Mastering the Adventure: Lana's Journey from Racing Cars to Motorcycle Excellence

Guest:  Lana Tsurikova, autocross racer and GS Trophy Qualifier participant (Lana on Wheels)Episode Summary:From the roar of race car engines to the heart-pumping thrills of off-road motorcycling, Lana's story isn't one you stumble upon every day. Today, she sits down with me and shares the her tale of transitioning from a car racing champion to a motorcycle adventure rider. Lana discusses her systematic approach to conquer the off-road terrain starting on a KTM 390 Adventure. She demystifies the journey of learning to ride and the art of picking yourself and your bike up after a fall. Lana's narrative is not just about personal triumph; it's a beacon for setting achievable milestones and the relentless pursuit that follows.If you've ever wondered how to elevate your riding skills to competition level, this episode is your manual, packed with insights into the dedication needed to excel in the demanding world of adventure motorcycling.Full Transcript:0:00:15 - Bret TkacsWelcome back to Around the Wheel with Bret Tkacs and today my guest, her name is Lana. She's a rider who's actually trained with me, a fantastic, highly driven rider who went from zero experience off-road to participating in a GS Trophy Qualifier in only three years. So she's going to share with us the process it took to get from zero to "go in such a short period of time. Hey Lana, thanks for joining me and sharing your experience about getting into adventure riding, because it's something so many riders really kind of struggle with and I think now it's even - in some ways more difficult because there's so many different ideas. There's social media, there's YouTube and videos and schools. What I like about your story is that you had a very specific goal from where you came from, and your very driven personality and you had a goal to where you wanted to be. Why don't you share a little bit about that story with us?0:01:26 - LanaSure, thank you, Bret, and thank you for having me. So yeah, I came to motorcycles from cars before COVID started. I used to race cars for 20 years and I thought I knew what I was doing. I was so excited finishing 2019 season, I got my second national championship in Autocross and I was so looking looking forward to next year, but it was cancelled.0:01:54 - Bret TkacsBecause of COVID?0:01:55 - LanaBecause of COVID. Yes, we couldn't instruct. You can't sit in a car with another person, you can't be instructor, you can't invite students to see what you're doing. Literally everything was canceled.0:02:08 - Bret TkacsSo what led you to the bikes and what was your goal? How did you end up? Because I know your goal was you wanted to do ,.. like a GS challenge or a GS Trophy, and that was your objective. How did you end up, with that being your objective? What led you to motorcycles? Besides, you couldn't drive around in cars anymore.0:02:26 - LanaRight. So I was sitting at home and probably my husband is right that I'm adrenaline junkie. He just observed me bouncing from the walls - season 2020 - and he actually found this GS Trophy video online on YouTube. He turns the monitor to me and says did you know about this GS Trophy? And I looked at it like, oh, that looks good, I wanted. So that was it. Literally, he just showed me one video. I saw competition on wheels. It involved really good motor, so I wanted to do it. To say I didn't even know how to ride? That would not be fair. I rode maybe four or five times per summer on street, but that was it. I never took my wheels off the pavement. So in 2020, I went and bought 390 Adventure KTM. You know, I didn't know any better. I thought that's perfect bike to start.0:03:29 - Bret TkacsLana, how tall are you?0:03:31 - LanaI'm five seven.0:03:33 - Bret TkacsOkay.0:03:34 - LanaSo even reaching to the ground from that bike was a challenge. I knew right there I'm in trouble what I decided to do.