Partnered with Honda Canada instructor Yoshi Nakatani was Rockin’ the Red for another wildly successful Moto-GymKhana event in beautiful BC. Held on May 11th, 2014 the second annual MGK event saw a host of activities including Honda’s Junior Red Riders program, scooters and ATV demonstrations, and an action packed day.
MGK is 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.
Cecile Gambin Photography was on hand and capturing all the excitement including one from atop the Honda Trailer. Thanks guys for helping me up!! Check out the course that Yoshi put together from a birds eye view. The circular pattern of cones named ‘The Vortex’ was a highlight for riders. Instructors Yoshi and Reagan are out in the field teaching their students the layout.
Never been to or heard of Moto-Gymkhana? Check out my picture book below to help you understand!
Mandatory walk around the enclosed loop to help prepare and learn the course. Actual MGK events require riders to go in blind relying heavily on their knowledge of the ‘cone code’ where the colour of a cone defines a rule. For example, red cones are for right hand turns. The Rock the Red program is user friendly and designed to help a rider understand and learn MGK.A set of wireless timing system insures quick and accurate timing results. The bike must be within the yellow rectangle at the start and must end inside a similar box at another point in the course. The tire must not go past the yellow tape at the finish line.Lead Instructor Yoshi Nakatani and Regan help noobie MGK riders learn the course with a little help from yellow arrows pointing the way.Teaching course marshalls the rules of MGK. Yoshi hates this part of his job :pYoshi checking the course layout and warming up the tires before the event begins.Honda’s CB500F and the 125 Grom were used for the events. Riders could choose between one of the two categories (CBF or Grom) for the competition.Fail! Although fast and showing lots of promise this Grom rider went past the Yellow tape at the finish line.While MGK might look easy falls can happen. Usually the rider and the bike are unharmed as speed isn’t a factor. Most riders barely get out of second gear again reinforcing the fact that this is an event not based on speed but rather on technical skills.Motorcycle riders and spectators are always up for a good laugh!Working with Honda’s Junior Red Riders the good folks at Popkum Motorpark are all thumbs up!A CB500F on course and on deck a fleet of Groms patiently waiting their turn.First place Grom Class Trophy. Pretty sweet plate!!Honda’s Junior Red Riders are at all MGK events. Bring your child and they’ll come back with smiles!Even the little tykes get to play while Mommy and Daddy get to ride big bikes of their own.Want to try an ATV, or a scooter? Honda demo programs are also on hand at all MGK events.A great job by Yoshi Nakatani, as well as Honda Canada and all the volunteers for a successful 2014 event.
If you are interested in trying an MGK event the next stops are in Boucherville, Quebec (May 24) and in Markham, Ontario (August 10).
To see all pictures of Sundays MX1 & MX2 races please click on this link: order.cecilegambin.com/riders. Or, go to the Gallery tab above and the ‘For Riders’ tab.
Early Saturday morning I received an email from the editor of Inside MotoX & Offroad letting me know that my credentials were waiting at Gate B ready for me to pick up in time for the 2012 Parts Canada CMRC TransCan Canadian MX Nationals held in Walton, Ontario, August 19.
A few hours later I was in my car driving back to Toronto (I had just gotten to the cottage only a few hours before) to pick up the rest of my camera gear, buy another memory card, charge my batteries and get about 4.5 hours sleep. David and the kids stayed up north so I would have to drive back on Monday to pick them up as I had taken the car.
Despite the lack of sleep and heavy driving duty it was not an issue as I loved every moment shooting the big race. Don’t get me wrong…I love offroad but I will admit that shooting a 2-3 km MX loop is much easier than a 100km enduro event. Really the only similiarities between the two sports, aside from the bikes having two wheels, is the poison ivy that grows rampant in sandy soil. And, somewhere on the Walton farm there is a crop of it and it found me!
I have assembled a few photos that I hope you will enjoy. They have been specifically chosen to represent my day watching athletes and volunteers hard at work, and spectators enjoying the show while encompassing the beautiful Walton farm landscape where the colours and textures inspired me to take the photos the way I did.
Thanks to Jeff Morgan of IMX for giving me this opportunity!
Coffee break before the first Moto of the day.
KTM’s Factory rider Jeremy Medaglia storming through the field wrapping up the season with a second place in MX2 final point standings.
Early morning mechanical.Pre-race warm-up with Matt Goerke.Matt Goerke with special permission to wear the Number 1 plate for the morning practice. Great for photogs with the beautiful morning light.
I love playing around with perspective. This reminds me of a toy tractor we had as kids.Dominic Kisiel out running his shadow or is it his shadow out running him?Chalking the dirt for the next Hole Shot winner.
Goerke charging hard and on route to a MX1 Champion title.Gavin and Brody working their bikes in between motos. I’m sure Dad will have them jumping doubles in no time!!Leading Edge Kawasaki’s Teddy Maier working hard for his MX2 Championship title.Ryan Derry scrubbing low and looking good for KTM.
Taking the win. Congrats to Leading Edge Kawasake rider Goerke for his MX1 National title.I’d be all smiles to for landing a spot on the podium at the Nationals.MX2 podium. Welcome National Champion Teddy Maier proudly wearing the number 1. With Medaglia (2nd) and Ingalls in 3rd.
SCORRA knows how to put on a fun day. In fact, I decided to do just that…have fun. Early this morning I loaded both my Gas Gas TXT 200 trials bike and my KTM 200. I also grabbed my camera gear but decided to take pictures with my fun camera – my iPad. It was afterall a ‘Fun Day’.
I started the day chatting with people I had not seen in a while as I slowly geared up and unloaded my bikes. SCORRA had it all: trails, MX track, trials area, and kids MX track. Honda and MotoHeadz were also on board with demo bikes. OFTR, Mission Cycle, the boys from St. Onge, and many others were also available to help out with suspension issues, and other great answers to questions.
I decided to hit the trials area first as I had not used my trials bike yet this year. And it showed. I plowed into the logs and got my bike over but not in a trials like way. It worked but it was not pretty and it showed my lack of clutch control. Next the A Frame. Well…I got hung up at the top. Three times. I looked around and spotted a very vertical teeter-totter. I can do that I thought to myself. I’ve done these many times on both my trials and mountain bikes. Done!
By this time Dave Butler had come out to give me some pointers on double gas blips. I tried but did not conquer and than left. Typical of my short attention span I decided to move onto something else and hit the trails. So, I parked the bike and hopped on the KTM. Gotta love a day when you can do that. Went out with my friend Gary Shackleton and rode the trails at RJ’s. Fun, fun and fun. But also, hard, hard and hard! Lots of deep ruts, exposed roots, rocks, braking and suspension bumps. After the trail session Gary and I hit the MX track. Loads of fun riding on a track and a completely different beast over woods riding. There used to be a double by the grandstand a few years ago. That was a fun one to jump but now they all seemed huge. Probably me shrinking. In any case, I decided to be mature and save myself from potential injury by keeping the wheels on the ground.
After lunch I decided to tackle the Williams track and I fell in love. Who ever designed these trails had woods bike in mind. Flow, flow and flow. That’s how I like my trails! Thanks to Jaime for hanging out with me for that ride.
Here are a few pictures from today. Again, my focus was on riding today. Not camera work. Sorry people but I have not ridden much this year and my bikes were calling for me. It felt to good to be back in the saddle and I know my legs will be sore tomorrow!
Huge thanks to SCORRA and there volunteers for a great event!
Waiting to ride. Pre-riders meetings.Tracy from OFTR with the Zero bike. Never did get a chance to try it but those who did came back with huge smiles. Take-off is rocket like. Super fast!It was good to catch up with The Jervais Family from MotorHeadz. Had not seen them since the purchase of my 2008 Gas Gas TXT200.A collection of people images.The teeter-totter. One of the few trials obstacles I actually did with some degree of trials control.Crowds filling in.Always fun to hang around with and a damn good rider…except during water crossings 🙂
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.
Matt McBride dragging the knee at Honda Canada’s inaugural MotoGymKhana event held July 15, 2012.
I have posted the MGK blog on my Fine Art side of my website because for some reason my hash tags aren’t working on my moto side. Please click here and you will be redirected. Thanks!!
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.
Partnered with Honda Canada instructor Yoshi Nakatani was Rockin’ the Red for another wildly successful Moto-GymKhana event in beautiful BC. Held on May 11th, 2014 the second annual MGK event saw a host of activities including Honda’s Junior Red Riders program, scooters and ATV demonstrations, and an action packed day.
Cecile Gambin Photography was on hand and capturing all the excitement including one from atop the Honda Trailer. Thanks guys for helping me up!! Check out the course that Yoshi put together from a birds eye view. The circular pattern of cones named ‘The Vortex’ was a highlight for riders. Instructors Yoshi and Reagan are out in the field teaching their students the layout.
