Motorcycle Rodeo gives Airmen crash course on safety

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman William A. O'Brien
  • 39th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey --  A motorcycle rodeo Incirlik Oct. 21 highlighted the importance of motorcycle safety. The rodeo offered riders across the base a chance to take a ride around the local area and ride on a safety course to practice various safety procedures.

"What we're doing is a motorcycle rodeo, starting off with a briefing and a video in the morning followed by a ride off base to get riders used to the local traffic off base," said Master Sgt. Thomas R. Eckert, a member of The Green Knights Military Motorcycle Club Chapter 44 of Incirlik, Turkey, a motorcycle club that helped coordinate the event.

The motorcycle rodeo began with a breakfast at the bowling center, which was followed by a poker run that sent riders on a course throughout the local area to get them accustomed to the terrain and conditions they will face on the roads while riding in Turkey.

The poker run was "an opportunity to ride to various locations picking up a new card at each spot," said Eckert. "At the end, you see who has the best hand and they win a prize. We used it in this case to show the riders some places they may not have seen before around the Adana Lake. It's a really good way to build friendships and boost morale.

"We specifically chose a route with a lot more curves on it because there's been a lot more accidents in recent years with motorcycles on curves and fatalities caused by people trying to take curves too fast and losing control," said Eckert.

Following the poker run, the participants assembled in The Exchange parking lot where safety information and lunch was served. After lunch, a safety course gave riders a chance to face several scenarios in a controlled environment.

Unlike the basic riders course, which every rider is required to complete before being allowed to operate a motorcycle, this course allowed riders to experience obstacles at road speeds under the supervision of experienced riders and 39th Air Base Wing Safety office representatives.

"We had a skills course out on the echo ramp and that entailed some different safety maneuvers you can do to avoid obstacles. It simulated crossing railroad tracks or riding on a bumpy road and a number of curves with people sitting there watching you and giving you pointers on how you can ride more safely," said Eckert.

"This course is amazing. It's awesome. I took the BRC a few days ago, and that's really small. So like they were saying earlier, you can only go like 15 miles per hour; but out here, we can go road speed and test it out a little bit better," said Staff Sgt. Lordell Wilson, 39th Security Forces Squadron military working dog handler, who participated in the rodeo.

Along with a chance to bolster their riding and safety skills, riders had a chance to get together and meet other people who share a similar interest from around the base.

"The event was fun. I had a blast, and I learned a lot of new safety tips," said Wilson. "This was a good opportunity to get to know other riders and a lot of these guys are really experienced and I could always learn something from them."