ladies

World War II Rider Beatrice Shilling, OBE

by Jason Marker from https://www.rideapart.com With a simple, thimble-shaped washer, this pioneering woman gearhead saved the lives of countless RAF pilots in WWII. During the Battle of Britain, the Royal Air Force discovered a glaring problem with its Rolls-Royce Merlin-powered fighters—the Hawker Hurricane and the Supermarine Spitfire. See, that generation of Merlin was fitted with dual-choke, updraft carburetors built by the S.U. Carburettor Company Limited. These worked just like your regular updraft carb and were great in level flight. Problem was, you see, that fighter planes don’t spend a lot of time in level flight. Any negative-G maneuvers, such as pitching the nose down sharply in a dive, would cause the carbs to flood and the engine to cut out. Not exactly what you want in your badass, high-po, Nazi-killing fighter. RAF pilots figured out pretty quickly that they could perform a quick half-roll before diving in an attempt to counteract the flooding, but this only worked so well. It also introduced a delay in the RAF boys’ maneuvers that provided ample opportunity for the fuel-injected Luftwaffe fighters—especially Willie Messerschmitt’s legendary BF109—to either blow up the RAF planes or run for it as the situation allowed. The RAF needed a solution to this problem, and fast. Enter one Beatrice Shilling. Humble Beginnings and Early Career Beatrice Shilling was born on March 8, 1909, in Hampshire, and raised in Surrey. Her parents were butcher Henry Shilling and his wife Annie (née Dulake). She was, by all accounts, a peculiar young girl for her time. She was obsessed with Meccano, a model-building system similar to an Erector Set, and even won a prize in a national Meccano-building contest. She spent her pocket money on tools, knives, and pots of glue, and, the fact that most concerns us here at RideApart, bought her

World War II Rider Beatrice Shilling, OBE Read More »

Babes in the Dirt Track Day Feb 5th

Track Day x February 5th @ Fox Raceway We are so excited to finally bring back our annual track day at our home track, Fox Raceway in Pala, CA. This event is for the entire fam and there is no event sign up or extra cost to attend other than the track fee you pay upon arrival if riding. But hey.. we got so many deets, let’s go ahead and dive into it Want more info on the track and camping options? Tap HERE Fox Raceway opens at 8AM and first ladies only moto starts at 9:00AM sharp on the vet track. At the top of the hour, ladies only (15+ up) will have 30 min motos on the vet track which will flow like this… Regulated Ladies Only Moto Times on Vet Track 9AM-9:30AM 10:00AM-10:30AM 11:00AM-11:30AM 12PM-12:30PM 1PM-1:30PM 2PM-2:30PM 3PM-3:30PM In between those times above, anyone can ride the track (including dads and dudes). Rider under 15 & true beginners who are learning the clutch and brake should stay on the kids track only. Track Fees Rider fee at gate $20 for 65cc and under & $30 for 85cc and bigger Spectators are free Fun Stuff Free Husqvarna demos on the 2023 models (can you smell the 2 stroke?!) for the ladies on a private husky only track (85, 125, 250s) AEO Powersports on site checking your sag and high fiving Free Husqvarna x Stacyc demos for all kids (bring your own gear + helmet etc.) in a private secure area Free USMCA coaching on site provided by Husqvarna for the ladies that are new to moto (perfect for ladies who have never ridden before or have had limited seat time) Free USMCA coaching for the kids on the closed Stacyc area Hospitality + snacks and coffee provided by

Babes in the Dirt Track Day Feb 5th Read More »

Scroll to Top