Velocity Racing's 'Honey Badger' Blog

I have finished my 2014 starter race resume, please take a few moments to view it from my Dropbox. Due to my high involvement in the motorcycling community both on and off the track, I'm currently seeking sponsorships in a variety of forms. More information is available on my resume!   AFM 702 Race Resume For anyone who is interested in supporting me personally, I have also set up a "GoFundMe" account to help me purchase a new race bike - which will be a great asset in not only opening up more classes that I can be competitive in, but can also help me achieve a title in the AFemme Novice class! GoFundMe AFM 702 Every little bit helps! I'm saving every spare penny this winter in order to ensure that not only can I make the races, I can also find a bike that will ensure a solid end to the race season! 

The 2013 track season came to a close with Zoom Zoom's Thanksgiving double header at Thunderhill Raceway in Willows, CA. After sorting out the "how am I getting there" situation, figuring out how to finagle the money issues, and then grabbing some spots from those needing to unload theirs, it was time to get ready. The bike needed some basic prep even for this final weekend, had to get the Land Rover fixed up enough to make the trip, and of course the usual packing and prep work. My carpool buddy helped make that all happen and on Friday night we headed up to Willows. Saturday dawned bright and cool. With a calm, sunny day we set up our pit area with our friends, made it through registration and tech, attended the riders meeting, then got ready for our first sessions out. I had snagged a B group spot for this day, which actually worked out well - it had been nearly 3 months since I had been to any track, and I wanted to work on passing and learning to take those menta...

September 9th, 2013 was the 7th annual Women's VIP Day put on by Zoom Zoom, and my 3rd VIP day - in fact, my very first one 3 years ago was my very first trackday ever (and the only one that year)! Unlike that time, however, I'm starting to feel like an old hat at this - bike was ready, I was packed, and I actually slept the night before lol. After working out some kinks on how exactly I was going to get me and the bike to the track (huge thanks to Dennis for the carpool!!) I was set to go. Money was tight, but I definitely needed a good day out at the track. I was looking forward to the opportunity to refine some of the progress I made at my last day at THill, and to  work out some kinks on a few corners (8, 9, 10, and 14 specifically). On 8 I wanted to work on where I was looking and opening up that corner; 9 I needed to work on my brake markers and speed through the corner; 10 was the same thing as 9 only even more so, also getting my eyes up and over sooner; 14 was solidi...

So, through some scraping, skimping and selling, I managed to scrape up enough to finally squeak a trackday into my budget - just one at this point, and managed a loaded carpool and shared hotel expenses, which really cuts down on costs, and finally made it back out to Thunderhill Raceway in Willows, CA. I haven't been to THill since I did my NRS in November, and that was the only time I had been out there since that day in August. So it was feeling like a bit of a rematch, my first time really getting out there and working on going faster at that particular piece of pavement. We drove up on Sunday night, dropped off the bikes and trailer, and then proceeding to the hotel to relax, grab some dinner and get a good night's sleep in before our trackday. I was travelling with a couple other friends, and some other folks were going to meet up with us on Monday. Sunday night I fell asleep early - guess I was just plain old tired. Slept well most of the night other than about an hou...

After having several things fall through that I thought were a bit more "sure," my racing for the past and next round have been placed on hold. I need more practice at Thunderhill, so I'm intending to make the trackday there in mid-July, and in the meantime I'm focusing on getting my job situation sorted out so that I can not only make it to the races, but be competitive when I get there. Most of my time is spent at work right now, and the little bit that isn't is spent on finding that job that will get me back out on the track. A crack in the frame on my R6 has also set me back as I try to decide if the weld job is enough or if I want to just retire/keep as a backup that bike and move to something I would feel better on. Trying to work something out for that, but as I've learned, don't count on it till it's in your hands :) Sorting out my job situation will definitely help in all aspects, and I'm pursuing that with the little bit of free time I ...

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My first race weekend!! I think I must have had "new racer syndrome" where I was scrambling at the last minute to get things ready to go, get the bike ready and generally just not getting any sleep. Up past 1 AM the night before, and finally managing to roll out to the track Saturday morning. I can deal with it, but I HATE last minute scrambles like that for stuff that I should have had together WAY before that....prefer to save my scrambles for the unforeseen! Either way, made it to the track Saturday and with a HUGE amount of assistance from my AFM mentor, Rory Kamper, got registered, made it through tech, went to the rider's meeting and managed to get the bike ready. Eventually made it out for the second practice round for my group. That round felt good, made sure I was still solid on what I had worked on when I was out there on Wednesday for the 3J's trackday, and felt ready to put the final touches on my braking the next practice. Went out for the next practi...

A huge shout out to my amazing sponsors who are making this happen! Knyte Ryderz Curve Unit www.curveunit.com CT Racing www.ctracetires.com And a huge thanks to the many individuals who have helped out immeasurably (see previous blog post)! Race season is almost upon me – I skipped the first AFM round at Buttonwillow for a number of reasons, but am geared up and (almost) ready to roll out to Round 2 at Sonoma Raceway! At least my first race will be at my favorite track, even if it’s not the easiest, it’s close to home and I like it. I’ll be attending the 3J’s charity trackday the Wednesday before the races, it’ll be a chance to get back into track mode, solidify my lines/reference points/etc. Won’t be a super fast day since it’s a charity event, but right now I just want everything solid – I’ll worry about adding speed over the weekend J I’ve had some amazing sponsors step up and take a chance on a total newb to the race community. Knyte Ryderz has repaired b...

So 2012 had it's share of fun, good times and bad - but none of it would have been possible without the generosity of a large number of people! Whether it was something as simple as a willing carpool partner; lending a vehicle; hauling my crap home after a crash or just helping out, many people have reached out to help me achieve this goal. Below is a list of folks and a brief description of what they've done - I just want to give a huge shout out to all of my "unofficial" sponsors this past year, couldn't have done it without you! List of People/Businesses that have helped me get into racing (no particular order) Zoom Zoom Trackdays - David, Shawn, Kathy and many others: (instructors, packages, teaching, general assistance and tolerance)   CT Racing (tire discounts; thorough question answering) JPH Suspension (Bike set up; offering   a ride from Laguna Seca to Sonoma, and providing a place to crash that night). Rory K (Rides to and from trackday(s...

November 25th, 2012. On the evening of the 24th, my Curve Unit sister Patty A and I pack up our stuff and head on up to the infamous (in my mind now lol) Thunderhill Raceway in Willows, CA. It's a chilly evening, but we have enough time to get most of the unpacking done, have a beer, and settle in for a night's sleep. Sunday dawns chilly but clear and sunny, so per the required timing, and with the help of some awesome pit-mates, I get set up, registered, teched, and head to the classroom for my first classroom session. It's a full class with a wait list, but I'm not the only girl as one of my friends, Josie Gomez, is also going through the class with me.  Our first session out we get introduced to our instructors for the day, and it's a pretty chill session since everything is pretty cold. Back to the pits, talk to my instructor who had a couple suggestions, and run back to the classroom leaving the bike in the hands of my pit buddies. Classroom sessions were use...