerous outcomes due to poor decision-making, slower reaction times, muscle cramping and even seizures and occasionally death. Think about the times you’ve crashed. Can you attribute any of them to fatigue or slowed reaction time? Many racers tell me “yes.”

It’s important to know that sweat loss is mainly water, but it also contains minerals, which we refer to as electrolytes. Electrolytes are essential for conduction of electrical energy between and within cells, for maintaining cognitive function (decision-making), communication between nerves and muscles (reaction time) and for muscle contraction itself.

Sweat contains large amounts of sodium with much lower concentrations of potassium, magnesium and calcium.

Of the four key electrolytes contained in lost sweat only sodium can typically be depleted through sweat loss alone.

Sweating 2.0 liters per hour (which is not uncommon) in a hot race would mean that within two hours your daily intake of sodium has been depleted. Considering that there are no usable reserves of sodium in the body, you need to replace sodium as you exercise. The other three electrolytes can typically be replenished by tapping into stores within the body.

Why is sodium so important?

Sodium is not only the most likely to be lost, it is also the electrolyte most required during training and racing.

Blood sodium loss and gains are tightly regulated by the kidneys with drives from the brain to increase salt intake or drink more water as necessary.

Normal blood levels are maintained between 135-145 mmol/l (mili moles/liter) concentration. Given sodium losses, small reserves and narrow band of operation, it is relatively easy for athletes to become sodium depleted.

Low blood sodium in sports is mostly due to the dilutional effects of drinking water or low-concentration sports drinks in excess of sweat and urine sodium losses.

This condition is known as Exercise Associated Hyponatremia (EAH).

With EAH, the athlete experiences weakness, nausea, muscle fatigue and cramping. As sodium levels drop even further, resultant fluid shifts occur in an effort to equalize and water moves into the brain. This can lead to agitation, seizures and occasionally death.

Risk factors for EAH include long (4-hour+) races, slow running pace, female gender, low body weight, pre-race excessive water intake, over-drinking (more than 1.5 liter/hour) during racing and abundance of drinks during the event weekend.

What about the other electrolytes?

Potassium

Along with sodium, potassium regulates the electrical integrity of the cell membrane and is therefore important in nerve conduction.

Potassium also helps transport glucose into the cell so it is crucial for energy generation.

Low blood potassium is usually due to diarrhea, fasting and taking certain drugs such as diuretics long-term–not from sweating.

In sports, low potassium is rare. Certain ultra-endurance athletes who generally have a poor solid-food diet may be prone to low potassium, leading to nausea, muscle fatigue and weakness.

Potassium supplements should always be taken with caution and on the advice of a doctor. Contrary to what your mother may have told you, eating bananas has no significant effect on blood potassium levels.

Calcium

Calcium is intimately involved in muscle contraction and relaxation and nerve conduction.

Your body has vast supplies of calcium stored in the bones which are tapped into when needed.

Generally, in a well-nourished athlete eating a normal diet with dark-green vegetables, calcium deficiency during racing is rare.

Dietary sources are generally better than supplements. Equally important are weight-bearing exercises. Swimmers and cyclists suffer the same bone calcium loss as sedentary individuals so remember to fit weight-bearing exercises into your regimen.

Magnesium

Magnesium is necessary in every cell for enzyme reactions as well as muscle contraction and energy production.

Prolonged exercise and training with poor diet can lead to depletion although this is rare to surface in an acute setting.

Magnesium deficiency can lead to dizziness, fatigue and depression.

There is no evidence that taking magnesium supplements by people with normal blood levels offers any benefit in sports performance.

To sum it up so far, inadequate replacement of water and sodium will lead to early fatigue, weakness, nausea, muscle fatigue and cramping.

So, HOW MUCH should you drink while training and racing?

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Position Stand on Exercise and Fluid Replacement:

Before Exercise: Preload by drinking “500 mls (milliliters) fluid two hours before exercise to allow adequate hydration and allow excessive water to be excreted by the kidneys.”

During Exercise: “…individuals should be encouraged to consume the maximal amount of fluids during exercise that can be tolerated without gastrointestinal discomfort up to a rate equal to that lost from sweating…” In other words, figure out your sweat rate and simply replace what you lose. Example: A 1.2 kg loss would be replaced with 1200 mls of fluid. Measure this once or twice in various conditions (temperature and humidity) to get an idea of volume needed, then use it as a guideline for future activity in similar conditions. Sound complicated? It’s not. Professional athletes do it for a reason–it gives them an advantage. Here’s how you do it. Weigh yourself before and after a training or race event. Convert the difference in weight from pounds to kilograms, (1.0 pound x 0.4536 = kg; 1 kg x 2.2046 = lbs.). Your sweat/water loss in mls is 1000 x the kg difference. Most water bottles have ml and oz gradations so just look at the bottle for the conversion to ounces.

Now, WHAT should you drink while training and racing?

What’s the difference between all the drinks on the market? It’s confusing!

Rather unhelpfully the sports drink industry has confused hydration with fuel with recovery.

We classify sports drinks into the following groups:

Protein drinks (no carbohydrates).

Energy drinks.

Carbohydrate drinks (with or without electrolytes).

Electrolyte-only drinks.

Let’s look at each one.

Protein drinks are popular among bodybuilders. They are primarily designed for muscular recovery post-exercise or to act as a dietary protein supplement. Protein drinks will not aid in training/race hydration needs and are typically too light in electrolyte content to help significantly with fluid balance post-event. Certainly not useful as part of your race hydration. Examples are Muscle Milk, Maximuscle, Promax, Impact, Whey Protein.

Energy drinks usually contain a lot of sugar (8%-12%) and caffeine (or natural sources of it such as guarana). They are “lifestyle drinks,” not really “sports drinks,” but are marketed at sporting events and the companies behind them sponsor many top athletes and events, even though athletes are unlikely to be drinking them. (It’s sort of like the M&M’s sponsorship in NASCAR.) Energy drinks are too sugary to work as effective rehydration drinks (above 6%-8% carbohydrate fluids are hypertonic and absorption through the gut slows down) and they are unlikely to contain electrolyte volumes found in sweat loss. Examples are RedBull, Relentless, Monster, AMP. Again, these should not be part of your race hydration.

Carbohydrate drinks are the original sports drinks, typically with 6%-8% isotonic carbohydrate solution. They often contain modest amounts of electrolytes (approximately 200-350 mg/l sodium) to assist with electrolyte replenishment and to increase palatability. They have been proven effective in boosting endurance performance for activities lasting longer than one hour at a suitably high intensity. One major issue with carbohydrate drinks is that if they are used at times when fluid requirements are very high (e.g., in the heat or during very long events) and an athlete is drinking a lot of them they are consuming an unnecessarily large amount of calories which could lead to gastric upset. They serve a purpose but have some of the issues of energy drinks and typically do not sufficiently meet the electrolyte needs of most athletes. Mixing energy and hydration needs in one drink can create imbalances since often energy and hydration needs are at different ends of the scale. Examples are Powerade, Gatorade and Vitamin Water (which actually contains calories but no sodium!).

Electrolyte-only drinks contain no or negligible amounts of carbohydrate/sugars and no protein so are designed simply to maximize hydration. They are hypotonic so are absorbed more rapidly in the gut than carbohydrate drinks. While electrolyte-only drinks do not provide carbohydrate or protein sources to meet the energy demands of exercise, products such as energy gels and bars can be consumed as energy is needed. This allows an athlete to fine tune/balance their intake of fluids, electrolytes and calories separately depending on the ambient conditions, length and intensity of the activity they are taking part in. Electrolyte-only drinks can be used before, during or after exercise to replace fluids and electrolytes without the addition of carbohydrates or other calories if they are not required. Examples are H2ProHydrate, Hi5, Zero, nuun and Elete Water.

Some riders say they have had good results using Pedialyte (or generic equivalents) for rehydration. It’s important to note that electrolytes need to be replaced only when they are lost such as in sweating or with vomiting and diarrhea. In the case of athletes we’re concerned with losses due to sweating and this is nearly exclusively sodium loss. Calcium, magnesium and potassium are stored in certain body compartments and are mobilized as needed so rarely need to be replaced. Pedialyte is perfectly fine for athletes to use for replacement but has more potassium and phosphorus than is needed–but no harm done, you just pee it out. My favorite electrolyte replacement for hydration when sweating is H2ProHydrate simply because it has what you need and nothing you don’t need, plus it comes in tablet form which is easy to transport and use. It comes in 250, 500, 1000 and 1500 concentration tablets which allows you to use a prescribed strength for pre-loading the night before sweating and using a different strength for competition and training days and adjusting to conditions (temperature, intensity, humidity) as needed. A “sweat test” can determine your sodium loss, which is unique to each athlete; this is what the true pros do–prescription hydration.

Since 2014 my team has used H2ProHydrate by Precision Hydration for fluid and sodium management. It comes in an effervescent tablet that you simply drop in your water bottle. H2ProHydrate is widely used in Europe and is produced in the UK. Over the last year it has been added to the programs of many American pro soccer and football teams. You can obtain it in this country by ordering it from various distributors. Much of the information in this article was provided by Precision Hydration.

Another good product is nuun, also an easy to use and transport tablet, which is available in the U.S. at sporting goods stores and outfitters.

For maintaining energy for long days at the track and especially for endurance competition, I encourage a diet with quality protein and complex carbohydrates. Vegetables are a critical part of this. Avoid processed food and simple carbs. If you are exhausted and need quick energy for that last race of the day, then you can add a quick fuel such as fruit juice or sports gels but expect to experience a “sugar crash” when you get back to the pit. It’s always best to maintain steady fuel, which results in a steady, reliable output of energy. That’s what gives you the winning edge over the guy who’s gulping sugary drinks and eating honey buns.

Here’s to your optimal health and on-track performance!

Dr. Laura Ellis is a wellness physician and vein surgeon with practices in Asheville, North Carolina, and in Laguna Beach and West Hollywood in Southern California. She has authored numerous articles in medical journals, and has written two books, The Hormone Handbook and Inside Out. She is host of The Dr. Laura Ellis Show at Sunset Gower Studios in Hollywood. Her medAge® Comprehensive Health Program focuses on the prevention, apprehension, and reversal of degenerative illness in all patients and on optimization of cognitive and physical function for competitive athletes. Prior to establishing her current practices, Dr. Ellis worked as a trauma surgeon and as a general surgeon. And she is a former racer as well as a current street and track rider.

Dr. Ellis ran her own team, AXcess Racing, in the 2016 MotoAmerica KTM RC Cup Series, with riders Brandon Paasch and Jackson Blackmon. Paasch won the championship with seven race wins and a total of 16 podium finishes in 17 races.

For more information contact Dr. Laura Ellis via the medAge® website at www.medAge.com.

Racing Doctor: Who Is Laura Ellis, MD?

“A Minute Reduction In Your Reaction Time Can Be Devastating…”

By Michael Gougis

The journey from non-rider to racer for Dr. Laura Ellis was short. She started riding four years ago; last year, she won a rookie title with CCS. As a medical professional specializing in nutrition and exercise, she also quickly noted that lots of racers spend far more time on their machines than they do on their bodies.

Ellis applied her experience racing and working with athletes to the sport of motorcycle road racing, and has been working with racing organization staffers and racers across the nation to help them optimize their physical and mental performances. Racing provides a particular need for proper hydration, as few sports that drain the athlete’s fluids require said athlete to wear a full-face helmet, body armor and leather suit at the moment of maximum exertion.

And in few other sports are the stakes as high. “Even a slightly slower reaction time can be devastating on the track,” she says.

Ellis is a surgeon with a practice in Asheville, North Carolina, and others in Laguna Beach and West Hollywood, California. She also is an author and the founder of medAge, a medical program designed to develop lifestyle changes to improve her clients’ health as they age, and she advises athletes on training and nutrition.

That was the background against which, four years ago, Ellis visited motorcycle-mad Italy and got hooked on two-wheelers.

“I started riding only four years ago–I was 48 when I started riding. Kinda strange, huh? Prior to that, I had never ridden a motorcycle,” she says. “I traveled to Italy four years ago and I noticed that lots of people ride two wheels, whether they are on scooters, motorcycles or bicycles. Men and women, younger and older. I thought it looked pretty cool! So I decided to learn how to do it myself.

“When I came back to the States, I took the Motorcycle Safety Foundation course at the local community college. I enjoyed riding so much that I hired a coach to help me to learn how to ride more acceptably and safely. I wanted to learn how to do it right.” The private coach she hired suggested training at the track.

“I met quite a few folks at the track who race and I got an invitation to race with a couple of guys the following year,” Ellis says. “I of course said yes, because I was turning 50, and I thought, ‘When else am I going to have an opportunity to do this?'”

Ellis quickly moved from a Suzuki Gladius to a Yamaha YZF-R6, and her first race was with CCS at Carolina Motorsports Park in April of 2014. “I wasn’t fast but I had pretty good technique. I had to be careful that I held my line well, that I didn’t deviate, because there were (other riders) passing me. I had to be predictable. My focus was on being predictable and holding my line,” Ellis says.

“It was great. It was a lot of fun. It was thrilling but not scary. As long as you’re prepared and you understand what is happening on the track-you have to be very cognizant of the other riders out there expecting you to behave like they do, which is to be predictable.

“A couple of guys got really, really close when they were passing me,” Ellis continued. “After the race, they came over and said, ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to get that close.’ It really didn’t frighten me, but I could feel them and hear them very, very close to me! It was very polite and kind of them to come over and make sure I was OK with what had happened. And that’s typical of what I’ve seen from most racers.”

What she observed while racing and spending time at the track was that many racers focused on machine prep to the exclusion of preparing themselves.

“I noticed that many of the riders spent so much energy on the bike and not nearly enough on themselves as an athlete. The equipment was, generally, well thought-out. They prepared that well. But they didn’t always prepare themselves well,” Ellis says.

One area many riders can make an immediate improvement in is hydration, she says. “Many racers don’t realize that how they consume food and drink is very important during training and recovery as well as on the day before a race and on competition day itself,” she says. “Hydration is not just water. The communication between the brain and the muscle, between the nerve and the muscle, really relies on proper electrolyte concentration and the fluid shifts between the compartments of the body once you start sweating to keep sodium levels proper. If your sodium becomes very low, those fluid shifts can lead to either high or low concentrations of sodium in certain body compartments.

“What you see most of the time on the track is that the communication between the muscle and the nerve can be compromised. We call that reaction time. You begin to slow down. You might not be able to do as well–you might not win–but you can also make mistakes.”

Dr. Ellis ran her own team, AXcess Racing, in the 2016 MotoAmerica KTM Cup Series, with riders Brandon Paasch and Jackson Blackmon. Paasch won the championship with seven race wins and a total of 16 podium finishes in 17 races.

For more information about medAge and Dr. Laura Ellis, visit www.medage.com.

To read more articles like this one originally published in the December 2015 print issue of Roadracing World, subscribe to Roadracing World. (The article has been updated with additional photos and information from later MotoAmerica racing seasons.)

More, from a Competition Bulletin issued by MotoAmerica:

High Temperatures expected at COTA

We are expecting temperatures at this weekend’s COTA round to reach or exceed 100 degrees on most days.

Please see the document attached HERE regarding healthy hydration tips for all in attendance.

The post How Do You Deal With Riding In Extreme Heat? Hydrate Right! appeared first on Roadracing World Magazine | Motorcycle Riding, Racing & Tech News.

Riding How To’s

This video covers two techniques that any rider can use to improve both your traction and confidence on corner entry. @gasonbikeup-motorcycles produces videos to show how the same techniques that are used by MotoGP and World Superbike riders can translate to all riders, track or street. If you’re interested in road racing, track days, or simply how to get the most out of your sport bike this video is for you! You’ll learn from Eric Wood, the head coach for the oldest motorcycle track training school in the United States. In this video, we discuss a common problem that affects both top racers and street riders when they need to stop the bike as quickly as they can. The solutions to better braking may surprise you!

Timecodes

0:00 Introduction

1:10 Foundations to getting a motorcycle deep into a corner

1:35 The most common mistake motorcycle riders make on the brakes

2:19 The first 5% of braking – your key to better entrances

2:38 How different corner entrances affect your brake application

5:14 Your weight is transferred, now ramp braking to full pressure

5:44 Balancing time to full pressure with stability – brakes zones are often short

6:43 The transition from throttle to brakes – a front fork’s view

8:36 Understanding how suspension action matters in braking

9:04 How physics comes into play with motorcycle braking

11:15 Secret #1 to mastering the brakes on a motorcycle

11:45 Secret #2 to mastering brakes and corner entry on a motorcycle

12:59 Demonstrating the technique for rolling off the throttle

13:30 Two places to apply GasonBikeUp techniques on the racetrack

14:51 Wrap up

Please subscribe and leave us comments – we’d love to hear what you like about this video and what else you’d like to see!

Have feedback or suggestions? We’d love to hear from you! Check out our website at https://gasonbikeup.com or email us at info@gasonbikeup.com.

Our partner companies:

https://woodcraft-cfm.com/

https://penguinracing.com/

@PenguinRacingSchool1 @woodcrafttechnologies8836

#motorcycleriding #motorcycleracing #motorcycletraining

The post Video: Gas On Bike Up With Eric Wood: Less Crashing, Better Braking appeared first on Roadracing World Magazine | Motorcycle Riding, Racing & Tech News.

By Misti Hurst

It was quite a surprise to discover that the first FIM MiniGP Canada Race series event, a doubleheader no less, was taking place at my local go-kart track, Greg Moore Raceway in Chilliwack, British Columbia, in just two days.  I’d never even heard about the series before that. How was that possible?

I read about it on the Pacific Coast Mini Roadracing Club’s (PCMRC) Facebook page and immediately set out to find more information. An online link sent me to the Super Sonic Road Race School website run by Toni Sharpless, where I learned that she was responsible for planning, organizing and getting FIM approval for this exciting new Canadian series. It would be the first-ever FIM-sanctioned road racing event in the province of British Columbia and the first time Canada would participate in the FIM World MiniGP Series.

“After three years of building, all of us at the Super Sonic School are super excited FIM road racing is coming to Canada!” Sharpless said. “The FIM MiniGP Canada series is the crucible for young Canadian athletes to develop their skills and dream of MotoGP.”

In Canada, riders are eligible to race in the national Canadian Superbike Series (a.k.a. CSBK) when they reach the age of 14. With limited opportunities for younger kids to practice and race on pavement, Canadian athletes are dropping behind world leaders in road racing.

Sharpless wants to introduce more young people to the sport of road racing, give more opportunities to young up-and-coming racers and bring the same kind of training and support to Canadians that exists in the rest of the world. Her ultimate goal is to see the Canadian flag waving proudly above podiums at World Championship events.

Toni Sharpless

Sharpless is an accomplished Canadian motorcycle racer and industry professional herself, and her racing background is impressive.  The oldest of three children of Hall of Famer Bill Sharpless, she began riding at just six years old.  At 9, she started ice racing, becoming the national junior class champion and the first woman to win a Canadian Motorcycle Association Championship before moving to road racing in her 20s.

She received the British Empire Motor Club’s historic Kaye Don Trophy, awarded for “the most meritorious high-speed performance on a motorcycle,” and in 1987 Sharpless and Kathleen Coburn both qualified for and finished in the prestigious Daytona 200, which led to them racing the Suzuka 8-hour, part of the FIM Endurance World Championship Series over the next four years, and extending to rides in the historic Bol d’Or 24-hour and Le Mans 24-hour races in France (finishing 9th in France).

In 2009 Toni was honored with the Canadian Woman of Influence Award presented by the Motorcyclists Confederation of Canada, and in 2011 was inducted into the Canadian Motorcycle Hall of Fame. She continues actively pouring her heart and soul into motorsports with her Super Sonic Road Race School, the Canadian MiniSBK Championship Series, and now the inaugural FIM MiniGP Canada Series.

The Series

The FIM MiniGP Canada Series with Pirelli and Motul support is a six-round, 12-race season stretching across the country with four races in Ontario, one in British Columbia and one in Alberta. Each weekend consists of two or three featured, 12-lap races and is wrapping up on August 6th at Lombardy Raceway in Ontario.

Racers aged 10-14 use Ohvale GP-0 160cc mini-GP machines, competing on kart tracks run with the support of the local mini-series organizers in each province. “(The) Ohvale is a fantastic motorcycle,” said Sharpless. “They are purpose-built for road racing and training and are perfect for kids to race. That’s why they are the spec bike for the MiniGP World Series.”

This is the first opportunity for Canadian kids to begin on the pathway to MotoGP racing without first going to Europe or the U.S. to compete.

The worldwide competition organization, Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), sets the rules and regulations and is represented in Canada by its affiliate, the Canadian Motorcycle Association (CMA).

For 2023, Canada and Germany joined the FIM MiniGP World Series for their biggest season yet. The FIM MiniGP Canada Series complements the FIM MiniCup USA, previously named the FIM MiniCup North America series. (MiniGP has been used for years and is trademarked in the U.S., which did not stop FIM from appropriating the name when it started its own series.) Other nations already participating in the FIM series include Alpe Adria, Australia, Austria, France, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Portugal, Qatar, Spain, and others.

The champion and vice-champion of each region of the world will be offered a chance to race in the finale of the World Series, held in Spain.

Going Racing!

It was Wednesday, June 21st, and I was reading this information, thinking about what kind of incredible opportunity it would be for my kid, 14-year-old Ashton Parker, to try his hand at competing at a national level.  But how? We hadn’t run many mini-road races over the years, just a few here and there, and we certainly didn’t have an Ohvale 160 we could use. Not to mention that the race was taking place in just two days!

However, after doing more research into the series, I  found that Sharpless, through her Super Sonic School, was offering race-ready Ohvale GP-0 160s for rent.  Not only that, but a generous anonymous sponsor has stepped forward to cover a portion of the series’ expenses, cutting the cost for families in half and making it much more affordable and accessible.

I couldn’t NOT do it.  It was a great opportunity; the door opened before us and it seemed meant to be.  I messaged Sharpless immediately to see if there was still an Ohvale available, signed the kid up, purchased all the necessary race licences, registered for the races, re-arranged my Friday meetings and headed to the track.

We live about 1.5 hours away from Chilliwack and know the kart track at Greg Moore Raceway fairly well. Ashton has done some mini road racing before, starting at age six on a Yamaha PW50.  He moved up to a Suzuki DRZ70 for a few years and then, after a sizable break, went back earlier this year to try a 125cc Kayo. There may have been an epic mom-and-son battle on track with us racing against each other for the first time ever, but that is whole other story in itself!

But this would be a great opportunity for him to try an Ohvale and compete against some of the fastest kids in the country. Let’s just say he was pretty excited!

A Weekend Of Racing!

The weekend was fantastic, and Ashton had a blast competing with some seriously talented riders. “The Ohvale is very fast, twitchy, and very responsive,” he said. “It’s also very fun, and it was exciting racing against kids that are so fast.”

Sharpless and her team were well organized, and the bike rental included tire warmers, mechanical assistance, and general help with whatever we needed trackside. It’s an arrive-and-race format, which is extremely helpful for not-so-mechanically inclined parents like myself.

Back-to-back weekends are scheduled out West and in Ontario, so families like ours can reduce the overall amount of travelling.  Ashton loved it so much that he begged me to take him to the following race in Alberta, so we drove the 12 hours to compete there as well!

The series continued in Ontario with two back-to-back weekends in a row, meaning that I only had to take a week off work to be able for us to fly there from Vancouver so he could race the full series. I didn’t even know about this series a few weeks earlier, and now we’ve flown across the country to make it happen for the kid.  It was an opportunity too good to pass up, and when things like this fall in front of me, I take it as a sign that it’s meant to be.

All in all, the FIM MiniGP Canada series is an exciting opportunity for Canadian kids to gain experience in road racing with the chance to compete against the rest of the world at the MotoGP Finale in Valencia, Spain, this November.  “It will just blow their mind.” Sharpless said, “Let’s get our maple leaf flag over there and see where it takes them.”

2023 Schedule:

RD1 May 13-14 Lombardy Raceway Karting, ON – Race 1&2 Exhibition Race, no Points

RD2 June 24-25 Greg Moore Raceway, BC – Race 3&4&5, Points Round

RD3 July 1-2 Strathmore Raceway, AB – Race 6&7, Points Round

RD4 July 29-30 Lombardy Raceway Karting, ON – Race 8&9, Points Round

RD5 Aug 5-6 Lombardy Raceway Karting, ON – Race 10&11&12, Points Round

RD6 Sept 15-16 Shannonville Motorsports Park, ON– Race 13&14, Bonus Round, no points

To learn more, please visit: https://supersonicschool.com/FIM-MiniGP-Canada/
contact info@minisbk.ca or call 416-629-8989

For 2024, Sharpless will run the FIM MiniGP Canada Series again with a similar scheduled but with the addition of an Ohvale 190cc class for 14-16-year-olds. This will insure that young riders can continue to progress in their motorcycle racing careers without having to switch to larger machinery. I guess this means that Ashton can race again next year. I better start looking for sponsors!

The post FIM MiniGP Road Racing in Canada! appeared first on Roadracing World Magazine | Motorcycle Riding, Racing & Tech News.

Leather Repair, Alteration And Restoration Service Returns As An Official Partner For Fourth Successive Season
 

IRVINE, CA (June 8, 2023) – MotoAmerica, the premier motorcycle road racing series in North America, has announced that Anthony’s Leatherworks is again an official partner for the 2023 MotoAmerica Championship for a fourth successive season.

Based in Corona del Mar, California, Anthony’s Leatherworks has been in the business of leather repair, alterations and restoration service for over 25 years and is the preferred leather repair center for Dainese, Alpinestars, REV’IT!, Spidi, AGV Sport and Mithos. Anthony’s Leatherworks is also a business member of the AMA and prides itself on giving customers a superior service of leather repair that is required and demanded in the industry.

Anthony’s Leatherworks specializes in motorcycle racing leathers and its services include full reconditioning, dyeing, minor and major repair jobs, accessory replacement, alterations, section replacement, crash-damage repair and custom laser leather engraving and cutting. Anthony’s can also add all the required MotoAmerica patches on suits – either standard patches or those made of leather.

As part of Anthony Leatherworks’ sponsorship agreement, they will again be providing a drop-off option for customers at each of the 10 MotoAmerica rounds in 2022. Customers looking to get their garments repaired can drop off the leathers at the MotoAmerica hospitality tent, and they will be shipped back to California on the Monday after the races for repair. Upon completion of the repair, the leathers will then be shipped back to the customer.

“Four years ago, we started working with Anthony’s Leatherworks and its drop-off option at our events for our riders and our motorcycle-riding fans who can’t easily get to the shop in Southern California,” said Lance Bryson, MotoAmerica’s Director of Sponsorship. “It has proven to be a popular option as it is an easy and effective way to get your repairs completed. Anthony’s owner Greg (Sermabeikian) has been a wonderful partner of ours and we’re looking forward to another successful season in 2023.”

“We feel like we are part of the MotoAmerica family as we are in our fourth season as a partner,” said Anthony’s Leatherworks owner Greg Sermabeikian. “The series continues to grow, and we’re excited to be a part of it and grow with MotoAmerica. MotoAmerica’s fans and its riders make up a big part of our business and we’re excited for another year of great racing.”

About MotoAmerica

MotoAmerica is North America’s premier motorcycle road racing series. Established in 2014, MotoAmerica is home to the AMA Superbike Championship as well as additional classes including Supersport, Stock 1000, Twins Cup, Junior Cup, and King Of The Baggers. MotoAmerica is an affiliate of KRAVE Group LLC, a partnership including three-time 500cc World Champion, two-time AMA Superbike Champion, and AMA Hall of Famer Wayne Rainey; ex-racer and former manager of Team Roberts Chuck Aksland; motorsports marketing executive Terry Karges; and businessman Richard Varner. For more information, please visit www.MotoAmerica.com and follow MotoAmerica on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube.

The post MotoAmerica: Anthony’s Leatherworks Renews Sponsorship appeared first on Roadracing World Magazine | Motorcycle Riding, Racing & Tech News.

Riding How To’s

This is the first of a 3.5 part series on line selection and track strategy for @gasonbikeup-motorcycles. If you’re interested in road racing or track days, this video is for you! You’ll learn from Eric Wood, the head coach for the oldest motorcycle track training school in the United States. In this video, we discuss the origin of the GasOnBikeUp name, which is one the the foundations of our teaching and training at the Penguin Racing School.

The proper line choice is a challenge that all motorcycle riders face. Every choice is a balance of give and take, and many factors including corner speed, radius, duration, camber, bumps and what leads to an follows any particular corner all come into play. This video sets a foundation for looking at every corner and introduces an important concept that you can use to help evaluate every corner. Plus, at the end we’ve got a bonus tip that you won’t want to miss!

Timecodes

0:00 Introduction

1:12 Motorcycle line selection intro

2:05 Breaking down corner types

3:14 Our baseline corner for track days and racing

5:55 Roll speed corner fundamentals

6:38 Differentiating big bikes and little bikes

8:12 Two common mistakes track riders make

10:28 Threshold of Traction Speed

13:47 Other types of corners that are roll speed focused

15:29 Braking and Turning in s roll speed corner

18:19 Cornering force

19:36 Bonus content – how far to lean off your motorcycle

24:33 Summary and wrap up

Please subscribe and leave us comments – we’d love to hear what you like about this video and what else you’d like to see!

Have feedback or suggestions? We’d love to hear from you! Check out our website at https://gasonbikeup.com or email us at info@gasonbikeup.com.

Our partner companies:

https://woodcraft-cfm.com/

https://penguinracing.com/

@PenguinRacingSchool1 @woodcrafttechnologies8836

#motorcycleriding #motorcycleracing #motorcycletraining

The post Video: Gas On Bike Up With Eric Wood: Line Selection, Part One appeared first on Roadracing World Magazine | Motorcycle Riding, Racing & Tech News.

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The post MRA Graduates 43 From New Racer School At High Plains Raceway appeared first on Roadracing World Magazine | Motorcycle Riding, Racing & Tech News.

By David Swarts

Editorial Note: This post (originally written in 2021 and recently updated) is meant to help racing fans who may not be riding the leading edge of technology. Which means they may not see this on the internet. So, please share this post and information with anybody you think may benefit from it, and yes, that may include printing it out and mailing it to them.

It may seem like a difficult time for those trying to watch motorcycle road racing on their TV. Different series are shown on different networks, some live, some tape-delayed, and some not at all. But the truth is there has never been a better time to be a fan of motorcycle road racing, thanks to streaming video.

Yes, MotoAmerica can still be watched on TV networks like FOX Sports and MAVTV and MotoGP and World Superbike races can been seen on NBC, MSNBC, and USA Network* using a regular television receiving programming via a relatively basic cable or dish setup. Compared to streaming video, however, watching motorcycle racing over cable or dish is like trying to ride a motorcycle that only runs when it wants to, only on certain roads, with no way of fixing it – at least not until your contract expires.

(*Dorna is working on getting us detailed broadcast times and locations for 2022 MotoGP and World Superbike races on NBCUniversal’s family of TV networks, so stay tuned.)

Sometimes broadcast times change, or races switch between networks at the last minute, or the races get pre-empted by coverage of some other sport, or a race runs late due to a red flag and you don’t get to see the finish because the network cuts to the next scheduled program. It can be very frustrating.

And that’s not to mention that all of the races (or classes) in a series are not always televised, live or tape-delayed. Anyone who has tried to watch World Superbike or the Moto2 World Championship lately knows what I’m talking about.

This is why making the investment in time, energy, and a few pieces of technology to switch over to streaming video is worth it and may even save money in the end.

Watching races via streaming video requires three things: A subscription to the streaming service of your choice, an internet connection, and a device that’s connected to the internet to watch it on.

Subscriptions:

MotoAmerica, MotoGP, and World Superbike all offer streaming video subscriptions.

You can currently purchase an annual MotoAmerica Live+ subscription for $89.99 (or $109.99 after March 1, 2022), or you can purchase the streaming video service for $12.99 per event. MotoAmerica currently has 11 events scheduled in 2022, but the subscription allows you to watch all previous MotoAmerica races and feature content as well.

MotoGP offers its 2022 Video Pass for an annual fee of $156.80 (139.99€), which runs from now until the first race of 2023. And again, the subscription allows you to watch all classes, meaning this may be the only way you can watch Americans Cameron Beaubier, Sean Dylan Kelly, and Joe Roberts racing in Moto2. The MotoGP Video Pass also gives you access to tons of cool features, like multi-screen views, plus all of MotoGP’s archived content dating back to 1992. Care to watch a Wayne Rainey vs. Kevin Schwantz battle?

The 2022 World Superbike Video Pass is available for $78.29 (69.90€) and that includes video race reviews back to 2006 and video season reviews back to 1993. If you’re a fan of American Garrett Gerloff this is your best way to follow him, because NBC Sports Network didn’t show all the World Superbike races in 2020 or 2021.

Internet Connection:

Internet service is required to use live streaming. One way to find out what internet service is available and works well in your area is to ask your neighbors what service provider they have, and how they signed up.

When you sign up for internet service make sure to get a wireless router or hub from the internet service provider so the internet signal is projected throughout your house and accessible by your devices (smart phone, tablet, laptop computer, smart TV, Xbox, PlayStation, etc.) without cords.

The faster the connection speed, the better for smooth-running video without lag or interruption. If you already have wireless internet service and you need more powerful service to accommodate streaming video, your service provider may be able to turn up your speed remotely, for a fee.

When you’re having new internet service installed, the technician may help you get one or more of your devices connected to your new wireless internet service, so don’t hesitate to ask for help.

Whether you do or do not have internet service in your home, you probably can watch streaming race videos right now on your smart phone (a phone with a touch screen instead of buttons, like an Apple iPhone), which is likely already connected to the internet via its cellular signal. All cellular signals around the country are not equal and your results may vary, but if you have a relatively new smart phone and are relatively close to a sizeable city you should be able to stream race videos on your phone.

You may also be able to use the mobile hot spot feature on your smart phone to project a wireless internet signal that can be used by a tablet, laptop computer, or “smart” TV to connect to the internet and stream video of races. However, this will not produce optimum results.

Viewing Devices:

We’ve covered how to watch streaming video on a smart phone, tablet, or computer, so now let’s focus on how to watch streaming video on your TV. This is an overview and not a step-by-step how-to, but it’s really not that difficult. It’s not like rebuilding an engine. You’re not going to blow up your TV if you get it wrong.

Hopefully, you already have a “smart” TV. A smart TV can, among other things, connect directly to a wireless internet signal. Which means you can use your TV screen and TV remote to find your video streaming provider, log into your subscription, and start streaming race action live or on-demand, i.e. whenever you want.

If you do not have a smart TV, you can still connect a regular TV to your wireless internet signal by using a video game console like a Microsoft Xbox or Sony PlayStation connected to your TV with cables.

Another way to connect a standard TV (albeit one with a USB or HDMI plug-in) to a wireless internet signal and your streaming video subscription is to use a streaming video player like an Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, Roku TV, or similar device. These devices are available for purchase online and at big box stores for as little as $29. Once you plug the device into your TV and connect it to the internet, you’ll have to do a little searching via the device’s menus to find your video streaming subscription service, but again, you’re not going to blow anything up.

You can also log into your video streaming service on your laptop computer and then connect the laptop to your TV via a USB or HDMI cable and then use your TV simply as a larger computer screen.

And depending on the capabilities of your devices, you may also be able to wirelessly “cast” the streaming video from your smart phone or laptop computer onto your TV screen, but this may be a bit advanced for beginners.

But for beginners, once you get set up watching motorcycle road racing on your TV via streaming video, you will probably start watching all of your TV programming via streaming video, and it will change your world. Streaming video players come with some free channels and big packages of channels cost as little as $35 a month. Then you can add individual channels, rent movies on demand, and still have access to your local TV news and sports channels with the right service provider and plan.

And the best part about streaming video is there are usually no contracts. You can usually start, stop, and restart subscriptions and programming packages whenever you want, 24 hours a day, right on your device screen without even talking to a human.

This is known as “cutting the cord.”

Some fans lament about how difficult it is now to find and watch motorcycle road racing on TV and how good it was back in the day when we watched motorcycle racing on channels like Speedvision or Prime. Well, I’m old enough to remember those days, and I don’t remember them fondly.

I remember having to stay up until 2:00 a.m. sometimes to watch the first airing of a motorcycle race that happened days if not weeks earlier. And if I didn’t want to stay up all night, I had to try to program my VCR (Video Cassette Recorder, for you younger folks) to record the race, hope I got it right, and hope I didn’t record over another race that I had yet to watch.

Yeah, I remember those so-called good ol’ days, and now that I watch motorcycle road racing via high-definition streaming video, they don’t seem as great as some people think they were. Now is the golden age of watching motorcycle road racing on TV thanks to streaming video services!

The post Streaming Video Is The Way To Go For Motorcycle Racing Fans appeared first on Roadracing World Magazine | Motorcycle Riding, Racing & Tech News.

What is the Roadracing World Trackday Directory? Check it out HERE.

All schedule submissions should include: the name of your school or trackday organization, your schedule (including exact dates, correct track names and locations, and the track layout being used that day, if applicable), and full contact information for consumers.

Schedules submitted will be published in the Calendar section of Roadracing World magazine and the Events calendar section of Roadracingworld.com as soon as possible after they are received.

For trackday and school organizations and schedules to be listed in Roadracing World’s 2022 Trackday Directory annual edition, however, we need your schedule and the following information by February 1, 2022:

School or Trackday Organization Name:

Physical or Mailing Address, (Street address, city, state abbreviation, zip code):

Phone Number:

FAX Number (optional):

Website Address:

Email Address:

(Select one answer for each question)

1.      Events Run Rain or Shine: Yes or No

2.      Coolant: Antifreeze OK or No Antifreeze Allowed

3.      Headlight & Taillight: Tape or Disconnect or Tape and Disconnect

4.      Mirrors & Signals: Tape or Remove

5.      License Plate: OK or Remove

6.      Safety Wire: Some Required or None Required

7.      Sidestand: OK or Remove

8.      The minimum age to participate is: ?

Please e-mail schedule/calendar and Trackday Directory listing information and/or updates to dswarts@roadracingworld.com.

Even if your 2022 schedule is not finalized, please respond to us and send whatever information you can so that you will not be left out of the Trackday Directory annual. Provisional schedules or dates listed as provisional are allowed.

There is no cost to be listed in Roadracing World’s Trackday Directory annual edition, but we can’t post your information if we don’t receive it in time. As a result, late submissions or incomplete submissions may not be published.

Again, the deadline to submit is February 1, 2022.

If you’ve already submitted your schedule for inclusion in the Calendar section of Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology, great! But this is not enough information for an entry in the Trackday Directory. Please submit the information requested above to be included in the once-per-year Roadracing World Trackday Directory or call us to do minor updates to the information we published in the 2021 Trackday Directory.

If you have any doubt about what you have or have not sent in or if it was received, please contact us.

As always, we are also requesting trackday organizers and school operators to submit digital photos of their events and groups in action – on and off the track — for possible publication in the 2022 Trackday Directory. This is a great way to publicize your events and spotlight some of your members at no cost to you, but we need you to help us help you.

Digital photos must be in-focus, free from any watermarks or graphics, and high-resolution, which means a minimum of 300 dpi/ppi or 3000 pixels wide at 3 inches. The best way to submit these photos is with a file transfer program like Google Drive, Hightail, or Dropbox, which are free to download and use on a limited basis. Emailing the photos in small batches also works.

Photos must be accompanied by information to be used to write a caption. This includes the name of the track and information in order to credit the photographer, etc. By submitting a photo or photos, you certify that you own the submitted material and that you give us (Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.) permission to publish it in Roadracing World magazine and/or post it on Roadracingworld.com, without paying you (or anybody else) any money.

For additional information, e-mail dswarts@roadracingworld.com or call (909) 654-4779.

The post 2022 Trackday Directory: Submit Schedules And Photos By February 1 appeared first on Roadracing World Magazine | Motorcycle Riding, Racing & Tech News.