There are many women torquing the throttle in the motocross world today, and the Red Bull Girls Ride Day gave many of them a chance to meet and learn from WMX champion Ashley Fiolek and X Games 17
My Five is an Alli feature where they ask five fun questions to different athletes and compile all the answers. For this installment, they talked to women’s motocross rider Ashley Fiolek.
What company would be your dream sponsor? Definitely a sushi sponsor, Love the stuff!! I could even wear chopsticks in my hair or something like that! Although a pink hair dye company would also save me a lot of dough!
What traumatized you as kid? Gee…nothing I can think of, life is good!
Who or what would you consider your nemesis? Let’s see, probably just myself, like when you have self doubt or start thinking negative…not a good way to go! Although after the “roasting” that he gave me at the year end MX banquet I may have to say Jason Weigandt!
Check out the rest at AlliSports.com
Pastrana, Dungey, and Fiolek Collectibles Highlight Annual Helmets for Hydro Charity Auction
Autographed Race Helmets from Leading Motocross Riders Benefit Research at Leading Children’s Hospitals
Motocross.com: At what point in your life did you realize that you had become a famous motorcycle racer?
Ashley: I really didn’t realize it. I just grew up racing motorcycles. I loved to be at races. This is just what I grew up doing. I’m pretty fortunate that it turned into all this.
Motocross.com: Women’s motocross has been around since the ’70s. Sue Fish was popular along with some other racers but until you, and especially your generation, women’s motocross hadn’t really hit the mainstream or earned the acclaim that it has now. Do you attribute some of your fame to helping build up the sport?
Ashley: I’ve always had a thought about how women’s motocross could grow and how we should represent ourselves as riders and show the world that we work just as hard as everybody else in the sport. We don’t go as fast as the men but we go fast for women. I wanted that to grow into something, to be an opportunity for women that if they want to do it for a living they can do that.
Read More at Motocross.com
Heading into the 2011 WMX series finale at Pala Raceway with a comfortable 22-point lead in the championship point standings, Red Bull’s Ashley Fiolek needed nothing more than a safe and conservative ride to lockdown her third Women’s Motocross Championship in four years, and she did exactly that with a solid third-place overall performance in front of Southern California’s motocross faithful.
With the sun shining and the Pala circuit beat and battered from the two men’s motos before it, the much-anticipated WMX moto one gates finally dropped, and a battle between Fiolek and championship rival Jessica Patterson immediately ensued. With everything to lose and a championship to gain, Fiolek kept her excitement and determination in check as she let the hard-charging Patterson go, and proceeded to throw down seven smooth and consistent laps en route to a smart second-place finish. Behind Ashley, Red Bull teammate Tarah Gieger crossed the stripe in the third spot just a few seconds back.
Just one more moto separated Fiolek from her third WMX championship since entering the professional ranks back in 2008, and with a plan in place, the always-smiling Floridian rolled to the line for the final moto of the day at the Pala National. A good start and seven trouble-free laps was on order, and once again Ashley delivered as she strolled in for a conservative, yet championship worthy, third-place finish. Fiolek’s 2-3 moto scores tallied for third overall on the day, earning more than enough points to solidify the title.
“I can’t even describe how I’m feeling right now,” Fiolek commented after the race. “After losing the title to Jessica last year, the only thing on my mind has been this moment, and I’m so thankful for everyone and everything that helped me get here. This is incredible… I’m so happy right now!”
CHAMPIONSHIP POINT STANDINGS
1) Ashley Fiolek (363)
2) Jessica Patterson (349)
3) Tarah Gieger (310)
4) Jacqueline Strong (209)
5) Vicki Golden (207)
Steel City Raceway in Delmont, Pennsylvania hosted Round 11 of the 2011 AMA Pro Motocross Championship series on Saturday beneath bluebird skies and hot, humid conditions. In the WMX class, Red Bull darling Ashley Fiolek did exactly what was required to protect her championship points lead, as she put in a safe and conservative second-place overall ride behind title threat Jessica Patterson.
Fiolek entered the weekend at Steel City with one thing, and one thing only, on her mind—protect her championship lead. With just four motos to go in the 2011 WMX series, Ashley rolled to the line for Steel City’s moto one with a solid 30-point lead, and looked to put in a safe ride, steering clear of harm’s way en route to the checkers. When the gates dropped, she grabbed the holeshot and moved her way into the early lead as she’s done nearly every moto this year, but put up little fight as championship rival Jessica Patterson and Red Bull teammate Tarah Gieger pushed their way into first and second, respectively. With plenty of padding in her points lead, Fiolek let the top-two go, and proceeded to put in a conservative ride for a safe and secure third-place finish.
In moto two, Fiolek once again let Patterson have her way with the lead, and circulated in the third spot for just over three laps before getting by Gieger for second on lap four. Ashley’s 3-2 moto scores were good for second overall on the day, and she now has her sights set on the final two motos of the series next weekend at Pala Raceway in Southern California.
“I’m very thankful to head out to California with a comfortable points lead,” Ashley commented after the race. “Of course, it was tough not battling for the win today, but the championship my priority, not individual moto wins. I can’t wait for Pala!”
Stay tuned, as Fiolek goes for her third Women’s Motocross Championship in just four years next weekend at the series finale.
Hurricane Irene brought only the trailing edge of her fury to the sands of Southwick, Massachusetts over the weekend for the tenth round of the 2011 AMA Pro Motocross Championship series (round 6 of the WMX series), but still managed to wreak havoc on the Moto-X 338 circuit. Expected to unleash the torrents toward the end of the race day, teasing rains during practice led to progressively stronger and wetter downpours, and despite the soupy, chaotic conditions, Red Bull’s Ashley Fiolek prevailed aboard her American Honda to take her third overall win of the series.
After a five-week break in their racing schedule, the ladies of the WMX rejoined the 2011 AMA Pro Motocross Championship at Southwick to run the sixth of eight rounds of their series. Entering the day with an eight-point lead in the championship points chase over series rival Jessica Paterson, Red Bull’s Ashley Fiolek was hoping to further extend her cushion on the track generally dominated by sand specialists, and did exactly that after impressive 1-2 moto finishes and resulting overall win.
When the gates dropped for Moto #1, Fiolek piloted her factory Honda straight to the front of the pack, and went on to lay down seven near-perfect laps en route to a seemingly easy win. Behind Fiolek, Red Bull teammate Tarah Gieger crossed the checkers just a couple seconds back on her TLD Honda, solidifying a strong second-place finish—her best moto result of the series thus far.
With Hurricane Irene now well into her tirade, Moto #2 went off under rain soaked skies and muddy track conditions, and Fiolek once again pointed her Red Bull-backed Honda toward the front of the pack. Unable to match the pace of Patterson early on, Fiolek wisely took the conservative approach with the championship on her mind, and backed it down a notch to cruise in for a drama-free second-place finish. With her 1-2 moto scores good for first overall on the day, Fiolek was absolutely ecstatic to grab another win while extending her championship points lead to 30.
“Moto two was crazy,” Ashley commented from the podium. “Those were some of the most challenging conditions I’ve ever raced in. My hat’s off to Jessica [Patterson]… She rode really well today. She was unable to score any points in the first moto, and I hate to see the championship possibly come down to that, but I’m also really happy to be leaving here with a larger points lead. We still have four more motos to go, though, so anything can happen!”
Following a break from action since Spring Creek in July, the Motorcycle-Superstore.com Women’s Motocross Championship will host its sixth of eight rounds this summer from Moto-X 338. Currently, two-time series champion Ashley Fiolek, who rides for American Honda, carries an eight-point lead over DNA Shred Stix/Star Racing Yamaha’s Jessica Patterson into the sands of Southwick. The rivalry between the two fastest women’s competitors in the sport has intensified throughout the season and with three wins to Patterson’s credit over Fiolek’s two, the defending champion will look to gain valuable ground on Saturday.
Moto-X 338, named after American Legion Post 338, which owns the property, has been hosting motocross events since the 1973 season. Just three years after the facility’s first year of operation, the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship held its first event in Southern Massachusetts, and Moto-X 338 has been a staple on the schedule ever since. Southwick boasts the most unique characteristic of any other track in American Motocross, featuring an entire layout of sand, which creates a very technical and challenging track for the world’s best riders.
Affectionately referred to as the “sand box” and “the beach,” Southwick is a fan and rider favorite, year-in and year-out. This summer, the track has added a new tunnel jump, which will bring even more excitement to what is already sure to be a captivating event. The on-track action for the Southwick National begins this Saturday at 8:30 a.m. EST with practice and qualifying. Opening ceremonies begin at 12:30 p.m. EST with motos kicking off at 1 p.m. EST.
WMX Class Standings
Ashley Fiolek, St. Augustine, Fla., Honda – 232
Jessica Patterson, Tallahassee, Fla., Yamaha – 224
Tarah Gieger, Aguadilla, Puerto Rico., Honda – 188
Jacqueline Strong, Cottonwood, Ariz., KTM – 138
Vicki Golden, El Cajon, Calif., Kawasaki – 131
Ashley Fiolek, a 2 time AMA Women’s Motocross Champion, a multi-time Gold Medal winner in Supercross at X Games and current points leader in AMA WMX, will be honored, together with Executive Producer Gale Anne Hurd at the 2011 Diamond in the RAW Celebrity and Stuntwomen’s Awards.
The Diamond in the RAW Foundation is excited to name executive producer Gale Anne Hurd and world-class motocross champion Ashley Fiolek as this year’s recipients of two of the most coveted distinctions at their annual Celebrity & Stuntwomen’s Awards Luncheon. Every year, the awards program, now in its fourth running, honors the body of work contributed to the entertainment industry by the women behind the magic. Hurd will be recognized with the Special Achievement Award, while Fiolek will receive the Dare 2B Different Award.
At the age of seventeen, Fiolek succeeded in becoming the youngest Women’s MX champion in the history of AMA Motocross, a feat especially extraordinary given that in a sport dominated by sound, Ashley has been profoundly deaf since birth.
“Both of their work truly exudes the brilliance of a diamond and is more than worthy to be recognized at this year’s 2011 Diamond in the Raw Celebrity and Stuntwomen’s Awards luncheon. We are ecstatic to be honoring them,” says Co-founders and CEO of Diamonds in the RAW Foundation, Jadie David and La Faye Baker.
The Celebrity & Stuntwomen’s Awards will take place at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles on Sunday October 16, 2011, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. A reception and silent auction will kick off the event at 11:00 a.m., followed by the luncheon and awards ceremony.
Tickets for the event are available for purchase at www.stuntwomensawards.com
