Lifetime Achievement

I feel like I am on here once a year and if you look at the history, that is not far from the truth. I will make every effort to make this a norm now, not an exception.

I decided in 2011 to commit myself to earning my degree. Something that has been a lifelong goal since the kids were babies. I can happily say as of October 28, 2013, I have accomplished that goal. I am officially the only member of my family to graduate college. I am the proud recipient of a Bachelor of Science in Business/Marketing from the University of Phoenix. I am very excited to have accomplished my degree!

It is still very surreal to think that I do not need to come home each day and plant my behind in front of the computer to do homework. However, it is a welcome change. Not only do I get to enjoy some major down-time with the end of race season being here, but I also get to really use this time to revamp my "sleeping" business.

2013 RACING SEASON

It has been chaos this year working full-time, changing careers, finishing school, crewing for three teams, and racing the Harmon's Jr. Comp car. But honestly, I could not ask for more and would not trade a single moment of it for anything. Well ok, I would trade all the issues we had with the jr this past year, but not the experiences and memories.

Despite getting accepted into the West Coast Pro Gas Association, we were only able to compete in one (1) of their races for the 2013 season. We decided that even IF we could not run the number (due to issues with the car) that we would still run Governor's Cup. It was important to me to show my support and appreciation to the guys for letting us run with them. So that is exactly what we did, unfortunately, we were still experiencing a lot of problems with the car (electrical and entire nitrous system failure) we were four tenths off the number all day. It was still a blast and that is what is important.

We also decided to compete in Pro ET at Charlie's All Motorcycle race in October. Our power plant is a Hayabusa motor after all. We decided to run on all motor because we felt it would help us determine if the two major issues the car was having was indeed the wiring and the nitrous system (as we had suspected) and in fact it is. The car ran about what it should on all motor with the current gearing. We won first round against Mona Weller and that was an amazing feeling. Our friend Jay came down to see me as I peeled out of my gear to deliver the happy news, followed closely by my crew chief, tuner, and husband. It was a great moment, quickly followed by me losing in Round 2. Dang it! It was still a blast!!

We have had the car for two (2) seasons and October was "the" date. The date we were to return the jr. to the Harmon's, who have been amazing and incredibly supportive.

2014 RACING SEASON

I was blessed by the Harmon's to have the car one more season. I am sure Jason doesn't feel so blessed. LOL! We will do our best to procure some sponsors and make as many races as possible in the 2014 season. With no school to compete with, we are confident that we will be able to have some real fun in the 2014 season.

For sponsorship opportunities, please contact me at (916) 670-4349 or by e-mail at bumblebeezx@yahoo.com.

Official and in competition!

I am officially licensed again. When I originally licensed on my motorcycle in 2005, I was given the NHRA competition license number of ETMX 725. This time around, I was given ET 724X. Not too difficult to remember, thanks Rosa! ;) Upon receipt of my new NHRA competition license number and getting the chassis re-certified on the Jr. Comp car we talked about entering my first race. That happened to be the Spring Jam CMI race on April 15, 2012. Personally I really dislike CMI cars, but its a chance to race, right?

I unfortunately do not have any pics from the race but I can share with you the events of the day. We got to the track and were advised we may not be able to compete because we did not have doors. We talked to Tony and inquired about our ability to compete, he thought about it and decided to make an exception for us this "one time". Did I mention I am not a fan of CMI cars, ridiculous noise makers. Anyway, we got unloaded and ready for Q1. It's important to mention that this is the first race that I have EVER lined up against another car. I was thinking about everything all at once, except being in the car. Which was evident by the fact that I never got on the low rev, just smacked the throttle and went. How stupid. I had a reasonably bad reaction time at .163 and ended up running a 9.36 @ 133.6 with a 1.40 60' time. When Jason got down to pick me up, he said "did you forget something". And it dawned on me at that moment of how out of the game my head was. I was so mad at myself when we got back to the pits I had to go for a walk. Jason wasn't real happy with that decision as he wanted to talk about it, but I just needed time to get my thoughts together and pull my head out of my a$$. Q2 revealed I was at least pushing the tree (a bit too much) with a -.031 reaction. I had a 9.45 ET @ 134.0 with a 1.43 60' time. We got one final hit with Q3, where I again red lit with a -.043 reaction. Yay me, I get to qualify with a .163. My Q3 produced a 9.38 ET @ 135.2 and my best 60' so far at 1.37. At this point, we sat down and had a discussion about bracket racing. I am not too familiar with it in a car, since I have never raced a car. Aside from that when I rode a bike in competition, I won one bracket race out of luck and won another race running on my index.

Time for eliminations!
Round 1
I got paired against this little red Honda. It was sorta funny sitting in the car (all strapped in) and listening to the kid talk with his friends before we ran. The comments ranged from "you're racing that little dragster" to "you're racing a girl". Jason reminded me that I would be sitting...for awhile when the lights came down. His dial-in was a 14.68 to my 9.32...YEAH I sat for awhile! But it was a good first round for me. I could see him relatively clearly (due to his bright color). I ran a 9.67 @ 109.2 with a .130 reaction time and a 1.36 60' time to his 14.67 @ 91.0 with a .270 reaction time. I got lucky, but it felt good to get a first round win!! We had some motor problems at the line, but got the car down the lane.

Round 2
Well let's just say learning the bracket racing thing is tricky. I left my dial-in alone and was running against a guy who dialed a 13.90. Everything on my side of this run was off, I had a .293 reaction and ran a 9.83 @ 127.2 with a 1.38 60' time. I tried to judge how much room I had between the stripe and him... and ended up giving it back at the stripe. So frustrating, but that's how we learn, right? Once again, we had some problems with the motor, it kept stalling and boy did it mess with my head. No excuses though, I plain and simply lost.

Alas, I got the yellow slip and that was the end of our day.

I had a lot of fun and thanked the applicable people for allowing us to run despite the no door thing! ;) Doesn't look like I'll be back in the car until May but I'm looking forward to the next time!!! By the way... I still dislike CMI cars!! LOL! As usual, I owe my husband a huge thanks for his patience with me and teaching me how to be a driver. I love you babe, you're the best!!!

New Journey in 2012

2012 has been a whirlwind of new experiences and I can't wait to see what the rest of the year brings! We have been on the slow long process of building our bike. It will make it to the completion zone at some point. In the meantime a few (on the larger side) bills have been hanging over our heads. We should be ready to take the leap with that project as we near the end of the year or early 2013!! In the meantime, we were given a rare opportunity. Our amazing friends, The Harmons, gave us their blessing to run their Jr. Comp car for the season. So exciting!! We began ordering all my gear before we even had the car, I just couldn't wait. I ordered my fire suit (pants and jacket), harness, arm restraints, and gloves. I needed to re-order my pants, harness, and gloves because they were either too big or didn't work in the car. We eventually got everything we needed and then we waited on the weather. Wow that's frustrating!! We finally got our chance on Saturday April 1, we got the chance to make our Jr. Comp debut. It was licensing day and we were running 1/8 mile! My first time in the car (which was literally the first time I had ever raced a car down the race track) was so much fun! Ironically, my first time in the car I really wasn't nervous. I think I was more anxious than anything. We talked about our routine and what I needed to do off the line to start with. I just put the pedal to the floor and away I went. My first pass produced a 6.39 @ 109.19 in the 1/8th. Which equates out to approx. 9.97 in the 1/4. My next time out, Jason said I could leave on the low rev, so I would get to feel what it does off the line. That pass produced a 6.11 @ 114.65 which equates to a 9.54 in the 1/4. Talk about fun!! Now its important to remember I'm suppose to be licensing, Jason said I was going a bit quick for that. Oops!! We made four passes in total and the next two were nothing to write home about. My third pass just didn't feel good to me, she felt wiggly and weird, so I got out of it. Jason adjusted the shift light and off we went again. I was thinking of so many different things, I literally sat at the light and watched it turn green. Who does that?? Seriously, how dumb. Anyway, upon taking off we ran another 6.114 @ 111.97. Jason said she was starting to go through the clutch so we called it a day. At the end, I won't lie I was disappointed in myself. Especially for my (at best) meager performance the last two passes, but Jason reminds me I started out going quicker than I was suppose to! It's so different to drive a car, especially one that you practically lay down in to race. But it is so much fun to learn something new.







I can't wait to get back in the car!! Stay tuned!!!

Miss to Mrs.

It has been far too long since I have been on here and no apology would ever make it right. So I will simply swallow my pride and apologize. Life has been a whirlwind for us over the past two years. Sara is now on the road to being a grown-up; moving out and living life independently. I got married to my best friend and continued my education prowess' as a student at the University of Phoenix. We continue to make efforts to remain involved in the racing world, by building our bike and slowly building on this little business of ours (Bumble Bee Motorsports).



Till next time ladies and gents!!! I will update with more information in the coming weeks!

Interviews

Do you recall your first "real" interview? Well, I can't either really, but I do remember my first job. Who forgets there first job... even if it's fast food, it's an epic time in your life! I mention all this because my daughter (Sara) is interviewing as I type this. She is nervous and is recognizing that it's a competitive job market. She really is perfect for the position she is interviewing for; retail in a very teen popular store! When I went on my first interview, I aced the job (as the cliche goes... "in the bag"). Wow, the job market has changed, now there are tens of hundreds or even thousands of over-qualified people competing for one under-paid position. I am thankful to have a job...in every sense of the word. Just wish it were enough to live on...

Keep your fingers crossed for my daughter! Till next time... LIVE LOVE LAUGH!!! -AB

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Bee in the News...

Check out the article on dragbike.com (to see included photos) @ http://www.dragbike.com/dbnews/anmviewer.asp?a=5198&z=3. Huge thanks to my friend Paul Cavanaugh for writing the article about me and my company! :)

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Flight of the Bumble Bee
Tuesday, September 08, 2009 By Paul Cavanaugh

Flight of the Bumble Bee
By Paul Cavanaugh

I do not know how many of you have heard “Flight of the Bumble Bee” by Rimsky-Korsakov, to be quite frank, it completely drives me crazy.
Fortunately, this article has nothing to do with it.

What it does have to do with is a woman by the name of Annette Rob who I met through www.sponsorhouse.com back in 2005 when I first started racing and was trying to find sponsors. Annette had also newly started racing and was on the website doing the very same thing. Sponsorhouse is sort of a social networking site where racers of all types try to find sponsorship. You can have friends much like Facebook and all of us drag racers have a tendency to find each other like magnets.

The Bee learns to fly.
Annette learned to ride on a dirtbike as a child under the tutelage of her father. As she got older Annette learned to ride on the street with a friend’s early model GSXR1100 and finally bought her own 2005 Kawasaki ZX636R where she had her first taste of drag racing at Sacramento Raceway in California.

She managed to do well ET racing getting the bike to run 10.75s. Then she had a slight mishap, which resulted in her waking up under the timing tower answering a bunch of trivia questions like, “What is your name?” “What is the date?” “Who is the President?” “Where do you live?” Admittedly, Annette told me she did not answer the questions very well so the paramedics awarded her a trip to the hospital for losing their quiz show.

It took a few months after the “looptie off the line loop” incident to get back in the swing of things. As time passed she got back to the 10.7 range again only to have to sell the bike for financial reasons.

A friend had been bugging her to ride his wheelie bar drag bike and Annette asked him if he realized she had wrecked her own once on the track. He did not seem to mind and told her to give it a shot. At first Annette was a bit apprehensive about letting the clutch go, wheelie bars or not and her first runs were in the blistering 14 second range (The blisters were on her feet from pushing the bike down the ¼.). Three months later she became comfortable and started knocking out 8.80’s.

She entered in S/C at the NHRA West Coast Motorcycle Challenge and was running all over the board from 11’s to 9’s while somehow managing to make it to the finals. The bike she had to race looked like a Pro Stock bike and she feared the worst. Annette said the run felt good but nothing spectacular stood out about it. At the track she was racing you do not know whether you won or lost until you get your ticket, a white one for a win, a yellow for a loss. When the lady at the ticket booth gave her the white one and congratulated her, Annette thought the lady had made a mistake. It turns out Annette had run an 8.904 for the win.

The owner of this bike had run into financial issues of his own and sold the bike. This left Annette without a ride again. Next, it turns out the company she was working for had financial issues of its own and downsized Annette out the door in October of 08.

4 months and 220 applications later Annette had not one interview for a job and started seriously questioning her ability to be hired. She had been to job fairs where 7 employers would show up to hire and there would be anywhere from 300 to 1,500 people there trying to get these jobs.

Annette did some soul searching and thought about the things she was talented at; marketing, and the things she liked to do; motorcycle racing. Putting them together she came up with www.bumblebeemotorsports.com.

While Annette’s dream is to pick up a Pro Stock ride, for now she is content enjoying herself at the track using her creativity to market her fellow racers.

Now that is something to buzz about.


See ya on the track!

Highly recommended... from my family to yours!

Now everyone has done the family photography sessions at JCPenney's or Sears or even maybe the Portrait People or something like that, right? And typically that is where we have taken our family photos. However, I am beyond delighted to share with you a recent experience I've had with an amazing photography company.

BMG Image is a very professional, personable and trustworthy company. Its hard to find a photographer that not only makes you feel comfortable but someone who you know has your best interest at heart! BMG Image is that someone... they are very attentive to your concerns and help you flourish in your images. Brett and Kathryn Gardenhire are beyond amazing people, I just love them. I could sit here and tell you a 100 reasons why they are amazing, the truth is their work simply speaks for itself!


Check them out and consider them if you need some photography services, whether those needs are family or professional! Check out the images below to get a taste of just some of their work...

I wouldnt trust just anyone to photograph my only Mother Daughter photos, I trust and love our photographer, BMG Image. And so should you!

CLIENT APPRECIATION

I'm certain many companies enjoy the people they work with, but I get absolutely giddy when I can do or create something for one of my clients that they not only like but love. This appreciation is not only because my clients are all amazing at what they do, but they are genuinely great people!



I am very excited to have Sullivan Racing as a new client. Kalifornia Katie has been making history not only in her own right, but in NHRA. Katie has had a whirlwind year, including graduating from high school, attempting to qualify at Atlanta for the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals, taking runner-up at Dragbike Challenge/MDRA, qualifying and winning a round against her childhood hero, Karen Stoffer, at United Association Route 66 NHRA Nationals in Chicago, and attempting to qualify at Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals in Denver all within the last 75 days. Now I don't know about you, but my last 75 days was no where near as busy or fun! We have been discussing ideas and tools to assist Katie in her quest to obtain sponsors and fulfill her goal of racing NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle full time. Out of those discussions came a sponsor packet, autograph cards, a website and T-Shirts (coming shortly).

For those of you who personally know Katie, you know she is a very dedicated and determined racer. Her heart is into the sport and her passion is just one of the things that fuels her to succeed. For those of you who do not know her, trust that the somewhat reserved happy girl you hear about or see at the track is more than just a petite sweet woman, she is a fierce competitor who will eat you up on the lights if you fail to be on your game in the slightest fraction. This is her dream and nothing will stand in her way.

So as the next week quickly comes upon on, join us at the Fram Autolite NHRA Nationals in Sonoma, July 24-26. And when Katie Sullivan "Kalifornia Katie" comes up to the staging lanes on her Pro Stock Motorcycle, put your hands together and root for her! If you can't make it to the races or just want to visit with her, stop by her new home on the world wide web at www.kaliforniakatie.com or on Twitter @KatiePSM745.

As the year progresses, Bumble Bee Motorsports will be attending more races, taking more photos and continuing to build relationships with the great competitors and companies involved in our sport/industry. If there is anything we can do for you, please let us know. Or if you have any questions or comments, we are always available. Visit us at http://www.bumblebeemotorsports.com/ or call me at 916-670-4349.

Special thanks to all my clients: Greg Means of Means Racing, PTS Xtreme Transmissions, Fields Performance, Portagee Racing, Modern OG Collective, Dragbike Promotions, Mike "Dragbike Mike" Scott and MMA.

It's been awhile...

Well it's been awhile and I feel like my days run into my nights lately! Sorry for the long delay... They say for every opportunity that you exhaust that being open and flexible will bring new opportunity. Right? Anyway... things did not pan out with MDRA, I got to meet and know some great racers and I am thankful for that - in addition to the experience. But MDRA is a struggling organization and they still have a lot to learn about the sport. I wish them the best of luck if for no other reason than for us West Coast racers to have another place to lay down some rubber.

However, as a racer and business person... I can see how the line can get blurred. But in this sport it is extremely important for that line to be defined...to be CLEAR! Racers put a lot of money and time into a sport that they know will not show them the financial return. We do this because we LOVE it... it really is that simple! It is hard for a person who does not drag race to always think from a racers perspective and yes, I understand that there are times when thinking like a racer will not be beneficial. But it is critical to any race organization to be in the trenches and know the language... to walk the walk not just talk the talk. Having love and respect for your racers is a great start, but it is so much more than that! In the end... say what you mean and mean what you say!

But on to bigger and better things... I have a continued opportunity to work with Big Charlie again for the remainder of the 2009 season and to look at options for the 2010 season. The most important thing to me is to continue to stay involved in drag racing on multiple levels, because this is what I LOVE! I am fortunate enough that my family is always right there beside me!

In between all this craziness, a good friend of ours (you may have heard of her - Katie Sullivan) made the field at the NHRA Chicago race and made it past first round against Karen Stoffer. Miss Kalifornia Katie, she's had a whirlwind month, from winning runner-up at the MDRA May 31st race to graduating from High School to making another hit at the big times with Pro Stock Motorcycle all at the tender age of 18. I have so much pride and excitement for what she has achieved, it gives me goose bumps and she's not even my daughter. I have a lot of respect Katie and her family. Her father Charlie, is by far one of my favorite people. He's always so positive and fun loving! I will continue to root for Miss Katie and I look forward to seeing her obtain sponsorship and make a name for herself! MUCH LOVE and RESPECT!

If you haven't been by my website lately, check it out (www.bumblebeemotorsports.com). Drop by and leave us a comment, we'd love to hear from you or better yet help you out with your marketing needs!

Till next time...BEE safe!
BB

Ready...Set...LAUNCH

Check me out...

MDRA Lost Wages Jackpot Race | Las Vegas, NV April 18-19, 2009

LOST WAGES JACKPOT RACE MDRA April 18, 2009

What a great weekend, loonngg but great! We took off Friday for our weekend in sin city. Cuda, Big Rob hauled Joey's bike to the track (thanks guys), so he rode with them; while Sara and I drove my car. Its always fun to take a road trip, especially to a city you've never raced in! We've heard great things about the Vegas track and presume it to be everything everyone has stated. Besides it has to be awesome... the big boys were just there on April 5th.

The drive was boring but some parts were pretty! Despite its remote location Tehachapi is actually pretty. Sara: Te-Hay-Chapi (LOL...You're awesome)! Anway, it was a decent drive but we were all very happy to get to Vegas! Once we all got settled we headed to dinner and then went to do a little site seeing, as this was Sara's first trip to Vegas (not just the airport).

We arrived at the Las Vegas Strip about 7am on Saturday and it was cold. The wind was blowing and it did not feel anything close to Las Vegas weather! But the morning warmed up quickly! It was time to buckle down, test the track and endure the wind and sun! All of which we were elated to do. The track was everything everyone has said about it, awesome track prep, phenomenal traction and yes even the head wind we've heard about more then a few times! We had a great turn out, somewhere close to 70 bikes!

Joey shown above... Think he's happy to be racing in Vegas??? No way!

Big Rob below on a qualifying pass...

Joey on a qualifying pass...

Another qualifying pass...

We qualified number 1 (nice place to be) in Super Bike and paired against Racer Steve in first round eliminations on Sunday! We were excited and ready for another great day of racing!

Due to some unprofessional drama by another competitor, Cuda's class was eliminated Saturday. However, he was able to join the ranks of FUNNYBIKE to compete for the event. Now that has a nice ring, right... FUNNYBIKE MIKE!!! I like it! Mike is always spectacular to watch, always provides such showmanship and skill! Can't wait to see him race his street tire bike against the 12" tire/wheelie bar bikes tomorrow!

LOST WAGES JACKPOT RACE MDRA April 19, 2009 ELIMINATIONS

Big Rob paired againt Thad in first round eliminations and won! WooHoo Rob!

In the finals, Rob paired against Daryl Wiltz and unfortunately backed out of the beam and the official DQ'd him.

No your eyes are not decieving you, that is Mike Fields, Sr. paired up against Roy Sears in the Funnybike class.

Just a little rump difference! ;) Time to get down to business...

Cuda takes the win against Roy Sears and due to a racer experiencing mechanical failure, Cuda earns a bye into the Funnybike semi-finals. Unfortunately, the run against Sears also hurt his motor. Next round, Cuda knows his motor is not going to make a full run without full detonation so he chooses to stage and breaks the beams. Yet another racer experiences mechanical failure and this earns Cuda runner-up place in the Funnybike class!

We paired against Racer Steve in First Round eliminations and we took the win, which put us into the finals for Super Bike.

Finals paired us against Wil Kimbrough... and for the first time... WE TOOK HOME THE WIN!

We wrapped up our winning trip to Vegas with a quick bite to eat and then headed home! WooHoo, JOE FARIA winner winner of the Lost Wages SUPER BIKE class!

Launching a new website for my first client...

www.portageeracing.com

Check it out...

Started out sunny...

The week started and ended with a prayer to the "sun" gods, we wanted to test the new clutch set-up and of course break-in our new tire. So when today rolled around, we were excited to see the sun as we opened our sleepy eyes. We loaded the truck and headed off to the track. Not many cars or bikes out when we got there, in fact, no one really showed up till about noon or a bit after. So we settled in for a nice "anxious" wait... and hoped that they would do some track prep.

As the morning inched along, a few more bikes showed up. Including one of my favorite racers, Katie Sullivan. Recently, she's been a topic of discussion on dragbike.com/mdra. Some months back she purchased a look alike Pro Stock Motorcycle.

Her and Charlie (her father), attended Frank Hawley's Drag Racing School in Florida awhile ago. Their goal today was to obtain three passes under 7.90 in order for Katie to get her Pro Stock Motorcycle License. Honestly, I can't think of any other female that I would love to see get picked up in Pro Stock [except me, of course ;)]. Overall, they are working hard to try and get everything complete so Katie can play with the big boys and girls at Gator Nationals just a few weeks away. So I was very anxious to see her make some passes. Unfortunately, the conditions were marginal (at best) for what she needed. Plus they are still working out some bugs with a new motor as well as Katie getting used to the bike. Overall, I think she did great and can't wait to see her rock NHRA.

Katie wasn't the only one facing challenges today... so were we. It just wasn't coming all together. Our 60' times were off, our E.T. was off, our MPH was off, overall, the day was off. We didn't have traction problems, although the track is down to concrete in both lanes.

Time to bring in the fat tire cars...only they were slim today. But this one caught our attention, what a beautiful race car!

We LOVE it when Joe comes out, he's such a great person! After we were done fiddling around, we let Joe take his shot at the track with no promises of a good return for his time. He was happy to just not be pushing, towing or riding Rob's tow scooter. :) LOL!!!

Unfortunately, Joe didn't get much out of her either. Big Rob was out playin with his Fields Performance monster today too and he did pretty good! Ran a few 8 second passes and learned a little more!

We did see a guy go down after popping his oil pan. He came down from a wheelie and it got slick from there on out. He rode it out as best he could, before he couldn't control it anymore. He walked away from the accident, but he was experiencing some signs of head injury (concussion, etc.), so they were gonna take him to the hospital just to be safe! Good thinking! We wish you a speedy recovery and hope to see you back at the track soon!

By the end of the day the sun had disappeared and it was cold. Now its time to head home, rest a bit and head off to watch the AMA Arenacross Series at Arco! ;)

Practice, Practice, Practice...

We made some fine tuning adjustments and headed out for a day of testing. We headed 20 minutes from our house to Sacramento Raceway on January 31st for a day of fun! These are the days we love, when the air is crisp (which equals horsepower) and the sun is shining (which means a warmer track). We hit our personal best MPH at 155.61 and a half track MPH of 125.20. The half track 125 mph pass gave us a 9.28 ET and with those numbers we know there is more to tap into. Now back to the garage for some additional tuning...

Overall, we had a great day and got in about 9 passes! If the weather works with us, we'll head back out this coming weekend for some more testing! ;)

Jan. 17-18, 2009 | MDRA Race Season

The new year started off rocky, lots of unknowns. Its difficult to be excited about racing when you have so many looming things on your mind. After much indecision, we finally took the leap and left for Fontana Saturday night. We couldn't leave any earlier, because I had an obligation to fulfill. And as usual I am USELESS when it comes to night driving. Really, its quite pathetic. My body is so programed to shut down at 9-10pm, by the time we hit the road (11:20pm) my eyes were already heavy. I give all the kudos to Joey for his impressive ability to stay awake and drive (no matter the hour).

We arrived at Auto Club Dragway at a bit after 5am. Surprisingly the track was open and since we had never been there before, we asked the guard at the gate if we were in the right place... he had jokes. However, due to the hour AND the long drive behind us... we didn't necessarily see him as "funny". We decided to end our day and start our morning with breakfast. So after finding a place that would not give us "dysentary" as we were advised... we settled in for a quick bite and a full day of racing!

Upon getting into the track, which is no joke, in the parking lot of California Speedway. Despite its location, it actually is a very well prepped track. So we settled into our home for the day near MDRA and got ready to have some fun. I met up with Brandy and made my official transition into Crew Chief/Media Director. We were pleased to see all the bikes that showed up, especially with it being January and a bad economy. It was turning out to be a nice day, warming up quickly!





There was one Pro Gas bike but since he was the only one, he decided to run an ET Class. And despite our Championship in Pro Gas in 2008, we decided to run the Super Bike class this year (9.50 Index). There were five bikes (including us) in our class, which gave us a chance to actually compete.

Unfortunately, Auto Club Dragway does not have lights for evening racing, so they were unable to complete qualifying on Saturday. They buttoned up qualifying for those that did not get to complete Saturdays session and started eliminations.

Our first run was spot on, against Wil Kimbrough, with a 9.51 @ 148.36 mph. Not bad for our first pass on a brand new track after driving all night. [Seems to be our thing...drive all night, race all day, to drive all night home... LOL!!!] Due the odd number of bikes registered in the class, our next pass produced a bye run for us. WooHoo! It was a great opportunity for us to see what we could get out of her without hesitation. She gave us a 9.40 @ 151.39, not bad!! Now we're in the finals and we pair up against Laverk Harper (2008 Super Bike Champion). What a great way to start the 2009 season, the 2008 Super Bike Champion and the 2008 Pro Gas Champion, running head to head (of course within the index) in this round. In the end, we rode away with runner-up! The race was such a great display of two racers, two bikes, that push each other to perform at the highest degree. We were happy with the day overall, the race was fun and the weather was phenomenal!

Photo by Hooliganunderground.com

We wrapped up our race at Fontana around 4pm, headed to an early dinner. Now compared to our drive to Arizona, it surely wasn't a "long" drive... But considering the drive less than 12 hours earlier and the 7 hours ahead, it was for all intensive purposes a long drive home. Again, with astonishing amazement, Joey pulled off the driving feat with little to no effort (sorta). He rocks, seriously! We pulled into the driveway around 11:30pm. So within 24 hours we drove to Los Angeles, raced all day, and drove home. WOW, we are crazy! ;)

Overall, we had a great time, with several bikes and great competition! We can't wait till Vegas in April.

For more information about rules, schedule, pics, and winners visit http://www.mdra4u.com/.

2009 MDRA Season starts January 17-18th

Do you need new tires, sprockets, a chain or fuel... it's race time!

The first race of the MDRA season is January 17-18th!

For more information visit: http://www.mdra4u.com/ or contact Brandy at brandy@mdra4u.com.

CONGRATULATIONS to our 2008 Champions!
View the link below:
http://www.dragbike.com/dbnews/anmviewer.asp?a=4585&z=13

Resolute... not Resolutions!

2009 is on the way...

So they say New Year's Eve/New Year's Day is the time to make your New Year's resolutions! Which really is just another way to say you didn't get to all the things you should have done or wanted to do in the previous year. Ultimately, those resolutions end up just being black ink on that white tablet. The idea of the resolution is to complete goals, to feel achieved. Which is a great concept, but nothing more if it is never completed. So this year I will not make resolutions, but instead plan to be resolute. Resolute in achieving my goals/objectives! I am learning to be more flexible, fluid, and open minded. So my goals and objectives will change with the year as needed.

So with that... I hope each of you finds what you need in the New Year! Remembering there is a vast difference between what one wants and what one needs! I hope 2009 brings many welcome changes for all!

Prelude to a new opportunity...

The west coast has been patiently waiting (for lack of any other colorful terms) more racing opportunities. Over the past several years we have had the opportunity to race with great organizations such as Norcal Dragbike Association and Dragbike Promotions. In the coming years we hope to see those organizations grow and provide more race opportunities.

I am pleased and optimistic in saying, I believe MDRA can effectively replace NMRA and provide us with one more organization to race with!










After several meeting of the minds and discussions, I have graciously accepted a position with MDRA. My objective is to help from the racers perspective, to be the voice of and for the racing community! I am excited to be able to help out in an industry that I have so much passion for, not only as a fellow racer but as a spectator too. I have great respect for all the racers and hope to see the West Coast become even more competitve.

2009 MDRA Race Schedule

January 17-18th ~ Auto Club Dragway, Fontana, CA
April 18-19th ~ Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas, NV
May 31st ~ Sacramento Raceway Park, Sacramento, CA
June 20-21st ~ Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas, NV
August 8-9th ~ Auto Club Dragway, Fontana, CA
October 17-18th ~ Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas, NV
November 7-8th ~ Auto Club Dragway, Fontana, CA

We are trying to get a race scheduled at Auto Club Fomoso in Bakersfield, CA but that is currently a tentative location until we can finalize details. Stay tuned and we will let you know more as soon as we do!

I look forward to the 2009 season, should any of you have any questions please let me know! Until we speak again...

Bumble Bee signing off!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING 2008!

We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving; filled with family, love, great conversation, delicious food and sensational memories!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING 2008!