Dying of cancer, but I have a dream (18 tracks, 13 countries) - RIP, Jonathan Ko

jonko said:

. It was a busy weekend!

Click to expand...

Looked like a great time!:cool
Pm me your addy and I'll send them out to you pronto.
I ask that you contact Kevin714 via PM to see if he can accompany you; having the biggest MotoGp fan by your side at Indy will hopefully make for a memorable experience. :ride If he can't make it, just use the remaining tickets as you wish.

DANI!!!! You are the rock'nest!!!!:love

CotA!

So it happened. I was able to make it out to CotA this weekend for my trackday. I posted my story up on a Texas motorcycle forum and found someone willing to lend me their bike. I continue to be blown away by the generosity shown by perfect strangers. Frankly, that willingness to help is something I find lacking in my own life, and something I must strive to improve. Everything worked out very smoothly the entire weekend. The bike was great, the track was wonderful, and even the weather cooperated.

CotA is amazing. My first thought as I was driving in was "this is a proper @#$%ing track". The facility is top-notch, a real world class track. The pictures don't do it justice.

View of the paddocks. It was a large turnout with perhaps a bit higher end bikes due to the high price of this trackday. I saw a ton of ducatis and good number of bmws.

Pano of the front straight. CotA is a long (3.4 mile) technical track with a flowing esses section, long straights followed by tight hairpins. The turns were great for my little bike. I particularly liked turns 8-9. These are uphill corners with 8 being a late apex turn then a quick flop over to make 9.

An artistic shot capturing the calm and anticipation for big day.


This was the bike I borrowed for the day, a CBR 250 bored out to 300. The single doesn't rev as high as an inline fours, so it was a bit hard to keep it in the powerband. GP shift took some getting used to as well. Fun little bike, but it was no match for the big boys especially with the long back straight. Still it was in many ways very easy to ride and could outturn most bikes on the track.


Here I am exhausted but happy with Quan and his kid (a good kid, and fast!)


This entire trip to Austin has been filled with joy and wonder. Reconnecting with my friend, seeing the track for the first time, riding hard and well, and ending the day exhausted but satisfied. This is how I want to live with the time I have left. It is something I struggle with, but I am proud to say at least for right now, I am winning.

A blog of my journey can be found at here.

wow, how the heck did I miss this.... Inspiring thread!

Awesome... Live the :ride

:thumbup :thumbup

What's next, Jon?

I'm thinking about doing California Superbike School in July. They are coming up to Washington, and so it won't be so much of a stretch for me to make it. Plus s1000rr's!

I am planning to go to the Indianapolis MotoGP in August thanks to Dani's generosity. Still not sure who I am going with. I might might pay it forward and take someone from the young adult cancer support group I work with.

Who knows what come next. Maybe Australia over winter?

Anyways, all this is dependent on my health. I had a CT scan today. Awaiting results on thurs. ugh.

Jonko,

Continue to be awesome!

The dream tends to be the most important aspect of a desire/goal. Kinda like "it's the the journey not the destination" thingy.

Best wishes.

Mark

Jonko,

Such an amazing story, keep going !!!

Hi all,

I got a chance to attend Keith Code's California Superbike School yesterday at the Ridge in Shelton, WA. It was good experience and I learned a great deal. They run a very successful program with tons of experience, and it shows. The presentations were well polished. The instructors were competent and confident. The school format is straightforward. 20 minutes of classroom instruction followed by 20 minutes of track time and 20 minutes of track instructor debriefing (3 students per instructor). This cycle is repeated five times while concentrating on one basic element for each session. These drills really helped me improve my skills and confidence. Honestly, I knew the ideas beforehand, but to break it down to basic elements, and enforce the discipline to focus on one thing at a time really helped me.

I definitely felt like a better rider at the end of the day. My confidence and control improved, so that I could better judge how fast I could take a turn. I felt that I had more feeling over my bike and could tell much better when I upset it. The drills also helped my vision; I was able to look out further. This allowed me more time to acquire my focal points so that I would not be lost in a turn, hunting for my next target. Overall, I was able to push back from the fear that was slowing my mind and my bike down. This is probably the most important result.

I also learned that I have been hanging off the bike incorrectly all this time. The drawings below are exaggerated for effect, but I thought the idea was to get at least half a butt off the seat. In order for me to do this (I'm short), I have to put the back of my knee on the edge of the seat, and have my thigh on the back of the tank. Looking at the picture now, it is clear how crossed up it makes me. It also caused a ton of strain on my right quad as I was basically holding myself up with that muscle. Apparently, the right way is to put my knee into the side of the tank, and do my best with my butt. This definitely opens up my body and allows me to put my head down and out. It relieves alot of tension also, but I don't believe I can stick my knee out as far.


So I have been spending alot of time thinking about meaning and why I care about the things I do. Motorcycling is an important part of my life. I love the speed, but more importantly, I love feeling in control when no one in their right mind should. On a motorcycle turning at speed, leaned over ridiculously, with two palm-sized tire patches holding the bike up. I love using my mind, acting and reacting to split second stimuli. It is such a visceral thrill. I love challenging myself, becoming stronger and more complete. Ideally, on the track, I am alone with myself, fighting my mind and my body in order to improve. This school has given me these things in great big doses, and so for me, it was worth every penny.

jonko said:

Apparently, the right way is to put my knee into the side of the tank, and do my best with my butt. This definitely opens up my body and allows me to put my head down and out. It relieves alot of tension also, but I don't believe I can stick my knee out as far.

Click to expand...

Jonko, glad you had a good time at the school.

Your diagram above does a nice job of showing how the position in the picture on the right achieves a good mechanical lock onto the tank, rather than merely relying on the friction of leather on paint as in the left hand picture. This is key to making it possible to relax your arms on the bike while hanging off so the front suspension can do its job and so you don't get as tired.

Indy!

Hi all,

I just got back from the MotoGP at Indy. It was a great time, and I wanted a chance to share my pictures. But first, I would like to thank Dani(horsepower) for her generosity in giving me paddock passes for the race. Thank you!

The city definitely celebrates it racing heritage. The speedway is one of the few things an outsider like me knows about the city. I arrived at the airport to this:


I got a chance to check out the "Motorcycles on Meridian" event. I guess it's their version of Santana Row, but a bit louder. It was fun just to take in the scene and hang out.



This was kinda freaky.




Here is a bike with three tvs. Three. Tvs.


Fun with motion blur.


I woke up early the next day to pick up my passes. I'm not sure why I did that, but I was worried about crowds. It didn't make any sense because the MotoGP is a tiny event compared to real deal Indy 500. Anyways, I then met up with a friend of a friend and checked out some qualifying action.



I'm not usually much of a fanboy, but when in rome, or in this case, when given free paddock passes...

Espagaro


Camier


Edwards. Sad to see him go. Sad for the lack of homegrown talent.


Had the evening to myself and ended up at the White River State Park. Actually quite pretty, and peaceful.


Should have brought a real camera though.


It was nice to take a step back and recenter. It's too easy to lose sight of what matters, and to be caught up in the day to day. The change in scenery helps to break me away from my habits and patterns and perhaps see things from a different perspective. I thought alot about life and death and meaning and gratitude. In many ways, I have lived a charmed life and for that I am grateful. Family, friends, a great company to work for. I have been given this opportunity to pursue my dreams. I am healthy enough right now to play and enjoy my life. So I have this disease which will likely kill me. But the truth is, we are all dying, perhaps some faster than others. I'd like to find a way forward. To try to live more completely and authentically.

The race itself was exciting. Well, at least the first 5 laps. Didn't get too many pictures of the race itself. But post-race, I did the fanboy thing again.

Monster energy did a good job:


Here's Crutchlow and his wife. Ducati has eaten up another rider. I wish him luck with LCR Honda.


Dovi

And my attempted selfie with him


Pedrosa


This is a close as I got to Rossi. Insane.


Marquez out-waited me, but here's the crowd.


Checked out the moto museum the next day.


Seeing the evolution of these racing machines was cool. The engineering geek in me got a kick from it. Then I thought about the drivers and riders that put their lives into the sport and those who loss their lives to the sport. Passion, drive, meaning are all intertwined here. It made this place sacred for me.

That was pretty much my trip. Hoping to make it to Philip Island in December, but it depends on my health. Things seem ok right now, but things can also change pretty quickly. I am hopeful.

:teeth :thumbup Thanks for sharing Jonko!

Indy is pretty fun. Glad you enjoyed it.

Jonko, under your circumstances most people would just lay down and wait to die, but you have chosen to live your life. You embody the concept of the Human Spirit that is so admired when it comes through. This thread is a demonstration of the Human Spirit!

Keep following your dreams! :thumbup

Nice!

you have chosen to live your life and I admire that!
I do wish that you accomplish your goal!
I'll be keeping up with this thread!!
Mad Respect!

The Indy museum is awesome. That place has figured out how to give the fans the most bang for their buck. Everyone should check out the 500 mile race at some point also, if only just once

really glad I found this thread, I inspiring to say the least.

Jonko, your inspiring.