Deaf teen becomes part of women's Motocross elite

From GrindTV.com:

The fastest woman on the track cannot hear the engine roar to life when she kick-starts her motorcycle. But Ashley Fiolek (pictured) can feel its awesome power--its every vibration--when she shifts into gear and launches into competition.

"I hear it my own way," explained Fiolek, 19, who despite being deaf has emerged as the dominant force in the rollicking sport of women's motocross. "I can feel everything about my bike. I have grown up riding that way so it's nothing new to me."

Fiolek, 19, who was interviewed via email, will be in Texas this weekend for the Freestone National, the second of eight Women's Motocross Assn. competitions.

The petite Floridian, who is campaigning for a third consecutive WMA title, has replaced five-time champion Jessica Patterson as the sport's premier athlete.

Fiolek is coming into her own not only as a superstar, but as a young adult who just bought her first home, and as an author who recently co-wrote the book: "Kicking Up Dirt: A True Story of Determination, Deafness and Daring."

Hers is an inspirational tale about overcoming disabilities and perceived obstacles; she was raised not to regard her condition as a roadblock standing in the way of dreams and ambitions.

"Even if the other people thought, 'Wow, this isn't safe,' we always knew that we could teach Ashley how to ride safely, and how to ride fast," said her father, Jim. "We never saw it as a limitation and I don't think Ashley would have it any other way."

What makes Fiolek's rapid success so remarkable is that motocross is so replete with the high-pitch whine of engine sounds. As they negotiate the many turns and jumps, riders rely on sounds to determine when to change gears, to detect engine problems and, most important, to learn when other riders might be attempting to pass.

"I can't change [racing] lines like other riders because I have to make sure no one is behind me first," she conceded. "But I think the advantages are that I don't know when someone's behind me so I don't freak out. Also, I don't hear any smack talking at the races so it doesn't affect me."

Fiolek, who is 5 feet 2 and weighs a mere 106 pounds, was born deaf in Michigan but her parents soon moved to St. Augustine, Fla., so their daughter could attend the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind. She was taken out in favor of home-schooling before the ninth grade, however, because her parents believed the school was instilling a belief that she was handicapped and limited.

Fiolek began riding motorcycles at 3. The training wheels came off when she was was 7. She became passionate about racing after attending her first supercross competition.

Other parents became concerned when Fiolek first arrived on the local amateur circuit, but the concern was short-lived because she was so naturally fast and adept.

She lists as one of her crowning achievements the day she won the girls' division at the 2004 Loretta Lynn's Amateur National Motocross Championships.

Fiolek, a Honda Red Bull Racing team member and the first female to have been given a factory ride, or full sponsorship, also is the reigning X Games champion and hopes to someday compete against men.

Men are not overly concerned but most are impressed. Said Travis Pastrana, a former motocross and supercross racer who became legendary for his success in the high-flying sport of freestyle motocross:

"It's difficult to imagine that such a petite girl with a warm smile could be so phenomenal in an extreme sport like motocross. When she's on her dirt bike, she's no longer a deaf girl--she is a tough, confident, competitive racer who has overcome enough in her life to know that nothing is impossible."