Cooley Wins 3 2011 Women’s Motorcycle Roadracing Championships

Racing in Las Vegas with WERA West this weekend October 2, Christie Cooley won her third women’s motorcycle roadracing championship aboard her Fastline Cycles Yamaha R6.

Cooley won the WERA West Women’s Superstock Expert race during a critical double points round on Sunday, fending off a newly quick Marisol Lacour and achieving her personal best laptimes at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Classic Course. This resulted in winning the overall season long Women’s Superstock Expert championship with WERA.

American women’s roadracing is popular and growing rapidly on the west coast; in 2011, over 30 women participated in various road races throughout California, from AMA professionals to novice women competing in their first races. Cooley dominated the highly competitive western U.S. club racing women’s championships this year with nine women’s race wins.

On Saturday, September 10th, she clinched the AFM’s Formula AFemme championship, the biggest women’s roadracing series in the country, with a win at Thunderhill Raceway. As soon as the race finished, she and her crew changed oil and gearing then packed up and drove seven hours to California Speedway in Fontana. She showed up Sunday, practiced, and won the WERA West Women’s Superstock Expert race there.

Up next was the final round of the California State Championship at Willow Springs September 17-18. After breaking her motor during Saturday practice, she raced Formula Femme on her teammate and crew chief Nikki Nienow’s 2007 R6 while setting personal best laptimes. Unfortunately, on the fifth lap, an airbox screw fell out and lodged in the throttle bodies, creating the experience of a stuck throttle going into the infamous turn 8.

“It was pretty much the scariest moment of my life,” says Cooley. “Every time I go into turn 8 it’s the scariest moment of my life, but then to have what feels like a stuck throttle at the same time? Ugh! I pulled in the clutch and came in, but I was totally bummed because I was having a great race. Fortunately I was able to finish in third, which was enough points to win the championship.”

With a destroyed cylinder and no time to fix it before the final WERA West round, Fastline Cycles of Fremont, California, saved the day by prepping another bike, her 2008 R6, and setting it up with her Leo Vince exhaust, aftermarket suspension and other parts. “My bike worked phenomenally well in Vegas, the best it’s been all season.”

Cooley would like to thank sponsors Alex Torres of Fastline Cycles, along with Pirelli Tires, CT Racing, Arai Helmets, Leo Vince, ACT Racing, G&B Cycle Pro and Mission City Signs.

“I literally could not have done this well this year without the help and support of Alex at Fastline, my teammate, crew chief and bestie Nikki Nienow, and our awesome mechanic Ross Embertson. I’d also like to thank my parents, who silently support my racing but can’t bear to come watch!”

For race reports and more about Christie Cooley, please visit https://passedbyachick.com.

Fastline Cycles, located in Fremont, California, offers personalized service for all brands and model years of motorcycles, ATVs and scooters. Fastline also offers expert race tuning services, race engine building, race bike set-up and preparations, and sells fuel, parts and everything you could possibly need for your street or race machines.