UMBRELLA GIRLS SHADE WOMEN'S MOTORCYCLING IMAGE

This past Sunday after watching Valentino Rossi battle it out with Dani Pedrosa; where in the 2nd final lap Rossi took lead and positioned his win (4th podium of the year)--I decided to stay tuned and observe the next TV program, the final AMA Superbike series race at Laguna Seca.

During the supersport race a bad crash by Hayes sent out the red flag. While waiting for the situation to be cleaned up the broadcaster attempted to entertain us, the viewers, and fill the air time. One of the features hyped even before the commercial break was that Ben Bostrom (a former favourite of mine back in his Ducati Superbike riding days) would be demonstrating the how-to skills of being an umbrella girl.

When cameras brought us back to track side, we were at Ben Bostrom's pit where he initiated the segment by saying 3 times that not only do umbrella girls look good (1), then some words..., "look good" (2), more words..., "look good" (3), "but they do help to keep the sun off the rider while waiting on the grid in his leathers" --referring to how the rider can become quite warm waiting on the start grid. He then asked his girlfriend Nicki (not pictured here) to help out by demonstrating how to hold the umbrella and shade the rider, all while Ben continues to narrate. The camera moves over to show us the rider Nicki is shading, who happens to be the famous romance novel cover star Fabio! I guess in California you never know who you'll find in a race venues' paddock!

Fabio Lanzoni, a rather big fellow, is sitting on Ben's racer while Nicki attempts to shade him from the sun. Fabio gets off the bike and Nicki attempts to keep up to him and shade him. Nicki, not an official umbrella girl, had normal, smart stylish attire on. Ben, in the concluding wrap up, stated that umbrella girls look good, are useful to the rider and "they look good".

As women continue to populate within all levels of motor sport they too decided —what's "good for the goose is good for the gander" and often sport their own version of the umbrella girl--the guy. I was guilty as well and often had umbrella boys, actually "pit studs" I called them as the umbrella association to me was not a masculine reference.

And one woman, the only woman to ever achieved MOTOGP points, Katja Poensgen did us all justice by employing an "umbrella boy" during her 2003 MOTOGP race in Sachsenring — of which I was fortunate enough to be in attendance. She readied herself on the grid, accompanied by (perhaps for the first time in history) a fit, handsome, umbrella boy (actually it was her dentist who filled the role -- brains too!) who most charmingly garnished her start position.

In the many race venues throughout Europe, UK and North America I've attended as a racer or spectator, sunshine or not-- when it's cold, raining, whatever conditions, nearly naked umbrella girls are out there, with their trusty umbrellas. What will it take to alter not only this "look good" aspect of racing but the way women see their own roles. As we continue to liken ourselves to that of umbrella girls, the assumption remains--when an attractive women appears within a race paddock the furthest thought is that of her being the pilot of a race bike.
Yet in all reality, so many women have and continue to indeed exchange their umbrella's for race bike handle grips.

Without an umbrella girl a rider will still win races, will still enjoy good starts and still fight all elements to be on the podium because we know at the end of the day, the umbrella girls exist just because they--look good.

Copyright © 1999-2007 by Vicki Gray/MOTORESS. All Rights Reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the author. Additionally, please view MOTORESS terms conditions

WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH BIKERS & POKER?

So many motorcycle ride-events are titled “Poker Run” and even though I’ve done one myself, way back in the mid 80’s, I started thinking- what’s the relationship here? What the heck’s the big deal about bikers and Poker?

You never hear of biker events or fund raisers called the “Backgammon Run” or say the “Bingo Run” or “Scrabble Scoot” –-why Poker? Given the fact that with a Poker combined ride you can motor to check points and gather a Poker hand to be played at the completion of the run. But still curious, I decided to investigate and started by researching the game of Poker —especially since I’m not a player and know nothing about it.

Is there a relevant factor or two in the relationship between the motorcyclist psyche and that of a poker enthusiast? I came up with a few interesting findings, which when compared I concluded, yes indeed there are some synonymous factors.

Poker is defined as a [card] game where players gamble on the superior value of their card combination or the “hand”, in their possession. So here’s a link to motorcycling--the gamble, that's the risk required when riding and the reference of superior value I felt connected to how empowered and often superior the motorcycle machine can make a rider feel.

Further, the winner of the game is the one who holds the hand with the highest value according to the established "hand ranking" hierarchy. So this said to me, ok, the winner going round a race track is the one with the highest value in the competition (highest ranking/points) and who more often than not, holds the fastest lap time/record—based on the ranking hierarchy of motorsport competition and the track itself.

The winner of a poker match can also be the player who remains "in the hand" after all others have folded (the player making an un-called bet)—this I compare to the machine, the motorcycle itself where, being a mechanical sport, often there's machine failure, the winner is the one who’s still riding, the machines’ still going and crosses the finish line. This was especially true during early motorcycling & motorsport endurance racing events.

Poker also has many variations but follows a similar pattern of play—yes the motorcycle; two stroke, 4 stroke, 3 cylinder, many variations yet similar patterns of “play”, we still ride it. Even phrases I discovered incorporated into our everyday use, came from the game such as “ace in the hole”, “ace up one’s sleeve”, “when the chips are down” and lastly a true motorsport term—“wild card” (awarded in World Superbike/MotoGP to local race talent) cross over from poker and apply to motorcycling.

So, I see the relationship now which causes me to wonder further that perhaps the first generation riders/racers where poker players and maybe the game simply evolved naturally along side our horse back riding cowboys, to horse power driven ones.

With that, I propose we move forward and bring a new name to these motorcycle rally events--one that’s better suited to our current millennium and the bikes we ride.

“Bikers Blackberry Run” for . . .(your charity name goes here)

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Copyright © 1999-2007 by Vicki Gray/MOTORESS.All Rights Reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the author. Additionally, please view MOTORESS terms conditions