SportBikes Inc Magazine December 2015

ROAD

RACING

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DRAG

RACING

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STUNT

RIDING

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CUSTOM

BIKES

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LIFESTYLE

DECEMBER 2015 VOL 6 ISSUE 3

SPORTBIKESINCMAG.COM TM

PRO FREESTYLE STUNT RIDER : IAN GAINES MODDED BY ROB TYSON

THE

STUNT

ISSUE

STUNTRIDERS ON STUNTRIDERS | THE MAIN POINTS: JACOB KIRN | HITTING THE APEX WITH MARK NEALE | GARWOOD CUSTOM CYCLES: 20 YEARS STRONG | THE SUPERPRESTIGIO OF THE AMERICAS

Ahead of the Curve

The New Ducati 1299 Panigale S

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Professional rider on a closed course.

Official Sponsor Developed with

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Unprecedented technical excellence meets the pinnacle of design and performance in the new Ducati 1299 Panigale S. With its new 205 horsepower Superquadro engine, cutting-edge engine management system, Ă–hlins Smart EC semi-active suspension, Bosch inertial platform and new Ducati Quick Shift that allows for both clutchless upshifts and downshifts, this new Ducati Superbike is far ahead of the curve, empowering you to confidently power through it.

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CONTENTS

DECEMBER 2015 - VOLUME 6, ISSUE 3 http://issuu.com/action/page?page=14

14 THE PRESS ROOM http://issuu.com/action/page?page=22 22 SHOP SPOTLIGHT - XOTIC CUSTOMS http://issuu.com/action/page?page=26 26 THE SHOW - GARWOOD CUSTOM CYCLES: 20 YEARS STRONG 38 MOTOGP WITH B.T. - By B.T. http://issuu.com/action/page?page=38 http://issuu.com/action/page?page=44 44 THE NUMBERS - By Benny Solis http://issuu.com/action/page?page=48 48 TURN ONE - By Sandra Stammova http://issuu.com/action/page?page=68 68 THE MAIN POINTS - By Dena Sodano 102 FEATURED CLUB - ZOORYDERS M.C. http://issuu.com/action/page?page=102 http://issuu.com/action/page?page=106 106 THE LION’S DEN - By Lion James http://issuu.com/action/page?page=110 110 FEATURED RIDERS http://issuu.com/action/page?page=116 116 IMPROVE YOUR SKILLS - By Eric Wood http://issuu.com/action/page?page=86 122 THE ELECTRIC HORSEMAN - By Michael Lawless 144 THE NEW ISH http://issuu.com/action/page?page=144 http://issuu.com/action/page?page=150 150 STAFF STUFF

FEATURED RIDER: HEATH “THE CHIEF” COFRAN http://issuu.com/action/page?page=110 PAGE 110

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FEATURES

DECEMBER 2015 - VOLUME 6, ISSUE 3

GARWOOD CUSTOM CYCLES: 20 YEARS STRONG

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STUNTRIDERS ON STUNTRIDERS

ON THE COME UP: THE STUNT EDITION

90

HITTING THE APEX WITH MARK NEALE

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THE SUPERPRESTIGIO OF THE AMERICAS

THE MAIN POINTS: JACOB KIRN

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INNOVATIVE

HYDRATION SERIES

4-Point Riding Harness

RETROFLECT Accents

2.0 liter Bladder Kit Included

6 Interior pockets

TURBO 2.0L HYDRATION PACK AVAILABLE IN 8 UNIQUE COLORS // MSRP - $120.00 The Turbo 2.0 includes a large main compartment accessible via a 270 degree zipper for easy loading and unloading, and an insulated hydration bladder pocket. This is a perfect daytrip bag with designed space for tools, food, and the extra gear to stay on the bike for as long as you want. Be comfortable and be prepared with whatever you need to make the day complete.

AVAILABLE AT YOUR LOCAL AUTHORIZED AMERICAN KARGO DEALER AND ONLINE AT AMERICANKARGO.COM

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FEATURE STORY

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STUNT

RIDERS ON STUNT RIDERS PAGE 70

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STAFF

Publisher/Editor in Chief: Allan Lane allan@sportbikesincmag.com

EDITORIAL

ART & DESIGN Creative Supervisor: Leon Brittain leon@sportbikesincmag.com

Drag Racing Editor: Rickey Gadson rickey@sportbikesincmag.com

Graphic Designer: Baz baz@sportbikesincmag.com

Fashion Editor: Kiana Gadson kiana@sportbikesincmag.com

Cover: Rob Tyson

Moto Tech Editor: Thomas Campion tommy@sportbikesincmag.com Riding Editor: Eric Wood eric@sportbikesincmag.com Rev Limiter Editor: Dena Sodano dena@sportbikesincmag.com

Contributing Photographers: Rob Tyson Robyn Blair Phillips Ben Stefanides Christina Billings Don Miller MotoGP.com

Bike Life Editor Lady Kim ladykim@sportbikesincmag.com Senior Staff Writer Red Spade redspade@sportbikesincmag.com Staff Writers: Billy Morrison billy@sportbikesincmag.com Michael Lawless lawless@sportbikesincmag.com Lion James lion@sportbikesincmag.com Sandra Stammova sandra@sportbikesincmag.com B.T. bt@sportbikesincmag.com James Rispoli james@sportbikesincmag.com Will Torres pharaoh@sportbikesincmag.com Copy Editor: Angela Lane angela@sportbikesincmag.com SportBikes Inc Magazine - December 2015 Volume 6, Issue 3 To receive SportBikes Inc Magazine’s 2015 Media Kit and Advertising Rates, please email: info@sportbikesincmag.com.

In no way can any part of this magazine be reproduced in print, digital, broadcast or any other manner without the expressed written permission of the publisher.

SportBikes Inc Magazine (ISSN 2158-009X) is published monthly by Hard Knocks Motorcycle Entertainment.

SportBikes Inc Magazine is not responsible for any advertising claims made by its advertisers or partners.

Any and all items submitted to SportBikes Inc Magazine will become the sole property of SportBikes Inc Magazine and are subject to, but not limited to edits, comments and titles.

Sportbikes Inc Magazine, staff and partners are not responsible for injuries, loss or damage to their being, vehicle or property, including death that may result from contest submissions.

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FROM THE EDITOR

M

any know that I spent a number of years as the M.C. for Team No Limit, touring the country and performing for huge crowds. They made wheelies and I ran my mouth, keeping the audience hyped up and locked in. It was during this time, I earned the name “Stunt Mouth”. The job of being an M.C. is no easy task. It’s an act of balance... being mindful of both the audience and the performing riders. My role was to be the bridge between the riders and the audience.

My job was to keep the audience engaged and make certain that they remained excited throughout the stunt show. During my tenure with the team, there were many adventures and plenty of good times. It was one of the most electrifying times of my life. I often miss it.

thanks to a young man that goes by the name of Jay Stuntz. I’ve known Jay for a number of years and I’ve watched him grow as an M.C. and begin to master the craft of moving the crowd. He’s bridging the gap between the entertainers and the entertained and again, that is no easy task.

So many times the M.C. doesn’t get the props that he or she deserves. But it’s important to recognize the skills and courage needed to step into the asphalt arena, with mic in hand and rock the audience. It takes more than talent. It takes guts. So to all of the stunt show M.C.s out there... I salute you.

Jay Stuntz, I see you. Keep rocking the mic and receive your propers. Salute!

As my business endeavors began to increase Best, and my schedule tightened, I made the Allan decision to step away from my position on allan@sportbikesincmag.com Team No Limit. But the team is doing just fine, 12 | SPORTBIKESINCMAG.COM

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THE PRESS ROOM

INDUSTRY NEWS DUCATI AND ITALIA INDEPENDENT TEAM UP FOR A LIMITED EDITION SCRAMBLER AND ACCESSORIES Two Italian brands, Ducati and Italia Independent have joined forces to produce limited edition products inspired by the Ducati Scrambler. in addition to a limited edition custom Scrambler, a matching collection of sunglasses has been created. And that’s just the beginning. The brands have signed a three year agreement over which a series of collaborative efforts will manifest.

TEXAS TORNADO BOOTCAMP’S 2016 SCHEDULE Colin Edward’s TTBC schedule has been released for 2016. More than a few days on the Texas red clay, TTBC is a life changing experience.

2016 TTBC SCHEDULE: 2.22 - 28: Racer Camp 4.4 - 7: Pre Austin GP Camp 4.11 - 14: Post Austin GP Camp 6.16 - 19: Camp 9.15 - 18: Camp 10.27 - 30: Halloween Camp Want to know what the TTBC is all about? Read Editor in Chief, Allan Lane’s write up on his experience at the camp in the May 2015 issue of SBI. Register today for camp by visiting www.texastornadobootcamp.com.

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THE NEW HONDA CB500F Honda’s new CB500F has been upgraded with new bodywork that leans more toward the aggressive styling that might be desired in today’s midsize naked sport bike. Among the highlights are front and rear LED lights, larger

fuel tank and shorter exhaust pipe that has an improved sound. Pricing is not yet known but the 2016 Honda CB500F will be available in February of 2016 in a matte black metallic and silver colorway.

RECALL: POLARIS RECALLS THE SLINGSHOT FOR HEADLIGHT ISSUES Polaris Industries has issued a recall for the Slingshot, model years 2015 and 2016 for a faulty headlight relay that could result in a loss of headlights. Just over 9000 vehicles are affected by this recall. Polaris is notifying owners and the dealer network will replace the faulty relay with a circuit that uses two relays at no cost.

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THE PRESS ROOM THE 2016 TRIUMPH STREET TWIN

The latest offering from the Triumph Bonneville family of bikes is the 2016 Street Twin. The Street Twin’s 900cc parallel twin engine produces almost a 20% increase of torque when compared to the previous model. The Street Twin is sporty with a classic look that is complimented by modern technology

YAMAHA’S 2016 XSR900 The new XSR900 features an interesting retro styling that remains sporty and aggressive. That retro styling is focused in areas such as the fuel tank, seat, headlight and tail while the inline three cylinder engine boasts a hefty 847cc’s. The XSR900’s compact and sporty chassis, lightweight wheels and all purpose ergonomics attest to its functional and enjoyable purpose. Available in Matt Gray/Aluminum and 60th Anniversary Yellow, expect the new XSR900 to hit showroom floors in February of 2016.

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that makes it very rider friendly. The package is highlighted by ABSm traction control, slip assist clutch and a USB charging socket. The Street Twin also features a new switchgear amenity that puts control of the stylish single clock at your finger tips.

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THE PRESS ROOM

GRID NEWS MOTOAMERICA WILL RACE IN UTAH AT THE FORMER MILLER MOTORSPORTS PARK MotoAmerica will return to Utah June 23 through 25 for round seven of the 2016 season.

Racing action will take place at the newly named Utah Motorsports Campus, formerly known as Miller Motorsports Park.

KAWASAKI ANNOUNCES MAJOR RACE CONTINGENCY PROGRAM FOR 2016 Kawasaki has launched a $2 million dollar U.S. race contingency program for 2016.

The program is for racers competing on a 2015 or 2016 Ninja ZX 10R, ZX 6R, Ninja 650 or Ninja 300 in the following series: MotoAmerica, WERA, CCS, CMRA, ASRA and AFM. Kawasaki is also composing a Racer Support Program for the new 2016 ZX 10RÂ that will include race kits and parts and offer a $2000 purchase incentive for qualified racers.

Visit the KAWASAKI RACE CONTINGENCY site for more information.

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WAYNE RAINEY ANNOUNCED AS THE AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST ASSOCIATION’S MOTORCYCLIST OF THE YEAR Wayne Rainey was announced as the AMA’s 2015 Motorcyclist of the Year. The current President of MotoAmerica, three time world champion, two time AMA Superbike champion and AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer earned the award for all of

his endeavors that impacted the motorcycle community in the past year. The annual award is bestowed upon an individual who was voted upon by the AMA Board of Directors.

JOSH BROOKES TRANSITIONS FROM BSB TO WSBK FOR 2016.

Josh Brookes, the 2015 MCE British Superbike Champion announced that he will be moving to the World Superbike Championship Series for the 2016 season with Team SMR. Brookes will compete on the BMW S1000RR for the series.

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THE PRESS ROOM NJMP TO HOST TWO ROUNDS OF MOTOAMERICA IN 2016 MotoAmerica will visit New Jersey Motorsports Park twice in the 2016 season. NJMP will host the third round of the nine round season April 29 through May 1. Additionally, NJMP will once again host the season finale September 9 through 11.

“We are thrilled to be hosting two MotoAmerica races for the 2016 season,” said Brad Scott, Chief

Operating Officer of New Jersey Motorsports Park.

“MotoAmerica is our largest spectator event to date and this will bring two times the Superbike excitement for our fan base next season. We are planning more off-track activities for both events to keep the fun and energy in high gear throughout the race weekends.”

ROSSI’S LITTLE BROTHER TO COMPETE IN MOTO2 FOR 2016 Valentino Rossi’s younger half brother Luca Marini will line up on the Moto2 Grid in 2016 as a rider for Forward Racing. The 18 year old Marini has competed as a wild card in Moto3 in 2013 and Moto2 in 2015 and is a participant of the VR46 Academy.

In 2016, Marini will join team mate Lorenzo Baldsassarri as full time rider.

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SHOP SPOTLIGHT

CONTACT:

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Dealership Name: Xotic Customs Location: 6909 Bristol Pike, Levittown, PA 19057 Hours: 9.30AM - 6.00PM Tuesday - Friday/9.30AM - 2.00PM Saturday Year Established: 2000 Brands Serviced: Suzuki, Kawasaki, Honda, Yamaha, Harley Davidson, Victory, KTM

S

erge Mercado is quietly building an empire of custom motorcycles from his shop, Xotic Customs. Over the last several years Mercado and his team have laced the streets of South Eastern Pennsylvania, and beyond with some of the sickest custom baggers and sportbikes to hit the scene. While the rolling creations of Xotic Customs are out pounding the pavement or racking up trophies at local bike nights and custom bike competitions, Mercado and his team are hard at work for their customers. Their shop motto is quite simply, “If you dream it, we build it!�

Throughout the years, Xotic Customs have

remained loyal and worthy not only to their customers, but their community as well. They are active in supporting local and charities via fundraisers and other organized events.

While Mercado and his team have made a name for themselves in the custom bagger game, their sportbike creations are on equal par. That alone is a testament to the craftsmanship and standards that Mercado holds his team up to. Mercado is a man of very few words. But when you see what he and his team produce, it becomes clear that he lets his bikes speak for him, as a true builder should.

Want to see your shop or dealership featured here? Drop us an email!

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THE SHOW

GARWOOD

20 Years CUSTOM

CYCLES

Strong WORDS: LEON BRITTAIN IMAGES: LEON BRITTAIN//BLAIR PHILLIPS 26 | SPORTBIKESINCMAG.COM

A

lot can transpire in twenty years, particularly in the competitive adrenaline fueled motorcycle industry. Brands, builders, events and magazines that once flourished have come and gone. To reach a five or ten year milestone in this industry is a significant accomplishment. To reach a twenty year anniversary is almost unheard of. One company that has done such with resounding success is Garwood Custom Cycles (GCC) in Lexington, North Carolina.

When you speak of humble beginnings, Garwood Custom Cycles epitomizes this scenario. With a fascination for sportbikes right out of high school that lead to putting in time on the drag strip, their passion for sportbikes morphed into launching a business on a part time basis in 1995 within a simple rustic barn. Three short years later with the volume of business steadily and quickly growing, the business went full time in 1998 and has been moving forward steadfastly ever since with creating some of the industry’s most recognized and sought after bikes. The secret to their success and longevity doesn’t involve intricate

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THE SHOW: GARWOOD CUSTOM CYCLES business formulas, sales projections or overly complicated concept of operations. Although having a savvy for running the business has certainly played a role in their success, the company’s philosophy of leading with the heart, offering affordable prices on quality products combined with a sincere value on customer service has been their guiding belief.

“We treat all customers the same whether they spend $5 or $50,000” says General Manager Steve Garwood.

Throughout their journey from beginning in that rustic barn to now recognized as the largest custom sportbike dealer in the country with a showroom unlike any other that ships nationwide as well as internationally, the crew at Garwood Custom Cycles has also not only earned the respect of consumers, but the manufacturers as well. In 2013 the team was selected as one of only two builders to help Suzuki Motor of America unveil their Suzuki Sweepstakes campaign during the Washington D.C. International Motorcycle Show with “Mach 5”, their show stopping pearl white with racing red stripes custom 2013 Hayabusa.

Although GCC has received a very respectable level of success in the industry, they remain unpretentious with letting their work speak for them. Nowhere is this more evident and trumpets volumes than with their charity and outreach work. Beginning with “Special Ops” a 2006 Suzuki Hayabusa featuring a C & S Customs custom 300 wide tire kit dedicated to a personal friend, Navy SEAL Petty Officer First Class Joshua Thomas Harris. Other tribute bikes have included an extraordinary Kawasaki ZX 14 entitled Special Ops 2 , AKA SO2.

A monumental Suzuki Hayabusa in support of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.

Their work with Autism Speaks employing the unique 2014 Honda Grom. A Kawasaki 636 supporting the Susan G. Komen Foundation 28 | SPORTBIKESINCMAG.COM

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THE SHOW: GARWOOD CUSTOM CYCLES

OLD SKOOL

SPEED RACER

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WAR ADMIRAL

NEPTUNE

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THE SHOW: GARWOOD CUSTOM CYCLES

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and two personal bikes for two amazing ladies. Lea “Dream Catcher” Martinez who is an inspirational breast cancer survivor with her “Survivor” custom Suzuki Hayabusa drag bike.

Jennifer Lee’s “Mothers Love” in memory of and tribute to her mother who fought valiantly during her battle with cancer.

100% of all proceeds from each build go directly to each respective charity under the belief and wisdom of never profiting from supporting charities. “All of our charity builds have a special meaning” says Steve. “The one that has touched us the most is Mothers Love.

To witness Jennifer Lee’s emotion filled reaction when it was unveiled in Florida during Daytona Bike Week, you couldn’t but help but feel how extremely grateful she was and the love both her and her mother shared during that moment.” he continued with reverence.

While they are known for their work with sportbikes, their talents go beyond that segment with custom builds such as Can Am Spyders, V Rods, Baggers and Slingshots. Remaining true to what has made them successful, this extension into other segments has positioned the company very well for the next evolution of the business. In conjunction with their C & S Customs brand, GCC has plans to begin manufacturing their own wheels which will be offered in six colors with nine finishes ranging in size from 17” to 26” while also offering parts for Harley Davidsons and further expansion of their facility within the next three years.

With a business centric model based on affordable quality products and an emphasis on customer service, it looks like their staying power will surely bring about another rewarding twenty years of some of the industry’s best and cherished work.

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THE SHOW: GARWOOD CUSTOM CYCLES

GARWOOD CUSTOM

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CYCLES

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THE GRID

MOTOGP WITH B.T. WORDS: B.T. IMAGES: MOTOGP.COM

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S

pring brings the promise of all things new.

Flowers begin to bloom. The air is light and the promise of a new MOTOGP season brought hopes with anticipation of who would win the crown of World’s Best Motorcycle Racer. The season was long, but as with any sport, to pick the highs of an entire season is an enviable task but something I relish. Like a young man’s first trip to a strip club, I’m ready for the task at hand!

The first race of the year was in Qatar, and I made the trek to the Middle East to see the season opener under the lights. The race did not disappoint with Valentino Rossi outdueling Andreas Dovizioso in a nail biter and setting the stage for one of the greatest seasons of racing that I have personally witnessed.

Of course there are numerous highs of the season but one that will forever be etched

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THE GRID: MOTOGP WITH B.T. into my mind was in Austin, Texas when Marc Marquez’s bike literally failed him in qualifying and he laid it on the front straightaway wall, jumped the wall, then sprinted the entire length of the paddock to his pit stall where he jumped on his number two bike with less than three minutes to spare and took pole! It was truly a holy shit moment.

The next race in Argentina set the stage for the beginning to the end of a friendship and would come back to haunt Valentino Rossi. As Rossi passed Marquez, Marquez attempted to immediately pass him back and collided with Rossi sending the world champion crashing out of the race. The ripples of contention started to show between the pair like a bad Tinder date!

The remainder of the season saw Rossi cling to his championship with his finger nails as his teammate Jorge Lorenzo chipped away at the stone known as the G.O.A.T. It seemed everytime that Jorge was ready to seize the lead, a gremlin would show his hand and Rossi was able to retain his position in the standings. Although Marc Marquez was always in the hunt, it was apparent that his bike wasn’t as he crashed in five races. But it was his encounter with Valentino Rossi in Assen that caused a riff that, depending on what you believe, would cost Rossi his tenth championship.

On the entry to the chicane on the final lap, Marquez made a mad leap of faith, diving up the inside of Rossi, forcing him through the sand and in correcting himself crossed the finish line in front of Marquez. Marquez cried foul while Rossi sprayed champagne. It was later in the season that we were to find that Marquez believed that this cost him a championship.

Throughout the season, we saw new faces on the podium like Bradley Smith, Cal Crutchlow and the emergence of a sentimental favorite in 40 | SPORTBIKESINCMAG.COM

Dani Pedrosa. But it was the final three races that will forever be etched into the memory of ever diehard MotoGP fan.

A week after the greatest GP race I’ve ever seen at Phillip Island, Valentino Rossi accused Marc Marquez of helping Lorenzo win a championship over him in retaliation over Argentina and Assen. His words stung Marquez but it was his actions on the track at Sepamg that I believe cost Rossi a championship.

In a obvious attempt at running Marquez wide, Marquez crashed. Some say Rossi kicked him.

Others say Marquez ran into him. Etiher way, Rossi was assesed a penalty and forced to start from the back of the field at the season finale with a mere seven point lead over Lorenzo.

If you’re reading this, you know what happened during the final race. Sometimes even our heroes fall short but watching Rossi slice through that field like a Sushi Chef at happy hour was a pleasure to watch.

One of the greatest seasons I’ve ever witnessed ended with the fastest rider as World Champion.

With no disrespect to Jorge Lorenzo, the ending to the season felt like the ending to the movie, “No Country For Old Men”. An otherwise awesome movie, when the credits rolled I just remember some guy in the theatre screaming, “That’s it?!”

That’s the way I still feel. I predicted Rossi to win his tenth world title and I feel that the entire GP audience wanted that as well. I cannot help but think to myself, “if only...” and “what if...” But what difference does it make? What is over is over and we cannot change what has become. We can only hope that time is on our side to secretly wish and hope to see The Doctor win one more. Until then, happy off season!

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THE GRID: MOTOGP WITH B.T.

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THE GRID

THE NUMBERS EVERY MONTH, WE ASK PROS AND AMATEURS WHY THEY CHOSE THE NUMBERS THAT IDENTIFY THEM ON THE GRID...

IMAGES: COURTESY OF BENNY SOLIS 44 | SPORTBIKESINCMAG.COM

BENNY SOLIS

#35

“I

was originally #20. But when I was 12 and went racing nationally, that number was taken.I had a list of numbers and noticed that the 3 looks like B and the 5 looked like an S. Benny Solis... BS...

35! And since then it hasn’t changed.”

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THE GRID: THE ROCKET

#TriumphAmerica and #Castrol are proud to support #LatusMotorsRacing and #BobbyFong50 piloting a #Daytona675R in the #MotoAmerica #Supersport series.

TriumphMotorcycles.com • (888) 284-6288 46 | SPORTBIKESINCMAG.COM

Second to None Kenan

Sofuoglu Team Kawasaki Puccetti Racing

2015 World Supersport

CHAMPION www.motonation.com

Toll Free 877.789.4940

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THE GRID

TURN ONE: COSTA RICA 2012

WORDS: SANDRA STAMMOVA IMAGES: SANDRA STAMMOVA

I

t was the 29th of September, 2012, one round before the end of season when I got this facebook message from former world Superbike rider, Ivan Sala. “Hi Sandra, I’m Ivan Sala, Superbike driver in Costa Rica. I want to invite you to drive my Kawasaki 600RR here in Costa Rica on the 28th of October. You can take the plane on the 23rd of October to share some moment with the TV interviewers and you can fly back on 29th of October.”

I thought it was a cute invitation so I asked Ivan for a few more details about the deal and the game was on! Mind you, I still had to focus on the final round of British Superbikes at Brands Hatch before my trip to Costa Rica. It was a very important round for me as my mother and brother were coming to wacth me race for the first time ever. The pressure was on! You didn’t want to make my mom fly from Slovakia to the U.K. and waste her time because her daughter was going to race some bikes and couldn’t get on the main grid! I knew there would be a large amount of riders hoping to qualify, because Brands Hatch is one of the most popular tracks in the U.K. for riders and spectators. Cutting the long story short... It was my best round ever! I did great, qualifying about 1.6 second off of the lap record but still qualified 34th out of more than 60 riders. I finished the race 24th on the tail of a group of 5 riders, 16 seconds behind the leader.

The competition that year was exceptionally strong. I think it was the time when my mother finally understood what I do and she couldn’t believe how it was possible for me to get into a competition like that and ride with all the fast guys. Because I did not come from a racing family or backround. She was a little shocked, as mothers can be.

I was very confident and felt on top of the world. I could feel that with some testing and experience I could run at the front of the pack

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THE GRID: TURN ONE

in the future. That was just the best state of mind I could have to leave for Costa Rica. I wasn’t experienced at riding a 600CC but I thought to myself, “It’s just another motorbike with two wheels and a little less horse power. So I must brake less and carry more corner speed.” In my case, it was better to think less and not overcomplicate things in advance.

My favorite MSS Kawasaki team boss silver fox, Nick Morgan and myself walk out of the plane in Costa Rica, tired after a long day of travel. Mr Ivan Sala was there waiting with all the journalists to welcome us, like we were New Kids On The Block! I had to do an interview straight out of the box and pose for pictures with Mr. Morgan, who was more surprised than ever! The people were very warm, welcoming and they basically used me for promoting their event, which I had no issue with. We still didn’t understand what we were going to do in Costa Rica five days before the race, as there was only one day scheduled for testing. Mr. Sala kept us busy, flat out attending different radio and TV stations and magazine interviews. I believe Mr. Morgan was enjoying his trip carying my bags and driving all over the town, meeting all of the Costa Rican media.

It was actually very funny, at least for me. One night we rode motorbikes to town and I was speaking on top of the stairs to a massive group of bikers and some gangs about the event. I even had a translator. It was just such a special experience to feel like a part of the local biker community and having so much support for my future race. I will never forget that because it was very special.

I must say I felt a huge pressure on myself before I even tested the bike or had seen the track. I was told I must dominate the race because I come from a strong championship series. There were huge expectations in the country from me to run at the front of the pack.

Basically, they expected me to win. Ivan Sala was racing for Castrol Kawaski team and he was winning both Supersport and Superbike Championships that season. He promised to help me with testing to get around the track quicker as he knew the circuit like his palm.

I was pretty calm as I was told “Don’t worry. The track is very easy.

There might be a bump or two but that won’t be any issues for you”.

Finally, there we were. It was all happening. Testing day was on and I was motivated to do well! I am pretty sure the track had 11 corners so it wasn’t that easy to work out. After a few laps following Ivan I realized that instead of one or two bumps, I found them everywhere.

Actually, if I wasn’t carefull enough my teeth would have fallen out.

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THE GRID: TURN ONE

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The track was half wet, half dry for the start. Not an ideal way to learn on stock suspention and SC3 compound tyres. But It was what it was and I was told I could not change anything until I learn where the track goes. So I circulated around the track untill it started to rain and that was it! I was going pretty fast for the conditions and the fact I didnt know the track. We were still 4 seconds off the pole position.

In ideal conditions we would be putting in 1.25 or 1.26 lap times.

It was far from an ideal test and to be honest, I felt very nervous about the race. Ivan assured me that I had gone much faster than he expected of my first time in those conditions. He was confident I would do well, as he believed coming from BSB I had a more aggressive riding style than the riders racing in Costa Rica.

On race day, at the entry they checked if we had guns. Apparently guns were not allowed at the race events. However, most of Costa Ricans were carying guns in their day to day life. It was just part of the culture there. There were lots of spectators and lots of racers.

We were very surprised by the passion of the Costa Rican people for motorsports. There were many classes besides superbike and supersport. There was one class in which the riders were wearing jeans and t shirts with no helmets, racing flat out! The accidents were not very nice to watch but that is what it was and everybody knew the risk they were taking. There were very young kids racing some smaller bikes, pulling wheelies in the pit lane. It was all allowed and they had their own rules within the rules. There was not that much safety but there were no issues either besides a little knife fight between two gangs. One guy who won a race wasn’t meant to win. They sorted it out and everybody survived.

When it came to my race, I had enough time in free practice and qualifying and I did go 3.5 seconds faster, qualifiying just on the pole in the Supersport class and 6th overall. I won both races in Supersport and finished 6th and 5th overall, which was great. It wasn’t easy as I was pushing as hard as I could. I felt on top of my game even with having moments, bumping into each other and pushing each other off the track. It was very exciting two races and I really enjoyed the challenges the Costa Ricans gave me at the track. At the end of the day, it’s all about the experience. An easy win doesn’t taste the same as the one you have to fight for. I won a massive trophy and a huge LCD TV which I gave to the lady who was cleaning at Ivan’s house.

Overall it was an unforgetable trip where I met lots of fantastic people, experienced a different culture and ended up with two wins thanks to God! SPORTBIKESINCMAG.COM | 53

THE GRID: ON THE COME UP

DANIEL COSTILLA ADRIAN HACKETT

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NAME: Daniel Costilla

NAME: Adrian Hackett

HOMETOWN: Valley Center, CA

HOMETOWN/COUNTRY: Mt.Vernon, NY AGE: 15

AGE: SERIES: 34

IM CEV Junior Moto3 World Championship.

ASSOCIATION/AFFILIATIONS/SERIES: GOALS: MOTOAMERICA, CCS, ASRA, CMRC To be MotoGP World Champion.

GOALS: ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Compete internationally the 4th at Brands Hatch in the throughout Motul Motostar Carribean.

Moto3 Championship in 2014. Finished 6th in class at Circuit TT Assen in the Monster ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Energy Motostar Championship in 2013.

Competed in MotoAmerica Superstock 600 race at NJMP, overall IN in CCS DEFINE YOUR 9th PASSION ONEAtlantic region SENTENCE: To achieve my biggest dream of becoming a World Champion.

DEFINE YOUR PASSION IN ONE

SENTENCE: CONTACT: Only a biker knows why a dog sticks his WWW.DANIELCOSTILLA.COM head out of a car window.

CONTACT: WWW.ONELOVEROADRACING.COM

IMAGES: COURTESY OF DANIEL COSTILLA SPORTBIKESINCMAG.COM | 55

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10:04 AM

THE STRAIGHT LINE: ON THE COME UP

WALT WEBB

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NAME: Walt Webb HOMETOWN: Philadelphia, PA AGE: 42 SERIES: IDBL SPONSORS: R&W Flooring, THRIVE. GOALS: To work through any challenge life throws at me.

DEFINE YOUR PASSION IN ONE SENTENCE: Help others and not let anything hold you back.

CONTACT:

IMAGES: COURTESY OF WALT WEBB SPORTBIKESINCMAG.COM | 59

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THE REV LIMITER

THE MAIN POINTS WORDS: DENA SODANO IMAGES: ROBYN

jacob kirn F

ormer Marine, rider, hunter and Kansas City native... Jacob Kirn has delved into the world of sport bike freestyle stunt riding like the many two wheeled junkies out there. Let’s see what reeled him in.

DS: What started it all? We know you've been involved in the freestyle stunt riding scene since the beginning days for quite a bit, but how did it turn into stunt riding?

JK: I started out cruising the streets of Kansas City, Missouri and Dallas, Texas but then I started doing some track days along with some pow pows. After riding with guys like Dan Jackson on the street and then seeing him in the lot, I was hooked. I had to pick between track and stuntriding. Stuntriding flat out offered more of a challenge.

DS: What was your first bike? What do you ride now?

JK: Most people don’t know this but my first stunt bike was Ty Howard’s old track built 2003 Gixxer 750. It was mainly just streets where I learned balance point and had it for 62 | SPORTBIKESINCMAG.COM

about a month when I then moved to a 2006 Kawasaki 636. I recently sold my last fully setup 2014 636 but I am in the market for a 450 to ride dirt and track days and maybe a wheelie here and there, we will see.

DS: What is your favorite trick? I know you have a few!

JK: Believe it or not this is a very hard question.

I love being on the tank and pulling in and out of everything. But hands down nothing beats no handed footbrake circles for days!

DS: After seeing the evolution of the sport, what can you say about it in regards to your personal journey as far as riding and where it has taken you?

JK:For me, like others, riding started out as a fun hobby but I made the mistake of taking it way too serious. If I have learned anything from stuntriding other than the fact that bouncing off the concrete doesn’t get any better, is that you can never let it get too serious. Keep the kid in you and have fun with it. The moment you get too serious with it, is the moment it no longer

n

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THE REV LIMITER: THE MAIN POINTS

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becomes fun to practice. You think you “have” to go practice or your skill will fall behind the power curve. At that very moment when this mind set hits you, it automatically puts you behind the power curve. Moral of the story don’t let it get to you. Always have fun with it. Keep the kid in you. For the record, that is about as deep as I will ever get.

DS: Who were you inspirations?

JK: Ian Gaines, by far is one of my biggest inspirations for helping me to realize that to make it in riding there is more to it than just

riding. Rodney Sargent for always pushing me to do more than just wheelies. Clay Dix, most guys don’t know him but he is a straight O.G. He saw something in me that a lot of people didn’t and took me under his wing. I did my very first shows with Clay and without him giving me that opportunity, I’m not sure I would be here today.

DS: There are so many different years and models of motorcycles out there as far as making one a complete stunt bike. What is your ideal bike and set up that you would like to

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THE REV LIMITER: THE MAIN POINTS

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THE REV LIMITER: THE MAIN POINTS ride?

JK: For me it’s the power to weight ratio. If you can keep your bike light and add power with an ECU flash or power commander that’s my ideal set up. It might explain why I stunted the 2009 Kawasaki ZX10 for a year. A lot of guys might say durability, but in my opinion good maintenance will keep the bike up and running without adding a bunch of durable steel.

DS: What else do you like to do for fun?

JK: Let me start this with saying I have way too many hobbies. I love to go hunting. I grew

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up in a family of die hard hunters so naturally I jumped on the band wagon. I like to go backpacking and being that I was a Marine for eight years, I learned from the best. Call me old but I can also get down with a day of golf with my college buddies. My newest and slowly moving up the scale of being my favorite hobby is climbing.

DS: Any future plans for the next few months?

JK: Yes. I’m gonna try to catch the rest of Taylor Swift’s tour.

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THE REV LIMITER

STUNT

RIDERS ON STUNT RIDERS

S

tunt Riders are extremely aggressive and competitive by nature. It’s not often that they get a chance to give each other props and we here at SBI want to change all that. We gave several Stunt Riders a chance to chat about their favorite Stunt Riders... Other than themselves. Here’s what they had to say...

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THE REV LIMITER: STUNT RIDERS ON STUNT RIDERS

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“My favorite rider besides myself or any of my teammates would probably be Eric Rocks from the Odd Crew. It is his confidence and style that really keeps me engaged. He always has the biggest smile on face and seems to truly enjoy riding his motorcycle. He has always been so fluid and his movement is so smooth and effortless. He’s not throwing the bike around... They are moving together. Respect I’ve gotten to ride with some pretty amazing riders over the years. I’ve had the opportunity to share a spot with so many guys that are considered absolute beast on a bike ,but if I had to choose one that I have not been able to session with it would be AC Farias. He is one of the O.G.s and I have so much respect for his talent and his approach to the sport. Yes, definitely AC. I’ve never had the pleasure, sir. But if you ever fire that 636 back up , please hit me up.” Ian Gaines SPORTBIKESINCMAG.COM | 73

THE REV LIMITER: STUNT RIDERS ON STUNT RIDERS

“My favorite rider is Jason Britton. His experience and know how... not just with stunt riding and bike mechanics, but his marketing and drive for the sport is motivating.” Kawboy Dell

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THE REV LIMITER: STUNT RIDERS ON STUNT RIDERS

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“If I could session with a stunt team of the present it would be North East Chill. Chris Sandberg, Danger Dave, Nick Karipis are some of my favorite Stunters. The passion that they have for stunt riding is unreal.

They taught me all of the basics for stunt riding. What I admire about their riding style is that they will ride in the rain, snow, below freezing temperatures. They ride every weekend no matter what it takes. They push each other to learn new tricks constantly so riding with them is never boring. They are always making progress.� Christina Billings

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THE REV LIMITER: STUNT RIDERS ON STUNT RIDERS

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“My current favorite rider is Sean Hadley. He rides by himself and travels to meet new people. His style is a combination of everything I like seeing in other riders. He’s just a genuine down to earth guy to talk to.” Chill Gil

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THE REV LIMITER: STUNT RIDERS ON STUNT RIDERS

“Stunter 13 is my favorite rider. What I appreciate about him is his dedication to keep progressing in this sport and how he pushes himself to pull off some of the sickest tricks being done in the sport today. He has a fast pace riding style, hopping all over his bike and then stringing in drifts and acrobatics in there, as well. He has a good personality, always posting positive things and fun videos to watch. He’s got a great attitude when riding with others. He’s always out their smiling and pushing it which makes others wanna push it as well. He makes me want to try new tricks all the time and work on my flow with stringing tricks together hopping around. He’s a good person to watch in comps because there is never a dull moment.” Joey Saporetti

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THE REV LIMITER: STUNT RIDERS ON STUNT RIDERS

“I have a few favorites that are differentiated by styles, technicality, personality and professionalism. A rider that stands out in all of those catagories is Christian Pfeiffer. Chris was one of the greatest. I could only imagine what more he could have accomplished on a more capable machine. He rode with such technicality and almost never missed a beat.” Tony Carbajal

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THE REV LIMITER: STUNT RIDERS ON STUNT RIDERS

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“My favorite Stunt Rider is Kyle Sliger. He has a lot of style in his riding and is always pushing the limits. He is always doing a lot of technical tricks that aren't often seen which makes it really enjoyable to watch him ride. I also find him to be a humble person that lets his riding do the talking for him.”

Nikki 636

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THE REV LIMITER: STUNT RIDERS ON STUNT RIDERS

“My favorite stunt rider? So many to choose from that I pull certain characteristics into my own riding. But one of the biggest influences has to be Chris Sandberg and Northeast Chill, who has got the wheels literally turning! Of course, along the way I’ve met so many amazing and influential people like Bill Dixon. He has amazing attention to detail and the best built bikes I’ve ever ridden. He has dominated the U.S. stunt scene! Stunter 13 is a real life ninja! Now on board with Yamaha, he is taking things to another level. In this sport, for me it’s my passion so it is very hard to pick one. I like to surround myself with fellow riders who are just as passionate about our sport. Social media brings all of us to a common meeting ground.

The sport is constantly evolving.” Sick Nick

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THE GRID: MOTOGP WITH B.T. INTRODUCING THE SADDLEMEN SPORT COLLECTION

TRACK-CF UPGRADE TO GO FARTHER AND FASTER! Finally spor t seats that you can enjoy *Made in the USA and available for most Spor t bike models. 5 unique GELcore designs to choose from.

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BMW Motorrad USA

©2015 BMW Motorrad USA, a division of BMW of North America, LLC. The BMW name and logo are registered trademarks.

2015 S 1000 RR

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DON’T JUST SEIZE THE DAY. LEAN INTO IT. MAKE LIFE A RIDE.

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SPORTBIKESINCMAG.COM | 89

THE REV LIMITER: ON THE COME UP

TONY PREZ

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NAME: Tony Prez HOMETOWN: Brooklyn, N.Y. AGE: 35 SPONSORS: The Chop Shop, N.Y. GOALS: My goal is to become a stronger stunt rider every year and to push myself to be the best I can be.

DEFINE YOUR PASSION IN ONE SENTENCE: Live life on one wheel!

CONTACT:

IMAGES: COURTESY OF BRAD CHRIS DURHAM SANDBERG SPORTBIKESINCMAG.COM | 91

THE REV LIMITER: ON THE COME UP

BREEZY RSIXX

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NAME: Breezy Rsixx HOMETOWN: Wettenberg, Germany AGE: 29 AFFILIATION: Germany Motorsports.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Stunt shows at the Racetrack Hockenheimring and the Racetrack N端rburgring, R6 Cup in 2014 and 2015, Internationale Deutsche Meisterschaft 2014 and 2015, Nitrolympix 2015.

DEFINE YOUR PASSION IN ONE SENTENCE: Life is too short so ride and live free!

CONTACT:

IMAGES: COURTESY OF BRAD BREEZY DURHAM RSIXX SPORTBIKESINCMAG.COM | 93

THE REV LIMITER: ON THE COME UP

RYAN GRAVES

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NAME: Ryan Graves HOMETOWN: Ellendale, MN AGE: 31 AFFILIATION: Graveyard Customs.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Building over 500 tanks for people in 12 different countries.

GOALS: Continue to produce quality stunt tanks for stunt riders all over the world.

DEFINE YOUR PASSION IN ONE SENTENCE: There’s no way I could fit my answer into one sentence.

CONTACT:

IMAGES: COURTESY OF BRAD RYAN DURHAM GRAVES SPORTBIKESINCMAG.COM | 95

THE REV LIMITER: ON THE COME UP

DADY STUNT

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NAME: DaDy Stunt HOMETOWN: Nevers, France AGE: 28 AFFILIATIONS: Team Loud, Riders 18, Benoît Pneus, Acro Déco, France Stunt Organization.

SPONSORS: Écosystèmes, MCS Mécanique Moto.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS: For 2 seasons, my team and I traveled a better part of the country performing with Monster Jam and performed at the Supercross Finals in Vegas in May of 2015.

DEFINE YOUR PASSION IN ONE SENTENCE: Asphalt and bike and I forget everything around me. I have no limit.

CONTACT:

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THE REV LIMITER: ON THE COME UP

SAMOAN BRUCE

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NAME: Samoan Bruce HOMETOWN: Seattle, WA AGE: 26 AFFILIATION: West Coast Connection.

SPONSORS: CRWWND Clothing, Urban Custom Bikes, Tirestickers, ZeusArmor, Graveyard Customs, Street Nation.

GOALS: To continue traveling the world to meet and make new friends that share the same passion I have for stunt riding.

DEFINE YOUR PASSION IN ONE SENTENCE: It’s not a hobby, it’s a lifestyle.

CONTACT:

IMAGES: COURTESY OF BRAD SAMOAN DURHAM BRUCE SPORTBIKESINCMAG.COM | 99

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SPORTBIKESINCMAG.COM | 101

THE LIFE: FEATURED CLUB

ZOORYDERS M.C. CHAPTER: Temple Hill, MD FOUNDED: 2006 MEMBERS: 25 ELECTED OFFICIALS: PRESIDENT: Crusher VICE PRESIDENT: Ty SECRETARY: OneWay SERGEANT AT ARMS: Ghost TREASURER: Snoop ROAD CAPTAIN: Mayhem P.R.O.: Kut Up

Rocker interpretation: The ZooRyders are represented by a custom logo that symbolically represents their ideology. The Z4L is blue, for their brotherhood, The inner circle in chrome stands for the club’s circle of trust.The outer black circle represents wheels in motion. The Z4L is the club’s creed...

Zealously Overcoming Obstacles For Life.

Club milestones/memorable moments: For the last nine years, the ZooRyders have supported the Academic Empowerment Foundation and the Pigskin Jamboree Workshop to assist high school seniors that play football get financial aid for college. Recently, the club opened a second chapter in Virginia that is lead by one of the founding members.

Club history: The club was founded by seven original members that, from the beginning decided that the ZooRyders would be about quality, not quantity. They bonded by their professions and bonded by their brotherhood.

Future of the club: The ZooRyders are looking forward to discreetly expand their brotherhood with like minded individuals. Most importantly, they are going to keep on riding as that is what the club is truly about.

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Want to see your club featured here?

Drop us an email!

SPORTBIKESINCMAG.COM | 103

THE LIFE THE LION’S DEN: GETTING IT IN: PART 1

WORDS AND IMAGES: LION JAMES

I

’ve read, heard and have been taught by my Psychology professor in school that the sense most closely associated with memory is the sense of smell. I’m by no means an expert on the topic nor am I trying to rewrite the volumes upon volumes of text on the subject, spit in the face of hundreds of years of empirical evidence, research and reports on the fifth sense or its association to memory but for me the sense of sound, specifically the sound of a motorcycle, sparks up nostalgia for me much more than smell. When I hear the sound of a motorcycle, especially a sportbike, in the distance on approach with its exhaust screaming, engine revving and gear shifting building to a crescendo of performance, speed and exhilaration I am immediately transported back to my last exciting ride. The sound of a motorcycle in the distance speaks to my biker soul as if the rider atop the machine is saying to me “I am a motorcyclist, allow me to sing to you 104 | SPORTBIKESINCMAG.COM

the song of my people.” If you love motorcycles like I love motorcycles you know that sound. That sweet sound, that beautiful music, that wonderful noise that calls to you. The unmistakable sound of a motorcycle doing what the motorcycle Gods intended it to do. The sound of the beast off the chain and out of the cage. When you hear it, it doesn’t matter if you are transported back to an adrenaline filled ride of your own, you long to throw a leg over your motorcycle immediately or are compelled to play the bike guessing game that I like to call “name that tune” where you try to identify the motorcycle by just the sound of the engine and exhaust, I’m pretty good at this game, we all get the same grin on our faces and even if you’re home with a cold, your bike is in the shop or you just got done blasting off on two wheels you are happy for the rider making the commotion.

There are many names for what I am describing.

Some call it “living in the tank,” I’ve heard it referred to as “getting some” or even “kicking gears” and my father used to call it “dropping the hammer” but I like to call it “getting it in.” Getting it in is when the ride gets good to you. It’s when you push the bike and yourself to a level of performance and speed that is usually reserved for evading law enforcement, showing off or battling for first place.

You are getting it in when you switch gears from calm commute to kicking the street’s ass. Riding fast and aggressively may not be at all times necessary but it sure is fun. Getting it in is the dance between man and machine where you are in-tune with the motorcycles in an effort to make noise and leave all others behind in your wake. While a motorcyclist’s motivations to get it in are as varied as the makes and models of the motorcycles on which they get it in, I think we all equally revel in

the act and the enjoyment we get out of riding in a way that not everyone can. We defy traffic, we reach breakneck speeds and we manipulate these machines in a way that leaves non-motorcyclists in awe as much as annoyed. Getting it in is that level of riding that lies between mere travel and pure insanity. It’s the gray area that motorcyclist can rarely sufficiently explain to non-motorcyclists and rarely have to explain to those initiated in this two wheeled fraternity. I remember the last time I “got it in” and as the sound of a motorcycle in the distance minutes ago inspired me to write this article I am vividly and enthusiastically transported back to that Sunday morning blast on two wheels.

It was several weeks ago and while I have ridden since then and even have ridden very fast since then, there has not been quite an electrifying ride like it since. The mornings in late October here in SPORTBIKESINCMAG.COM | 105

THE LIFE: THE LION’S DEN the northeast start off cool, even cold to some, but warm up very nicely making the fall temperatures, if only the temperatures, ideal for riding. Most motorcyclists will tell you that the cool fall air makes the engines on these machines run great and the mild weather makes it all the more comfortable to wear your motorcycle gear which just a few months ago left you drenched in sweat after a ride. The ride that morning, I had a later start than I initially intended due to my kids, was meant to be a quick half hour or more ride to relax, distress and have some “me time.” I left the house that day with no intention of aggressive or excessively fast riding.

In fact, I recall putting more thought than usual towards whether I should wear my Sidi boots or if I’d be fine in a pair of more casual every day wear boots. As most sportbike riders know, in most cases the better a purpose built motorcycle boot is for riding the worse it is for walking around in and vice versa.

Being the cautious person I am I decided to rock the Sidi boots with their protective features and peace of mind providing style. If I had to dismount and hoof it for any reason I would just have to be uncomfortable. I didn’t have any particular destination and was already more than a half an hour into one of my normal “pick a direction and ride that a way” jaunts when I was passed in the next lane by another sportbike rider going so fast that one would have thought I was stopped at a red light. The motorcyclist threw a wave at me once in front of me as if to say “pardon me Turbo but if I didn’t have somewhere to be I’d show you how to ride that thang!” Not being familiar with the road I was on or the area I was riding thru I did not give a second thought to kicking a gear and taking off in kind and continued on at about the speed limit .

For the sake of this article let’s just say I was doing 65 mph… Sure I was. Another 20 minutes or so of riding I began to get bored with the modest speed and bland scenery of the straight curve-less road and I opened the throttle a little bit more… Okay a lotta bit more. Craving curves like a horny man staring at a thick woman I made my move to find more accommodating roads. Now I don’t know if I was under the impression that the better roads were going to leave if I didn’t find them in time or if my over eagerness got the best of me but I found myself 106 | SPORTBIKESINCMAG.COM

racing to get somewhere or maybe subconsciously I was trying to catch up to that motorcyclist who had passed me about a half an hour ago but I was moving fast. Finally I had found the curves and like the rapper Drake says “I like my girls BBW…” There was no traffic out here with me and the roads were anything but straight. This was not what I left the house that morning in search of but I was glad to have finally found it. Sweeping turns are what I ride for and these were the kind of turns that novice riders and track day veterans alike can appreciate.

The only apprehension I felt about screaming around these curves and down these straights had been concern for the potential wildlife that might be nearby. Most of the roads I was navigating were tree lined on both sides with heavy woods beyond the asphalt. With the minimal vehicle traffic and the cool fall morning air I was certain that a deer would be challenging me to a game of chicken before long. On approach to clear fields on both sides of the road and exiting the apex of a particularly enjoyable sweeping left handed turn I decided that I would have good enough visibility ahead that if Bambi was feeling froggish for the next quarter mile or so I should be able to avoid her and I did the fifth gear groove and saw 138 mph on the speedometer. Only looking down for a moment to see what my cruising altitude was I quickly resumed scanning the landscape ahead of me and laid down on the tank like it was time for bed. It was not until I came to a stop sign and had to make a decision to either turn left or right that I slowed down enough to take a look around to see where I was. I had lost track of time and had been dropping the hammer and getting some since the road took on a better shape. I was only slightly familiar with the area I was in but I consider myself to have a decent sense of direction so I chose to turn right believing that this direction would lead me back in the same direction from which I had just come and I was hopeful that the roads leading there would be equally if not more amazing. I knew that to go to the left meant riding thru a commercial and residential area and that’s no fun unless I was looking for food, fuel or friends.

TO BE CONTINUED.

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Fi n d yo u r fa v o rit e loc al de ale r on w w w.t a w p e r f or m a n c e .c om / d e a le r s SPORTBIKESINCMAG.COM | 109

THE LIFE: FEATURED RIDERS

Heath “The Chief” Cofran LOCATION: North Hollywood, CA OCCUPATION: Technical Communications for Alpinestars.

YEARS RIDING: 12 years.

RIDING STYLE: Street, trails and track.

BIKE/S OWNED: 2004 Triumph Bonneville, 2015 Ducati Scrambler, 2004 Honda CFR 450R Supermoto.

FAVORITE PIECE OF RIDING GEAR: On the track, Alpinestars Race Replica one piece suit. On the street, Oscar

by Alpinestars Ray Canvas Jacket.

MOST MEMORABLE RIDE: Winning four races back to back in the 2013 AHRMA Thruxton Cup Series.

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Dymere Hunter LOCATION: Croydon, PA OCCUPATION: Warehouse worker by day and bouncer by night.

YEARS RIDING: Riding for 8 years.

RIDING STYLE: All street.

BIKE/S OWNED: 2008 Suzuki GSXR 1000.

FAVORITE BIKE MODIFICATION/ACCESSORY: Custom paint and lights by Vince Brown.

FAVORITE PIECE OF RIDING GEAR: I love my ICON helmets.

MOST MEMORABLE RIDE: The Balls to the Wall Ride to Baltimore with my record time of one hour and five minutes.

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THE LIFE: FEATURED RIDERS

Jim Skeans LOCATION: Clarksburg, N.J. OCCUPATION: Consultant.

YEARS RIDING: 40 years.

RIDING STYLE: Street and track.

BIKE/S OWNED: 2012 Harley Davidson Road Glide CVO, 2005 Harley Davidson Road King Classic, 2002 Harley Davidson Softtail Deuce, 2015 BMW S1000 RR. FAVORITE BIKE MODIFICATION/ACCESSORY: The pistons and cams on the CVO... I joined the 100HP club.

FAVORITE PIECE OF RIDING GEAR: Mechanix gloves.

MOST MEMORABLE RIDE: California Superbike School at Thunder Speedway.

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Marcus McCoy LOCATION: Pasco, WA OCCUPATION: Photographer and Graphic Designer, with a day job in broadcast television.

YEARS RIDING: 5 years.

RIDING STYLE: Street in all weather, every day. Rain, snow, wind, 110 degrees to 20 degrees.

BIKE/S OWNED: 2005 Honda CBR600RR. My current daily rider, gets me to and from work with occasional detours through the twisties and 140MPH straights.

FAVORITE BIKE MODIFICATION/ACCESSORY: Yoshimura RS 5 Exhaust and the integrated turn signal tail light.

FAVORITE PIECE OF RIDING GEAR: My ICON tank bag. Absolutely love it.

Everything fits and it makes carrying things without a backpack so much easier.

MOST MEMORABLE RIDE: Cruising out to Ice Harbor Dam with my brother.

Awesome scenery and very fun roads.

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IMPROVE YOUR SKILLS

5•5 OBSERVATIONS FROM HITTING THE APEX WORDS: ERIC WOOD IMAGES: COURTESY OF HTA

I

t’s now been two months since I last rode the track, and winter is finally starting to settle in.

It’s the time of year when many of us start to sit back and watch our sport instead of being active participants. There was a recent screening of Hitting the Apex at a nearby theater and several of my friends and I made the trek out to soak in the spectacle that is MotoGP and perhaps gain some insights into the riders that we enjoy watching so much. I enjoyed the film very much and thought it would be fun to share some observations.

1. Some people are born with incredible talent.

Other people have the drive and ambition to focus everything they have to achieve greatness in a specific field. When you combine innate talent with a laser like focus and mix in family support at an early age and the good fortune of opportunity, you have the makings of a world champion.

The themes echoed in the stories of Pedrosa, Lorenzo, Marquez, Stoner, Simoncelli and Rossi are ones that I have seen here at home as well.

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IMPROVE YOUR SKIILLS: 5•5 OBSERVATIONS

The Haydens, Bostroms, P.J. Jacobsen, Cameron Beaubier and countless other top riders started very young, had fantastic talent, family support, incredible drive and the blessing of opportunity.

Some don’t see it while in the moment, but I think that all of them come to the realization at some point that it takes everything you’ve got plus a few things you don’t... and a bit of good fortune, like riding the right bike at the right time, to make it all come together. It’s trying, satisfying, and humbling all at the same time.

2. There is more than one way to skin a cat.

Regardless of style, there are some things on the motorcycle that all the top riders do. However, it’s astounding when you look at the contrasting styles of Lorenzo and Stoner and realize that two riders can ride so differently and yet ride at nearly an identical pace. I have found this to be true in my own experience as well. I was teammates with John Haner on the Hooters Suzuki Team in 2004 and while we were great friends we could not share any data when it came to bike setup at all. John rode on top of the motorcycle and I hung 118 | SPORTBIKESINCMAG.COM

off like a monkey. Neither one of us could ride the other’s machine for more than a lap or two without stepping off in amazement that the other rider could even make it around the track. There is a definite difference between technique and style.

The challenge for track riders, and coaches for that matter, is to learn to differentiate between the two.

This is why understanding the goals in each corner are so important, and why teaching the reasons behind each action is more important to long term success than simply using the “copy me” or “run over the X” method.

3. Front end feel is going to be the great separator of the future. Watching the Marquez/Pedrosa crash from Aragon is 2013 punctuated the fact that electronics are playing a huge factor in the success of MotoGP riders, especially on the exits of the corners. Wih the new R1, ZX10 and many other models featuring advanced traction control systems, riders are going to start to rely more and more on these systems in the future. The gap in acceleration off the corners from the best riders to the slowest riders will close up more and more as these systems

get better.

However, since front traction involves so many more variables, it is unlikely that electronics will ever have the magnitude of importance controlling corner entry speeds. As tire technology continues to move forward and lean angles get larger, the ability to balance traction and feel is going to be the most critical skill a rider can

of them have been champions many times over in their lives, certainly at the national level and many of them at the world level. Marc Marquez, Marco Simoncelli and Jorge Lorenzo were immensely skilled world champions upon their arrival in the premier class and yet they all crashed their brains out in the process of figuring out how to ride a MotoGP machine. The challenge was learning to control their aggression to the point where they were able to stop falling while continuing to learn.

4. Brake control is where it all starts. With the sideways sliding styles of Gary McCoy and Casey Stoner becoming rarer, the area where we are seeing the greatest heroics, and the wildest rides, are on the brakes. I could watch hours of the slow motion footage of Marquez braking with all his strength, one foot out, rear wheel six inches off the ground, bike wagging back and forth as he struggles to scrub of the speed and find the exact moment to release the lever and flick the motorcycle towards the apex. I think that the title of this film epitomizes the primary struggle of most of these riders on the track. The balance that so many of us work to find is between the length that we can carry the heavy brake load and the time that it takes the bike to settle so that it can carve to the apex under control.

5•5. People matter more than anything else. From the many displays of the real bonds that many of these extraordinary athletes have with each other, fans, crews and family members to the moving story of Marco Simoncelli, it becomes quickly apparent that in the end MotoGP riders are no different than any of us. There are the same ups and downs, and the bonds we make with other people are what make all the difference. The sport of motorcycling creates a bond that transcends national boundaries and the people in the sport are what make it so special. I am fortunate to have had all of the opportunities to experience wonderful things and places and to learn and grow as I raced around the country. I am even more grateful for the countless friendships that I have formed over the years in that process. I hope all of you have a fantastic holiday season and that you are able to take a few moments to tell those people most important in your life what they have meant to you along the way.

have.

5. Mistakes precede learning at every level. It’s amazing to me that you think of how talented a rider is to be able to earn a MotoGP ride. Most

The lesson for the mere mortals watching is not that we need to wreck our bikes to get better, although it does happen from time to time, but that in order to improve we continuously need to step outside our comfort zones. Since most of us don’t have unlimited financial resources or bones made of rubber, we need to be intelligent about how the risks we take.

The best mistakes we can make are the ones we make on purpose. Purposeful tests can be made where riders make incremental increases in speed, looking for a specific bit of feedback that tells them that they have reached the limit. These “mistakes” are carefully planned in areas where there is room to be off line, resulting in an increase in knowledge as opposed to an increase in part bills.

Until next time, ride fast. Ride safe!

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THE FRICTION ZONE

THE ELECTRIC HORSEMAN: AMA PRO FLAT TRACK FINALS & THE SUPERPRESTIGIO OF THE AMERICAS WORDS: MICHAEL LAWLESS IMAGES: DON MILLER

I

s this the future of motorcycle racing in America?

Have you ever been totally psyched to go to a race only for it to rain? Or the weather is freezing colad or too stinking hot? Have to pay to park and you’re still miles from the track? Find there are no restaurants or hotels nearby?

the last race of the season in the Arena of Orleans Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Yes that’s right, at the Arena just like a pro basketball game. So when the temperature drops at night, so what? We are indoors.

It could rain or snow and the show would still go on. There’s plenty of free parking, lodging and eateries too. Ah, the casino life...

Well the AMA feels your pain. They held

What an amazing way to start the AMA

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Pro Flat Track Final. First, the national anthem.

Then the lights dimmed and the intro came on for Kid Rock’s performance. Suddenly the loud bang and flash of pyrotechnics as Kid Rock appears on the racetrack and crashes through one of his hit songs and an encore. I had no idea Kid Rock was going to appear. What a surprise!

The racing action was even

more spectacular thanks to the excellent track designed by Chris Carr. In one talent stacked heat race Henry Wiles pulled the hole shot and led with Brad “The Bullet” Baker hot on his heels. Baker made a forceful pass on Wiles. Wiles tried to return the favor a few laps later only to make contact with Baker, taking both racers down. Normally both flat track racers would dust themselves off and shake hands but this was not the case here. Wiles

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calmly snatched Baker by his chin bar and told him to get back on his bike much to the roar of the crowd. For professional racers it’s all or nothing. With their emotions and passions overrunning, both former champions needing to win at all costs.

On the restart Sammy Halbert got the hole shot with Baker in tow and Wiles in the wings. In the last corner, within sight of victory, Baker reached for something

that wasn’t there. He slammed in the side of Halbert running both racers out to the wall. Wiles seized the moment, passed on the inside wheeling to victory with fist in the air to the delight of the fans! Sammy dusted himself off like a man and went out in his next heat race and won! This type of excitement is what flat track racing is all about.

The action packed night continued with

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THE FRICTION ZONE: THE ELECTRIC HORSEMAN constant hard charging racing. Highlights included Jared Mees winning the Superprestigio of the Americas and clinching his third AMA Championship.

Another highlight was seeing young, super nice guy Briar Bauman win his first AMA National Friday night. As a matter of fact, Briar looked to be in contention for the win on Saturday night at the Superprestigio until he collided with Stevie Bonsey who crashed heavily. Briar pulled off the track and ran

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back to help the injured rider. Doing so, he gave up his chance for victory. Briars’ moral decision astonished me. In these questionable times Briars’ decision to go back to help the fallen racer makes me proud.

You can thank Marc Marquez for the resurgence of Superprestigio. Basically Superprestigio pits the best road racers, flat trackers, and riders of other disciplines of

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THE FRICTION ZONE: THE ELECTRIC HORSEMAN

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motorcycle sport against each other on an indoor short track . Each group runs qualifying or heat races so the best of each group goes to the main event. The road racing group included Toni Elias, Larry Pegram, Josh Hayes and Roger Hayden, to name a few.

Some of the road racers found it humbling. Josh Hayes explained, “When

you are used to being a fast guy, it’s hard to go out there and struggle.” Still Hayes was impressively quick. All did fairly well but in the final the flat trackers swept the podium.

Great support class racing from American Supercamp Youth Series and Roland Sands’ comical Super Hooligan street bike class.

All in all, it was an excellent program of high intensity racing.

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THE FRICTION ZONE: THE ELECTRIC HORSEMAN

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THE FRICTION ZONE

HITTING THE APEX WITH MARK NEALE

WORDS: REDSPADE IMAGES: COURTESY OF HTA

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THE FRICTION ZONE: HITTING THE APEX

T

his month I had the pleasure of interviewing Mark Neale, the British film director of some of our most famous and loved documentaries about motorcycle racing and the men beneath the helmets. Mark has directed moto related documentaries such as “Faster”, “Faster & Faster”, “The Doctor, the Tornado & the Kentucky Kid”, and “Fastest”, to name a few.

Coincidentally Neale’s latest masterpiece: “Hitting the Apex” was released just weeks prior to our chat. I was so excited about the movie that I had watched it three times already and dragged all of my friends to go see it. You can imagine my excitement when I finally got to talk to the man responsible.

Being no stranger to the paddock and understanding the strict procedures and security around Moto GP, I wanted to know how Mark 136 | SPORTBIKESINCMAG.COM

was able to capture such amazing footage and what he had to go through to make the documentary come to life. It turns out that as soon as he had finished producing Fastest, Mark was already thinking about “Hitting the Apex”. He went to see Dorna in Misano in late 2011 about the new film. Fortunately “Fastest” did well so Dorna was accepting of the idea since it gives the sport so much publicity and generates some revenue. But getting Dorna to agree is only half the battle. One of the biggest pressures was working out a timeline with Universal because Universal wanted the film on a very tight deadline. “Fastest” was already clipped on time and they wanted “Hitting the Apex” even sooner. This was not going to work.

But where there’s a will, there’s a way. Securing funds to get started on filming and production

took nearly all of 2012, but by then Mark was able to convince Brad Pitt to join the team in producing the movie. Brad is a huge motorcycle and Moto GP fan so he wanted the movie to be as spectacular as possible, sharing in Mark’s vision. The two of them worked very hard side by side in the final editing stages of the movie. Working with Brad gave Mark access to three other producers, a full studio of backup and added time from Universal to make the movie as he and Brad had envisioned it.

Mark shared, “I always feel like I’m making a film so that me and my friends can watch it. And I just feel like I’m one of the gang that wants to watch it.”

I asked Mark how Marco Simoncelli’s death had impacted the making of “Hitting the Apex”

as he played a key role. “It made me more determined than ever to only do the film that would do him and the sport justice… It just made me obsessed basically with just making it a better film because it’s very difficult to cover that kind of thing. To tell that kind of story in a sensitive way.” Marco’s dad was the first person to watch the film.

It is clear that Mark made a conscious effort in making the film not just about a sport, but about real people and their lives. It was about representing them in the fans’ eyes as much as in their opponents’. “The real heart of it is the characters and the story, ” he explained.

I was also very curious about how Mark went about collecting footage for the movie. There were scenes that were just amazing, showing

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THE FRICTION ZONE: HITTING THE APEX footage that had never been seen before from each of the riders’ childhood which were donated by the parents. Mark also told me about a photo he had found while searching the internet on a lucky whim of Marc Márquez.

The picture depicts a three year old Márquez receiving his first motorcycle for Christmas which was an extremely rare find but gave that scene in the movie so much heart. Of course, the image was used with Marc’s permission.

Collecting most of the footage from Dorna’s offices in Barcelona was an incredible time consuming endeavor. Mark would spend weeks at a time looking through the archives for those perfect moments, that perfect capture he had in mind. All of the footage was handpicked from hundreds of hours and never before seen to give the film its unique perspective. Then there was all the filming aside from the track and

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all the interviews. Mark was able to capture some very unique and heartwarming moments, for example the priests talking about the bell tower. Mark describes it as, “It’s a rare thing to do. When you film a normal film, you have a script. This is entirely different. You have millions of fragments and start to see what fits where.”

But through it all Mark has a solid and precise vision, he wants the viewers to feel and react a certain way. So he works hard at piecing everything together to form a beautiful story.

Of course, I had to ask Mark about his personal history with motorcycles and what drove him to create so many documentaries about this sport. Mark grew up in the countryside of southern England. He recalls riding his bicycle to the local racetrack when he was just 8 years old. “I think the fascination comes from that, to be a little kid wandering around alone, in

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a paddock in the south of England looking at these quite scary blokes with their bikes and their girlfriends.”

Later in his life Mark decided to move to Barcelona which played an integral role in being able to work with Dorna. “Riding bikes in the sunshine is the basic reason of why I went to Barcelona.” Living there Mark learned the language and culture, which gave him an edge at being able to communicate and find a working relationship with Dorna. It is as if the Motorcycle Gods had written it long

before Mark even knew his purpose. “I’ve always ridden bikes. For me it was freedom”, Mark says. It was this passion for the sport that eventually drove Mark to finally making his first moto documentary. “I wanted to make films about things I loved. What do I love and enough of other people love that would make sense to make a film about? No one was doing anything like it at the time.”

It seems that Mark Neale found his niche in bringing to light the excitement, heartache, trials and victories of Motorcycle Racing.

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STAFF STUFF GORPRO • HERO4 SESSION Allan Lane GoPro. However, it wasn’t until they dropped the Hero4 Session unit that they had my undivided attention.

Compact, powerful and user friendly, the Hero4 is highly favored for motorcycles. Multiple mounting options allow for the desired camera angle to be easily achieved. Regardless of the mount point, it’s compactness keeps it out of the way. I often forgot it was there. The single button control makes it simple to set it, forget it and get on with the business at hand.

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The Hero4 Session is fun, compact, powerful and loaded with functionality, shooting 1080p60 video and capturing 8mp photos. The battery life is the most efficient in the line up of GoPro cameras, just be sure to turn of the wifi to maximize the battery life. The unit is also waterproof, so there is no need to worry about it if you get There are a lot of sport cameras on the market and each company boasts why theirs is the latest, greatest caught in the rain. Factor in the $299.99 price point and must have camera to capture all of your fast paced and the Hero4 Session is a must have. action. It can be a little overwhelming to someone in the market for one. I had been hesitant to purchase one for http://gopro.com the reason of being sure that I bought one that would do everything that I needed it to do. In my search, the Rating: 6 (out of 6) one unavoidable brand that kept presenting itself was 150 | SPORTBIKESINCMAG.COM

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