Last week on ESPN’s X Games Facebook page we asked motocross fans to send in their questions to Ashley Fiolek, who had just won her fourth WMX season title in five years.

Here is what the 21-year-old MX star [@AshleyFiolek67 on Twitter], who had previously said this would be her final season in WMX, had to say in response to a selection of your questions:

Melinda Palinkas: Are you moving on to bigger and better MX competitions? Like racing men’s pro classes? :) You have done wonderful in this sport, and have been inspiring to many! Do you have another occupations to conquer?

Fiolek: Well, thank you!! I am not going to be racing the MX Sports outdoor series anymore but I could never stop racing moto!! I might add some endurocross in there or some truck racing, who knows! I will still be doing X Games and maybe a man’s race or two in the future!

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Viceversamx.com follows Ashley Fiolek behind the scenes at the WMX National final at Lake Elsinore MX, from press day to receiving the 2012 AMA/WMX Number One Plate!

Watch the video here: http://youtu.be/6OQ_0GmUsO0

The 12th and final round of the 2012 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship series went off without a hitch at the new Southern California home of the Nationals (Lake Elsinore Motorsports Park) on Saturday afternoon, and in the Women’s Motocross class, Red Bull’s Ashley Fiolek overcame early season adversity to secure back-to-back WMX championships in dramatic fashion at the Elsinore finale. Topping series rival Jessica Patterson and Red Bull teammate Tarah Gieger to secure her fourth title in just five years, Fiolek now looks to open a new chapter in life, as this was reportedly the final WMX series of the 21-year-old’s still young career.

WMX HIGHLIGHTS

Five points separated Red Bull’s Ashley Fiolek from [then] championship points leader Jessica Patterson when the gates dropped for WMX moto one, but the likeable Floridian went straight to work on the deficit by grabbing the holeshot to lead things early. Fiolek was passed on lap two by the visiting, and newly crowned WMX World Champion, Chiara Fontanesi of Italy, but continued stretching her lead over the rest of her competition. When the checkers flew, Fiolek crossed the line in second, collecting four more points than Patterson (who finished fourth) to close the points gap to one heading into the final moto of the series.

Red Bull-backed TLD Honda’s Tarah Gieger finished moto one in fifth after dropping two positions late in the race, but remained in the title hunt heading into the last moto.

With moto one winner Fontanesi not a factor in the points chase, Fiolek’s only concern in moto two was finishing ahead of Patterson if she hoped to lock up back-to-back WMX titles. Riding a conservative yet calculated race, Fiolek gave way to Fontanesi on lap one after grabbing another holeshot, and proceeded to hold down the second position until letting Mariana Balbi by on the final lap. With Patterson behind her, Fiolek’s third place finish was all she needed to earn her fourth WMX title in five years.

Gieger’s fourth overall finish at Elsinore was good enough to secure second-place honorsin the series standings behind Red Bull teammate Fiolek.

WMX OVERALL RESULTS

1. Chiara Fontanesi (1-1), 2. Mariana Balbi (3-2), 3. Ashley Fiolek (2-3), 4. Tarah Gieger (5-5), 5. Taylor Higgins (8-4)

WMX SERIES STANDINGS

1. Ashley Fiolek (317), 2. Tarah Gieger (302), 3. Jessica Patterson (298), 4. Mariana Balbi (269), 5. Jacqueline Strong (236)

As it has been since 2008 the Women’s Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, has been dominated by two riders. One rider was clearly the strongest in the first half of the eight-round series, the second has swept the last six motos and three overalls. Both riders had potentially season-killing injuries near the midway point.

On Saturday at the Red Bull Lake Elsinore National, standings leader Jessica Patterson and second-place Ashley Fiolek enter the final round separated by only five points. Tarah Gieger is third, 10 points out of the lead.

Since 2008 Patterson and Fiolek have won all 37 overalls and all four championships. The chances of a complete five-year sweep look good and if Fiolek reels off two more moto wins she will finish with a perfect second half and a fourth WMX title, which she vows will be her last. It’s a huge comeback considering she thought her chances were dead in June when she missed Round 4 one week after finishing the previous round with a concussion.

Read more at ESPN.com

The ladies of the WMX series battled it out in the penultimate round of their series at Southwick on Saturday, and Team Honda’s Fiolek capitalized on two great starts to lead every lap of the day en route to a dominant 1-1 performance. The moto wins supplied the maximum 50-points needed to continue reeling in current championship leader Patterson, setting the stage for a dramatic final round at Lake Elsinore in Southern California on September 8th.

Red Bull-backed TLD Honda’s Tarah Gieger struggled her way to a fifth-place finish in moto two at Southwick, relegating her to an uncharacteristic fourth overall finish for the day. Still, Gieger sits just 10 points back in the championship points chase, making it a three-rider battle when the series returns for the finale in SoCal.

WMX OVERALL RESULTS

1. Ashley Fiolek (1-1) 2. Jessica Patterson (2-2) 3. Sara Pattersson (4-4) 4. Tarah Gieger (3-5) 5. Mariana Balbi (7-3)

WMX POINTS STANDINGS

1. Jessica Patterson: 280 2. Ashley Fiolek: 275 3. Tarah Gieger: 270 4. Mariana Balbi: 227 5. Sara Pettersson: 209

After a three-week break, the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship Series returns on August 11th with riders facing-off in Southwick, Massachusetts for the Moto-X 338 National. The sandy track at Southwick has been cited as a favorite among a number of legends in the sport, including the “GOAT” Ricky Carmichael and “Junk Yard Dog” John Dowd.

Southwick is the penultimate round for the Women’s class and the race for the points lead is heating up between Rockstar Energy Suzuki’s Jessica Patterson, Lucas Oil TLD Tarah Gieger is just two points behind current leader Jessica Patterson. Ashley Fiolek is just 11 short of Patterson’s total in third.

Fiolek swept the round at Washougal, keeping in sight of the championship despite missing High Point to recover from an injury. Gieger went 3-2 in the same event and took second overall, both riders bolstered by the fact that Patterson was just three weeks from breaking her wrist. JP$ didn’t lag too far behind though, taking second in Moto 1 and eighth in Moto 2 for a fourth place finish overall. The lengthy break coming into Southwick should play to her favor. With just two rounds remaining, the outcome at Southwick will be a huge factor in who will come out of the 2012 season on top.

Defending WMX National MX Champion Ashley Fiolek has had a very unique season so far. She started the season off strong, but she crashed hard at Thunder Valley and suffered a concussion that forced her to miss both the Mt. Morris round of the WMX Championship, and the Summer X Games. Normally, that would have all but eliminated her from the eight-round WMX Championship series, but when Jessica Patterson broke her hand practicing for Red Bud, Fiolek came back to win both motos at the Red Bud and Washougal Nationals. Now, Fiolek has a very real shot at the title with two only rounds remaining. Fiolek currently sits in third place, 11 points behind Patterson and 9 behind Tarah Gieger. I recently caught up with Ashley after Washougal and this is what the most-popular female motocross rider of all-time had to say.

How do you feel going into this season having the number 1 plate?
It’s always awesome to have the number one plate, and when you do have it, you are always hoping to be able to keep it!

Tell us how the 2012 season started for you?
It started off really well and I felt the best I have in a long time. Then, unfortunately, I had a bad crash and got a concussion and I missed the HiPoint race and also X Games. Right now I’m currently sitting in third place in points for championship! I’m having a lot of fun right now!

What happened at Hangtown that forced you to ride with a broken clutch lever?
Yeah, I made a mistake over this big step up and kinda washed out. So my clutch lever bent down so I had a hard time to reach it. Glad I still able to get on the podium and in one piece! Haha.

How did you get hurt?
The accident where I got the concussion was in second moto at Thunder Valley, Colorado. I don’t really remember my crash, but I guess I was told that I scrubbed over this big triple in the back and the wind was so bad that it pushed me sideway. I landed weird on hard packed area and it was slick, I washed out and cartwheeled I guess.

Did you think your title hopes were over once you got the concussion?
Yes, that’s for sure since I had to sit out at High Point. It was definitely hard for me! Also, the points gap was insane amount and I was really far away from first place. I didn’t really even think I could get back in the game!

Read the rest at Transworld Motocross

After sitting out of last weekend’s Spring Creek National in Millville, Minnesota, the women of the WMX returned to action at Washougal for round six of their eight-race series. In need of race wins to continue slicing away at Jessica Patterson’s championship points lead, Red Bull’s Ashley Fiolek nailed two holeshots aboard her factory Honda to get both Washougal motos off on the right foot, and eventually walked away with the overall win thanks to perfect 1-1 moto finishes. Fiolek’s victory didn’t come without a challenge from Patterson in moto number two, but the likeable Floridian held strong to take her fourth overall victory of the series. Despite missing round four at High Point due to a concussion, Fiolek now sits just 11 points behind Patterson for the championship.

WMX MOTO 1 RESULTS
1. Ashley Fiolek
2. Jessica Patterson
3. Tarah Gieger
4. Mariana Balbi
5. Sara Pattersson

WMX MOTO 2 RESULTS
1. Ashley Fiolek
2. Tarah Gieger
3. Mariana Balbi
4. Sara Pattersson
5. Jacqueline Strong

WMX Moto 1

Red Bull teammates Ashley Fiolek and Tarah Gieger jumped out to first and second-place starts, respectively, in WMX moto one, and immediately pulled a comfortable gap over the rest of the field. After missing the last WMX round at High Point due to concussion symptoms, Fiolek looked quick and in control aboard her factory Honda but had Gieger breathing down her neck for the bulk of the moto. Looking as though she may have been able to challenge for the lead during the middle section of the 15-minute race, Gieger eventually dropped off the pace slightly and cruised in for a second-place finish.

WMX Moto 2

With the overall win still on the line, Gieger nailed the holeshot to start moto two and, despite pressure from Fiolek in second, looked very impressive as she led the first four laps of the race. Disaster struck for Gieger on lap five, however, as she made a mistake and hit the RedBud soil. Fiolek slipped by to take the moto and overall win, while Gieger was forced to settle for sixth (and third place overall).

Current Standings

1. Jessica Patterson: 201 2. Tarah Gieger: 192 3. Ashley Fiolek: 175 4. Mariana Balbi: 155 5. Jacqueline Strong: 148

Two-time X Games Moto X gold medalist Ashley Fiolek will be shut out of the X Games medal race for the second consecutive year.

Fiolek, 21, pulled herself out of competition after consulting with her doctors because she had not sufficiently recovered from a concussion she suffered in a crash on June 2 at WMX Moto 2 in Lakewood, CO.

“It is with great sadness that I must withdraw from the 2012 ESPN X Games, I am absolutely heartbroken that I will miss this year but I need to do what is right for my health and my future,” Fiolek said in a statement released by her family.

She is the first deaf Moto X rider in history, winning two Women’s Motocross Association national championships in 2008 and 2009. Also in 2009, Fiolek won her first X Games gold medal in Women’s Moto X Super X. She won her second consecutive X Games gold medal in Super X Women’s in 2010. She missed the podium in the 2011 X Games after crashing in the preliminary round.

Fiolek missed the 2012 AMA Women’s Motocross Championships at High Point MX in Mt. Morris, Pa. because of the same concussion.

“(The crash) happened recently, three weeks ago. It was a bad one. I don’t remember I finished the race — I guess I finished the race, I don’t know. I don’t remember anything. I crossed the finish line, I finished in sixth place,” Fiolek said to ESPN.com when she was in Los Angeles last Tuesday.

The concussion was the latest in a series of injuries that have hampered the young WMX rider. She said during her doctor’s visit following her concussion they discovered she had a broken pelvis that she was competing with despite the pain.

Read More at ESPN.com