5 Minutes with... Ashley Fiolek
June 12, 2009, 5:23pm
Ashley Fiolek is off to an incredible start in the WMX class of the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship. She’s gone three for three in overalls, taken the holeshot every moto and has won five out of six motos. At Freestone Racewat she made a last minute pass on Jessica Patterson that took quite a few on-lookers by surprise.
Racer X: Ashley, congratulations on your season so far. The WMX race at Freestone was pretty exciting. I think you really surprised people with the last minute pass for the win in moto one. Can you take us through the race?
Ashley Fiolek: Thanks! Yeah, I was surprised too. I got a really good start and was racing the track, then about half way through the moto, I started to make some mistakes and was looking back. I realized that JP had caught up to me and passed me in the back sweeper. Then we crossed the finish line and they gave us the white flag and I didn’t even know that because they didn’t give us the 2-lap board so I had to hurry to get around JP to take the win. I guess the whoops came in time and I just tried to pick the inside line for my best chance to pass and I took the win. My bike was handling really awesome through the whoops and everything!
Racer X: Moto two was a little less eventful for you but you had a short battle with Sara Price. How did that go?
Ashley Fiolek: Yeah, I didn’t even know that JP crashed at the start and I was bummed that we couldn’t race like in the first moto. In the back corner after the start I slid out and I guess Sara's front wheel hit me. It was crazy but all just a part of the race! Sara is a good rider and it was a good battle too!
Racer X: Eric Kehoe and the whole Honda crew down on the track when you race. How do they help you win and what is the relationship with the Honda Team like?
Ashley Fiolek: Oh man, I love my whole team! They are awesome to me and really help out a lot with everything. I can’t thank them enough. Everyone helps out when I am out on the track and later we talk about the races and try and find ways to improve. It is a really good feeling knowing you have a whole team behind you and you are all out there racing together.
Racer X: I know you are committed to showing that the Women’s Pro Motocross Championship is a legitimate championship, but it seems some fans really want to compare the women’s moto times to the men’s moto times, I think they were closest at Hangtown weren’t they?
Ashley Fiolek: For sure, all of us girls work hard the same as the guys! A couple of people told me that my lap times would have put me in from the Consi race and that the top running girls were running about the same as the 30th place 250 guys in their motos! I am pretty stoked. I think us girls just need to keep working hard but for now we are competing in our own series which can be just as exciting as the guys races like everyone saw at Freestone!
Ashley Fiolek: Thanks! Yeah, I was surprised too. I got a really good start and was racing the track, then about half way through the moto, I started to make some mistakes and was looking back. I realized that JP had caught up to me and passed me in the back sweeper. Then we crossed the finish line and they gave us the white flag and I didn’t even know that because they didn’t give us the 2-lap board so I had to hurry to get around JP to take the win. I guess the whoops came in time and I just tried to pick the inside line for my best chance to pass and I took the win. My bike was handling really awesome through the whoops and everything!
Racer X: Moto two was a little less eventful for you but you had a short battle with Sara Price. How did that go?
Ashley Fiolek: Yeah, I didn’t even know that JP crashed at the start and I was bummed that we couldn’t race like in the first moto. In the back corner after the start I slid out and I guess Sara's front wheel hit me. It was crazy but all just a part of the race! Sara is a good rider and it was a good battle too!
Racer X: Eric Kehoe and the whole Honda crew down on the track when you race. How do they help you win and what is the relationship with the Honda Team like?
Ashley Fiolek: Oh man, I love my whole team! They are awesome to me and really help out a lot with everything. I can’t thank them enough. Everyone helps out when I am out on the track and later we talk about the races and try and find ways to improve. It is a really good feeling knowing you have a whole team behind you and you are all out there racing together.
Racer X: I know you are committed to showing that the Women’s Pro Motocross Championship is a legitimate championship, but it seems some fans really want to compare the women’s moto times to the men’s moto times, I think they were closest at Hangtown weren’t they?
Ashley Fiolek: For sure, all of us girls work hard the same as the guys! A couple of people told me that my lap times would have put me in from the Consi race and that the top running girls were running about the same as the 30th place 250 guys in their motos! I am pretty stoked. I think us girls just need to keep working hard but for now we are competing in our own series which can be just as exciting as the guys races like everyone saw at Freestone!
Racer X: What do you think about the competition in the women’s class this season?
Ashley Fiolek: Dude, they are fast! They have been working so hard just like me. I was so excited to race against everybody and there are some really fast new rookies like Sara Price and Vicki Golden. They are really good riders plus of course Sherri Cruse and JP and Ebash, Sarah Whitmore...
Racer X: I agree, I think the class is stacked with fast racers. On a different topic, last week you had some pretty cool media coverage, first you were on CNN, and then you had a feature in ESPN Magazine. How does that make you feel?
Ashley Fiolek: I think it’s an awesome feeling! It is a great opportunity to be out in mainstream media. It is only helping women's motocross for everyone!
Racer X: What is your plan for the remainder of the season?
Ashley Fiolek: I am going to try and do the same as what I have been doing, be smart and try my best in every race!
Racer X: In addition to the Honda Red Bull Racing team you have some pretty terrific companies and people sponsoring you this season….who would you like to thank?
Ashley Fiolek: Of course, I want to say thanks to Honda Red Bull Racing Team so much for everything. God for keeping me safe all the time, my parents and my brother for everything, Alpinestars, Red Bull, Smith Optics, T-Mobile Sidekick, Vans, Leatt , Rockwell watches, Airoh and my trainer Robb from Motoendurance.
Ashley Fiolek: Dude, they are fast! They have been working so hard just like me. I was so excited to race against everybody and there are some really fast new rookies like Sara Price and Vicki Golden. They are really good riders plus of course Sherri Cruse and JP and Ebash, Sarah Whitmore...
Racer X: I agree, I think the class is stacked with fast racers. On a different topic, last week you had some pretty cool media coverage, first you were on CNN, and then you had a feature in ESPN Magazine. How does that make you feel?
Ashley Fiolek: I think it’s an awesome feeling! It is a great opportunity to be out in mainstream media. It is only helping women's motocross for everyone!
Racer X: What is your plan for the remainder of the season?
Ashley Fiolek: I am going to try and do the same as what I have been doing, be smart and try my best in every race!
Racer X: In addition to the Honda Red Bull Racing team you have some pretty terrific companies and people sponsoring you this season….who would you like to thank?
Ashley Fiolek: Of course, I want to say thanks to Honda Red Bull Racing Team so much for everything. God for keeping me safe all the time, my parents and my brother for everything, Alpinestars, Red Bull, Smith Optics, T-Mobile Sidekick, Vans, Leatt , Rockwell watches, Airoh and my trainer Robb from Motoendurance.
