December 9 - 11, 2011
METRO TORONTO CONVENTION CENTRE
CANADA’S PREMIER MOTORCYCLE SHOW
Go Ride Ontario Stage
Get the scoop on the racing scene and meet the movers and shakers in the industry at the Go Ride Ontario Stage. Hosted by Frank Wood, noted magazine columnist and race announcer for the 2011 AMA Superbike Series and select Parts Canada Superbike Series events, the Celebrity Stage features non stop action all weekend long with a mix of interviews, racing personalities and presentations guaranteed to grab your interest.
With its giant screen and Frank's witty repartee with his guests as well as his complete knowledge of the Canadian racing scene, the Full Throttle Theatre and Lounge combines it all to create a surefire recipe to get you geared up for the 2012 riding season!
With its giant screen and Frank's witty repartee with his guests as well as his complete knowledge of the Canadian racing scene, the Full Throttle Theatre and Lounge combines it all to create a surefire recipe to get you geared up for the 2012 riding season!
Go Ride Ontario Stage Sponsored by:
Go Ride Ontario Stage: Guests and Hosts
Frank Wood
Go Ride Ontario Stage Host
There's a reason they call him Motormouth! The Full Throttle Celebrity Stage host, Frank Wood, is no stranger to motorcycling. A former pro Dirt Track racer, motorcycle shop retail worker and lifetime motorcycle fan, Frank's current occupation keeps him in the thick of the Canadian and American competitive motorcycle scene. This past season Frank traveled the 12 event AMA Superbike Series circuit as the official announcer as well as select Parts Canada Superbike Series.
In addition to his announcer duties and podium presentations, he writes race day blogs for cdnsuperbike.com, a monthly column for Inside Motorcycles, press releases on behalf of Deeley Harley-Davidson as well as feature stories and Dirt Track race reports.
Join Frank as he interviews some of Canada's leading motorcycle riders, racers and industry personalities. His insightful knowledge of the race scene, the people and the industry in general make for some very interesting and entertaining discussions!
In addition to his announcer duties and podium presentations, he writes race day blogs for cdnsuperbike.com, a monthly column for Inside Motorcycles, press releases on behalf of Deeley Harley-Davidson as well as feature stories and Dirt Track race reports.
Join Frank as he interviews some of Canada's leading motorcycle riders, racers and industry personalities. His insightful knowledge of the race scene, the people and the industry in general make for some very interesting and entertaining discussions!
Mike Jacobs
Discover Ontario's new motorcycle trip planning tool at www.GoTourOntario.ca.
Mike Jacobs, writer for Ontario Tourism's motorcycle blog (www.OntarioRides.ca), shows off this incredible new website where touring riders can check out motorcycles routes across the province. Why wait for winter to end before starting to plan your next big adventure?
For the past three years, Michael has tirelessly combed the highways, byways and back roads of Ontario searching for the ultimate ride. Last summer he spent 40 consecutive days on the road, riding his vintage Yamaha through the North. His travel blog, www.OntarioRoadTrip.ca, is a lighthearted take on those adventures
www.gorideontario.com/en/motorcycle
Mike Jacobs, writer for Ontario Tourism's motorcycle blog (www.OntarioRides.ca), shows off this incredible new website where touring riders can check out motorcycles routes across the province. Why wait for winter to end before starting to plan your next big adventure?
For the past three years, Michael has tirelessly combed the highways, byways and back roads of Ontario searching for the ultimate ride. Last summer he spent 40 consecutive days on the road, riding his vintage Yamaha through the North. His travel blog, www.OntarioRoadTrip.ca, is a lighthearted take on those adventures
www.gorideontario.com/en/motorcycle
Rene Cormier
Meet Rene Cormier- Canada's King of long distance riding!
Join the ultimate riding adventure as Canadian BMW Rider Rene Cormier shares how he politely removes himself from the working world and cashes in what few possessions he has to finance a $25 a day, three-year-long motorcycle trek around the world. Never one to let excessive planning get in the way of a good ride, Rene runs out of cash half way through the tour and ultimately takes almost five years to cover his 41-country, 154,000-kilometre (95,000 mile) odyssey through North, Central and South America, Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, Russia and Mongolia before heading home. The best pictures and stories from the trip made their way into "The University of Gravel Roads: Global Lessons from a Four-Year Motorcycle Adventure", a full colour, illustrated travelogue that won the Bronze Medal in the Travel Essay category of the 2010 Independent Publisher Book Awards. Join Rene as he explains how he pulls off the ride of a lifetime, doing it the old-fashioned way; no sponsors, no support vehicles, no riding partner and no idea about the experiences, adventures, or mishaps, he’s going to run into along the way.
John Gilbank
Meet John Gilbank and discover riding in Mexico!
Dreaming of a two-wheeled Mexican riding adventure? Then meet John Gilbank, one of those guys who is always on the lookout for an adventure into the unknown. Before he "retired" to Mexico to launch his motorcycle touring business, he was Chairman & CEO of a company traded on major Canadian and US stock exchanges.
What really got him interested in travel and international living was an early stint in the Canadian Foreign Service. As Consul and Trade Commissioner to the Western US, John was cross-posted to South America when he visited Mexico to learn a little Spanish. That was 30 years ago and as John now confesses, his Spanish lessons soon took second priority to a young nurse from Toronto. They have been together ever since. When the kids were raised and out of the nest (both of them are excellent motorcyclists), John and his wife Lynn returned to Mexico to live their dream. "Lynn has always been better at Spanish than me and she just loves to live in Mexico," he says. "It's really handy to have her there to help out as we tour all over the country, often far off the beaten path of the established tourist destinations."
Check out John’s session and discover why Mexico offers some of the most beautiful riding in the world.
What really got him interested in travel and international living was an early stint in the Canadian Foreign Service. As Consul and Trade Commissioner to the Western US, John was cross-posted to South America when he visited Mexico to learn a little Spanish. That was 30 years ago and as John now confesses, his Spanish lessons soon took second priority to a young nurse from Toronto. They have been together ever since. When the kids were raised and out of the nest (both of them are excellent motorcyclists), John and his wife Lynn returned to Mexico to live their dream. "Lynn has always been better at Spanish than me and she just loves to live in Mexico," he says. "It's really handy to have her there to help out as we tour all over the country, often far off the beaten path of the established tourist destinations."
Check out John’s session and discover why Mexico offers some of the most beautiful riding in the world.
Paddy Tyson
Patrick Trahan
Honda Dakar Rider
Meet Patrick Trahan and get set to Rally!
Sometimes riders do drastic things to pursue their dreams. For Patrick Trahan, with only 10 hours of riding experience, he placed himself on the starting grid of the Atlas Rally in Morroco, to become the first Canadian to ever participate in an African Rally Race. While he didn’t finish the race, he set his sights on and became obsessed with building a plan to ride the Dakar Rally.
With support from Honda Canada, he found himself on the starting line of the 2000 Paris-Dakar, becoming the first Canadian to participate in the famous rally on a motorcycle. However, still being relatively new and inexperienced to riding (let alone racing thousands of miles through the desert), he retired three days in when he dropped the bike hard at over 120km/hr. Ever determined, he tried again in 2001 with more riding experience. This time his Dakar was over when his engine died before the rest day. This year, 10 years later and his third Dakar start, Trahan became the sixth Canadian to ever finish this gruelling rally and the only Canadian to make the 2010 finish line in a race which saw a record seven Canadian competitors taking part.
Today the Trois-Rivières, Quebec, native lives in Montreal, works as an off-road motorcycle guide in Morocco, organizes adventure rides and runs the Junior Red Riders program for Honda … when he’s not planning a ride or seeking sponsorship to feed his rally addiction – which to date has included the Atlas, Dubai, Pharaohs and Dakar rallies as well as the Baja 1000.
Sometimes riders do drastic things to pursue their dreams. For Patrick Trahan, with only 10 hours of riding experience, he placed himself on the starting grid of the Atlas Rally in Morroco, to become the first Canadian to ever participate in an African Rally Race. While he didn’t finish the race, he set his sights on and became obsessed with building a plan to ride the Dakar Rally.
With support from Honda Canada, he found himself on the starting line of the 2000 Paris-Dakar, becoming the first Canadian to participate in the famous rally on a motorcycle. However, still being relatively new and inexperienced to riding (let alone racing thousands of miles through the desert), he retired three days in when he dropped the bike hard at over 120km/hr. Ever determined, he tried again in 2001 with more riding experience. This time his Dakar was over when his engine died before the rest day. This year, 10 years later and his third Dakar start, Trahan became the sixth Canadian to ever finish this gruelling rally and the only Canadian to make the 2010 finish line in a race which saw a record seven Canadian competitors taking part.
Today the Trois-Rivières, Quebec, native lives in Montreal, works as an off-road motorcycle guide in Morocco, organizes adventure rides and runs the Junior Red Riders program for Honda … when he’s not planning a ride or seeking sponsorship to feed his rally addiction – which to date has included the Atlas, Dubai, Pharaohs and Dakar rallies as well as the Baja 1000.
