Driven to Ride

Racing has always felt like home to Jenny Lewis. She grew up at flat-track events, watching her brother Johnny Lewis race and spending weekends surrounded by the close-knit community of the paddock. But when it came time to build her own life, Jenny initially chose a different direction.

After six years studying nutrition, dietetics, and exercise science, she began working with children with disabilities at an equine-assisted therapy facility. It was meaningful work, but after years of following the path she thought she was supposed to follow, Jenny found herself burned out and unsure of what came next.

An unexpected move to Florida eventually opened the door to Royal Enfield’s Build Train Race program—and Jenny discovered a role that seemed to draw from every part of her life.

Today, she manages BTR’s flat-track and road-racing programs, helping women build motorcycles, train with accomplished coaches, and compete with American Flat Track and MotoAmerica. Her job encompasses everything from parts, sponsors, travel, and logistics to nutrition, encouragement, and knowing when a rider needs advice—or simply a hug.

In this episode of Driven to Ride, Jenny shares the personal journey behind her career and explains why Build Train Race is about far more than finishing position.

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Few people have influenced American motorcycling from as many angles as Mark Blackwell. A pioneering racer, instructor, team manager, product-development specialist, executive, and industry advisor, Blackwell has spent more than five decades helping shape the sport and business of motorcycles.

Growing up in Southern California, Blackwell became fascinated by motocross just as the European sport was arriving in America. After watching four-time World Champion Torsten Hallman race at Saddleback Park, he knew exactly what he wanted to do. At 17, Blackwell traveled to Sweden to race, study the sport, and learn at the Husqvarna factory. He later became America’s first national motocross champion and one of the earliest Americans to compete in European Grands Prix.

An eye injury shortened Blackwell’s racing career, but opened several new chapters. He created a motocross school for Suzuki and personally trained approximately 2,500 riders before moving into race-team management, product development, and executive leadership. At Polaris, he helped transform Victory Motorcycles, improving the brand’s quality and launching models including the Vegas and Vision. He later advised KTM and helped relaunch Husqvarna in North America.

On this episode of “Driven to Ride,” host Mark Long talks with Blackwell about motocross history, overcoming setbacks, building successful teams, adapting to change, and why the people and the riding experience still keep him connected to motorcycles.

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For nearly seventy years, Brian Slark has rarely been far from a motorcycle—and his remarkable journey has placed him at the center of some unforgettable moments in motorcycling history.

Growing up in motorcycle-mad postwar London, Brian saved for his first bike, a BSA Bantam, and quickly discovered a love for competition. After earning British Expert status in motocross, he landed his dream job at Associated Motorcycles, working with AJS and Matchless machines as a road tester and member of the competition department.

A friendship with legendary racer and stuntman Bud Ekins eventually brought Brian to California, opening the door to desert racing and a career in the American motorcycle industry. Years later, Brian helped bring 114 motorcycles to life for The Art of the Motorcycle exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum—a landmark experience that helped inspire the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum and its world-class racetrack.

Brian also conceived the Barber Vintage Festival, helped acquire hundreds of historically important motorcycles, and was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame.

In this episode of Driven to Ride, Brian shares the stories, friendships, risks, and unexpected opportunities behind a lifetime spent doing what he loves.

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Dmitry Pavlovsky came to motorcycling later than some, but he wasted little time making up for it. Born in Eastern Europe and raised in the Chicago area, Pavlovsky was 35 when a friend suggested taking a Motorcycle Safety Foundation course as a relationship-building exercise. By the time the class arrived, the relationship had ended—but a new one with motorcycles was just beginning.

After learning on a Honda Rebel 250, Pavlovsky bought a 1977 Honda CB750 and started exploring the roads around Chicago. He eventually became an MSF rider coach himself, helping everyone from teenagers to returning riders develop the skills and confidence needed to ride safely.

Motorcycles also gave Pavlovsky a new creative direction. After more than 20 years as a graphic designer, he launched the Vector Burn YouTube channel, focusing on lesser-known gear brands and practical equipment for riders on a budget. Today, he serves as the Chicagoland marketing representative for Law Tigers, connecting with riders, dealerships, independent shops, and events throughout northern Illinois.

On this episode of “Driven to Ride,” host Mark Long talks with Pavlovsky about finding his identity on two wheels, teaching new riders, creating motorcycle content, protecting the riding community, and crossing the country through desert heat and Rocky Mountain snow.

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“Relationships are everything.” That philosophy has guided Rob Brooks through careers as an Atlanta-area rock-radio disc jockey, pastor, author, and motorcycle journalist. It also sits at the heart of RoadDirt.TV, the independent digital motorcycle publication he founded in 2019.

Brooks’ love of motorcycles began with his father, a dedicated Triumph rider who always seemed to have at least one bike—and enough spare parts to build another—in the garage. After riding minibikes as a child, Brooks stepped away from motorcycles for several years. The sight of a Honda V65 Magna rekindled his enthusiasm, eventually leading him back to riding and into motorcycle journalism.

His work has appeared in Motorcyclist, Cycle World, American Motorcyclist, and several regional publications. When print magazines began disappearing, Brooks brought together a group of experienced writers and photographers to create RoadDirt.TV, covering motorcycles, gear, racing, rallies, and what the team calls the “ride life.”

On this episode of “Driven to Ride,” host Mark Long talks with Brooks about building an independent publication, reviewing motorcycles by living with them rather than simply studying specifications, preserving the human side of motorcycle storytelling, and why the way a motorcycle makes you feel matters as much as anything printed on its spec sheet.

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For more than two decades, Motoblot has brought Chicago’s motorcycle community together in a way only Chicago could. What began in 2005 as Mods vs. Rockers—a small gathering of café racers and scooters outside Delilah’s—has evolved into a three-day celebration of motorcycles, hot rods, live music, art, film, and the people who make the city’s two-wheel culture special.

For this episode of “Driven to Ride,” host Mark Long heads to Chicago’s Bridgeport neighborhood to experience Motoblot 2026 and talk with the people behind the party. Founder Larry “Fletch” Fletcher and his daughter Tenley share the event’s history, its move to the South Side, and what it means to carry a family business—and a motorcycle community—into the next generation.

Mark also meets Morgan Michelle, the first woman invited to compete in MotoBlot’s Valhalla Custom Motorcycle Builders Challenge—and its first female winner. Her 33,000-tile disco chopper captured the six-foot Gungnir trophy and plenty of attention. Royal Enfield’s Jennifer Lewis also stops by to explain the company’s Build. Train. Race. program and why MotoBlot stands apart from other motorcycle events.

Part bike show, part concert, and part neighborhood block party, MotoBlot proves that it doesn’t matter what you ride. As Johnny Scheff  puts it, “No jerks apply. Everyone else is welcome.”

www.motoblot.com

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Cat MacLeod has spent much of his life bringing two passions together: motorcycles and travel. Raised on a horse ranch, McLeod began riding at age 11 under the guidance of AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Gunnar Lindstrom. He later earned an MBA and built a career in the motorcycle industry, holding marketing and brand-management roles with companies including Bel-Ray, BikeBandit, and LeoVince USA.

MacLeod’s experience in the travel business dates back to the 1990s, but a ride through Europe convinced him that conventional motorcycle tours were not always designed for experienced, performance-minded riders. That realization inspired Leod Escapes, which combines guided road tours with track time at internationally renowned racing circuits.

Over the past 14 years, Cat has ridden a dozen MotoGP circuits, including Mugello, Sachsenring, Phillip Island, Catalunya, Portimão, and Brno. His tours typically pair three days at the track with carefully selected roads, regional food, local culture, and practical rider training.

On this episode of “Driven to Ride,” host Mark Long talks with MacLeod about learning from an eventful first tour, building a worldwide network of instructors and suppliers, and creating unforgettable experiences for riders who want more than an ordinary motorcycle vacation.

https://www.leodescapes.com/

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Nick Ienatsch has spent most of his life riding and racing motorcycles. He’s an acknowledged expert in his field, having won club and national championships on everything from single-cylinder street bikes to exotic grand prix road racers. In the second of a two-part interview with “Driven to Ride” host Mark Long, the magazine editor turned instructor emphasizes continuing education.

Following a long run with the Freddie Spencer High Performance Riding School, Ienatsch co-founded the Yamaha Champions Riding School, which offers a multi-tiered approach to “building confidence and maximizing fun.” Options run the gamut, from online courses to hands-on instruction. As Ienatsch says, “There’s a path to doing this well forever.”

Ienatsch doesn’t pull punches when the discussion shifts to avoiding dangerous situations while piling up street miles. “I hate to preach,” he says, “but if you're riding with people who push, push, push, push everywhere they go—through traffic, lane-splitting—you will meet their family in the hospital, I promise you. So, be careful of that.” Sound advice, indeed.  

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In the early 1980s, Nick Ienatsch was studying English at the University of Utah and working part-time at a Salt Lake City motorcycle dealership. He wrote a letter to Art Friedman, the editor of Motorcyclist magazine, asking for a job. Friedman hired Ienatsch in 1984, launching a two-wheel adventure that has positively impacted the lives of hundreds of thousands of motorcyclists.

“All we did was think about motorcycles,” Ienatsch recalls of his early days in moto-journalism. “I lived with [fellow editors] Lance Holst and Jason Black; we started Sport Rider magazine. We lived together. We worked together. We raced together. Everything was motorcycling. All we wanted to do was ride motorcycles. There were a lot of crazy, funny times, but it was all bikes.”

Ienatsch eventually transitioned from writing road tests to rider instruction, first with the Freddie Spencer High Performance Riding School and, since 2008, the Yamaha Champions Riding School. His 2003 book, “Sport Riding Techniques,” remains a must-read. Over a 40-plus-year career, Ienatsch’s enthusiasm for motorcycling has never dimmed, burning brightly to this day.

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There are motorcycle-industry professionals who need an introduction and those who don’t. Scot Harden is in the latter category. From Baja to the boardroom, this hall-of-fame racer and business leader has been there and done that. He likely designed the proverbial T-shirt, too. To his credit, however, Harden is quick to praise those who guided him on his 50-plus-year two-wheel journey.

Harden got his start racing off-road, beating the best in the desert near his hometown of Las Vegas, Nevada. “Back then, Barstow to Vegas was the biggest race in the world,” he says. “It started just east of Barstow, California, and went all the way to Las Vegas—a 170-mile point-to-point hare and hound. In 1973, there were 3,000 entries. I got third overall, first 250cc Expert.”

Decades of top-level international competition helped Harden develop models and programs that quite literally transformed the sport. Those successes aside, Harden, who will soon celebrate his 70th birthday, isn’t resting on his many laurels. “Motorcycling can’t be taken for granted,” he cautions. “There are a lot of challenges, and we need to be more proactive.”

See what Scot is up to now at harden-offroad.com

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