Traci Cecco 5-12-04
- Updated: May 12, 2004
Victory! Traci Cecco crosses the finish line while teammate Angela Moore cheers her on.
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. We’ve divided the interview into two features, one with Traci and one with Angela….
ATV Scene: When did you first meet Angela?
Traci: In early 2001 while visiting Tom Carlson at TC Racing. Angela was stopping by and we got a chance to chat for a while. Later on in the year I decided to try a BUCCS (Buddy-Up Cross Country Series) race. I called Angela to see if she would be interested in being my teammate. We ended up racing it together and finishing 3rd in the A class. Angela raced Ricks quad that day without any changes. She basiclly muscled it around the course that day. I was really impressed.
ATV Scene: How many times have you teamed up with her?
Traci: This past weekend was my 4th time as her teammate. One BUCCS, two 12 Hours events and now one memerable 6 Hours of America race.
Traci cheers Angela on as she comes into switch riders.
ATV Scene: We’re assuming you’re the team captain and organizer? Now that you’ve more than proven yourself as a front runner, it’s safe to think that any top contender would love to team up with you. Do you have any interest in ever breaking up your all girl team and possibly selecting a fast guy?
Traci: Team Captain? I would put that feather in my husband Rick’s cap. Rick does a ton of organizing from quad preperation to coordinating with Angela and Heather Byrd. I really like the fact that we have an all girls team. I really have no desire to break that up nor would I think it is needed for the team to do better. I know that Angela and Heather have the speed and we are all still learning how to approach a long endurance race. If we can keep the gremlins away like we did in Macon it proves that we are definately a contender and can win the 12 Hours this Fall.
ATV Scene: After you heard that Angela crashed, did you still think you could win the overall.
Traci: Angela crashed very early in the race. From past experience I knew that we basiclly had all day to make up time so I was not worried other than her possible being hurt which I was glad to hear she was not. Racing for six hours with only one teammate was difficult since I never got a chance to actually talk to Angela till the race was over.
One small step for woman, one giant leap for womankind.
ATV Scene: Your husband Rick is an extremely fast rider as well. Why did you choose not to sign him up as your third rider for this event?
Traci: Rick races Pro-AM in the GNCC’s and I am pretty sure that would make us inellidgible for the A Class. Plus Rick’s weight being 200 lbs would really make it hard to get the suspension setup properly. Plus like I said it’s a cool thing that we can field a winning team with just girls.
ATV Scene: Did you talk to your main sponsors about your 6 Hours overall accomplishment? What was their reaction?
Traci: We have not released an official race report yet – but so far everyone that I have talked to is pretty stoked about our accomplishments.
ATV Scene:What was the hardest part of completing this mission of winning the overall?
Traci: Riding smart and not making any mistakes. The weather was extremly hot and humid which made it hard to focus while racing much less rest when Angela was riding her laps.
ATV Scene:You missed Angela’s fastest time of the day by less than one second! Were you two competing against each other to see who could set the fastest lap time?
Traci: I really liked the scoring system that is used at these events. The detailed lap information was awesome! You could easily see how you and your team was doing by simple watching the monitor near the finish line. Rick told me Angela swiped my best time by a mere 3 tenths of a second. I think it’s pretty cool that we both run that close to each other. I cannot say enough about the Alba YFZ450 and the Lonestar / Custom Axis setup which gave Angela and I a platform that would give us consistant lap times within seconds all day! That is awesome and key to winning an endurance race.
Congratulations from Traci’s husband, Rick, who logs pleny of hours himself wrenching on Traci’s Alba YFZ450.
ATV Scene:What kind of reaction do you girls get from other teams (all males)?
Traci: At no time were we ever treated any different than any other team. Everyone was extremely happy about our success. And after the race several teams came and congratulated us. This sport truly is full of a lot of good people. I’m thrilled to be a part of it.
ATV Scene:Can you share any inside tips on conquering these kinds of races?
Traci: Staying consistant, keeping the machine together, proper setup to suite all riders. And it helps to always have a great time while doing it.
ATV Scene:Why do you like these kinds of endurance races?
Traci: It is a great time to hang out and race with your friends all day. You get to see the top riders from other series of quad racing like TT and MX along with my GNCC friends. It really does not get any better than this.
