The AMA Daytona 200, one of the biggest professional motorcycle races of the year, is fast approaching. If you want to help out one of the fastest and most talented female roadracers in America, now is your chance! Melissa Paris is about 85% towards her goal of raising $5,000 for the Dr. Susan Love Foundation, a group working to find a cure for breast cancer.
I got a chance to catch up with Melissa recently and see how things are going. She’s already en route to Daytona to prepare in this weekend’s Championship Cup Series (CCS) race.
PBAC: How have the preparations for Daytona been going?
MP: It’s been insane trying to get ready. We literally picked up our R6’s midweek last week, which gave us about five days to turn them into race bikes! Yikes! The Markbilt shop is in Pennsylvania so I flew out on Thursday and we have been putting in 16-18 hour days to get the bikes ready. We literally finished them at 9 pm last night. It’s now 2 am and we are en route to Daytona for the CCS round.
PBAC: So how are you feeling? Are you nervous?
MP: I’m definitely nervous, especially since it’s a new bike for me, but then when I think about it I know Mark is going to give me an awesome bike to go racing with! Besides, the R6 is a pretty sweet package already.
PBAC: So I know you work your ass off on the bicycle and dirt bike, how’s the training been going?
MP: Well, my training got a tiny bit derailed when I caught a nasty flu a couple weeks ago, but I think I have a pretty good base. You should have seen me, I’m so stupid. Here in Pennsylvania one night I decide to go running. Put on my leggings and hoodie, even put on a beanie. I made it a mile and a half. It was so cold the air was burning my lungs. I don’t know how people live like that! I’m a true California girl! I wonder if adrenaline can take me 200 miles?
PBAC: I bet you can do 200 miles in your sleep, you’ll do great!
MP: Now that I’ve been staring at bikes for a week I’m just getting really excited to ride! The main thing now is hoping people will check out www.firstgiving.com/melissaparis and make a donation. I’m almost to my goal of $5,000!
Get Some Awesome New Pictures from Daytona!
Melissa & Teri Gorrell Say Donate to Save the Boobies!
