The journey, so many great conversations and more...
First of all, thank you! The journey to 200 has been paved with many many great conversations and not only that amazing experiences shared and experienced. When this started back in 2018 I did not know that it would turn into a podcast 2 years later and would be where it is today that would be tuned in to by the world abroad.
Speaking of which, here is the first episode ever!
The common denominator has been the motorcycle community and particularly those looking to get into rally. The mission continues! See below for the list of some of the greatest hit episodes if you’ve not already tuned into them. And from the bottom of my heart, thank you!!
Some of the greatest hits below!
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RACING IS WHAT WE DO, IT IS LIVING FOR US When Giovanni Spinali arrived at the hospital in November of ‘22, it appeared that his racing days were over. Lucky to be alive, Giovanni had broken eighteen bones, was in the hospital for over five weeks and required three surgeries after that year’s clash with the esteemed 1000, resulting in a DNF. This time it was rugged Baja that had “won the race.” Like many Baja racers, Giovanni began his two wheeled dance with the desert as a youngster, going on to race approximately 40-50 SCORE races, with 5 Championship wins. The hospital stay was where I “got to know” Giovanni, along with his dedicated sweetheart Petro. When the very slow recovery progress began, it was apparent that Giovanni has the Baja racer spirit, this was NOT going to keep him down. In fact, the injuries weren’t even going to hold him in the hospital - he broke himself out on Christmas Eve. Barely able to move yet determined to be home for Christmas, Giovanni held this mantra : WHAT WOULD EVIL KNIEVEL DO? (There may or may not be a picture floating around, Gio in a completely appropriate driving … gown!) Giovanni told me recently that he would not take back the experience, and that he had set a new goal upon leaving the hospital- to return and finish what he had started, one more final Baja 1000. And he did. Along with his teammates the following year, he won the championship.  A team concept that began in 2012, HERO Racing has now emerged with a new twist of the throttle as Giovanni has stepped away from racing himself. Helping Everyone Reach Out Team has a charitable aspect to their racing. Funds and donations of food, clothing and other items are collected with every race that HERO Racing enters, and it is now composed of upcoming talented riders. With a goal of enabling young riders to succeed, HERO is already an exciting team to watch with Arturo Salas and Carter Klein winning the recent San Felipe 250.  A true part of off-road racing is rallying around the injured in the race community, and Giovanni furthers his influence to “give back” this coming weekend, April 20, bringing the Clayton Roberts Benefit Ride to the community. A raffle with race swag, impressive winner jerseys and all things moto related is going on, with absentee options, and all proceeds from the ride will go towards furthering Clayton’s present challenge, recovering from a devastating crash in a recent race. The event, along with Clayton's movement toward a new, healthy life, can be followed in the links that are posted both on chasingwaypoints.com and also on Giovanni’s social media sites. When I expressed to Giovanni my personal experience with and connection to people and groups giving aid and support in different ways, his words were these: No better feeling helping others, not even winning, but that is a close second!!! <insert laughter emojis> Even with HERO’s two young racers, Arturo and Carter, the excitement of contributing to the wellness and betterment of folks in need is evident. I dare say that Giovanni Spinali is giving to more than just the recipients of his benevolence efforts. These young racers are learning early the joy of expanding their “wins” in ways that do not result in medals or trophies, but will be lasting and rewarding in even deeper ways. Good luck HERO Racing, Giovanni, Arturo and Carter, we are cheering you along with all your race undertakings, in all of the ways!!!  -L. Saarela
It's all about balance, or so they say...
Time and again we here that balance is on of the key fundamentals to life and well pretty much everything. But, when it comes to riding a moto, it happens to be one of the more important fundamentals. Hell Jimmy Lewis corrected me on the podcast episode we did with him.
Listen here:
Anyway so I have been on the hunt to learn basics of riding and things that will help with my confidence. I started to notice after watching countless videos on athlete training in motorsports that the Balance Board was a common theme. So... I figured I should work on this. No sooner than I started looking them up the Algorithm started pitching in and suggesting different ones, and I bit...
First at bat...
I went with the RevBalance as according to Instagram it should be the one I should be interested in.
But, I quickly realized 1 thing... I WAS NOT READY! While my Asthetic OCD was satisfied the love for my ankles and well being took priority. It is slippery, in other words slight movements and you are already at the safety stops... which Im grateful for. 
The Home Run...
Once I was able to determine my ability I went searching for a replacement and stored the RevBalance. What I found was something very similar but with no moving parts. Enter the StrongTek Wooden Balance Board.
With no moving parts and a more tame motion this one was more my speed. I have been using it for over a year not and no signs of wear. Some of my coworkers ended up getting them as well. It required me to balance both heal / toe and left / right. Here is the scary part, with out much effort at all, just standing. I noticed a difference even just balancing in general while performing garage moto repair yoga. Price wise it was MUCH less than the RevBalance, which I will eventually graduate to. But for now... Im a believer of this one.
By the way... 
Written while standing on it...
First time to see the Pacific Ocean, and first to see the Atlantic. First time to ride a rally bike in Texas, then in Mexico. First time to sleep in an airport, first time to fly alone. First time to fly in Mexico, first time to fly at all. First time to BE in Mexico, first time to be outside of the USA. I’m missing other firsts, but none of this means that Justin Jumet didn’t handle all of these things like he’d been traveling and riding since he was three. Constantly eager and aware, quick-thinking and confident, Justin delighted everyone who caught wind of what this quiet, easygoing, quick-to-smile Kansas kid was doing.
Born and raised in Colony, Kansas, Justin is a 24 year old diesel mechanic, with experience in his field that began when he was a youngster. (Wait…he IS a youngster…) Justin took his first paying job as a mechanic at 17, as an apprentice for a transmission specialist while also side gigging in the NAPA parts house. Justin now does service calls and works on “pretty much everything” but specializes in diesel engines, an A-rated mechanic. As far as motorcycles go, he began riding dirt bikes as a boy and then racing off road: hare and hound, hare scrambles and other enduro races, mostly in local race circuits. He gained his experience racing and riding with buddies. On Wednesday, February 15, Justin picked me up at the Kansas City airport; we were joining the Off Piste Adventure team headed to Coast2Coast Rally, beginning in Veracruz and ending in Puerto Escondido , Oaxaca. As we headed to team manager Matt Ransom’s home and garage in Manhattan, Justin filled me in. His one and only rally bike ride was three days prior, which of course meant his first road book as well. He received his passport just two days prior. Off Piste had contacted him in January offering a sponsorship to the upcoming C2C rally, and Justin, with an easy, midwestern drawl, shrugged, cocked his head and said “So I said, ‘why not?’ “ He was grateful, he told me, to be part of an organization that, in order to get young riders into rally raid, are willing to put their money where their mouth is. And did they ever, but that is another story. After several attempts to get through the import chechpoint in Mexican territory with a large truck/trailer rig and four motorcycles, Justin rode the one problematic bike (wrong papers, basically) back across the border to US soil. C2C event director Patrick Reyes had begun working with us to get the bike across, and had a contact at a border crossing 60 miles east of the Laredo border crossing, but he was redirected back to Laredo with no luck. Justin’s instructions were to get a hotel for the night and then find a secure storage space to leave the bike, crossing the border on foot the next morning and then making his way to the airport in Nuevo Laredo, flying from there to meet us in Veracruz. Meanwhile, things were getting dicey for Matt and myself, having finally gotten across the border ourselves. With Patrick staying in close contact with us via cell and RallyComp tracking, we learned that we were not in safe zones nor within safe travel times, as it is not safe to travel after dark. Though we were pressed for time as we had the RallyComp equipment for the whole event starting less than 36 hours later, military and even locals were urging us to stop until daylight the next morning. As we sent prayers back Justin’s way for safety and presence of mind, we turned south as quickly as possible. When we got enough cell signal to check on Justin, we couldn’t help but laugh. “Yeah, no problem!” he yelled into the phone, excitedly. “I’m having the time of my life: they had a full-on parade in Laredo - THESE PEOPLE LOVE GEORGE WASHINGTON ! - and you’ll never guess where the bike is!” He was right, and suffice it to say there was governmental security involved. At this point Matt and I realized that we needn’t be overly concerned about our rally teammate newbie, and of course, he made a Spanish speaking friend who helped him with airport security and directions, he found a couple fellow C2C racers and caught a ride with them to the Coast2Coast hotel that was hosting registration and start line bivouac. After all of this it should have been no surprise that on the very first stage of the race when Justin realized his tracker wasn’t working, he calmly headed back to the start line to have the officials fix the problem - across the river, back by the dunes and back down the beach. By the third day Justin took his first stage win and followed with another the next day. Though his final placement was not on the podium, all eyes are now on the Kansas kid, who, I might add, resembles a kind of popular rally kid out of Auga Dulce, California. As is characteristic of rally raid, there’s plenty more to the story, and get ready, rally community, there’s a new kid in the bivouac, and the wheels are turning <bad pun> to get Justin to the next event, and the next and the next. Thank you, Kansas Kid, for taking me along for the ride, for the impromptu mini-classes on torque vs horsepower and the strategy behind changing sprockets and all the other stuff you patiently explained! Word is that I will see you again by the end of this week, and you’ll probably be doing something new!  Ok so I know it is a basic thing and all about having shade and I have tried a few different brands of pop up shades but with the test of time seems like they would always become frail. Enter the Eurmax brand of canopies. This started back in the RC Racing days, setup an shade early in the morning and bake in the sun all day so after a few shades bit the dust I took a chance on their heavier duty line with the Hexagon legs. Black of course as I figure the shade was better that way. Well 4 solid years and when I sold off my stuff, the material still had not faded after multiple washes and tones of track dust, I was thoroughly surprised and for the build quality vs price they have the other guys beat!
Now with the Chasing Waypoints Podcast and Rides and Events coming it was time to go shopping again. This time I did not want to go with Black but found a Tan or Khaki or Coyote... whatever color you want to call it. At first I noticed that frame was a bit stiff to open but after being setup for the day it tore down easily. The back has just the right amount of room and fits nicely in the back of My Tiguan either front to back or side to side with the seats folded down... WINNING. Although not as robust as the OG one that I had this one is still tougher than the typical store bought versions. In the end I would recommend this to someone looking for the pop up tent! Pricing is really good too! By the way, yes it comes with Back Pack Straps, no I would not carry it that way! Well ok, we have these rad bikes... NOW WHAT? Route planning can be one of the funnest things if you enjoy that sort of thing, but there are some things to cover that will make things easier.It should come as no surprise that the OG in adventure bikes had drawn the attention of all manufactures in the space and some very stiff competition has risen from the Austrian fellows.
The Verdict, the cliff notes, the cheat sheet? You guessed it, They actually are 2 different machines. But you will have to listen to the episode in order to hear all the details.
I have spent time on both bikes and although they occupy they are in the Mid Weight Adventure Class, they bring two distinct rides and abilities to the table. If you are considering one or the other I recommend you take a listen and of course you can Always join The Bivouac and ask questions on the show thread for this episode! 
At 19 years of age, enter Mason Klein into the world of Rally Raids. Currently holding the title of youngest ever Dakar Rally motorcycle competitor Mason is feverishly training to continue the streak of youngest ever achievements in Saudi Arabia this coming January 2022.
The Sonora Rally Experience
This time around we are talking to rally raid young gun Mason Klein. Fresh off the bike from the 2021 Sonora Rally and now setting his sights on more training for the 2022 Dakar Rally. *Note, no unlawful activities or intentional trespassing occurred during the events mentioned in this podcast. Want to help Mason on his journey to Dakar? Chris and the guys over at Motominded have stepped up and will be donating $150 from the sale of each Rally Moto Kit, link below!
MotoMinded Rally Moto Kit V3 Follow Mason on Social Media: Instagram: @KorrOffRoad and @mason_klein1 Preparation Continues
This time around it is a Chasing Waypoints Podcast first, three guests! What are we talking about? Well tune in! Rally events are alive and well for the rest of the year so tune in to find out more about the Mason Kleins Dakar effort including his upcoming travels to Spain and Morocco. Also, both Dan Bart and Happy Dave have put together some awesome events to help Mason and also get people into the sport! Tune in.... and here are the links you need to know about!
Socal Roadbook Rally Mason's Dakar Fundraiser MORE TO COME!WELL we made it this far so now it's time to get some Roadbooks going but, first things first, how do you read them or make them? 
Most of you probably don't even know this but at some point in your life, you have navigated by roadbook already. In this day and age that roadbook we use to read has been replaced by Siri or Alexa or whatever exotic dancers name your phone goes by. In the old days you use to have to print out a directions page that told you what street names to turn on and more or less the distances from one to the next. Unfortunately, there is a lack of street names in the middle of nowhere which makes it difficult to just jot down a few names and whether you're going left and right. If it was that easy they would hand you 6,000 km worth of notes on January 2nd and a participation trophy which would effectively take all the fun and challenge of completing the Dakar. So enough rambling we are gathered here today to start figuring out how to read and create roadbooks. at this point, you have the bike you have the navigation equipment and now you need one of those roll chart thingies to tell you where to go. in the previous episode of the chasing waypoints podcast we took some time and spoke with Matthew Glade of Rally Moto Shop and in that episode he mentioned that he had some resources that he would share with newcomers to the world of cross country rally or rally raid. So let’s see that first… This first link is a great write up featured in The Red Bulletin a piece written by Werner Jessner called How to Decode a Dakar Rally Roadbook sheds some light first off on the game changing decision that Matthias Walkner made at the 2018 Dakar Rally, one that would net him 50 minutes and the top step on the podium. “If you want to survive the iconic Dakar Rally, the infamous roadbook is your best friend. Here's how to decipher this mystifying manual – just be thankful you don’t have to figure it out at 140kph.” - Werner Jessner Okay what did I just watch? This video has been making the rounds amongst Rally Raids for a little while, it happens to be probably one of the best illustrations or onboard videos of showing actual navigation in practice. You can see how the notes line up with the terrain and the kilometers that are displaying on-screen. In some instances, you see where the numbers flash red indicating that a correction was made via the switch on the handlebars. Also towards the end of the video you can see where there is a note that was difficult for the rider Michele Cotti to decipher, he retraces his steps, sets back the odometer and tries again this time getting it right while other people are still trying to figure it out. Check out more on his youtube channel here: Michele Cotti aka Skuomno Want to get your hands on some Dakar roadbooks? Check out this video that Matthew Glade of Rally Moto Shop recommended. Manuel Lucchese shows exactly how to get a Dakar roadbook in this video from his youtube channel. Here you can see what the participants of the Dakar actually have to deal with and best part is, there is a way to see what the note reads if you get stuck. This I would use as sort of a flash card setup where you read the note and then compare it to what the creator actually is trying to tell you. What's in the boxes? Here is a simple note from a roadbook I have been building in Tulip nothing fancy at all but the structure is pretty much the same. Reading it left to right, the first box shows 2.44 which is the total KM traveled from the start of the stage. The small box with in that says 0,92 that is the distance since the last note (Note 3) . Now the box in the middle we read from the bottom to the top. In this case we are crossing an intersection with fences or gates on both sides (note, this roadbook is for a road in California where locked gates are plentiful). Something to take note, the dotted lines mean its a trail in this case or faint. The lines used can be different and mean something depending on thickness or number of lines. Last but not least is the box on the right, this will usually contain written notes like in this one, TDSPP which means follow main path or stay on main path. This box can and will contain timing controls or waypoint designations , also notes that clarify or add to the Tulip in the middle box. In this case warning to watch for cross traffic. These are just basics and are fluid, different people write roadbooks differently but there are standards and they do change. recently the powers that be decided to go from French to English when it comes to the abbreviations that you see. Ok so how are Roadbooks made? Well you see it starts when one friend tells that other that I have an idea for a route. Actually not really, truth is you have either done or want to explore an area and want to have some directions laid out so you or your riding buddies can go out and hit it. There are a few reasons you may decide to make roadbooks but if for nothing else it is for the challenge of creating a route and then going to ride it with friends. There are two main option at the moment the first is of course Rally Navigator and the other is the new comer Tulip. Each of these programs have their merit, Rally Navigator is robust in its features and multiple formats and offers apps that allow roadbook creation on the fly. Tulip on the other hand offers a minimal experience with all the right tools to get going on making a roadbook. One big up at this time is that Tulip lives on your desktop and only requires internet to fetch the map. Word on the street is that Rally Navigator is getting an upgrade we are not sure if this will include a desktop version. As soon as that comes to light we will jump on a basics video for that one. Lets take a look at Tulip (Download Here) which lives on the Highway Dirtbikes Website. They have a manual available on their website and I threw this video together to show how to build a note. Okay now what to we do? Well, the next step is to start making roadbooks. As mentioned in the video if you already have GPX file from a ride you have done it is as simple as importing it and starting to add notes. Here is what I propose, pic a friend or friends and take turns making a roadbooks. Short basic routes and then building on them and adding more detail. Start with major turns and features and then start adding more. Carry a marker or pen and be ready to make some notes and add some changes. In the end it's about having fun and challenging yourself and others.
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