<![CDATA[ Kihtay Racing

<![CDATA[ Kihtay Racing - Blog]]>Tue, 21 Apr 2026 15:51:44 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[YouTube!!!]]>Tue, 03 Dec 2019 20:34:53 GMThttp://www.kihtayracing.com/blog/youtube

So I have just regained access to my YouTube account!!
I also have a GoPro Hero 8 on the way!!

Super excited to get up some footage for everyone to enjoy! I'm also definitely open to suggestions if there's any footage requests!

Check out my YouTube channel to stay up to date on my adventures!!

]]><![CDATA[24 hour race]]>Mon, 04 Nov 2019 19:11:26 GMThttp://www.kihtayracing.com/blog/24-hour-race

Had a blast this weekend racing the 24 hour race with UMRA - United Mini Racing Association at Apple Valley Speedway!

Our team - Karmasaki - bike # 9 got second in our class and third overall 🙌🏼
We did almost 1200 miles on the bike in the 24 hours!!
I slept maybe an hour during the race. So running on coffee and adrenaline 😅

Huge shoutout to Hammer Nutrition for the supplements to keep us going! The recoverite between sessions was a life saver! As were the gels for a quick fuel before riding!

Also huge thank you to Karen E Ott Photography for staying up all night and day to take amazing shots of us 🥰

]]><![CDATA[Take care of yourself inside and out]]>Fri, 02 Aug 2019 18:17:19 GMThttp://www.kihtayracing.com/blog/take-care-of-yourself-inside-and-out

Since it is the off season here for motorcycle riding I’ve been cycling to get in better shape and build my endurance!

I ordered a sample pack from Hammer Nutrition to test out some products for my cycling and also for when I’m on the track! Their customer support was amazing to talk to and customized my sample pack to ensure everything in it was vegan! I was also really impressed that they had so much research behind the products and knowledge to pass down to me as the consumer!

They helped explain all the products and why the recommended specific ones for what I was doing!
The products I decided to test are the Anti-Fatigue Caps to help with keeping higher endurance towards the end of the day at the track, Fully Charged to help me get some energy and get going at the beginning of the day, Hammer Gel to get nutrients when I lose my appetite due to adrenaline, Endurolytes Fizz and Endurolytes Extreme to help with hydration- especially while on the track in the hot Arizona desert heat, Perpetum and HEED to provide the body's nutrients while out on the track, Vegan Recoverlite and Vegan Tissue Rejuvenator for recovery and helping with the next day, and their CBD products to help with sore spots (mine caused by past injuries) and anxiety.

So far I really love everything I’ve ordered from hammer nutrition! It really works! The best part is the products do not upset my overly sensitive stomach!
The hydration caps and fizz work amazing and really help me especially in this brutal Arizona heat! Being active when the low is 86 is really hard! I had tried another brand’s electrolyte tablets which ended up upsetting my stomach after drinking them down.

I am not a big morning person, and especially not a breakfast person. Which can really hurt me at the track, as I'll go a couple of sessions without eating and it'll hit me out of no where that I'm unfocused and light headed.
With cycling in the mornings, I've been using the Fully Charged which doesn't give me jitters, but definitely makes me feel more alert to where I can push harder.
When I try other energy type drinks, I've noticed that caffeine doesn’t really wake me up but rather just gives me jitters.
I did back to back rides with it and seemed to have more endurance and energy than I expected. Than I did a ride without it and noticed how much more drained I felt. The next ride used the fully charged and I had extra energy again! So I’m really impressed!

The Gel is the other product I'm really excited to try on the track since I notice it makes a nice improvement in energy and focus when I down a serving before cycling vs on an empty stomach. The gels have an amazing taste to them and they don’t add sugars! These really excite me since when I’m on the track, I lose my appetite and forget to eat. So just over halfway I have to come in from being lightheaded and unfocused. This is a simple solution to providing my nutrients without having to stuff down food that doesn’t sound good or may make my stomach irritated on the track.

There there were a few products I was unsure about how they would work, as they are the ones that work behind the scenes a bit more! Like the recoverlite or tissue regenerator. I’ve been using these after every ride and wake up the next morning ready to go! Last week, on one morning I woke up, did my normal ride and then was running late, so I forgot to mix up my vegan recoverlite and felt fine throughout the day. However that next day, I could feel the difference! My legs were sore as though I just spent hours in the gym doing just leg day. So definitely not skipping this after a longer ride.

So overall I'm highly impressed! I'm super excited to try these out on the track and give more feedback of how everything works in that setting!
Just a few more weeks!!!!

]]><![CDATA[Cycling to get in shape]]>Fri, 19 Jul 2019 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.kihtayracing.com/blog/cycling-to-get-in-shape

About a month ago, I picked up a Specialized Ruby to help with getting in shape and improving endurance. I had cycled in the past, but just for fun on my vintage 60's Schwinn. Having a carbon frame road bike with some Enve wheels is a night and day difference! So much less effort to go, which means I can go further and really work on building the endurance!
My goal for the end of the year is to do a 50 mile ride. And I've actually been enjoying cycling so much, I am joining in on one of the local races!

]]><![CDATA[Getting schooled]]>Sun, 21 Apr 2019 00:00:44 GMThttp://www.kihtayracing.com/blog/getting-schooled8558349

So I wanted to share with everyone my experience at the Yamaha champs school! One of the biggest things I had heard was why go to a school if I’ve already been riding so long? Or will this really help? I also heard some people talking about how it sounds intimidating.
It was interesting to hear all the insights from various people and so I would like to address those questions as well!

I’ve been riding for years. What more is there to learn?!? Everything!!! This is a sport / passion where you can continually improve and continue to learn new things or better way to go about and do things you already know about or know how to do.
You can always find a way to do things smoother, safer or faster! Being smooth around the track is important! Being safe is an important aspect on the tracks or on the streets!
Yes I came to the school and there was things I already knew and yes there were things that I learned. The biggest thing I have to say about that is for the things I already knew, I was able to get a visual and deeper understanding of why this happens or why we don’t just jab the brakes. Also the drills that they create really help put into practice these important aspects that they teach. From doing one drill with cones, it helped me with visual, thinking ahead, safely avoiding obstacles, and familiarizing myself with safely using my brakes.

Also with riding for a long time, you hear lots of advice and tips. But how do you know if these information tidbits are accurate?
That was one of my biggest concerns while coming to the school- how much of the information that I’ve acquired was in best practices?
Or riding on the track, am I really doing this correctly? When attending track days, coaches are available but they don’t always point out your flaws to work on. I have struggled with being smaller and on the bike for a while. I have addresses my issues and concerns with a lot of people along the way. I have gotten tons of misleading and some accurate advice of how to position myself on the bike.
One of my biggest struggles was my positioning when I went into a corner. With shorter legs, I never felt like I could hook into the tank and rely on my lower body to hold me through a corner. So this always was a big concern to me. I also would come in from a session and have pain in my ankles. I had tried different peg positions and it helped but did not solve the problem.
While I was at the Champ school, I addressed these issues and they gave me two pieces of advice that totally changed everything for me!
Make sure I sit back in the seat to allow my legs to move as they should, and have my foot on the outer part of the footpeg. Seems simple enough- yet no one in the 3 years of me riding track had ever addressed this with me. Once I applied these two pieces of advice on the track, it made a world of a difference! Not only was I smoother and more efficient, but I didn’t come into the pits hurting and feeling pain in my ankles!!!
So sometimes it’s little things that people assume we should know that aren’t always known. The champ school did a wonderful job to address this!

So yes I really believe that this school is beneficial for anyone at any skill set! I really appreciate that their teachings are applicable to the street and the track as well. So not only are they helping people be faster around the track but also safer and more prepared for the street!
The way they setup their visuals for learning and how they have you apply it on the track is wonderful to really sink in and understand what is happening with your bike, how to overcome obstacles and how to prepare yourself!

For those who have never been to a track and have felt overwhelmed or intimidated - this is THE perfect place to start! It is a safe environment with close one on one attention and best of all- you learn good habits from the start!!!! I cannot tell you how frustrating it is to brake old bad habits!
My first day was slightly frustrating once they pointed out one of my bad habits and I spent lap after lap trying to work on fixing it! Even though it was very frustrating to overcome I cannot say how thankful I am that they pointed it out and helped me better my riding! I’m very thankful for the second day since everything clicked and I continued to work on additional stuff!
The staff here is wonderful. Always willing to explain stuff - why is this happening? Why shouldn’t I do it this way? What happens if?
They create a great environment as well so there is no pressure and no intimidation. Groups are split off according to experience, so you can work closely with an instructor at your own pace! There were people who had never been on a track, people who had came back from an injury and were nervous to ride again, and racers! So a very wide array of students. Everyone was so kind. It felt like a family outing!

My biggest takeaways from my experience is being able to better trust my bike and its abilities, as well as working on my confidence and my own abilities, being able to think ahead and plan ahead better as well as my line of vision, being able to be more efficient and smooth while ok the bike, being more safe and controlled on the bike, ensuring I have the correct applications and knowledge!
I had always had in the back of my mind if the way I was doing things was correct or not. Sometimes things that should be common sense aren’t always known or aren’t always thought correctly. So it was very assuring to go through my concerns with the team!
All of these items are very beneficial for the track and the street! I am very thankful for enhancing my skills to further trust myself. So I definitely think this was a wonderful investment in myself, in my passion, and in my hobby!

]]><![CDATA[Hitting the track at AMP]]>Tue, 02 Apr 2019 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.kihtayracing.com/blog/hitting-the-track-at-ampJust thought I’d share some photos from our local track - Arizona Motorsports Park.
Had a great time out with Desert Road Racing!

]]><![CDATA[Dirt therapy]]>Sun, 24 Mar 2019 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.kihtayracing.com/blog/dirt-therapySo I officially hit a dirt track!
Of all the years I’ve spend dirtbiking, I had never actually been to a dirt track! I’ve always just enjoyed riding trails as a stress relief and enjoying being out in nature.

Holy cow I had so much fun!!!!

]]><![CDATA[Supermoto on the mini]]>Wed, 06 Mar 2019 08:00:00 GMThttp://www.kihtayracing.com/blog/supermoto-on-the-miniThe mini supermoto is so much fun! It’s a nice break from the big bike, but even better it’s a great tool for training on!
I have learned so much and bettered my application while riding my 65sx!

]]><![CDATA[Secret Weapon]]>Thu, 15 Feb 2018 21:18:52 GMThttp://www.kihtayracing.com/blog/secret-weaponSo I've been busy working on a secret weapon for this year... or maybe two!

I'll give a bit of insight into one-
It's on full E85 and going to go fast!!!

Stick around to find out more :D
]]><![CDATA[Gloves...]]>Thu, 13 Apr 2017 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.kihtayracing.com/blog/glovesSo this is what my currently gloves look like:

None of the current gloves fit quite right, or are as comfortable as these. They were from Dainese's line 2 or 3 years ago. These just fit... like a glove...

So I had a second pair lying around, but they were red. Red is not my color... Ya I know.. Ducati.. Red..
So I got a bit creative...

Yup... That's pink glitter
They match my jacket perfectly too!!

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