Welcome to W.O.T. Topic! This area will be updated with articles and topics by riders for riders, occasional news about 3:16 Trackdays, information about local racers and general fun articles. We are not professional writers, we are just riders sharing our passion with you!
4/15/2021
W.O.T. with Damian “Big Tex” Kimbrough!
How I got to this point in my 2 wheel life is a bit of a potpourri of events. All I wanted to do was fly high on a skateboard like Christian Hosoi or Steve Caballero. There I was laying in the hospital recovering from Surgery getting a few metal plates after my 5th broken arm, and on TV comes Street Hawk on AFN followed by Top Gun with the famous Wide Open Throttle (see what I did there) scene with the F-14 Tomcat flying over and I was hooked!
Fast forward 1993 MTV Sports Germany had Colin Edwards racing Vance & Hines Yamaha and it was the coolest color scheme I had ever seen. Pink and Yellow, which was oddly enough the same color as my neighbors Suzuki GSX-R 750 in which every time he would drive by id stop everything and watch him. Immediately, I recorded the episode, paused it, and drew the picture of Colin Edwards on his bike (27 years later I finally got Colin Edwards to sign the picture I drew of him at the first 3:16Trackdays COTA event we held for Active Duty members. Talk about a long time coming). Weeks later on Eurosport, I witnessed my first televised motorcycle race at Hockenheim just 20 minutes away where Texan 2nd Place went to Kevin Schwantz. Barely 1 hour after, I felt a rumble so I went outside and what I saw sealed my desire to ride motorcycles. Standing above the Autobahn sportbikes in droves of 100 or more in some groups took over for hours. So many colors, So many different sportbikes.
Saving money for three years and bought my first motorcycle, a 1993 NSR 250W. Had it for about 15 minutes. It was the most exciting and fearful 15 minutes I’ve experienced with no clue how to ride a motorcycle all I new is lean over stick your knee out and the rest takes care of itself. I ended up deep into a tobacco field and impaled by a stalk and back in the hospital, scared my parents wouldn’t beat me for riding a skateboard (they didn’t know about the motorcycle). After joining the USAF, I bought another a 1993 GSX-R750, didn’t know how to ride still and wrecked that, then a 1998 TL-1000R, a CBR-900RR and ultimately my first brand new 2006 GSX-R 1000 while on deployment.
In 2006 three friends had been taken that summer from motorcycle accidents, I never got on a public road again. My first time on track was Nurburgring Nordschleife “Green Hell” and did the scariest 13 mile lap of my life. That followed up with my first legit trackday in Anneau Du Rhin in France . In which it was the first time I had my knee down. First track related crash, and even got to see Guy Martin on the track blow past everyone lap after lap. This led to me going to world class race tracks all over Europe from Nurburgring GP, Hockenheim, Spa and Mugello. My first ever race at Oschersleben Biketoberfest on the grid with IDM racers and WSBK test riders in which I quickly realized how fast I wasn’t.
Years later here I am a part of what can only be described as a movement reshaping the motorcycle world. Being a mentor with 3:16Trackdays has been nothing less than a dream come true, sharing stories with some of the best riders, friendliest people, and feeling of belonging to something greater. Not only am I giving riders the tools to become a better rider and make it home safely every time they go out, but witnessing someone’s first time on the track or hearing their stories, having opportunities to display my artwork and financing the dreams of the youth in racing, I relive my excitement through them every time.
2/9/2021
W.O.T. with 2020 CMRA Multi Class Champion Jeff Foushee!
February 9, 2021 – An unplanned journey into racing by Jeff Foushee
My story may relate to others reading this article. Before racing, my influence with motorcycles was daily driving a cruiser to and from work with several weekend trips to various Texas locales. On New Year’s Eve 2014, I purchased an MV Agusta Brutale to add some new flavor to my commute. In September 2015, a day before a track day at MSR Houston, a friend recommended that I try track days with my MV. My friend, a former CMRA racer, provided me with boots and a leather suit to complete my first track day.
On the morning of the track day, I rode my MV to the track early to prepare my bike for tech inspection. I carried a few tools and masking tape in a backpack. My friend met me at the track and introduced me to my first instructor. My first day at the track was eye-opening. Besides the thrill and rush of track riding, I realized that I had a lot to learn about riding a bike. I looked at Level 3 riders, and I never thought I could reach that level.
In 2016, I introduced two other friends to track days, and they got hooked. I went to the track with a core group of three other riders who lived near me. I went on to do a total of four track days in 2016. The next year, in 2017, my “track day team” became more committed to the sport. We ended up doing thirteen track days. A few instructors who were involved with the CMRA noticed that we were always at the track together. They recommended that we try endurance racing. As a group, we discussed the team and how to go about racing and formed a team. We purchased a Yamaha R3 and proceeded to build our first race bike. In October, we competed as Prov Novs (Provisional Novices) in our first CMRA event. The race was a fantastic success. All riders completed a safe, incident-free weekend, and we didn’t finish dead last!
My first race was a turning point. I felt that I exceeded expectations for a rookie racer. I wanted to know if I honestly had the talent to be a race winner. In 2018, I began sprint racing in three rounds and finished on the podium a few times. In 2019, I wanted to be a race winner, but I noticed my track day progression hitting a plateau. 3:16 Trackdays came along at just the right time. I attended 3:16’s first public track day event at MSR Cresson. Ignacio assigned me to work with a MotoAmerica racer, and that was a gamechanger for me. The 1-hour sessions allowed me to work 1-on-1 with my mentor and receive immediate feedback. Before the session, we worked on a gameplan for 2-3 items to focus on. I followed my mentor for three laps, and then I rode as a lead for three laps as I worked on my gameplan. After three laps, I pulled into the pits and debriefed with my mentor on pit lane. I processed the feedback and then immediately went back to the track to apply the feedback while it was fresh in my mind. After that experience, I realized that mentorship with an experienced racer is what I needed to push my abilities safely and become a better racer.
I continued to work with the fastest mentors within 3:16. I eventually became a mentor and I’ve enjoyed that experience immensely. However, I will continue to make working with a mentor a priority in the future. In 2020, I continued working with the fastest guys in the CMRA, many of whom raced at the MotoAmerica level. At the start of 2020, I set a goal to chase some championships. I began the season with some podiums, but I knew I needed to continue advancing as I always believe that “the competition never sleeps.” Throughout the 2020 season, working with mentors was instrumental in me progressing as a rider. I began collecting wins and valuable points. At the end of the season, I finished with four novice championships. I’m proud of my novice championships, as I feel it’s a validation of my progress as a racer. For 2021, I’m excited to become an expert. A few years ago, I tried a track day, and now I’m headed into the expert level to race with some of the fastest club racers in the nation.
September 4, 2020 3:16 Trackdays Mentor Coaching Methodology
3:16 Trackdays – The America Superbike Camp has developed it’s core training methodology which is described using the acronym RACER this new method has proven to be extremely successful yielding in less incidents during our events and riders attending our events are experiencing very rapid progress! Riders are no longer “trapped” endlessly in a group waiting for a bump up but are instead able to attend 4-5 camps and progress to club racing! In addition to helping newer track riders progress quickly we offer training by the top expert club racers in the region giving racers someone they can still learn from!
Ignacio Pedregon Owner Operator has stated “when your “trackday coach” only rides when you are at the track, or he/she can’t coach existing racers, it’s time to get a new coach.
The R A C E R methodology was developed alongside former AMA Pro Craig Gleason and the Instructor staff at Texas Motorcycle Academy who also Mentor riders with us.
R – Relax – The first thing all riders need to do is get their nerves under control. Ask any experienced racer, their fastest laps and personal bests did not come on a day where they were wound up and tense. Those best days come when you are relaxed and focused. The Mentors work with riders to help them relax looking for tell tale signs of stress.
A – Achieve Basics – The second focus is simply ensuring that everyone whether it is their first time on the course, or they are experienced racers are getting On and Off the track properly. After they can get on and off the track we need to “learn this road” just like if it was a group ride with your buddies on some new twisty roads. We like to call the first session “Make Friends with the Track” it is 30 minutes long and focused on this purpose. When everyone does this there are less incidents throughout the day. There is no rush because you still have several HOURS of riding available to you the rest of the day.
C – Chase Goals – The third part of our method is focusing on goals. During sign up we ask you questions like riding experience, lap times, and things you want to work on. (Goals) At a track day you turn laps, push, and hope to get faster. At a Superbike Camp you work with a Mentor to focus on 2 points for the day which will break bad habits and lead to long term improvements. You will have plenty of track time at the end of the day to put it together and see your improvements!
E – Evaluate – The Mentors assigned to the riders are always aligned according to skill level. The faster you are, the faster your mentor will be. You need someone who is much faster than you to observe you and look for areas of improvement. This is also done through video review whenever possible. If for some reason we did not book you with the right mentor, no problem, we always have someone faster on hand who can help!
R – Respectful Feedback – You paid money to be at the track, ride it, enjoy it, and learn. The last thing you need is a “track day coach” who only rides when you do track giving you attitude, strutting around like he is the best, showing off, and embarrassing you in a classroom full of people. Our Mentors are hand picked and we have a personal relationship with every one of them. They are trusted friends to us and we hope will be to you too!
We are thankful for the opportunity to develop this method along some of the best riders and racers in our region. Thanks to our Mentors who truly care about the sport, and the riders. Most importantly we thank God for this opportunity to serve you all!
Visor Down, Eyes up track, and full gas! We hope to see you at one of our events in the future!
Ignacio and May
Old articles and posts below
February 2019 – 3:16 Trackdays Cooperation with CMRA
3:16 Trackdays enters the Texas Motorcyle Trackday Market with a value proposition of “Enjoyable and Usable” track time.
To sweeten the deal 316 is partnering with the CMRA Race Club to help promote CMRA’s new Track Experience program and will have CMRA racers as riding mentors for 316’s track days.
316 Trackdays will be taking applications from current CMRA racers interested in mentoring sport
riding enthusiasts in exchange for 2 full hours of free open track time.
The hope is the partnership will not only benefit riders but encourage the great tradition of Texas Road Racing which has produced riders such Kevin Schwantz, Colin Edwards, Ben Spies, and many other hall of fame riders.http://www.cmraracing.com/content.php?10-hall-of-fame
January 2019 – 3:16 Trackdays Partnership with AmericaSportBikeRiders.Com
3:16 Trackdays will be sponsoring AmericaSportBikeRiders.com which includes TXSR, NMSR, and ARSR
3:16 Trackdays is not asking the group to only use us. We are however only offering this to the group and its members.
1. – First Notification on Registration for Events
2 – Subsidizing (Helping Pay) for up to 20 total Members to get NEW suits when signing up to 316 TrackDay Events
3 – Exclusive Trackday Raffles at TXSR, NMSR, ARSR events and watch parties.
4 – Exclusive – 3:16 will Sponsor CMRA License Course for 1 ASR rider at each TEXAS CMRA Race in 2019 when attending the Trackday Experience.
5 – Exclusive release of corner working (work to play) spots for members who want to corner work for a track day.
The NEW Suits 3:16 Saves! Campaign will be released in a few weeks so stay tuned for that info. It will include guidelines to be eligible. This will release in December.
CMRA License Course Sponsorship will have guidelines as well stay tuned. This will release in January.
All Eligibility will require active participation with TXSR, NMSR, ARSR groups. Including referral from local group organizers verifying activity and membership.
3:16 Trackdays! A Texas Motorcycle Track Day and America Superbike Camp
