Catching Up With…Vicki Golden

bayodome

• June 16 2009
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• 7 comments

One of the things that has benefited in a major way at this years Outdoor Nationals, is the addition of the WMA series.  Although the women’s races have had their appearances during the main program before, this is the first time in the American history when the women’s racing is a part of the official program.  At eight of the 12 Nationals this year, women are doing battle on the same track, and on the same day as the men, and thanks to the increased exposure, new stars are beginning to emerge.  One of those pleasant surprises has been pro rookie, Vicki Golden.  The young rider from Southern California has finished third in the last three rounds, and also currently sits third in the points standings; not bad for someone with a broken wrist

How did you injure your wrist?

I over shot the big step-up at Hangtown, came down on it the wrong way and it just cracked under pressure, basically.  I haven’t really ridden much during the week since then.  I wasn’t doing motos very much, but instead working on individual sections and trying to build up corner speed.  That stuff doesn’t really hurt the wrist so it was good practice.  Right after Freestone we decided to get it looked at and that’s when we found out that it was actually fractured.  My doctor told me to keep an eye on it and try not to aggravate it too much.  Although one incident did hurt it a bit in the second moto this weekend.

To back up a bit, how did you get started in motocross?

Probably when my dad started riding.  My brother eventually started riding too, and I guess I just wanted to ride out of jealousy I guess (laughs).  I wanted to ride at a young age.

What was your amateur career like?

I did three or four years as an amateur and just never really got up there all that much.  I had a couple of top three finishes, but nothing too amazing, although I did win Loretta’s last year.  Stepping up to the pro class has definitely been the highlight of my racing career.

Since you didn’t standout too much as an amateur, it must be quite a difference being in the spotlight since turning pro.

Its definitely an awesome opportunity to grow as a person and just to get more experience.  But really, since I was not in the spotlight before, I have just tried to put my head down as much as possible and it seems to be working out for me.  When I won Loretta’s that was definitely some good exposure, but nothing like the exposure you get as a pro.

I have not met him, but I heard that your dad had a pretty big accident a few years ago.  Do you mind talking about that?

Down at the El Cajon track about three years ago, he went out for a ride and a quad clipped him on the face of a jump and shot him off the side of the track.  The crash left him paralyzed.  He has done as much as he can for me and keep me going in the right direction with everything.  I definitely wouldn’t be where I am today without him.  It was definitely a huge transition for everyone after his accident.  Before my dad was injured, I did not touch the bike at all.  I didn’t even know there was an air filter and that it needed oil.  After his accident, I still wanted to ride so I learned as much as I could about the bike.  So it definitely helped me grow as a person in a bunch of different ways.

That is definitely a big learning curve.  So since then, have you just been going it alone?  Did you have a bunch of personal sponsors or was it really just your family helping you out?

My family really backed me and they said, “Let’s go for it,” and they still support me.  It has definitely been hard financially.  All of my sponsors have been really helpful with all of their support, but family support was the biggest help I could ever have.  We decided to turn pro and then we stepped it up even more.  I kept getting hurt at each amateur national but I was still getting better and better, I finally put it together at Loretta Lynn’s last year and it has just been smooth sailing since then.  I wasn’t even sure if I was going to turn pro just because of timing, and we were definitely hoping for better support but with the economy it just never happened.  We thought about waiting things out to see what might work out for 2010, but turning pro was the right choice and it has just been amazing ever since.

So have your sponsors increased their support since you made the jump?

I think a lot of people thought I would do good, but I didn’t think too much about the first race at Glen Helen. But going to Hangtown and all of these other nationals it was definitely a lot easier because I had a base and I could focus on what I needed to do.  So all of my different sponsors have been doing whatever is needed to get me to the races.  I am with the Moto Concepts/ Warthog Racing women’s program, and also with Fox Racing.

How do you get to the races?

These last two nationals we have flown to, but we will often drive to the others.  When Travis Freistat, who races in the 250 class, and his family go to the races, I will usually just drive with them; they are like my second family.  Any of the races that they don’t do, I will fly with my mechanic.  Moto Concepts/Warthog Racing hauls our bikes to the races in their women’s trailer; it’s not a big one but it gets the job done.  It definitely better than pitting out of a rental car or something (laughs).