J
eremy Cook is a Bob’s BMW- sponsored S 1000 RR racer, S 1000 RR Ambassador, Marine Corps veteran, Boeing employee, dual master’s college student, Roger Lyle’s Motorcy- cle Xcitement track coach, Dead Presidents Racing team owner/manager, and
MotoAmerica Pro Superbike/Superstock road racer. I met Jeremy at a Dover Air Force Base motorcycle safety day, and he was very engaging in that we were able to share experiences of being in challenging situations. For the average BMW MOA member, the member with some military time, and our current members still serv- ing, he is a great example of perseverance. I sat down to talk with him about he’s done to overcome being young, dumb and full of enthusiasm. Jeremy started riding motorcycles in
1999 at his first duty station, and his bike at that time was a 1996 Suzuki Katana 600, with a very ‘90s teal color scheme set off by a yellow, red and blue lightning bolt graphic. “I was the only Marine at my station in
Arizona that had a motorcycle. I was lucky to escape with no nicknames because everyone wanted to ride it, and well, the ladies, well they loved it,” he said. The first BMW Jeremy rode was a 2009 K
1300 S, and he found it fit in well with his aggressive, on-the-ragged-edge riding style. “I didn’t get my knee down on the street,” he said. “I was just happy to be riding, to have that freedom—until it rained and I realized it was my only transportation, that wasn't much fun at all!” He said his time in the military affected
his motorcycle riding initially because the USMC forced him to take the MSF Basic Riders Course. “It also made me realize you do need a car sometimes. I felt invincible and had little regard for my own safety, but it [riding] gave me a calming outlet; just going on long rides and forgetting about the world is very peaceful,” he said. He continued, “I received very little
training, as the USMC was not really up-to- date at the time with how to connect with sport bike riders. It was all forced fun and mandatory meetings that were boring and provided very little actual usable
information. Everything sounded and felt outdated. Plus, it seemed like the meetings were very biased and crotch rockets were looked down upon. The classes were always these really old guys telling us how to ride, but they were just Average Joe instructors. I like what the Marine Corps did recently when they created the Semper Ride pro- gram, partnering with California Superbike School (CSS), Total Control Advanced Rid- ing Clinic, and other track days around the country. That was a smart program and talking to those instructors and Marines who did the program, they seemed to really get a lot of out of it. Having that much knowledge shared by a school like that with a successful reputation helps, and experi- enced coaches make even the most stub- born youthful rider want to listen. “This was before 9/11 and the emphasis
on Marines and motorcycle deaths. I went through MSF in 1999 and was licensed in 2000. The Marine Corps and really the mil- itary at large at the time only required that class.” Jeremy got into racing motorcycles when he realized his riding on the street often
"NOW WHEN I'M HAVING FUN RACING ON THE TRACK, I'M USUALLY YELLING IN MY HELMET "WAHOOOOOO!!!" WHEN I’M NOT HAVING SO MUCH FUN BECAUSE I MADE A MISTAKE, I’M USUALLY YELLING OTHER THINGS."
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BMW OWNERS NEWS March 2017
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