Four Women From Four Different Backgrounds
Presented by Royal Enfield
BUILD. TRAIN. RACE. is a female-focused racing initiative from our friends at Royal Enfield. The program tasked four women from across the U.S. and Canada with building four custom flat track motorcycles which they would then train on and race. Each woman had three months to determine a design direction, secure partners and transform stock Royal Enfield INT650 from street bikes to race bikes.
The four women, while all motorcycle enthusiasts, come from diverse backgrounds. Despite their vastly perspectives, they are united by their passion for motorcycling. This project would not only test their abilities as creatives, but also their skills in building a motorcycle and race craft on the track. For some it was the first time they'd taken on a project of such magnitude and others could rely on their experience working on motorcycles with a tight deadline.
The first test would take place at the Mama Tried Show in Milwaukee in March. Then the women would compete in exhibition races at select American Flat Track events. However, fate and COVID-19 had other plans. The day of the unveiling Wisconsin went under a state of emergency and the races in Milwaukee were canceled. And as the cliché goes, the rest is history. The hope is that things will return to normalcy this fall, and the events will take place then. But only time will tell.
Andrea Lothrop
It may not be a common knowledge, but Toronto has a vibrant motorcycling community. An organization called Moto Social has led the charge in bringing together a divergent culture of two-wheeled enthusiasts in Canada and many other urban cities. On the west end of Toronto, you'll find Moto Revere, a DIY motorcycle shop run by Andrea Lothrop and her partner.
Moto Revere is fueled by Andrea's love of motorcycles and also her belief in empowerment. The shop gives riders a place to not only work on their motorcycles but also commune with like-minded enthusiasts. While the shop is open to anyone, Andrea specifically caters classes and instruction to female riders. Offering up a friendly environment for women to share their hobby without the oftentimes overwhelming machismo of motorcycling. Because of the above-mentioned reasons, and Andrea's approachable Canadian personality, she was a natural fit for the program. Not to mention her eclectic sense of style.
Andrea's build focused on maintaining the stock functionality of the INT 650 to develop an attainable build that shows what the motorcycle is capable of by handpicking the right parts. She drew inspiration from the 1968 Royal Enfield Interceptor and chose colors and styling clues from that era. It’s a combination of classic and modern as Andrew mixed the simplicity of CNC-cut parts with 3D printed bits. She aptly named her motorcycle "Dopesmoker."
Melissa Paris
Deadlines and intense pressure are nothing new to Melissa Paris. As a veteran road racer and team owner in the Moto America series, she has plenty on her plate. Between taking care of her family, training and managing a racing program, Melissa decided to try her hand at building her first flat track motorcycle ever for Royal Enfield. While she’s no stranger to turning wrenches on her race bikes, this would prove to be a completely different challenge.
In 2019, Melissa led group rides at multiple INT 650 launch events across the U.S. To say she’s familiar with the INT 650 platform is an understatement, as she logged hundreds of miles aboard the motorcycle in L.A., Miami and other cities. Her resume as a racer includes the Daytona 200, Moto America, World SuperSport and Spanish CEV endurance racing. Naturally, flat track is one of the ways Melissa trains for road racing, so the BUILD TRAIN RACE program was the perfect opportunity for her to take her racing expertise and apply it to the INT 650.
As a racer, suspension is critical to Melissa when it comes to setting up a bike. And she wanted to leverage as many of her road racing partners as possible in the build. With that in mind, she started out with top-quality components from Ohlins. The motorcycle was essentially built around custom gold Ohlins front forks and black Ohlins rear shocks. These parts set the tone for the build and just about everything else followed suit. The black and gold theme was carried visually throughout the rest of the motorcycle, from the wheels to the bodywork. And if there’s any doubt that Melissa likes to go fast, the motorcycle spent ample time being tuned on the dyno to dial in the power delivery.
Jillian Deschenes
Jillian Deschenes is a soft-spoken hospice nurse who resides just outside of Minneapolis. Her quiet demeanor can be misleading, as once Jillian straps on her helmet she’s a fierce racer and the number one plate holder for the AMA District 23 women’s flat track class. After an introduction with the crew at Royal Enfield, Jillian was asked to participate in a special test at S&S Cycle’s proving grounds last fall. The motorcycle being ridden was a flat track variant of the Royal Enfield Himalayan called the FT411. After seeing Jillian’s abilities, the team immediately recognized the talent before them.
When the BUILD TRAIN RACE program was in its planning stages, there was no doubt that Jillian was on the short list to be involved. Besides being a skilled racer, Jillian balances being mother to an eight-year old, a demanding career and her passion for motorcycling. Why not add building a flat track racer to the list? Jillian’s down-to-Earth personality and ability to throw a motorcycle sideways solidified her place among the rest of team.
Jillian worked diligently in her shop in between shifts at work, consulting with her father Jim Deschenes who machined custom parts for the motorcycle. And her fiancé and fellow racer Erik Moldenhauer lent a hand with the bike’s creation as well. With several inches of snow on the ground once the build neared completion, there was no opportunity for Jillian to properly shake down the motorcycle. So, she did what any good upper-Midwesterner would do. She took the INT 650 out to frozen lake, threw on a set of ice tires and off she went.
And Jillian did not disappoint. From front to back she transformed the appearance of the motorcycle. Her INT 650 stays true to her flat track roots, with its silhouette and bodywork reminiscent of a motorcycle you'll find on racetracks around the country. Using a combination of off-the-shelf parts and custom pieces, Jillian created a race-ready interpretation of a flat track racer. The bike has been featured in multiple custom motorcycle publications and showcased all over social media. Not bad for Jillian’s first build.
Lanakila MacNaughton
You’ll be hard-pressed to find anyone more in-touch with the women’s motorcycling community. Some would say Lanakila MacNaughton has helped turn “female motorcyclists” into “motorcyclists” through her creation of The Women’s Moto Exhibit. Her work documenting female motorcycling culture with her Hasselblad CM and development of female-focused events such as The Dream Roll has spurred a movement in the industry. Who better to participate in an all-women’s motorcycle build program?
Lana’s love for motorcycling began in her early-twenties and as a photographer, she was able to combine her two passions into a career. This led to her involvement with Royal Enfield as a brand ambassador. And when Lana was approached to participate in the BUILD TRAIN RACE program. She jumped at the opportunity. Among Lana’s fleet of motorcycles is a Royal Enfield Himalayan, so it was a natural fit for her to transition to the INT 650.
Lana’s inspiration was to build a timeless, clean and classic flat tracker. And she placed her focus immediately on the setting up the geometry and handling of the bike for flat track racing. After swapping out the forks and upgrading the controls to flat track spec, Lana turned her attention to the wheels and tires, installing 19-inch wheels front and back. The end result is a simple, yet effective racer that showcases the potential of the INT 650 as a builder platform.
While COVID-19 has postponed the racing portion of the program, Royal Enfield and the ladies remain optimistic that the Fall will allow them to opportunity to put their motorcycles to the test. Royal Enfield also plans to expand the program for 2021, but instead of flat track bikes, a group of four new women will tackle creating road racing motorcycles with the Continental GT650. Melissa Paris will serve as their mentor and will guide the women through the process of going from builder to racer.
While no one can predict the future, when things return to normal, there’s no doubt the ladies of the BUILD TRAIN RACE along with the rest of the motorcycling community will be ready to get back to racing.
