Who is Backstage at Southern Track Days?
The SouthernTrackDays staff
Meet the people that you will usually find hard at work, either coordinating, taking photos, control riding, and instructing. These are the faces that are working to ensure that your track day is enjoyable and memorable.
Luis
I have been riding for over a decade with over 8 years of track day experience. I have been promoting track day events for over four years with great success. I love to get street riders hooked on riding the track and watching them develop into better riders and in some cases racers. I’m also one of the Founding Members of Florida’s number one Sport biker communities in the State, with over 6,000 members and growing. We provide venues for our members to ride, meet and share their love for sport bikes and riding the open road.
Gary
Grew up riding motorcycles. Started out on dirt bikes and progressed to cruisers. After about a 15 year hiatus, I decided to get back into biking. My first sportbike was a 2004 Hayabusa. I met up with some track enthusiasts and was introduced to track riding. I tried the busa on the track and that was the only time it saw the track. Found a good deal on a track bike and have been loving and enjoying it for quite a while. Luis and I formed the Southern Track Day organization where we enjoy introducing track day riding to anyone that is willing to learn.
Tom
I have been riding motorcycles since I was 16 yrs old. Retired, I love introducing new riders to the track day experience and love being with my friends at the track.
Kevin
Kevin has been riding dirt bikes since childhood before hitting the street and track in his thirties. He's a track day addict and also enjoys dirt bike, flat track and extreme remote adventure riding. After years of sportbikes on the track he now finds the most fun in combining the best of the dirt and the street into supermoto. He rides a 2005 KTM 525SMR. Kevin has been active in the motorcycling community both online and in person for many years. He founded several successful websites and appreciates the many relationships that have begun thanks to common love of motorcycling.
Pete
I ride a '05 GSXR 1k and '03 HD Road King Classic (600 track bike on the horizon). Hobbies - Track days and racing motorcycles, fishing when I can. Advice for riding motorcycles - Safety is #1, know your bike and know your limits.
Ryan
I've been riding since I was 13 or 14 with a few breaks here and there. I started riding on the track in 2002 and started racing in CCS at the start of the 2008 season. I currently ride a 2005 CBR1000 in Unlimited Super sport and Unlimited Superbike. My riding ambitions are to run a full race season and get my expert plate.
Adam
I have been riding sport bikes for about 2 years. I rode a cruiser before that, but during the license class a friend let me try out his GSXR 600 and I was hooked. Started doing track days and racing a month after I got my first sport bike, a Ducati 749. Been through alot of bikes and now back to my old love suzuki. Do at least one weekend a month, and glad to be a part of what I think is the best track riding organization in the southeast
Lenny
FSB control rider #41. I've been riding since before I can remember, it's my true passion. Not any particular style of riding either....I appreciate them all. from cruisers, to dirt, to road race. I’ve been doing track days since JGP 1st opened. I’ve recently converted to riding Supermoto as I find it more challenging to run a lower horsepower bike on the track. I love to laugh and make people laugh. It's one of the finer things in life....hanging with good friends.
Chris
Been riding for about 20 years (raced dirt-bikes for 6 of them). There have been many different types of street bikes mixed in there, but Supermotos have had my attention for the last 2 years. Current ride is a 2008 KTM 690 SMC (other ride is a 2005 Xtreme 125cc dirt mini). When not riding, working, or spending time with my wife, I'm usually working out or relaxing with friends/family.
Johnny
I can tell you that there has been motorcycle riding/racing in my family for many generations, so it seems to be in my blood. I started riding young on scooters and little dirt bikes. I moved on to a Suzuki GSX-R 600, at that time I was into the drag racing 1/4 mile and I did that for a few years. I enlisted into the military and in my moving around I learned about twisties. That's when I was hooked on dragging knees and the RC51 (The Beast) was picked up. I knew I wanted to get on the track and try to see if I could do it competitively. I went from SV to F4i to R6 and many other bikes. I was doing track days on my own and I felt I had a great platform to start racing. I met Luis and Gary and they offered me a great opportunity to instruct and control ride for other riders during their track days. I happily said yes. Those also help sharpen my skills as I began racing in CCS.
Gabe
I’ve been riding street bikes for over 10 years now. I always thought that track riding was for the guys you see on TV and figured I wasn’t good enough and it would be too dangerous. I then joined FloridaSportbikers.com and was convinced to participate in one of their private track days. I was warned that once I did a track day, I would be hooked. Let’s put it this way, since my first event back in March 2007, I have not missed a FloridaSportbikers.com/Southern Track Day since.
Sean
I have been riding sport bikes for 18 years. I did my first trackday 2 years ago and have been hooked ever since. I love teaching and helping others learn and can't see doing it with a better group than this one. The laughs and friendships made at a trackday truly are some of the best.
Didi
I'm the flower child of FSB; a very active and happy person, always helping people out with what I can. I love to smile! I got into the sportbike community at the beginning of 2007 and I am enjoying every minute of it. I also love riding mini dirt bikes. Trackdays...Going to the track to capture the riders in action is awesome but not better than seeing one big family come together to share laughter and good memories.
BJ
Love taking pictures. It comes natural and having a chance to shoot at STD events has been great. Capturing all the knee dragging and high speed laps is a thrill.
Debbie
Love bikes, track days and group rides. What a better match for my administrative skills then to join the STD family. I'm a web designer, and responsible for this site. Hope to see you out there.