Sang-Froid Riding Club

The poster kind of says it all…join us for a dirtbike campout, June 15-16. Map and details on the way!

Double Trouble this weekend … Jared, Peter, Andrew, and Patrick deployed for road racing with OMRRA at Portland International Raceway, while Travis headed north to Riverdale to motocross with Pacific Northwest Vintage MX.

Happy to report we collected a number of podium finishes.  Travis bagged a couple of firsts, Peter a trio of podium visits, and Patrick a single third.

Thanks to all of the club friends who came out to support us this weekend.  Hope to see you at the next race weekend!

By the way, do you have China Hat and the Goldrush on your calendar?  Big rides, motorcycles, fun.

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Quizzler:  Is 11 Travis’ lucky number?  Or is it just easy for him to put on his number plates with electrical tape?  Send your answer to info@sang-froidridingclub.com.  The first correct answer receives a special prize!

We’ve considered getting a clubhouse over the years, but it has been difficult finding a space that meets our demanding requirements.  Last week we realized that only one thing can give us the working and collaboration space we need, together with the mobility that’s essential to a riding outfit of our sort: a hovercraft.

Fortunately there are talented artists in our club; they created the mock-up you see above.  This photo shows us deploying at East Fort Rock for our 2013 China Hat trip.  Are you going?

We are browsing Craiglist and classified ads from the militaries of small nation-states … stay tuned!

Now that the alleys are swept, it’s time to ride!

Meet up at the Spare Room (4830 NE 42nd St., Portland) this Saturday, 11 May*, for our Season Opener ride.  The ride will depart at ten a.m., so please show up early if you’d like breakfast.  As usual, the ride is free, full of twisty roads, and has only one stop.  This means lots of great riding and very little grab-ass; our kind of ride.

The route is around 250 miles, and the afterparty location will be revealed at the ride’s start.

* We know that the 11th is also the Rose City 500.  We tried to dodge the scheduling conflict but were not able to do so.  Come on this ride.  There’s really no decision here; you’ll have more fun – we promise.

Club members Patrick and Hole are representing down at Sears Point at the AHRMA races. The haul so far:

Day 1:

200gp 3rd – Hole
250gp 2nd – Hole
350gp 3rd – Patrick

Day 2:

1st in 200GP – Hole
2nd in 250GP – Hole
3rd in 250GP – Patrick

Go go go!!!!

It’s right around the corner. Everybody ready?
Date: Saturday, May 11, 2013
Time: 10am departure
Where: Ride leaves from the Spare Room Restaurant & Lounge,
4830 NE 42nd Ave. Meet us there early for breakfast!

OMRRA’s road racing season starts in less than two weeks.  Everything ready to go?

Note that this 2012 Ninja Cup class champion is using both pointer fingers at the same time.  This is an advanced technique that should not be used by amateurs.

When’s the two-stroke ride again?  Ah, that’s right, it’s the 21st of September.

Travis, Peter, and Patrick headed up to The Ridge last weekend for a trackday with 2-Fast. Mark and the crew ran a great day, as always.

The day was not without mishaps, but we had a blast, laid down tons of solid laps, and blew out the cobwebs from both man and machine.

Meanwhile, Dan and Steve made a high-speed run out to Maupin on Sunday.

Is that an 150 mph Easter egg with wheels, or an FZR1000 EXUP???

Mark your calendars, get those trip permits ready, and stay tuned for more details.

Jared and friend of the club Austin McCabe headed up to Woodland last weekend, to race vintage motocross.

Looking good, guys!

Jon gathered a collection of ‘trophies’ last year while earning his second AHRMA national title.

“A lot happens quickly at 10,000 rpm”, he reports. Stay tuned for results from the 2013 season!

We just returned from the Oregon coast, site of our 2013 planning retreat. We’ve got some big plans for this year – we think you’ll enjoy them.

Our calendar will be updated very shortly!

With the 2013 Alley Sweeper mere months away, we knew it was time to do some route recon. The fact that Gary Inman, from Sideburn magazine, as well as Norm, from MotoPsycho magazine, were in town was all the excuse we needed. Guess where in the city Travis was catching this air to win a Mystery Prize:

And stay tuned for more info on the Alley Sweeper and other 2013 rides. We’ll have the calendar up the first week of March.

Different porting means a different pipe. The calculators have been put away – it’s time to build.

Will Jones, ace fabricator of Poor Bastard Cycle Works, is hard at work building a new expansion chamber for the DT1 race bike. Patrick’s math may be way the hell off, but we know Will’s work will be top-notch.

Our next New Racer Workshop is set for Thursday, the 7th of February, at Vicious Cycle, 4711 N Interstate Ave. We’ll be focusing on the details of a race day. And as usual, we’re ready to talk racing and answer any questions you have. We’ll get things started that evening at 7:30 p.m.

The workshop is FREE and simple: ice-cold refreshments and hot coffee, a handful of friendly, experienced racers to answer your questions, and resources that’ll help you get from the street, onto the track (and the podium). We race (and have won championships) in multiple classes from vintage to lightweight to modern superbikes – no matter what you are interested in there will be someone to talk to.

We’ll have answers to your questions:

How much does it cost to race? What kind of bike can I race?
Can I race my streetbike?
What kind of preparation is required for my bike?
How can I make racing cheaper?
Why should I race instead of doing track days?
Can I race with the riding gear I have?
Where can I learn more?
What shops support racers?
Can I make money racing?

Had a lot of fun rattling around Clackamas County with the VME, on their “Bonehead Enduro”.  Nice variety of machines, friendly folks, and homemade cookies.  Not a bad way to spend a Saturday afternoon in January.

We’ll be hosting a third New Racer Workshop the evening of TUESDAY, 15 January. This workshop will focus on bike prep and safety wiring. This month’s workshop will be in downtown Portland, at the Graeter Art Gallery, 131 NW 2nd Ave., Portland, OR 97209.

(The gallery hosted last summer’s Building Speed motorcycle/art show.)

We’ve also locked in the calendar for the next couple months, so if you’re interested, please get the dates up on your calendar! (Note that if you missed the original “Racing Overview” workshop, just show up early to any of the workshops and we’ll get you up to speed.)

Tuesday, 15 January – GRAETER ART GALLERY – 131 NW 2nd Ave., Portland, OR 97209
- 6:30 p.m. to 7:30  p.m. :: Racing Overview (same material as the November workshop)
- 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. :: Safety Wiring and Bike Prep

Thursday, 7 February
- 6:30 p.m. to 7:30  p.m. :: Racing Overview (same material as the November workshop)
- 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. :: Race Day Walkthrough

We’ll get additional location details up as we nail them down.

The workshop is FREE and simple: ice-cold refreshments and hot coffee, a handful of friendly, experienced racers to answer your questions, and resources that’ll help you get from the street, onto the track (and the podium). We race (and have won championships) in multiple classes from vintage to lightweight to modern superbikes – no matter what you are interested in there will be someone to talk to.

We’ll have answers to your questions:

How much does it cost to race? What kind of bike can I race?
Can I race my streetbike?
What kind of preparation is required for my bike?
How can I make racing cheaper?
Why should I race instead of doing track days?
Can I race with the riding gear I have?
Where can I learn more?
What shops support racers?
Can I make money racing?

Interested in turning your hard-earned dollars into a mess of plastic trophies?

If so, you should attend our New Racer Workshop on Thursday night, 15 November, 7:30 p.m. Location is down in the North Portland industrial area: 633 N Tillamook, Portland, 97227.

It’s FREE and simple: Ice-cold refreshments, a handful of friendly, experienced racers to answer your questions, and resources that’ll help you get from the street, onto the track (and the podium). No matter what you are interested in racing, there will be someone who can help out. We’ll have answers to all the big questions:

How much does it cost to race?
What kind of bike can I race?
Can I race my streetbike?
What kind of preparation is required for my bike?
How can I make racing cheaper?
Why should I race instead of doing track days?
Can I race with the riding gear I have?
Where can I learn more?
What shops support racers?
Can I make money racing?

See you there!

Three cheers for SFRC racer Andrew Pignataro, who took first place in OMMRA’s 2012 Ninja Cup series! Andrew battled season-long against go-fasters like Kelly Johnson, Adam Fausset, and Chris Page, and brought it home in the October race. Nice work Cowboy!

The club also bagged the #2 Club Champion Vintage plate, plus #2 season-long plates for 250 Vintage and 500 Vintage. Now’s the time to start building your bike for the 2013 season!

Props also to SFRC member Jared Kenyon, as well as club friends Pierre Robichaud, Brian Tallent, and Justin Pyle, for successfully completing their novice season.