Femmoto 2006 - Big Apple Motorcycle School

Femmoto 2006
By Diane P. Ortiz
Photos by Diane Ortiz and George Tranos
Under the soft light of dawn the women moved silently, weaving carefully through the
sleeping metal machines. A touch here, a whispered question, a rustle of papers, the smell of
leather and gasoline mixed with the scent of freshly-washed hair. The air reeked of
anticipation as hundreds of women gathered at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway for an event
like no other. Femmoto 2006.
What is Femmoto and why do hundreds of women travel across the country to
participate? Most come to ride the latest model bikes from manufacturers like Kawasaki,
Buell, Moto Guzzi, Aprilia, and KYMCO; meet other women riders and share their passion for
motorcycling.
Femmoto was created by Bonnie Strawser and Monte Lutz of Sportbike Track Time who
saw that there was a need for a women’s only event. “It’s a unique opportunity for women to
demo motorcycles from many different manufacturers,” Lutz said at the rider’s meeting on
Saturday morning at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He added that at Femmoto, women can
try out motorcycles on the track in an environment free of the obstacles and stress of normal street
riding.
Some women had a specific bike they were interested in riding, like Liz Haas, 56, from Lake
Tahoe. She was there to ride bikes she’d like to own. “I’ve been riding since 1966 and I’ve wanted
to ride the Ducati 999 and I have that opportunity at Femmoto,” Liz said. “Most places won’t let
you try out their new bikes,” she added. “That’s why Femmoto is so great. There are over 50 new
bikes here I can choose from!”
Femmoto has grown from the first event, held in August 2002 in Virginia with about 50 riders
attending. The following two years it was held at the Spring Mountain Motorsports Park in
Pahrump, Nevada. Then in 2005 Femmoto moved to its current location at the Last Vegas Motor
Speedway. This year it was increased to a 2-day event (October 7-8) to accommodate the over 330
women participants who traveled from across the country to attend.
June Spear, 39, drove out to Femmoto from southern California with her husband and friends
Jackie and Hanni. “I’m here to find a new bike to ride!” she explained. She said they had never
been to Femmoto before and decided to try it out together.
At 7am on Saturday morning, crowds of women started arriving at the Speedway for the first
day of Femmoto. Registration materials were handed out at the main building where each rider
received an “appointment card” and goodie bag packed with samples and lots of information.
Next, the riders took their cards over to an area by the pit where the manufacturers had the
motorcycles on display and tables were set up for signup. You could schedule up to five demo
rides each day.
I met June and her friends on the Ducati demo line early Saturday morning after registration.
We quickly filled our cards with a variety of bikes. I decided to try out the Buells, signing up a
Firebolt and Lightning for the afternoon. My next stop was Kawasaki where I added a Ninja 250
and 500, working my way up their sportbike line. There were plenty of people available from each
manufacturer to help you decide which bike to ride. We were like kids in a candy store trying to
decide what treat to have next!
The riders were grouped into two skill levels (Novice and Intermediate) on the demo bikes of
their choice for a maximum of five sessions per day. The Intermediate level required a trackspecific back protector, one-piece or full wrap-around zipped leathers, track boots and gloves. At
the Novice level you could use certain types of textile protective motorcycle outerwear (no mesh or
chaps) and over-the-ankle boots. A damage-free full-face DOT or SNELL helmet with face shield
was mandatory for all.
Femmoto uses the outside course at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. This is the same track
used for AMA National Roadracing. For Femmoto it was divided into two separate tracks, A and
B. Buell and Ducati used one side of the track and Kawasaki, Moto Guzzi, Aprilia and KYMCO
the other. Both included tight, flat turns combined with some sweepers. The pavement was
smooth and clean and there were corner workers with flags and plenty of cones marking the entry
and exit points of the track. Each offered a sometimes too close-up view of an F-16 headed for the
runway across the highway at Nellis AFB. In the distance you could see the Stratosphere and
other famous hotels of the Las Vegas Strip. All the coaches were women this year, a fact that
Bonnie Strawser pointed out. “My greatest accomplishment this year is having an all-woman
staff,” she said. “We have 18 track coaches and they are all women and only women are allowed
to ride the course,” Bonnie added, while helping serve lunch to the riders. Lunch, snacks, water,
etc. were provided for the riders. Icon, Ducati, Hein Gericke, Scorpion and others had booths set
up and you could get everything from a helmet to full leathers during lunch or while waiting for
your turn on the track.
New this year was the addition of the supermoto demos and class run by Darrick Lucchesi of
the West Coast Supermoto School supported by Aprilia. Their stunt-like acrobatics were exciting
to watch and offered something different for those who wanted to try out supermoto. Kawasaki
provided the bikes for the Dirt Bike school and the Freddie Spencer Auto School lent a van to
transport the women to the other side of the complex for that event.
On Saturday night, Moto-Euro Magazine hosted a gala dinner at the Sahara resort with a
fashion show presented by G by Hein Gericke. The show featured the latest designs in women’s
technical gear from Hein Gericke, Kawasaki, Ducati, Vanson Leathers, Triumph, Icon and
Scorpion. Prizes included full outfits from Hein Gericke and Icon, a West Coast Supermoto class,
Scorpion helmets and, the grand prize, a brand new TN’G LS49 scooter. Part of each Femmoto
registration is donated to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and a check for over
$10,000 was presented to them at the dinner.
Cont’d on page 14
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January 2007
Femmoto
2006
Continued from page 8
Femmoto continues to
grow and attract riders of
different backgrounds and
experience levels. For some
it was their first time
attending, having heard
about it from others. It’s
the way women network.
“We want FEMMOTO
to grow even bigger and
better,” Bonnie Strawser
said. “We’re working on
some great new things for
next year. Bring a friend
and join us!”
The next Femmoto will
be October 6th and 7th, 2007
at the Las Vegas Motor
Speedway. Check out
www.femmoto.com to
register and find out more.
Diane Ortiz, 55, lives in Long Island, NY with
her husband and fellow motorcyclist George
Tranos. After 25-years at Newsday, a daily
newspaper in New York, she took a buyout to
open her own school, the Big Apple Motorcycle
School (www.BigAppleMoto.com). Diane and
George are both MSF RiderCoaches and write for
many publications including Newsday, Women
Riders Now (www.womenridersnow.com),
WorldRadio and others. You can reach her at
[email protected]
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January 2007