by Becki Wheeler
July 27, 2008 - So, I know it’s been a while since I wrote in about my quad racing….between moving from TN to NY, work, practice riding and actual racing, I’ve been super busy this summer…

All excuses aside, I’ve had a pretty good season so far (knock on wood for me now!!). Round 8 of the 14 race series just passed and I’m currently sitting 2^nd in points. Not bad for my first year right??

To catch everyone up on me, I’m currently in my second year of riding, I started racing about 4 months after starting to ride. Way to dive right on in huh? Anywho, all last summer/winter I focused on racing the motocross/super cross tracks …I liked them better. People were able to see me, I was able to practice before the race, and I really liked the whole flying through the air off the jumps thing. That was in Tennessee.

Now we’ve moved to NY and my husband is an avid hare scramble racer. A hare scramble race, for those of you who don’t know, consists of usually a 6-12 mile course going through woods, field tracks, creeks, up hills, off camber sections and rock gardens. The racer does as many laps as they can in a certain amount of time. For the series I race, WNYOA Harescrambles, our length is an 1 ½ hours unless it’s a national event or GNCC.

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Filed under: Off-Road Racing by Becki Wheeler
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<<Hey everyone…sorry this has taken so long to post, I’ve been waiting on my video to get here, but decided to post it without it>>

This weekend was the last indoor series race of the season. I’ve raced three races so far and placed 3^rd, 2^nd, and 4^th. I came into this weekend dying for my first win. It’s pretty hard going from winning every outdoor supercross race to not winning a single indoor supercross race.

The night started out well. Practice was good and as usual, I excelled in my heat race, taking 1^st. Then came that dreaded main event, 6 laps of pure chaos in the Women’s Quad class. One of our regular riders broke her wrist last week in a wreck but was still racing this weekend to keep her point standing.  The other two girls in the class are fairly new to the sport, but are just as hungry as I am to win. Sometimes, that gets us into trouble.

Sitting at the gate watching the card, I let off my brake and noticed I started to roll forward, so….instead of taking the chance of jumping the gate and getting caught in it, I decided to wait until I knew the gate was completely dropped, then take off. That right there began the Pretty Tough ride. I was last into the holeshot, again. I thought to myself, “Why does this feel so familiar?”….maybe that’s because that’s exactly how last weekend began.

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Filed under: Motocross, Motorsports, Off-Road Racing by Becki Wheeler
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Wanna look trendy on your motorcycle (or off)? This metallic leather motorcycle jacket by Dolce & Gabbana  lets you live the biker style even in the off season. Sometimes your regular gear is just too cumbersome but now D & G  helps you keep your image in check.

Made from 100% metallic lambskin and lined in 100% viscose. Contoured seams throughout and standing collar with extended tab make it absolutely fab—a must have for your motorcycle style wardrobe.

Additional features:

• Banded cuffs with zipper and two snap closures.
• Zip front with snap closure at the bottom.
• Slanted zipped pocket on chest.
• Zipped side pockets.
• Rear cummerbund detail with buckled bands on sides.
• Fully lined.
• Made in Italy–of course.

Please note: Due to European sizing, we recommend you order one size up. Where to buy? At any authorized D & G boutique — just plan on spending about $1500 (retail price).

Filed under: Fashion, Motocross, Motorcycle, Off-Road Racing by jane
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So, now that I have two indoor races under my belt, I’m seeing some major differences between the two types of tracks/races. I faired pretty well during the 2007 outdoor Supercross series I participated in (800MX.net), but I’m finding that adjusting to indoors is harder than I had expected.

Outdoors racing is spread out more….which gives you the ability to get more speed before catching air of a jump. Indoors doesn’t really give you that luxury. You must know how to “feather your clutch” (keeping your RPM’s up while getting in and out of a corner)….leaning into the corner never became more important, and overall strength and stamina is a must have in indoor series racing.

Because an outdoors track allows you to gain more speed before jumps, you usually can catch more air time, which in itself, is an amazing feeling! For those few moments your in the air, you get a feeling of liberation, freedom, of flying. Although there are jumps in the indoor series races, most are not able to give you the extended effect that outdoors gives.

Of course, when comparing indoor and outdoors racing, you must look at the different types of tracks, the size of the venues, etc. Not all indoor and outdoor tracks are as large and laid out like those of the AMA Motocross, Supercross, and Arenacross series. Plus, every rider’s experience and ability is different. Those who do not do particularly well on an outdoors track may do extremely well on indoors.

I know in my case, I cannot wait to get back on the outdoors tracks. I miss the sun on my face, the smell of fresh air,  and being able to just go faster for a longer period of time.

Indoor vs. Outdoor

Filed under: Action, Events, Motocross, Motorcycle, Motorsports, Off-Road Racing by Becki Wheeler
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 Look for the series 2007 Women’s Champion, Traci Cecco, at the following events, overcoming the odds, to defend her title in 2008.

For more information on the 2008 Can-Am GNCC Racing series, log on to: www.gnccracing.com .

Filed under: Action, Motorcycle, Motorsports, Off-Road Racing by Becki Wheeler
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Sport: ATV Harescrambles
Age: 24
Home: Cayuta, NY
Ride: Honda 400ex
Fave Band: Sugarland
Fave Athletes: Traci Cecco, Angela Butler
Fave Sports Drink: Motortabs, Fluid
Fave Workout Music: Usually something rockin’
Hobbies & Interests: Softball, family, friends and having a good time.
Best Moment: TIE: Winning the 800sx series, my first harescramble holeshot.
Dream Job: Being a factory Honda rider in the GNCC series.

Filed under: Motocross, Off-Road Racing, Pretty Tough Team by admin
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You’ve come to the right place! The following websites are awesome for any girls riding atvs or dirtbikes to look at for support, help, or just some general info:

http://www.mudgaloreatvclub.com/

http://www.dirtygirls.com/

http://www.playhardgetdirty.com/

http://www.womensmotocrossassociation.com/index.html

http://www.girlyz.com/

…you can also email me at wheeler0801@aol.com if you need some extra help or an actual person to talk to! :)     

Filed under: 101-Basics, General, Motocross, Motorcycle, Motorsports, Off-Road Racing by Becki Wheeler
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Washington, UT: 12/5/07- WORCS Racing announced today that they will add a Women Pro class starting Round #1 in Phoenix, AZ. They will run on Saturday at 3:00pm along with the Open A&B, 125 A&B & VET A classes.“This is a huge step for us in the off-road racing venue. The Women coming out of the Amateurs these days are so fast and talented; it only made sense to add the class,” said Sean Reddish of WORCS Racing.

This is a newly formed class which will allow the fast “A” riders that have been competing in the class for the past 3+ years. This will truly show the talent these Women Pros have along with opening up the door to Women who are racing MX series to transition over to Off-Road.

http://www.transworldmotocross.com/

Filed under: Motocross, Motorsports, News Bytes, Off-Road Racing by Becki Wheeler
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So…this is my very first post on the Pretty Tough website!! Anyone that knows me and my husband knows that we eat, sleep, and breath four wheelers…with a garage full of toys its hard not to want to ride them all the time….

My husband has been riding for what seems like forever….I’ve been riding about 2 years…he does harescrambles, I stick to mx/sx……UNTIL NOW!!!

November 25, 2007 I ran my very first harescramble…..it was a buddy race…one quad, 2 riders, switching every other lap. I was soo nervous, my husband does so well with harescrambles…and me never riding one before, I wanted to make sure I didn’t disappoint him. I must say that harescramble riders really are awesome…to be a decent racer you must be conditioned, have the stamina to go the fastest you can for over an hour and a half…you have to have the strength to get yourself out of some serious binds…kinda like the mudhole I got stuck in…

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Filed under: Events, Motorsports, Off-Road Racing by Becki Wheeler
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