Along the learning curve

  • Published
  • By Michael Wolcott
  • 377th Air Base Wing Ground Safety
Kirtland Air Force Base --  The military has worked with the Motorcycle Safety Foundation to develop the Military Sportbike Rider Course because sportbikes handle differently from cruisers or standard motorcycles and demand more skill from the rider.

The MSRC is a one-day course for experienced Sportbike riders. The course emphasizes personal risk management and self-assessment strategies. Riders also practice improving their cornering, braking and swerving.

Recently the 377th Air Base Wing Safety Office hosted a train-the-trainer course. Tim Jeror and Sarah Lahalih from Cape Fox Professional Services provided both classroom and range training to six instructor candidates over three days. The instructor candidates had to be current MSF RiderCoaches in good standing with their host base and the MSF.

All six candidates successfully completed the course and have been certified to teach the MSRC. The newly certified MSRC RiderCoaches are Master Sgt. Curtis Toler from Scot t Air Force Base; Master Sgt. William Battenberg from Mountain Home AFB; Tech Sgt. Josemaria Gonzalez, Michael Colom, James Dalleska and Dave Nuce from Kirtland AFB.

"It was excellent training and I have furthered my knowledge about sportbikes," said Dalleska, 377th Air Base Wing Exercises and Plans office. "I think I am well prepared to teach Airmen about proper sportbike riding."

As part of the training course, the instructor candidates had to teach a course to current sportbike riders on the last day of the training with oversight from the Cape Fox instructors. Five student riders from Kirtland AFB successfully completed the course and expressed an increased confidence in their riding skills at the end of the course. The students were 1st Lt. Daniel Trausi, Staff Sgt. Robert Ortiz, Aaron Anderson, William Aplin and Rico Cicero.

"The course was really good and the instructors were very approachable," said Aplin, 58th Training Squadron. "Since I have taken the course I have applied many of the lessons I learned. I highly encourage anyone who rides a sportbike to take this course."

The MSRC is added to the list of courses offered on Kirtland AFB. This will complement the Basic Rider Course and the Basic Rider Course 2 (formerly Experienced Rider Course).

Classes are primarily for active-duty Airmen, but are open to dependents, contractors and civilians who operate a motorcycle on base. There are no fees for students to attend and priority will go to active-duty riders.

Each class supports up to 12 students, with a minimum of three required to hold the training.

To sign up for a course, email the ground safety office at 377abw.seg@kirtland. af.mil or call 853-0794.