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Motorcycle

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Maria Costello Women’s Trackdays

September 29, 2016 //  by Horsepower & Heels

Maria Costello Women's Trackdays Maria Costello Women’s Trackdays staged another highly successful workshop event at the East Midlands circuit, just two days after the stars of British Superbikes had battled it out on the twists and turns of Donington Park.

The BMW Motorrad UK trackday, presented by Focused Events, Maria offered guidance, support and one-to-one tuition to Maria Costello Women’s Trackday participants, who made the most of fantastic track conditions to improve their riding skills.

Maria Costello Women's TrackdaysWith over fifty women in attendance, the day was another big success, proving that these dates are becoming a firm favorite on the motorcycling calendar for many female riders.

 “I’m thrilled by the progress all the women made,” Costello said. “Everyone improved their riding skills and took something away with them, whether it was going home a better rider or simply riding more confidently than before.   These days have become a true highlight of my year. I really want to make more happen in 2017 because it’s proving to be an important and great way for women to enjoy motorcycling and remain a biker for longer.”

Participant Carmel Kammeier said: “I am not generally into idolizing, but I saw Maria ride at the Classic TT a few weeks ago and on the podium with John McGuinness. Next thing I know, here she is, in the flesh, encouraging and coaching me and many other women. I am back in the office today, but dreaming of my next track day with Maria Costello MBE.”

Sue Ward said she had “an awesome day and learned loads.”  She added,  “I am still buzzing. Had loads of support from my garage buddies who helped with calming nerves, tire pressures and technique. Most of all huge thanks to Maria Costello, you are so kind as you take so much time for every individual person.”

Maria Costello Women's Trackdays
Costello added: “I need to thank BMW Motorrad UK and Focused Events for making the day possible, along with NGK Spark Plugs (UK), CPL Print Ltd, Arai helmets, EBC Brakes and Towergate insurance for their support of the event. Special thanks to my instructors Rupert & Virgil and finally, a huge thank you to the all the women that played their part in making it a memorable and rewarding day!”

More Information on Maria Costello Women’s Trackdays

Maria Costello Women's TrackdaysTo join the Facebook group Woman On A Motorcycle (WOAM) go here.

Dates for future Maria Costello Women’s Trackdays will be announced on Maria’s website, which can be found here.

Sign up for the WOAM newsletter & mailing list by forwarding an email to woam@costelloracing.com

Category: Conferences/Events, Women in Racing NewsTag: Events, Maria Costello, Motorcycle, Women Racing

Wide Open with Courtney Lambert

January 3, 2016 //  by Horsepower & Heels

Courtney LamberWhether you find her traveling the roads avoiding mayhem with Allstate, behind the counter at Kory Souza Originals, or over the airwaves  on her very own radio show, Courtney Lambert knows only one pace in life…. Wide Open.

The Early Years

Her passion for motorcycles can be traced back to her childhood.  Growing up in Chattanooga, Tenn., Courtney Lambert was the oldest of three and the only girl – a self-proclaimed ‘Daddy’s girl’.  An avid dirt bike rider, her father loved to tell the stories of his youth and growing up on dirt bikes, riding the Chattanooga mountain sides with his cousins.    It was no surprise that Courtney’s first bike came at age 5 – a small Honda 50 dirt bike, which she says she promptly rode “straight into a brick wall.”

A dedicated athlete through out her school years, Courtney was a fast-pitch softball star, playing 2 seasons of the sport per year for 14 years.   A bit of a rough start on two wheels, a move to the Atlanta area at age 13, and a busy schedule in school meant that bikes took a back seat for awhile as she grew up.

My dad’s company transferred him to Atlanta when I was 13. Sucked at the time, leaving my friends, but kind of allowed me to reinvent myself and make all new friends. And it put me somewhere that offered so much more opportunity and diversity. Best thing that could have ever happened to me.”

Her dad always had a love of classic hotrods, a love that Courtney also shared.   After she left school, that interest would expand into custom paint and auto body, and eventually would lead her to re-sparking a love for custom bikes.

Allstate Motorcycle Emcee Courtney LambertHer professional start in the motorcycle industry didn’t come until she was 27 years-old.   She was approached by Allstate Insurance to become a spokesperson for their Motorcycle product, traveling across the country doing stage shows and emceeing national motorcycle events and rallies.

…it [Allstate’s Job Offer] didn’t even sound like work to me, so I accepted! Eight years later, the program has grown drastically and I’m still enjoying my time on the road with Allstate Insurance.”

Allstate MotorcycleAllstate needed a woman with marketing and public speaking background, one with motorcycle knowledge and who could ride.   The job had Courtney Lambert written all over it.  She dove into the industry head-first and completely devoted her life to the scene, evolving it from a hobby, career and into a full-on lifestyle she never imagined was possible.  She admits, ” I was, and still am, obsessed with it.”

Wide Open onto the Airwaves

Wide Open RadioIn 2010, Courtney began hosting her own talk radio show about motorcycles called Wide Open Radio.   She was on FM Radio stations in the Chattanooga, Nashville and Atlanta markets.   With no prior training or knowledge about radio, she adopted the ‘Fake it ’til you make it’ mantra, a process she said took a few years.   Relocating from Chattanooga to Sarasota, Fla., she moved the show to the Orlando/Tampa market, before finally moving to an internet radio platform.

It wasn’t until 2015 that I finally became intentional with Wide Open Radio and made a growth plan and stuck to it. During this year, our listeners grew from an average of 750-1000 listeners per episode to over 35,000 listeners per episode – and we’re still growing! I still can’t even believe that as I’m saying it! So cool!”

Courtney also launched the Wide Open Radio Show website, which she is building to become a leader for custom motorcycle entertainment and news – including archives of all Wide Open Radio episodes, product releases & reviews, national event coverage, special pricing offers from top manufacturers and blog posts about the latest news, trends and events in the industry.

With Wide Open Radio currently in a growth spurt, Courtney is pushing to keep up with the demands of her growing legion of listeners.  They recently lengthened the show time from one hour to two hours, and are planning to add shorter, mini episodes throughout the week.

She also is developing another show platform to add to the Wide Open network this year, involving her love of classic cars.    Though she currently does not plan on hosting the show, she will be involved in producing it.

Where Two Roads Merge

Courtney Lambert and Kory SouzaAlong the busy road of her Allstate travel schedule, and through her radio talk career, she would meet and befriend so many key individuals in the motorcycle industry.   But it was one very special custom motorcycle builder that would grab her attention.     His name was Kory Souza, and the two would hit it off, sparking a very complementary love between two people who both shared a strong passion for their work and the motorcycle lifestyle.
In addition to Allstate and her work with Wide Open Radio, Courtney also manages the frontend of the Kory Souza Originals business, taking care of all the phone calls, billing, foot traffic, marketing, events, product releases and some of the sales as Kory and his crew take care of the backend business – building beautiful machines that keep the customers lined up at the doors.
I truly found my home here. When I am not at the shop, most of the time I’m wishing I were there. Crazy, I know, but I am seriously passionate about growing this business. Kory is super talented and I’m so proud of this company he has build from the ground up, all by himself.”
The pair have big plans for growth in 2016, with an upcoming release of a new product line being launched in February.  The new line of custom parts will feature everything from seat pans, tag brackets, to handlebars, all designed by Kory himself.

Finding Balance

Courtney and KoryWith such an impressive resume, it’s hard to imagine how Courtney manages to keep up with such a frantic pace.   She credits her love for the people in the industry as a driving force, whom she says are “some of the kindest, most generous people out there.”   She also adds that her ability to multi-task and her habit of writing things down help keep her on track and able to fit everything into her busy schedule.
It helps that I’ve streamlined my career so that everything I do is in some way related to motorcycles. This allows me to use my contacts and connections for whatever I happen to be working on at the moment. All 3 sides of my career feed off the others this way. Things are pretty much always crazy and our schedule is always full, but I wouldn’t have it any other way!”
And when there is free time, Courtney has a stable of her own cool rides to attend to, including a 2005 Harley Davidson Sportster, a customized Honda Ruckus, and a 1963 Impala.    Her and Kory also have a rigid board track-style bike project in the works with a leaf spring front end that will feature the trademarked Kory Souza Originals flair.

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But what does her family think of her Wide Open lifestyle?

Two of my family members, my dad’s brother and my dad’s dad, have been in severe motorcycle accidents, so my family, especially on my dad’s side HATES that I ride, but I love it too much to stop.”
Yet Courtney still enjoys riding dirt bikes with her dad in the woods behind his Atlanta home when she visits, adding that “life is too short to live anything but Wide Open.”

Category: Featured, Featured ProfessionalTag: Courtney Lambert, Motorcycle

Avalon Biddle earns European Women’s Cup

September 24, 2015 //  by Horsepower & Heels

Avalon Biddle Podium
Dave Jackson Photography

With one race remaining, 23-year old Auckland motorcycle racer Avalon Biddle has cinched the first ever 2015 European Women’s Cup Championship.  After qualifying an off-paced 24th position at Jerez in Spain (which later was discovered to be a rear suspension issue), Biddle only had to complete 10 laps to secure the Women’s Cup and Championship.   She rode safe, completing her necessary laps cautiously, finishing 19th at Jerez.

“I knew I only had to complete the 10 laps in order to have enough of a points lead to win the Women’s Cup. On the grid my mind was fluttering with every imaginable outcome for the race but cleared immediately as we rolled up to the red lights. I decided to ride as safe as possible but still managing to mix it up with a few of the guys.  I will never forget looking down with a trophy in hand and seeing my mum all the way from NZ, as well as Julie Nelson and also my boyfriend Jake who have been such amazing support all season.”

2015 European Women’s Cup Championship

Avalon Biddle in Jerez
Dave Jackson Photography

Biddle has dominated the inaugural FIM Women’s championship, run within the European Junior Cup races.  Women racers compete as part of the PATA European Junior Cup on identical race prepared Honda CBR 650F motorcycles at all 8 European rounds of the FIM Superbike World Championship. Female riders score points in both EJC and the Women’s Cup, with the highest point scoring female being appointed as the 2015 FIM Europe Women’s European Cup winner.

Her significant points lead that sealed up the championship early, was the result of five impressive wins (Aragon, Donington, Portimao, Misano & Jerez),  in the eight race series.   The other two races, she posted DNFs, and still has one race left to contest in the series.

She currently sits in the 23rd overall European Junior Cup points, and has impressed many with her consistency on her Honda CBR650F machine.   Her prize for the overall Women’s Cup winner is a new Honda CBR 600 RR, prepared to European Superstock 600 specification.

The final round of this season’s championship will take place at Magny-Cours in France on October 2nd.

 

 

Category: Women in Racing NewsTag: Avalon Biddle, Motorcycle, Women Racing

Jessica Kennedy aims high with Shotgun Shock

June 24, 2015 //  by Horsepower & Heels

Jessica KennedyOn the main firing line for industry-leading motorcycle air suspension manufacturer, Shotgun Shock, Jessica Kennedy blows away customers with her hands-on technical skill and knowledgeable customer service.

Ready.

Growing up, Jessica Kennedy wasn’t afraid to dig into the family business and get dirty.   The Riverside, California native spent her childhood around the family’s machine shop, where they crafted bullets and ammunition.

Aim.

Motorcycles have always been a part of her life, and Jessica has always enjoyed the Harley scene.  Her first experience in the industry was working with JD over 15 years ago in a custom build shop they worked.    She handled mostly the office side of the business, but loved the industry and riding culture.   Though the two would move on to other ventures, they remained friends.

shotgun logoIt wasn’t until their paths would cross again in 2010, that Jessica and JD would team up and solidify their bond.   JD had been working on the development of Shotgun Shocks for a number of years, but with Jessica’s support, the duo have turned the family business into the premiere air suspension manufacturer for Harley Davidson Softtail and Bagger motorcycles.

Jessica didn’t start with the firm understanding of the products.  She took it upon herself to familiarize herself with the technology and really learning the ropes behind all aspects of the business.

When I first started going to shows (with Shotgun Shock), I would just talk to people and show them the buttons and demo unit.  For technical stuff, I would hand them over to JD, because I didn’t know all the other things that made up the shock, much less installation.    But, I got in there and learned every little detail about them, and before long I could answer any of the questions.”

Fire.

Jessica now handles all aspects of the South El Monte, California business.   She regularly attends shows, handles material procurement, installations, customer support and warranty administration as the ‘Go-To’ gal for Shotgun.   The family business is her passion, and something that she is happy to involve her children and other family in, adding that they intend to always keep Shotgun family-owned, despite opportunities to go corporate with their rapid success.

It has been great to share with the kids and all of our family.  My nephew is the CnC programmer, the kids are always around in all that we do- we fully intend to keep Shotgun a family owned and operated business, we never want to sell out.”

Customers have grown accustomed to interacting with Jessica at shows and in Shotgun’s social outreach, being the leading voice that offers support to customers worldwide.  Yet still, when installation time comes around, Jessica enjoys seeing the look of surprise on customer faces when she rolls up on the garage creeper.

I love seeing the shock on their faces when I pull a jack out and start lifting their motorcycles for the install.  The look of disbelief that I am the one completing the install really catches them off-guard.   By the end though, they are all expressing how impressed and happy they are with the results.”

On average, installs can take about 3 hours to complete, ranging in complexity by the model and year of the bike.   Jessica has performed hundreds of installs to date, and takes great pride in her work, adding that her record install was completed in under 45 minutes.

I’ve done hundreds of these, and have the process down.   Some take longer than others, but my record is 41 minutes on a softtail.    That turns some heads.”

The self-taught entrepreneur is proud of the success she shares with JD and Shotgun Shock.   The experience has been especially meaningful personally to Jessica, given the hardships she endured early in life.   Overcoming great adversity and instances of personal abuse, her story is a more personal one of perseverance and victory over her struggles.  Her dedication to the company and her customers has been instrumental in the booming success, and she has no intention of slowing down.

We can’t wait to see what the future holds for hard-working Jessica Kennedy and Shotgun Shocks!    

Shotgun Shock

Category: Featured ProfessionalTag: Jessica Kennedy, Motorcycle

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