Samsung and Rogers Enjoy a Day at Trail Tours

Ever wondered what it’s like riding an off-road motorcycle? Well, Samsung and Rogers employees wondered and enjoyed a fun day at Trail Tours Friday, July 27, 2012. Under sunny skies and hot temps a giddy group geared up for the start of a fun filled afternoon.

Trail Tours is located in the Ganaraska Forest off Highway 115 just south of Peterborough. Steve Weykamp (owner) and his staff have plenty of experience teaching beginners to advanced riders.  The beauty of Trail Tours is that you do not need to know how to ride a motorcycle – they will teach you. Learning how to ride in a large, safe grassy field is so much more enticing than in a parking lot. Pavement hurts … grass does not…IMO. I consider myself a bit of an expert here as I have had experience falling often onto both types of surfaces. Also included in the price is a full gamut of equipment – helmet, gloves, boots, chest protectors, pants and jerseys. Trail Tours has a large fleet of 2012 Honda Offroad bikes from 80cc to 450 cc’s which are maintained after every session to insure a safe and enjoyable day.

Shopping for clothes and boots has never been this much fun!
Helping a friend secure his helmet strap.
Remember to hold the helmet straps down while putting on the most important piece of equipment.
Getting dressed is often harder than learning how to ride a bike.
Steve Weykamp instructing the troops.
Lined up, listening and learning to ride on a new fleet of Honda offroad bikes.
The advanced group learning to ride over a log. Having the ability to practice in a large, safe environment is key to a successful and happy day for everyone.
Riding single track in the Ganaraska Forest.
A beginners group learning the correct placement of the right foot for the rear brake.
Riding the Ganny’s double track.
Look ma…I’m riding a bike.
End of the day and heading back into the compound with newly found skills and an amazing day.
Peace out Bro! Hope to see you back in the trails soon.

 

 

Tags

Ok…so I’ve had a few issues with my tags not working. I’m hoping everything is fixed now and that my blogs and pictures are easier to find in the land of the triple W. If you’ve missed the news on the following off-road events or want to check out some pics please see the following and click where it says tells you to:

– To see photo report and get link to Offroad Ontario Burnt River XC 2012 click HERE.

– To see photo report and get link to Honda Canada ‘Rock the Red’ MotoGymKhana 2012 click HERE.

– To see photo report and get link to Algonquin 2 Day Ride2012 click HERE.

– To see photo report and get link to Offroad Ontario RJ’s XC 2012 click HERE.

– To see photo report and get link to SCORRA Ladies Training Day 2012 click HERE.

– To see photo report and get link to CMX & VMX Grand Bend MX 2012 click HERE.

MotoGymKhana debuts in Canada

On July 15, 2012 Honda Canada kicked off an exciting new motorcycle venue jumping on board what the Europeans and Japanese have already figured out – that MotoGymKhana is both a fun and competitive skill based event. Welcome MGK to Canada. Let’s ‘Rock the Red’.

For the uninitiated MGK is described by Wikipedia as an event consisting of speed pattern racing where the rider follows a new course ‘layout’, reacting by driving the bike into turns, braking, and accelerating in a closed loop. The goal is simply to complete the course in the fastest time with the fewest errors.

Driving the bike hard into the next turn and looking well ahead to the next pylon.

Honda Canada recognised the skill needed to pilot a motorcycle through an MGK layout. Together with Honda’s ‘Rock the Red’ program and spiffy new CBR 250R’s and 125R’s, head Instructor Yoshi Nakatani and partner Vicki Gray began teaching eager students how to successfully compete in today’s event by giving them the necessary skills and practice time before the competition.

The instructors are passionate about motorcycling and between them have quite an impressive CV. Yoshi is recognised by JAGE (Japan Moto-Gymkhana Association) and has the distinct honour to introduce this sport to Canada and the USA while Vicki has ripped it up on the road racing scene having competed at the World Cup level. She is also the person behind one of the most complete international motorycle online magazines for the ladies ‘Motoress‘. Pretty cool, huh?

Keep your ears and eyes open as MGK is just debuting and I am certain more training and competitive events will follow. For more information regarding MGK please visit my previous blog titled MGK on a CBF1000: http://www.cecilegambin.com/wp/page/3/.

Learning to manoeuver the bike using short radius turns at slow speeds. Balance, skill and a good dose of confidence is key in staying upright – all made easy through the expert advice of former World Cup road racer Vicki Gray.
Head instructor Yoshi Nakatani following a student rider while working on short bursts of speed followed by tight turns.
Spills happen occasionally but at least they’re at slow speeds.
Waiting for Godot and taking a break from the weekends relentless 30C heat and humid weather.
Yoshi…hamming it up with the Honda Ladies.
After 3 weeks without rain Mother Nature decided it was time to let loose. The trainees walk the course with Yoshi and Vicki. Riders only get to see the layout once before the competition begins. The hard part is not the bike but remembering where to go.
Hard rain couldn’t keep spectators and competitors away from the main event.
The start gate. The electronic time keeping system had to be shut down due to thunder and lightening. No worries though as umbrella girls became flag droppers and Honda personel became timekeepers with their BlackBerry’s. Let the games begin.
Matt McBride entertaining the crowds and showing them how it’s done.

 

Allison Grummet throwing down the hammer (on wet roads none the less) and ripping up the track!
This photo was taken from Honda Canada’s associate event in May. I like the colours and the strong leading lines in the picture. The flag is raised because the rider is receiving a time penalty for dabbing his foot while negiotiating ‘The Keyhole’ section of the course.

 

MotoGymKhana debuts in Canada

On July 15, 2012 Honda Canada kicked off an exciting new motorcycle venue jumping on board what the Europeans and Japanese have already figured out – that MotoGymKhana is both a fun and competitive skill based event. Welcome MGK to Canada.

For the uninitiated MGK is described by Wikipedia as an event consisting of speed pattern racing where the rider follows a new course ‘layout’, reacting by driving the bike into turns, braking, and accelerating in a closed loop. The goal is simply to complete the course in the fastest time with the fewest errors.

Driving the bike hard into the next turn and looking well ahead to the next pylon.

Honda Canada recognised the skill needed to pilot a motorcycle through an MGK layout. Together with Honda’s spiffy new CBR 250R’s and 125R’s, head Instructor Yoshi Nakatani and partner Vicki Gray began teaching eager students how to successfully compete in today’s event by giving them the necessary skills and practice time before the competition.

Our instructors are passionate about motorcycling and between them have quite an impressive CV. Yoshi is recognised by JAGE (Japan Moto-Gymkhana Association) and has the distinct honour to introduce this sport to Canada and the USA while Vicki has ripped it up on the road racing scene having competed at the World Cup level. She is also the person behind one of the most complete international motorycle online magazines for the ladies ‘Motoress‘. Pretty cool, huh?

Keep your ears and eyes open as MGK is just debuting and I am certain more training and competitive events will follow. For more information regarding MGK please visit my previous blog titled MGK on a CBF1000: http://www.cecilegambin.com/wp/page/3/.

Learning to manoeuver the bike using short radius turns at slow speeds. Balance, skill and a good dose of confidence is key in staying upright – all made easy through the expert advice of former World Cup road racer Vicki Gray.
Head instructor Yoshi Nakatani following a student rider while working on short bursts of speed followed by tight turns.
Spills happen occasionally but at least they’re at slow speeds.
Waiting for Godot and taking a break from the weekends relentless 30C heat and humid weather.
Yoshi…hamming it up with the Honda Ladies.
After 3 weeks without rain Mother Nature decided it was time to let loose. The trainees walk the course with Yoshi and Vicki. Riders only get to see the layout once before the competition begins. The hard part is not the bike but remembering where to go.
Hard rain couldn’t keep spectators and competitors away from the main event.
The start gate. The electronic time keeping system had to be shut down due to thunder and lightening. No worries though as umbrella girls became flag droppers and Honda personel became timekeepers with their BlackBerry’s. Let the games begin.
Matt McBride entertaining the crowds and showing them how it’s done.

 

Allison Grummet showing the guys throwing down the hammer (on wet roads none the less) and ripping up the track!
This photo was taken from Honda Canada’s associate event in May. I like the colours and the strong leading lines in the picture. The flag is raised because the rider is receiving a time penalty for dabbing his foot while negiotiating ‘The Keyhole’ section of the course.

 

 

 

 

Toronto Supercross 2012

Villopoto on his way to another main event win.

 

This past weekend I was invited to the only International stop of the AMA Supercross series at the Rogers Centre, Toronto. The kicker…the action was so close to me I could feel the vibrations from those highly tuned thumpers.

Apart from enjoying Supercross and drooling over these high-end bikes I marevelled at the mad-skills the riders possessed. If you look smooth you are fast. I remember that from my competitive downhill mountain biking days and these guys looked super smooth as they blipped their throttle to clear an insanely high storey jump.

Kyle Regal getting stuffed into the pads by Nico Izzi

 

My man, Chad Reed was out with injuries previously sustained but my other man – the ‘experienced’ (in other words ‘wise’) Kevin Windham was right on target and podiumed at the main event.  The Toronto race fielded a smaller than usual top contenders as Stweart and Dungey were also out with injuries. But, the action was far from short. Supercross kinda reminds me of indoor soccer where the action is fast and furious as compared to playing outdoors on a bigger surface.

Weimer looking smooth.

The best part of watching supercross live vs TV is the atmosphere. Love the sound of the bikes, the energy of the crowds, the opening show and being litterally able to feel and smell the pyro show.  And, of course, watching Nash the Slash perform our national anthem ‘O Canada’. Epic.

In fact not only was the entire evening epic I was very happy with my pictures. I have spent the last year honing my skills and taking pictures of enduro races and trail events and, in my opinion, they have prepared me well. That is, in enduros – it’s one shot baby. Blow it and you’ll never see that rider again unless you can get to the finish line before they do.

We’ll see you all on the trails. Just got word today that the Ganaraska is officially opened two weeks early on April 14. Picking up my KTM 200 this weekend and see you out on the trails and don’t forget to pull a wheelie for me.

 

 

 

Moto Gymkhana on a Honda CBF1000

This past weekend I had the opportunity to see and understand what Moto Gymkhana is all about. I had been viewing YouTube videos of competitions and reading up on this exciting and skill based sport that’s huge in Japan and gaining popularity in North America.

Gymkhana is not about speed. In fact, most competitors rarely leave second gear. It’s all about technique and maneuvering your motorcycle through and around pylons. Think riding in a crowded city and having to dodge cars, pedestrians, dogs – quick, tight turns and the ultimate control is needed to not drop your bike or hit someone. Gymkhana is described by Wikipedia as an event consisting of speed pattern racing and timed games for riders on horses. In this case…motorcycles.

In a competition, this is done in a closed circuit. The object is to complete the loop in the shortest time without touching cones and dabbing of the feet (unless specified). Very similiar to that of a motorcycle trials competition except that the event is usually held on pavement, with a road bike, and on flat land. In essence it is a ‘Time Trial’ event.

Usually a course will consist of tight turns and a few straight-aways thus making the proper choice of bike necessary. A smaller, light weight bike will have the advantage over a bigger, and heavier one especially if there are many tight turns. When you think of the weight of a road motorycle (minimum 400+ lbs) making tight turns is no easy feat. Speeds can reach up to 80kph. The most difficult part of a competition is when you have to give full throttle on first (or second) gear immediately followed by full braking to make either a 360 or 180 degree turn. Finally, what may look like a maze of cones you must remember the route and follow it accordingly.

Thanks to ‘Master Yoshi’ for showing his skill on the CBF. Which by the way is a killer looking bike. I love the pearl white paint job. That and his black and white outfit made for some really snazzy pictures. Master Yoshi made Gymkhana look super simple, easily turning his CBF1000 and flicking it from side to side. And you know if something looks easy than it’s because the person is smooth and skilled.

The photo shoot with Yoshi was a great opportunity. I am certain we will be seeing more of Moto Gymkhana. Yoshi is recognised by JAGE (Japan Moto-Gymkhana Association) and has the distinct honour to introduce this sport to Canada and the USA. I am certain Moto Gymkhana will gain momentum throughout North America.

As for me, I must admit…I am intrigued and would love to try this but would prefer borrowing a bike as I would really not prefer dropping my Suzuki GS500. So all my friends with road bikes any takers? If not I can always take my husbands Berg – it won’t mind being dropped on pavement 🙂

The Cord!

Pictures for ‘The Cord’ are available for purchase and can be seen via my Flickr page. Click here to see and order them.

I cannot begin to tell you how excited I was before The Cord, during The Cord and after The Cord. I’m still giddy and super stoked at my pictures I took this past Sunday at the 58th Corduroy Enduro held in the Haliburtons.

Stoked because I just picked up my new camera – a Nikon D3S , rented two outstanding lenses from Headshots in Toronto and because I’ve ridden the Cord in the past and I know it’s a super hard event. Since my favourite lens is still in the shop (waiting for a part from Japan) I decided to rent a Nikon 70-200mm and a Nikon 14-24mm as my wide angle is no longer compatible with the full frame D3S. I also had my trusty D90 with me as a backup body and that’s about what it became…a backup body. To say the least…I cannot believe the D3S…and even though it broke the bank … I’m in love!! Combined with two top lenses the quality of the pictures are unreal!!! Yea…I know Nikon is supposed to come out with another announcement sometime in October but I got tired of waiting and this is prime enduro season!

My day started bright and early Sunday morning leaving my in-laws in Peterborough at 6AM. I got to Gooderham around 7:20, ate a BLT and saw some old friends and riders I haven’t seen in a while. It feels so good to catch up with everybody and LOVE at how tight and accepting the off-road community is. Friends for ever is an understatement!!

With the spectator sheet in hand I made my way over to the first special test and was treated with amazing light! Right place at the right time with a kickass camera and lens to boot. The light pouring onto the field, and trees in the distance was magical. Oh yes…I was salivating and I needed a rider as I saw a few really cool shots. That’s when I was introduced to the ‘Blues’ brothers, whom I haven’t seen in about 8 years! The last time I saw them was at The Algonquin 2 Day where I was the head honcho for the children’s ride and led a bunch of them through the Madawaska area on my Gas Gas TXT 200 while they ripped up the single track on PW50’s. Jack quickly suited up and we booted over to the hill while I explained what I wanted. I fired off about 15 pictures before the sun rose higher and lost the epic light. But before the light changed I knew I had nailed some killer pics! I was so excited!!

By now the top racers were starting to filter into the special test area and I spent the next 45 minutes shooting from one the various spots I had already staked out half an hour before. I loved the terrain here…I could have stayed here the entire day and not be bored. As it is I’ve got some cool ideas still in my head but need another weekend with pristine blue skies, some time off from ‘mommyhood’ and a few top notch riders. So if there are any riders out there (and babysitters) who are up for the challenge let me know. I would LOVE to take these pics!!

So back to the race…upon entering the special test the riders tackled about a 1.5 km of single track with lots of wet, slippery roots. I know because I ran the entire way with my backpack full of gear, 2 full sized tripods and 2 cameras fully loaded around my neck and the other around my waist which made the 1.5 km feel more like 5km. I was hoping the singletrack crossed the Burnt River but it didn’t and I ended up taking that trail for nothing. I took a few pictures here and there not really excited about the area. The light was patchy and I was running out of time as I also wanted to catch the riders in the next special test. It wasn’t until I got home that I came across this photo and screamed with joy! Best viewed at high resolution this picture is so tack sharp you could prick your finger on it! Combined with the fall colours, and the sun backlighting the pine trees and an aggressive rider this is easily one of my favourite pictures from my shoot!

By mid-morning the race here wrapped up as the last rider came through and I left for the next special test at ‘The Tunnel of Love’. That name still makes me giggle!

I set up shop on a quiet and cozy creek crossing and set up a flash. Lots of ambient light here and there but tricky shooting as the sun kept shifting so I had to continuously re-adjust my camera settings. I also met another photographer – Keith Hamilton – a very friendly fellow who held no reservations and keenly helped me with my new camera. I litterally bought it on Thursday and didn’t have a lot of time to play with it before hand! So to Keith a BIG thank you goes out to you!! I really appreciate your help! So while Keith was giving me pointers I took pictures and missed some pictures as I was also trying to figure things out. But, I did manage to get one of Chris Zanelli from ‘The Dirty Onions’ – a super cool group I just met 2 weeks ago while riding in Simcoe with my friends Gary, Mike and Melanie. And Chris I must say…your outfit is so camo. I think you’ve wearing every colour from the forest – bright greens to yellows to subdued blues. Very … uh… let’s just say colourful. Teeheehee.

All in all an epic weekend. The only thing I would have liked to change was to have been able to go up on Saturday to make it a 2 day photoshoot and get some different terrain which I know they hit Saturday. I really don’t like getting to an event the day of, let alone 2 hours before the start. I prefer to scout my locations ahead of time. However, having said that I’m really stoked at the pictures I got. I’m really happy with them and with my camera. I especially loved the 70-200mm lens and would love that for Christmas. Are you reading this David?? I’m sure you could predict this so probably decided to skip this last paragraph.

So ahhh…all you readers and racers, if you are interested in purchasing one of my pictures just know that your expense is helping me to get to the next event and to upgrade my camera equipment to make you look good. Email me with your plate number and a quick description of your bike (as not all plate numbers are visible). A single high quality digital upload of a picture is only $15.00. Thanks for not ‘lifting’ my pictures!!

I hope you’ll read my article on Traction magazine – where I’ll be putting up the rest of The Cord pictures. Till than keeping you in suspense…thanks for reading and don’t forget to log onto this blog or my Facebook Page (Cecile Gambin Photography) from time to time to see what’s new! And if there are ANY riders who want to do a photoshoot at the first MX test not far from Kinmount let me know – I’ve got some super cool ideas!!

Thanks to Blair Sharpless, Machine Racing, TekVest, Lachapelle Racing Products, Foran’s Roofing & Sheetmetal, Ross Rocher Sales, Cliffshore, Yamaha, KTM, Husqvarna and all the volunteers who made this years Cord a memorable event. It takes a LOT of passionate people to keep putting on a top notch event like this and without them there’d be no fun!