We learned a lesson that many have before us and that is, “the more you modify, the more you risk. Vicki has always said her least favorite thing in the world is to have a bike that didn’t work. Well, her highly modified CR 85 failed her at Loretta Lynn’s this year. Who knows what might have happened, but no one will deny she was a contender for the 2006 Girl’s Championship. Her final results were 34/8/2 for an 11th overall. Now we look forward to Vicki’s move to big bikes. See you in 2007.

The more times you’ve been to Loretta’s the easier it gets to prepare, right? This is Vicki’s 3rd year off to Tennessee and the answer is yes and no. By now, you’ve learned what you need and what you don’t. You also know what you forgot or didn’t think about in each of the previous trips. So the best answer is each trip gets more refined.
As usual, it’s three days before departure and we’re packing, getting the bikes ready; finalizing travel arrangements and training right up to the last possible moment.
Earlier today, Vicki did about 7 miles on her mountain bike as part of her daily ritual of diet and exercise. As I write this, Vicki is out in the hills practicing ruts, bumps and berms.
One thing I can say is schedule plenty of fun along the way and during the stay at Loretta’s. Personally, I think fun is the first to get tossed when plans get a little crowded or maybe never even gets included to begin with. So… while preparing for Loretta’s… pack a lot of fun to go with your racing. It may be what you remember most!
Pal Pete…

Bragging rights on this young lady keep growing. Vicki`s week at Mammoth was great. Her stats in the boys 85cc 12-13 class were 13/6 in her Tuesday qualifiers with a 27th in the main and 14/2 in her Wednesday qualifiers with a 29th in that main giving her a 27th overall out of 80 riders. Friday’s race in the Women’s Amateur race brought a surprise… Vicki ditched her mini at the last minute & borrowed a CRF250F from Lars Freistat (thank you Lars). Everyone reported seeing her more comfortable on it with every lap… She went 8/6 for a 7th overall.

2 Years in a row Vicki won the Southwest LL Regional Qualifier in the Girls class. This years’ victory came with a price. She also entered the Women’s 99cc-250cc, 12+ which is a Pro/Am class. In the 1st moto a 250F collided with her mini pinning Vicki’s foot between the bikes. The paramedic called it a compression sprain. This was her last chance at the LL Girl`s title, so Vicki buckled up and rode as hard as she could. Well as luck would have it, Vicki’s 1st place competitor’s bike faltered in moto 3 handing her 1st place and the overall. Now, it’s off to Mammoth. A big thanks to Jessie Casillas, the Freistat Family, Doug Rahders and the rest of Vicki’s sponsors…

Asterisk – Knee Braces
Excel-Pics – Photography, Publicist & Promotions
Factory Backing – Graphics
FMF – Pipes & Silencers
Fox Racing – Gear & Apparel
Hawg Racing – Bike Stands & Lifts
Maxima Racing Oils – Oils, Lubricants & Coolant
Moto Tassinari - VForce Reeds
Motoworld of El Cajon – Bike, Parts & Accessories
Resner’s Builder’s Hardware – Financial Support
Perris Raceway – Home Track & Primary Training Facility
Precision Concepts – Suspension
Precision Heating & Air Conditioning – Suspension
Pro-Taper – Handle Bars, Bar Mounts, Triple Clamps & Bar Grips
Ready Racing – Ready Air Filters
Spy Optical – Goggles, Lenses & Tear-Offs
Vey`s – Motor Modifications

Even though I started racing somewhere else, Perris is where I learned to race. My 1st race on a big track was in the 2000 Perris Holiday Series. I scored my 14th consecutive podium in the 65cc 9-11 class during the 2002 Perris Spring Shootout and now I’m looking forward to the 2006 Hot Summer Nights series. The fastest kids in So-Cal are at Perris Raceway and that’s what I need to get ready for Mammoth and Loretta Lynn’s.

This year’s trip to Lake Whitney was awesome. My dad wasn’t ready to travel so I got to go with The Freistat’s. They put their heart and soul into racing. I also have to mention my mechanic, Doug Rahders. He stayed up all night to get my bike ready. Thank you Doug!

We were still dialing in my new bike so I signed up for as many practices as I could. My 1st race was the 99cc-250cc Woman’s PRO/AM. My mini was no match on the start for the big bikes, but I could really fly through technical parts of the track. Even though I finished 18th, I felt like that was good considering these were the fastest women in the sport. My Girl’s 9-13 class came down to a race between me and Sara Price. We were turning laps time 10 seconds faster than the rest of the pack, but she edged me out at the checkers. My Women’s 12-15 class was a little tougher, but it came down to Sara and me battling for 3rd and again she beat me.

The racing was a lot more aggressive in the 2nd 99cc-250cc Woman’s PRO/AM race. I found myself on the losing end of some pushing and shoving in the turns but I finished 19th and that was good enough for an 18th overall. I was way too tight on my second Girl’s 9-13 Race. I blew the start and Sara was gone. I finished a comfortable 2nd for a 2nd overall, but I was so angry with myself. I was all psyched up for the win. The last race was my Women 12-15 class. I got a great start but my front wheel washed out on the down hill and crashed. I got up and rode as hard as I could and finished 4th again. Sara must have gone down behind me because she finished 8th.

Well as much fun as road trips are, it’s always good to be home. My next big race is the Loretta Lynn Area Qualifier at Competitive Edge on April 1st and 2nd. I’d like to come away with the win, but the most important thing is to qualify. Thanks again to all my sponsors… FOX, Motoworld of El Cajon, Resner Builder’s Hardware, Asterisk, Cahuilla Creek MX Park, Factory Backing, FMF, Maxima, Precision Concepts, Precision Heating & Air Conditioning, Pro Taper, Ready Racing, Spy, Vey`s, VForce, Excel-Pics, Doug Rahders, Craig Monty & the Freistat Family.

Hi everyone,
Starwest is mostly turns and jumps with no long straight-a-ways or any up and down hills so my CR 98 was a little more competitive. I pulled a 2nd place hole-shot in moto one and hung there until the last lap before Jackie Ives dropped me to 3rd. Moto two went even better. I grabbed the hole-shot and lead the 4-strokes for the first lap. Tatum Sik got by me pretty quick, but Jackie had to work until the last lap again leaving me with a 3/3 for 3rd overall.

My GSN Stats are: 5/5 for 5th in Round #1, 9/6 for 6th in Round #2, 6/6 for 5th in Round #4 and 3/3 for 3rd in today’s Round #5. I’m not sure where that leaves me for the series but before today I was running in 5th place.

The Freistats continue to be my adopted racing family. Travis is totally dominating the 250cc Intermediate and Four-Stroke Open classes and running really strong in 125 Intermediate and Schoolboy classes as well. Lars is leading the 125cc Beginner class and Brandon is hanging in there for his rookie season in the Intermediate classless. Next week it’s all the way up to I-5 MX Park in Gorman, CA for Round 5...

My Sponsors – FOX, Motoworld of El Cajon, Resner Builder’s Hardware, Asterisk, Cahuilla Creek MX Park, Factory Backing, FMF, Maxima, Precision Concepts, Pro Taper, Ready Racing, Spy, Vey`s, VForce, Excel-Pics, Doug Rahders & Craig Monty

Vicki

AV Motoples, Lancaster, CA Sunday Feb 5th 2006 – Round 3, CMC Golden State Nationals. AV Motoplex is an SX track with lots of fun, peaky jumps that throw you up high. I got a chance to practice both Fri and Sat for Sundays race. There’s no uphills or deep sand there so it was a little easier to compete against the big bikes on my CR98, but they still had the ability to go inside and make the jumps. I was racing again with my friends the Freistats. They hooked me up with my new graphics sponsor, Factory Backing. Jerrett got set up with some awesome pre-pre-printed backgrounds for my bike and my chest protectors. I felt really good in both motos. I got two descent starts and hung on to 4th for most of moto 1. Jackie Ives put a last minute pass on me dropping me to 5th. Moto two, the race pace was faster, but I hung on to 5th. 5/5 was good enough for 5th overall and should give me a solid 5th in the series as well. Next week is really going to be busy. I’m going to squeeze in some mid week practice in at Starwest, hit the San Diego SX at Qualcomm on Sat night and then back up to Starwest early Sun morning for Round 4 of the CMC Golden State Nationals.