Saturday’s 2009 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship at Glen Helen Raceway will feature 18-year-old Ashley Fiolek in the No. 1 position.
Last season, as a rookie, Fiolek won the Women’s Motocross Association National Championship, becoming the first - and only - deaf champion in the sport’s history.
Now, she will defend her title as national champion when the WMA event Saturday leads off the opening round at Glen Helen, the first stop of the 2009 12-stop series.
Without the ability to hear the revs of the engine as a notification, Fiolek learned how to shift by feeling the vibrations through the bike.
She was taught the technique by her father, Jim Fiolek, a former motocross racer himself.
The story of the young woman, who has been deaf since birth, is an inspiring one for youthful athletes.
“Ashley is always thinking of little girls coming up and how the changes in motocross will affect them,” Fiolek said from their St. Augustine home, where Ashley has her own motocross track.
“Ashley and a lot of girls are working hard to make women’s racing recognized just like men’s,” said Fiolek.
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