Team

Brent Benoit – Canby, OR

My son Skyler and I have been racing together in one way or another for the last 6 years. I own and operate a machine shop in the Portland area Benoit Machine. We manufacture a wide variety of parts from dental equipment to custom brake parts for race cars and many motorcycle and kart racing products.

I have always had a love for motorcycles. Some of my first memories were riding on my granddad’s dirt bike when I was a kid. My mom worked as a RN in the emergency room at a hospital so I wasn’t allowed to have a bike until I could buy one for myself. I finally got a dirt bike when I was 12, a 1979 YZ125. I did a lot of trail riding. When I was 16 my mom helped me buy a Honda CM250 to ride to school.

Back in 1988 at the ripe age of 19 I was able to scrape together enough money to buy a brand-new Yamaha RZ350 and took it straight to the track and started racing novice. Back then that was the only way you could get on the track. I had to retire after a few seasons of racing novice when my first child was born. I still rode on the street, but I couldn’t afford to race.

I returned to the track in 2007 and started riding track days, Wow that was a lot of fun! I returned to racing in 2008 and have a couple of 2nd or 3rd place class championships in the senior classes. Nothing to brag about, but I have really enjoyed the sport and the people.

I joined Motofit in 2012 and discovered that I really enjoy helping people gain skills that will help them on the track as well as on the street. I find a lot of joy in hearing people tell me: ‘I was nervous about riding on the track, but after working with you I have gained the skills it takes to be comfortable and really enjoy the track’.

I must say Motofit has the most fun at the track and that is what motorcycles are all about.

More smiles per mile

Dave Cook

Occupation: (Retired) Electrical/Software Engineer at HP

What you might not know about Dave: Has broken almost every bone in his body, state class championships in off-road motorcycle and mountain bike racing (cause of broken bones), father of fellow rider coach Galen Cook, lovingly nicknamed “Pops”, is usually the guy who shows fellow coach Chris “Partner” Leonard a wheel during the last session of the day where we’re all “just going out to take it easy” – turning that session into an all-out barn burner.

Dave has been riding dirt bikes for over 50 years. As an accomplished off-road rider in both motocross and enduros, he has learned things the hard way far too often.  He is now one of the smoothest riders you will ever see!

After spending 50 years of his life thinking road-going motorcycles were for the birds, Dave finally gave a 1999 YZF-600R a try, which he completely hated. It wasn’t until his best friend showed him what counter-steering was that he finally fell in love with the sport. Within a couple of years, Dave and his son Galen were racing in the Oregon and Washington series. Between race weekends his group of 4-5 riding buddies would travel to nearly every race track within 20 hours drive, quickly discovering that track days provided more riding time, safer conditions, and all the fun of putting in fast laps with his friends…and that’s what he’s been doing for the last 18 years.

Dave is literally one of the nicest guys you will ever meet. He’s 68 going on 18, keeps himself in great shape, and loves to chat. If you don’t want to chat, then do NOT say hi to Dave.  As a rider coach, Dave is a great listener, very patient, and truly loves to help people improve their riding. For the folks who get “Pops” as a rider coach, in addition to the great skills and technical advice, know that you will have also made a friend for life.

Galen Cook – Corvallis, OR

Occupation: R&D Engineer at HP

What you might not know about Galen: Loves speed on a bike but is terrified of driving fast in cars (he literally screams “make it stop!”). Proud father of 3 (dogs). Dislikes all forms of exercise.

Galen is a long-time friend of MotoFit and a racer of many things motorcycle. From enduro’s and motocross to road racing and supermoto, he’s tried them all. What he’s found, however, is that nothing beats a track day… “More Smiles Per Mile!” as a wise man says J

Galen is a strong advocate of riding smooth and being predictable. These skills create a safe environment that allows you to enjoy your day while letting others focus on enjoying their day. One of Galen’s primary goals as an instructor is to focus on how to go faster, while at the same time finding ways to reduce risk. Please come and find Galen at your next MotoFit day — he’d be happy to help you find that key piece of advice to simplify and improve your track sessions for many years to come!

Jonny Dickson

Jonny has been riding motorcycles since he was 15 years old. After owning many different types of on and off-road motorcycles, Jonny turned his love for motorcycles into his work as a motorcycle officer in 2004. Jonny has raced with OMRRA and earned the Top Novice Award in 2009. Jonny currently instructs new motor officers for the Central Oregon Basic Motor Officer School and has been a MotoFit rider instructor since 2010.

“As an instructor, my goal is to help those who wish to improve on their riding skills, by offering a positive and safe learning environment. That is the Motofit Group.” – Jonny Dickson

John Halunen

Occupation: Database Administrator. He’s been working in the IT/operations field for 20 years and has been a data janitor for the last 15.

What you might not know about John: He has lived in Hawaii, Fiji, and Washington State.

John somehow managed to be both an early starter and late bloomer. His first experiences on two wheels were on his mother’s Lambretta scooter (as a diapered passenger, long before he was walking). The first experience as pilot in command was on his father’s Bultaco 175 (not too long post diapers) but long before he could reach the footpegs, let alone the ground. Since they moved from Hawaii to Fiji to Anacortes, he had challenges in getting motorized anything, so he just got in trouble on the banana seat and BMX bicycles.

John got his first dirt bike (a DT80) at age 12 and rode “off-road” throughout his high school years. He started racing bicycles in college. He quickly moved up through the amateur cycling ranks by doing well in criteriums (tight, closed-circuit races) that put a premium on cornering and sprinting technique (and leg power). He was able to transfer these techniques to riding motorcycles.

He bought his first street-legal motorcycle a few years after college. John did his first track day in 2007 and started riding with MotoFit Group on their first day at ORP in 2009. He never looked back!

John has been a MotoFit Group instructor for a few years now, and soon after he started instructing, MFG recognized his talents, both people skills, and riding, so he began teaching our Green group classes.

John loves meeting riders, and always meets them where they are in skill level. He states, “I look forward to riding with you, and please don’t be afraid to ask questions if there is any way we can help”.

Michael Heidenreich

Occupation: Program Manager at PacificSource Health Plans

Something you may not know about Michael: He loves living in Bend and is an accomplished snow skate skier, as is his lifelong partner in crime Shawn. Which basically means that he is one of the fittest people you will come across.

Michael began his journey by twisting the throttle started about a dozen years ago after he was done reaching some level of mastery with several non-motorized sports. His earliest love was running, and he developed into a top regional marathoner in the Northwest. Later he ski raced with an elite team in Bend and then he moved on to competing in windsurfing and earned a national championship in 2005 after an exhausting week of course racing in Hood River OR.

Michael decided to seek a completely new experience and way to amplify the excitement that comes with the freedom of movement and the joy from gaining proficiency in a skill. He found that motorcycling was the next step, he was instantly hooked, and it did not take long to seek out the track.

After a couple of so-so days with other track day organizations, (his words) he signed up for a MotoFit event at ORP, (the very first event I might add) and started rapidly catching on with the significant help of Rob and the other instructors. Rob instantly took to Michael, he noticed him right away, mostly it was how Michael sat on his bike. You all know how Rob is about body position, Michael had it down without needing any coaching as he is a natural. Today, these two are great friends and have ridden on the back streets of Bend on their motorcycles together.

Today, he shares his depth of understanding around the rider body-machine interface and how having a solid mental and physical prep before and at the track makes all the difference in your day and weekend. Michael clearly incorporates all of his techniques and agility for sports into every new sport he tries, therefore his past experiences help guide his coaching.

From Michael, in his writing about something we really need you all to be aware of and understand:

“…And speaking of the body, I will share one story that I hope never befalls any of you, and should it help just one avoid my experience, then it was worthwhile to tell. With compression clothing all the rage, I bought a pair of socks of that type and wore them all day Sunday under my suit at the Ridge. Granted, instructors put in a lot of time on the track, but by the end of the day after pulling off my suit I discovered the top of the sock “ate” pretty well into the skin below my knees. Combined with a long drive home to Oregon, a blood clot developed in my lower leg. Thinking it was just a weird soreness that would go away, the clot later released and put a craptacular amount of debris into my lungs. It probably took over a year until I healed the damage and felt like I could really perform again. The point to this little tale is that crouching for hours on a bike and then driving for a distance can be risk factors for clotting and therefore don’t let compression clothing contribute to the issue. So, in summary: 1) be careful with compression clothing, especially where it ends, 2) don’t allow constriction behind the legs in your leathers (or anywhere really), and 3) stop periodically on long drives home after a track day to get out and move around. I didn’t have any other factors for clotting in my blood, so just know that it could happen to anyone.”

Michael looks forward to getting out there with you next season, stop by and see him in the pits anytime. He’s a super great guy and very approachable.

Dave Ingraham

Occupation: Union Carpenter

Something you may not know about Dave: He has known his wife since Kindergarten, she mostly ignored him from age 5 through high school but he somehow managed to get into her heart. He loves to hunt and fish, he makes the absolute best smoked salmon and canned asparagus.

Dave grew up on 500 acres in Washington State, so he had plenty of room to ride. He has owned a motorcycle and started riding when he was very young. His first motorcycle was a Honda 70, he was 7 years old.

He always owned a Honda, mostly because his grandpa was friends with the local Honda dealer, so they were supporting a local business. He became skilled in motocross and raced until he was 25.

FUN FACT: Dave’s first track bike, (Honda) was the first bike to ever ride a lap at ORP. He bought it from us, Rob bought it for Kara, (me) and sold it to Dave before I could ride it.

Dave is an avid hot rod fan, he owns a 55 Chevy show car, he gets a lot of attention while driving it and he’s okay with that because he’s a bit of a show-off, (according to his wife Joy).

He started riding on the track is 2009, where he met Rob and the MotoFit Group. Dave believes that the MotoFit Group Instructors made him the rider he is today. Dave is a skilled rider and we brought him on as an instructor shortly after he recovered from his accident in Turn 16.

Yes, you know turn 16 at ORP, the no passing under any circumstances rule turn 16, the Dave Ingraham corner. Well, it has that rule because one weekend Dave had the unfortunate luck of being passed in turn 16. He had a bad outcome and ended up in a Life Flight to OHSU where he had an expensive few days ahead of him. His recovery was much longer than any of us would have anticipated. We are very serious about the turn 16 rule, if you want to debate this rule, we will just send you over to Dave’s pit…when his wife Joy is there 😉

Dave enjoys being a MotoFit Group instructor and takes pride in what he’s offering riders. Dave states, “the best part is having a student tell me that they were [insert number] seconds off their best laps at the end of the weekend, their smile is priceless”.

Stop by his pit anytime, he is one of the nicest guys you will ever meet.

Chris Leonard

Occupation: R&D Engineer at HP

What you might not know about Chris: High School Wrestling Coach, Army Ranger, Father of 3

As you can guess, Chris is a disciplined individual who likes structure and for things to run smoothly and efficiently. He takes his track days seriously but loves to have a good time as much as anyone. While at the track you’ll often find Chris laughing amongst a group, helping someone with any mechanical problem known to man, as the sole rider out during a rain session, or relaxing in the pits talking racing lines while drinking Lemon Snapple.

Chris has spent the last 13+ years doing track days with a tight group of friends from the Corvallis/Philomath area, all of whom have worked together at HP at one time or another. Over the last decade, Chris has developed a solid set of track skills that allow him to ride fast, smooth, and, most importantly, predictably and safely. He is very technical in his analysis of how things work while out on the track, but also understands human behavior (why we do what we do) and is great at helping to improve your riding with coaching that’s tailored to you: your goals, your bike, your style, etc.

What’s great about Chris is that his main goal to be at the track matches why we should all be out there, to have a great time with your friends while working to improve your riding during every session…though he also doesn’t mind twisting the throttle whenever one of his friends tries to show him a wheel during the last session of the day when all of us have decided to “just go out there and take it easy”!

Tim Lombardo

Occupation: He helps people buy homes from a financial standpoint.

Something you may not know about Tim: He is one of the kindest, most gentle person you will meet. He will listen to you with everything he has, he never makes you feel that he has someplace better to be. Don’t mistake this for someone without a stand, because this guy is true to his conviction…all
day long!

Like most kids, Tim wanted a motorcycle, but his parents wouldn’t buy him one. He had to wait until he could buy one to start riding…so now he has many. That will show your folks, huh?

He currently has bikes of all types for nearly every discipline. And his family rides too.

Tim’s life off the motorcycles matters a great deal to him. He has a wonderful wife, 3 amazing daughters, (two are teenagers), and a dog. They depend on him a great deal. When Tim rides, he rides with them in mind and rides with a large degree of care.

Tim is a skilled rider, we all know that. He could go faster than he rides now, however, he enjoys riding at the pace he rides and is able to grow in his level and skill each time he’s out there. He has nothing to prove.

His love for riding motorcycles is only rivaled by his love for motorcycle people, (and people in general). His main goal for each track day is simple; connect and help as many people as he can, and hopefully get in as many laps as possible in the process.

Riding with the MotoFit Group family has provided him the opportunity to not only grow with his skill and ability, but it has allowed him to impart the things he has learned to help others do the same!

Tim states, “This is a great sport, and I am honored to get to work with some of the best. Most of all, if you read this, I look forward to meeting you!”

Chris Ray

Something you may not know about Chris: He can put away food like nothing anyone has ever seen. I’m not talking hotdog contest but definitely can eat like 7 pieces of chicken with all the sides and be hungry again in an hour. No, he doesn’t have a tapeworm…he has a fully functioning digestive system. He is also loving his new tractor, and spends free time working on his property.

Chris a good portion of his life on bikes, bikes of all types. He has spent years upon years off-road riding and several years racing cross-county off-road racing. He has never met a bike he couldn’t crash.

His first road type motorcycle was a 1980 Honda CB750. However, his first “real” road motorcycle was a 1993 Honda CBR600 F2. The one bike that changed his life was a 1999 TLR1000. He spent several years riding and commuting rain or shine on that bike. In total, Chris has owned 27 motorcycles.

Chris started road racing in 2001 and was #5 OMRRA plate holder 2013. Initially, he started sprint racing on lightweight bikes, however, he has raced everything from 650’s to 1000’s. Chris excelled in endurance racing too, in all classes, lightweight, middleweight, and heavyweight bikes in the Pacific Northwest. He won both the lightweight and middleweight championships.

There was one race that he and Rob were a team, he ran to the bike and the chain broke. That was the end of that, a particularly expensive weekend! That never stopped them though.

Chris has Instructed for over 13 years with two different track day groups. He has been with MotoFit Group since we began in 2009.

Chris is one of the most talented riders we have on our team. He is patient with students and explains riding techniques in ways that people understand. He is always willing to help out and is an overall amazing human.

Next time you’re at an event, you should ride with him, you won’t regret it!

Thomas Stevens

Occupation: Engineering Technician at Intel

Something you may not know about Thomas: He loves to garden and grow things and he’s an amazing dad to his fur named Fritz who has been to a MotoFit Group event.

Thomas has been fascinated with bikes ever since he was a young child. But like a lot of kids, his parents kept him from getting one until he was out of the house. Thomas purchased his first dirt bike in his early 20’s and immediately knew then that this two-wheel sport was in his blood.

He began riding in the woods which eventually progressed to riding motocross tracks. He has managed, (like many) to destroy his body with broken bones and spent many (or most) summers on crutches with severely sprained ankles. In his estimate, he feels he should have quit riding, however as mentioned bikes are in his blood.

In 2007, Thomas bought a friend’s road race bike and participated in his first track day. Now he’s all in, with yet another two-wheel sport with speeds that far exceed motocross. It took Thomas many track days before he was comfortable to hold the throttle wide open, but like anything, he got used to the speeds and started having a ton of fun going fast, while using his riding skills to assist with it.

Thomas really enjoys the atmosphere at track days, he says it’s very relaxed, and overall a great experience. It’s all about having fun and socializing with friends and other riders who think that bikes are cool.

So, if anybody can beat Thomas’ record of six collar bone breaks, he’d like to hear all about it! Stop by and see him anytime, he is a super kind soul and is always pitted with Brent and Dixie!

Francois Sauvé

Occupation: Business owner in the field of forestry and part time wine sommelier.

Something you may not know about Francois: He is a new grandpa to a baby girl named after him, Frankie Violet, who is his pride and joy.

Francois is a bit of a late bloomer with the motorcycle world, he started riding motorcycles at age 47. He also claims to be the wimpiest dirt rider in the world, “you should hear my girlie scream when I ride off-road”. If you know Francois, this image is priceless.

His first passion for teaching began when he was very young, as a ski instructor at Whistler Blackcomb, where he spent 40 years teaching both children and adults to ski. He later became a supervisor for other ski instructors, and everyone looked up to him for his strong, firm, yet gentle approach at teaching. Talk about an amazing experience, can you imagine being able to ski Whistler anytime you want?

Francois has been a MotoFit Group instructor for five years, he enjoys working with the green group and really makes a difference for any rider who is willing to learn. You will often find him in the classroom, sitting amongst the other students observing every detail of what is going on. Francois has spent years on the ski slopes identifying how people interact with the snow, he can tell if someone is relaxed, he is able to incorporate the same skills with motorcycles. Francois knows if someone is struggling with their bike, and he is able to help any rider move through the learning process effortlessly. His patience and grit are his best ally, along with his view that he is always a student and working on improving his own riding.

Francois said he gets a high from teaching and training. One of his favorite quotes, “if someone’s not learning, then someone’s not teaching”.

You will find him riding his GSX-R100 in the black group and on his Ducati Multistrada in the green group.

Francois is always surrounded by other MFG instructors at the track, mostly by the Canadian contingent, but we always crash his pit and strike up great conversation.

Ryan Wiebe

Occupation: Owns Redline Cycle

Ryan has been riding since he was 4 on a little GT80, and he still has one just like it in the garage today. He bought his first GS500 street bike for 600 bucks when he was 16, without asking, and when he got home it was World War III. He lost this battle and was bike less until he was 21. When he could afford to get another bike, he ended up with a 1997 YZF600R, and it fueled a new addiction.

New bikes came after that, and what he quickly learned about bikes is that it isn’t so much about the bikes, but the community of people you find yourself in. Ryan found that people from all walks of life can find one common denominator, and you can become the best of friends very quickly when you would otherwise never meet, or even fathom a friendship with that person. It’s brilliant!

One of those new best friends had an itch to try a track day back in 2003. They went, and Ryan was scared to death, however, was humbled immediately by the talent that was there. He found his street riding quickly tamed down as he lusted for the next track day to wring the bike’s neck. It was a safe space with a great community, and it sucked him right in. With the increase of adrenaline, he began to focus on racing. By the end of 2006, he had a few new broken bones and #1 600cc novice plate in hand.

Life moved him out west and racing stopped but track days didn’t. With their motorcycle business growing quickly, they began urging more and more of their street rider customers and friends to join them for track days. He wanted them to learn new skills, be safer riders, and calm down their street paces. He states that “maybe” he was getting old, but we know he was actually maturing.

Ryan is having a blast learning how to teach what we do on the track with the MotoFit Group and says it’s surprisingly difficult to put all that muscle memory into words. It’s so rewarding watching riders progress quickly into talented riders when you might have helped them get there. “I guess the parents shouldn’t have fought me so hard way back on that GS500, I won”.

You can usually find Ryan in the upper paddock at ORP with a wonderful group of other Canadians, look for the flags, grab a chair, and sit with them, you will be amused for hours.