PADDOCK | TrackDNA Motorcycle Magazine

COACHES' CORNER

The track has a way of teaching through its people — the mentors who pull you aside, the riders who share what they wish they knew sooner.

This corner brings together those stories, lessons, and honest insights that make the culture stronger.
Take what the community has learned and use it to carve your own line.

COACHES' CORNER

The track has a way of teaching through its people — the mentors who pull you aside, the riders who share what they wish they knew sooner.

This corner brings together those stories, lessons, and honest insights that make the culture stronger.
Take what the community has learned and use it to carve your own line.

ALL THINGS PADDOCK

Women sitting on the bike with number one next to her world champion

Maria Herrera and the champion season that starts before the lights

Maria Herrera is walking into 2026 as the defending champ, and that changes the temperature of a race weekend before the bike even rolls. I brought up what the first small thing feels...

a group of motorcycle racers chasing each other.

Factory Job, Superbike Dreams: Chris Durbin’s $20 Name-On-The-Bike Season

Photo by Nicole Paulich | Road Atlanta – MotoAmerica Stock 1000, Round 1. Threading the kink between Turns 3 and 4 with Jason Waters (#92) and Dylan Yelton (#118) On paper, it doesn’t...

a man with a crown in the background on his head

More Than a Click: Inside William Joly’s Trackside View

Photos by William Joly – King James as he called it. There are photographers who show up to a race weekend and start figuring things out on Friday morning. Then there are the...

Making Space: How Emily Bondi Is Redefining Where She Belongs

2025 – before Cremona’s first WorldWCR race, starting P11 on the grid | Photo by William Joly Emily Bondi — Top 15 world rider, FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship There’s...

Accidentally Successful, On Purpose

Steve Mandeville’s first race bike: a wrecked 1986 Yamaha FZ600 he turned into a track bike. This is ’89 or ’90, racing his “behind the curve” FZ against the much better ’87 CBR600...

marshals at Grand Prix - TrackDNA and Yvette

Life in Orange: Inside a Grand Prix Marshal’s Weekend at Yas Marina

Photos by Yvette From cold, grey Groningen to 4 am alarms and desert heat, Yvette takes us through a Grand Prix weekend from the marshal’s post, where unseen work, pressure, and camaraderie...

harlie-raethel-Circuit of the Americas, Austin, United States-3

Finding My Line: A Rider’s Turning Point with a Track Coach at COTA

Photo by Harlie Raethel Author’s note:Huge thanks to Jason Litton — not just for stepping in and coaching me through that COTA weekend, but also for taking the time to walk back through...

The Moment of Commitment: Track Days Through Jason Farias’ Lens

Photo by Jason Farias You can hear it before you see it. Down at Harris Hill, the riders’ meeting is rolling and the track is quiet. Up on the rise at Turn 4, the wind is kicking through...

From the Paddock to the Apex: Learning to See Speed

Photo by David Schwartz There’s a moment a lot of creatives can point to when a hobby quietly crosses the line into something more. For David, one of TrackDNA’s young paddock creatives,...

THE MAGAZINE

"I want you to try this on the next session. Imagine that you don't have the rear brake."

Paul Carter’s advice after the 1st session!

BUILDS & GEAR

Preseason Motorcycle Maintenance - Chassis and Suspension Review by Dave Moss

If you have an annual practice of draining the tank to winterize your motorcycle and walk away for 3-5 months due to a seemingly interminable winter and a ludicrously short riding season, this article will provide a perspective...

Tight nuts save butts - the importance of safety wiring

As the son of an aircraft mechanic, long before I started riding and racing motorcycles, I’d heard about safety wiring. Dad ran a small shop on the Canadian prairies in the early 1980s. When I spent time with him (likely...

A man adjusting the motorcycle suspension

The Setup Trap: Dave Moss on Tires, Inputs, and Front Feel

Dave tuning a BMW S1000RR in the hot pit at Sonoma Raceway for an AFM racer and Carter’s at the Track Instructor Scott Wilson. Dave’s attention to detail and experience separate him from most tuners. He’s not just looking...

GET THE INSIDE LINE

Real stories, track insights, and paddock moments — straight from riders who live it. No noise, no fluff, just the DNA of the track delivered to your inbox.

MIND & BODY

When the Inner Voice Says “Don’t Pass” - My First Low Side

Photo by TrackDNA It was MSR Houston, four days before Christmas. One of those Texas mornings where the fog hangs low and the air feels soft. Seventy-two degrees, cool enough to be comfortable, warm enough...

Why We Keep Coming Back: The Track as a Second Home

Photo by Shaun Bexley – British Superbikes Test Day at Donington Park There are places in life that feel familiar the moment you step into them – like a piece of you has been there long before...

From Survival Reactions to Control: What I Learned from Keith Code

You don’t have to spend long in the paddock before someone mentions Keith Code. Hang around a few track days and you’ll see it in real time: a dog-eared book coming out of a gear bag, somebody quoting...

Taming the Nerves: A Mental Game Plan for Session One

Photo by J.F – Japan There’s a strange window of time right after the morning riders’ meeting — when everyone walks back to their pits and the paddock noise climbs again. Even with a few track days...

Between Sessions: Reset Routines That Helped Me Stay Sharp on Track Days

Photo by Ronnzy Moto By my second motorcycle track day, I realized something every new rider eventually discovers the hard way: the real riding happens between the sessions. The track teaches you lines...

Dealing with Plateaus: When Your Lap Times Stop Dropping

Photo by Ali Mahmoodi Every rider hits a wall at some point. You start dropping time quickly in the beginning, feeling that addictive rush of improvement with every session… and then one day the clock...

COACHES' CORNER

COACHES' CORNER

ALL THINGS PADDOCK​

"I want you to try this on the next session. Imagine that you don't have the rear brake."

BUILDS & GEAR

GET THE INSIDE LINE

MIND & BODY

ALL THINGS PADDOCK