Angela Moore 5-12-04
- Updated: May 12, 2004
One small step for woman, one giant leap for womankind.
One small step for woman, one giant leap for womonkind.When the checkers flew and 6 hours of combined motocross, cross country and TT ATV racing came to a close in the hot sun in Macon, GA on May 8, 2004, – two young girls, riding under the team name of Alba Action Girls, schooled all the three man male teams and finished up with the overall win! Avid ATV racing enthusiasts who have actually witnessed the remarkable talent that a small handful of today’s female ATV racers pocess, will probably have no problem believing the incredible achievement that Traci Cecco and Angela Moore recently accomplished. But for those newcomers wondering into our sport, be prepared to be amazed!
We caught up to two of the fastest female ATV racers of all time and asked them a few questions about their heroic day in the hot Geaogia sun. Here is the conversation we had with Angela Moore…
ATV Scene: How did you crash?
Angela: It was on the first lap and it didn’t happen very far into the woods. I was going though following Donny Banks, trying to keep up with him. I went around one corner and the track was not run in yet because it was the first lap. My right tire hit a tree and turned the quad sideways with me being pinned under it. The guy behind me was pushing into me because everybody else didn’t see what happened and they kept on ramming him. He yelled at them to chill out and then he helped me get out from under the bike. Then he helped move the quad around so that it was going the right way on the trail. I would like to thank him for that!
(Editor’s note: That rider was Team Robinson Racing’s Chis Robinson. He was in the same class as Angela as well. They were both racing the A class.)
Lifetimes are made from years that mean nothing – moments that mean all.
ATV Scene: After you crashed on the first lap what was going through your mind?
Angela: After the crash I just wanted to get out of everybody’s way. I am not very experienced in the woods and it was a bad feeling to me knowing that all those guys were behind me wanting me to go faster. I went into the woods in second place and came out almost last! When I came to a clear spot, I let some of them go. I really didn’t want to do that because I knew that Traci and I wanted to win the overall, but I knew that we had plenty of time to catch up!
ATV Scene: What was the hardest part of completing this mission of winning the overall?
Angela: At the beginning of the race the hard part was the dust! It was really dusty out there on that first lap when all of us were so close together. You couldn’t see very far in front of you even. But further into the race the dust was no longer a problem. Staying well hydrated and staying energized long enough to stay out as long as we could was the main thing.
ATV Scene: Were you trying to earn the fastest lap of the day or did it just work out that way?
Angela: I really didn’t try to earn the fastest lap, it just happened! Traci actually got the fastest lap of the day before me. I knew the track better every time that I went out and the lap that I did get the fastest lap, the course just felt perfect to me. When I was going through the woods, it seemed like a big tunnel and I was riding on a rail. I felt really smooth through the woods. During the end of the day I was trying to beat my fastest lap time, but I just kept on going slower. Oh well.
Angela was one of only a few riders doing this step up on the Paradise Park motocross track.
ATV Scene: What was your strategy as the day went on?
Angela: Our strategy was to stay on the bike as long as we could. We were doing about four laps each. When I was out there the first three laps were ok, but the last one was hard to do. I just kept on going as fast as I could without hitting trees. I figured it is best for me to slow down to go between trees than to go really fast and crash and break something on the bike.
ATV Scene: Can you share any inside tips on conquering these kinds of races?
Angela: I really don’t have many tips. In my opinion you just need to go out there and try your best. We tried to pit as few times as possible and go as fast as we could go!
ATV Scene: Why do you like these kinds of endurance races?
Angela: I like it because it is something different for me to compete in and to stay in shape for the GNC MX series. Traci and I work really well together on a team and I like riding with her a lot. She is an awesome rider too!
Angela gets interviewed by announcer, Mark Straubinger – aka “Banger” – voice of the GNCs
ATV Scene: Are you and Tracy planning on racing the 6 Hours at Rausch Creek? Will you add another girl, maybe Heather Byrd?
Angela: YEAH! Traci and I are planning on racing the last 6 hour race. As of right now, I think we are planning to just keep it Traci and I for that race. Personally, I really don’t see the advantage of having a third person on the team for the six hour races. I felt that I had plenty of time to prepare and get myself ready while Traci was on the track. I think that if we add another person to the team for the 6 hour race it gives you more time to mess up in the pits when you are pitting to get another person on the bile. Now as for the 12 hour race, I know that Traci and I are planning to race with Heather Byrd there. We raced there together and I really think we have a winning combination going there. It should be better this year there because it will be Traci and my 3rd year doing the 12 hour race and it will be Heather’s 2nd year running with us! We’re all really looking forward to it.
ATV Scene: Any parting words?
Angela: I would just like to thank all of my sponsors who had helped us out for this past weekend and for all of the 6 and 12 hour races! We really do appreciate it!
