Heather Trees- Showing Her Endurance In the Twins Cup Series

This transcript is AI generated, not human. There may be errors.

[00:00:15.160] - Dave Sulecki

Welcome to Pit Pass Moto. The show that keeps you up to speed on the latest in motorcycling and brings the biggest names in motorcycle racing right to you. I'm Dave Sulecki. And I'm P.J. Doran.

[00:00:25.300] - Dave Sulecki

And this week we have Heather Trees as our guest, Moto America, the home of the AMA Superbike Championship featuring one hundred and ninety mile an hour. Superbikes is the official sponsor of past Moto. Did you know you can catch all 20 Ohno's Superbike races live on Fox Sports this season? Go to Moto America dot com to get all kinds of ticket information, event information. Also, live streaming is available at Moto America Live. Plus, it's a wonderful app and does everything you need.

[00:00:59.200] - Dave Sulecki

If you can't be at the track, check out Moto America in racing news this weekend from Port Royal, Pennsylvania. After went racing at the Port Royal Half Mile in sport. Twins Brian Baumann came out on top of Brandon Price and a resurgent Jared Meece overall points after eight of sixteen. In other words, the halfway point of the season. Brian Baumann sits on top with one hundred and sixty four over Brandon Robinson on one thirty nine, which aired means again resurgent at one thirty three in the production Twins class, Dalton Gotha came out on top of Dallas Daniels with Corey texta rounding out the podium.

[00:01:38.830] - Dave Sulecki

That means seasoned points for the production twins class. Corey is on top with one hundred and sixty four points Dalton Gortat with one hundred and thirty three lies second and Chad Kose in third place with one hundred and fifteen in World Superbike action. We had the race from ACIN first race of the weekend saw Johnny Ray take home first place ahead of Scott Redding and Toprak got the oglu love that name in the Super Bowl race Jonathan Ray again on top over Renaldi and Russ got the oglu again rounding out the podium in that shortened race and in race two.

[00:02:18.940] - Dave Sulecki

We saw Jonathan Ray do the triple on the weekend over Scott Redding and La Catelli. That means season points currently have Ray sitting on two hundred and forty three. He resumed the top position in the championship with his outstanding weekend overage got oglu on two hundred and six points and Reddings sitting on one hundred and sixty two in off road racing. We've got results from what Shuga Washington Amay Outdoor Motocross and the four fifty class. Chase Sexton brings it home with a one three on his Honda dominated for the day followed closely by Tomac who finished two two for second overall and third on the box was Dylan verandahs.

[00:03:00.670] - Dave Sulecki

He went five, one for third. Now Dylan is your points leader in the fourth or fifth class. He's sitting on three hundred and three followed by forty seven. Back has Ken Roxann and Eli. Tomac has now brought up to third with two hundred and forty nine points in the two fifty class. Jeremy Martin brings it home again this weekend finishes three one for first overall followed closely by RJ Hampshire. The Husqvarna Ryder finished second with a two three followed by Justin Cooper third on the box with a one eight.

[00:03:31.360] - Dave Sulecki

Your points leader now is Justin Cooper sitting on two hundred and eighty one, followed by Jeff Lawrence, who's eight points back. So you got a close battle in the two fifty glass and hunter Lawrence Jets brother is sitting on two thirty seven for third place results of MGP from the Czech Republic, the low care facility in mixed class whorey Prada brings it home on his KTM finishes one three four first overall, followed by Antonio Kiraly, his teammate who finished second with a six one, and Jeremy Suer, who we haven't seen much of this year, finishes third in the box with a five to four points in the class 450 fifty class.

[00:04:09.460] - Dave Sulecki

Tim Geithner continues to lead, sitting on one hundred and ninety four points, followed by Antonio Cairo with one hundred and eighty three. So he's eleven points back and followed closely as whorey. Prado is seventeen points back, sitting on one seventy seven in EMCs to action. We had Matanya Gowda Magnini the Italian rider finishes first on his KTB followed by Maximino and Second and Theorbo Bensten French rider finishing third. Your points in the mix two class cits so far Maximino continues to lead sitting on one hundred and seventy nine points followed by Muttiah Guadagnino with one hundred and seven and Ruban Fernandez is sitting in third with one hundred and sixty five points.

[00:05:01.030] - Dave Sulecki

This week's Bedfast trivia question is, besides Ricky Carmichael, name the rider in year that the only other perfect season took place and Ayumi Motocross, that answer after our interview with Heather Tres.

[00:05:35.220] - PJ Doran

Welcome to Pit Pass Moto today, Heather Trees Moto America racer. Thanks for taking the time to join us. Heather, how are you doing? I understand you're on the mend.

[00:05:44.370] - Heather Trees

Yeah, I'm doing good. Thank you.

[00:05:46.680] - PJ Doran

So you're currently racing Moto America, the Twins Cup. How's your season going? Other than the obvious setback that you maybe are in the middle of right now? Would you like to talk about that a bit? We'd love to hear about it.

[00:05:57.940] - Heather Trees

Oh, well, my set back, I suppose, is not actually racing related. I tried to take a real vacation and ended up with Lyme disease. And so I was pretty sick for the last week or so. So it's totally lame. Other than that, my season's going great. I'm actually kind of racing part time in middle America, going somewhere, endurance stuff as well. And some spring racing with them, unfortunately, won't be racing at the next America round.

[00:06:28.320] - Heather Trees

But I'm really excited to be back at tight race, right on pit races. A beautiful track. We wish you a speedy recovery. Lyme disease is no joke. So glad to hear that you made it through that very serious medical situation. Where endurance are you running solo? Are you part of a team effort or relays or. You know, that's the endurance and of racing. It's incredibly interesting to me. Gives you a lot of seat time.

[00:06:56.010] - Heather Trees

So people tend to really develop faster. Finding that to be the case.

[00:07:00.040] - Heather Trees

I don't know. It's been interesting for me. I had done I'm doing the two hour endurance on the ar3, and I had done it two years previous to when I started, like, running them by myself with teammates. And then last year, at the beginning of the season, it kind of just started as a joke with my husband. I was like, hey, will you be my pit crew if I go try and run this thing by myself?

[00:07:27.570] - Heather Trees

I honestly didn't even know if I would make it through the race. I ended up winning the first race and ultimately winning the championship. So I decided I needed to come back and try and do that again this year. But I've had a lot of really fast little kids on for hundreds to compete with. And it's been an eye opening, but it's really cool to see them coming up and doing well. Ultimately, I want to be fast on the bigger bikes, so I'm a little less concerned about the other three, even though I still have a lot of fun riding it.

[00:07:59.340] - Dave Sulecki

So, Heather, this is, as I understand it, your first year and Twins Cup. You developed any rivalries, any competitors that you fear the most or who's the who's the racer that you like going up against the most?

[00:08:11.970] - Heather Trees

Honestly, I've had I don't know, I kind of knew just based on race tracks that I've been to and like seeing times and stuff and results from previous years, I kind of knew where I expected to be in the pack. So there's a few people that I've been running with in the couple of races that I've done. Cliff, I've been running with Geno. That was more so at in Wisconsin, Rhode Island. I ran with a bunch more people.

[00:08:45.300] - Heather Trees

I had a lot more experience there. Wisconsin was a little more of a struggle for me because I'd never seen the track. I mean, it's just really cool to be out there and just to be a part of it.

[00:08:56.670] - Dave Sulecki

Which brings me to my next question. Since this is your first season on the circuit, have you have you really discovered a favorite track yet? I know you said Wisconsin was new to you, but what do you think of that facility and how that go for you?

[00:09:09.150] - Heather Trees

I really liked the track. It was overwhelming at first. And unfortunately, with our first session being cut short due to a rider incident, luckily he was OK, but it made the rest of the weekend difficult for some of us who had not seen the track before. I continue to improve throughout the weekend, but ultimately in the race, I was basically battle in for last, and that's about where I ended up. But it was fun and I qualified and I finished.

[00:09:45.270] - Heather Trees

But I've I've been to a tight race and I had been to at Atlanta quite a bit. I know that. I really enjoy writing it, so I'm really looking forward to that road.

[00:09:55.230] - PJ Doran

America, Wisconsin is a daunting track for people who ride there on a regular basis. I've done track days there and club race there a little. It's no joke. So kudos to you for exactly as you said, qualifying and finishing. Those are steps one and two at a new facility. You mentioned your husband as your pit crew and as being part of your pit crew. Does he also race? Is this a family affair for both you? Are you the sole racer under the roof?

[00:10:27.150] - Heather Trees

I know we actually both race. We met through racing down at the Heron compound. I always like to say that I beat him the first time that I raced him and he decided he wanted to marry me home, beat him much. Since then, he's way better than me. But many bikes are a little easier. He's actually this year where we're racing the same bike in Middle America. He did Virginia on the bike that I've been racing and he'll be racing Barbara as well on that bike.

[00:11:02.450] - PJ Doran

Well, right on. That's cool to hear about a couple that met at the track. I actually have some friends who raced Wera as well that met at the track, got married there from the south where you based that they're down in Tennessee area where you guys that I am, where in Ohio. I actually lived in Tennessee when we met and he grew up here in Ohio. So I grew up in Florida, moved to Tennessee and now I'm in Ohio and I'm not entirely sure how this all happened.

[00:11:35.270] - PJ Doran

You brought snow into your life, which most people try to avoid, where endurance is an awesome place to go racing. So you guys, have you talked about doing a three hour race or something like that, as we are considering possibly doing the four hour on an hour, I'm sorry, on a lightweight bike in twenty, twenty two? We don't have any solid plans, but or looking at possibly running just him and I and he'll do two like hour and 20 minute stance and then I'll do one hour and 20 minute.

[00:12:12.020] - PJ Doran

I kind of struggle with the physical endurance for the heavier bikes in the longer races.

[00:12:18.980] - PJ Doran

You're not the only one that is the the absolute crux of endurance racing is the ability to go the the entire distance. I look forward to that and look forward to meeting you guys. It's awesome to hear again about couples at the races. I plan on being a barber. Is your prognosis such that you can reliably plan for your next races?

[00:12:40.850] - Heather Trees

As far as I know, as of like yesterday, I feel pretty normal. I'm on antibiotics for like twenty one days and one day or so of that, I've done some research on this and it kind of sounds like symptoms may kind of come and go for a little bit, but hopefully we'll be good. I'm planning on racing Freycinet, Pittsburgh, so my antibiotics say I'm supposed to stay out of the sun. So I might be hiding in the trailer, but I'll be there.

[00:13:08.990] - PJ Doran

So how did you get started in racing? That's a question that I love to ask, simply because people from different walks of life get started in such different ways. Did you grow up around motorcycles or was this something you saw and you just couldn't live without?

[00:13:22.970] - Heather Trees

Yeah, I agree. It's really cool. You meet so many different types of people in the sport. I actually grew up my dad had a motorcycle shop down in Florida, and when I was about five years old, he taught me how to ride in the backyard of that shop. I rode dirt bikes, kind of trail riding and stuff down in Ocala National Forest. And then I also did some racing in the Orlando area starting when I was like eight or so.

[00:13:52.670] - Heather Trees

I didn't really ride a whole lot in my teenage years, but as an adult, I bought a street bike because it didn't really make sense for me to buy a dirt bike. I didn't have anywhere to ride it or anywhere, any way to take it anywhere. So I got a little like Ninja two fifty because I was poor and it was all I could afford. And like three days later I wanted something faster and then I ended up buying a silver six hundred.

[00:14:21.140] - Heather Trees

I can't I think it was about a year later.

[00:14:23.390] - PJ Doran

That's exactly how a lot of people get started. The ability to go somewhere for very little money, which I'm about to do, take a cross-country trip and do exactly that is one of the best parts of motorcycle riding for all of us. Racing is cherry on top, though. We can all agree, as that's what we do here on the show. And talk about here on the show. Are you looking forward to another year of involvement with Moto America?

[00:14:49.400] - PJ Doran

They've been incredible through this pandemic. We've all sadly suffered through. They've been incredible on keeping a program together. And I would think racers that are in now probably want to stick with it, if at all possible. Have you guys got strong hopes that next year is going to happen for you in Moto?

[00:15:06.650] - Heather Trees

Yeah, they have done a great job. I definitely would like to be out there right now. It depends on a couple of different things. We're actually racing a bike that somebody else bought for us to race. So obviously that's a huge factor in it. He has someone else who's racing it this weekend at Rainard. So it's kind of like the community motorcycle. So, I mean, it depends on what. His plans are in south, but we're definitely talking about it.

[00:15:36.500] - PJ Doran

Well, that's awesome, Heather. As our time draws to a close, we want to give you a chance to thank any of your sponsors, friends, family, helpers, people that helped get you to where you are today and that continue to help you out. We definitely want to give you a chance to thank him and give him a shout out.

[00:15:53.580] - Heather Trees

Yeah, thank you. I have a couple of, like, long term sponsors that have been there since back in, I don't know, maybe 2011, 2012, when I was first starting racing high side photos down in the southeast. He shoots a lot of track days and we are races in the southeast. Awesome photos. So anyone who's ever at any events and sees him by his photos because he helps out racers cycle gears, help me out. Vortex racing sharing's has been really good to me.

[00:16:26.500] - Heather Trees

Know to Leather's my friend Scott Nelson, who, as I mentioned, he's the one who has basically got me onto the grid at Moto America and I honestly didn't ever think I would make it out there. So it's been a really cool experience. My husband's always there to support me. He tries really hard to give me tips on how to go faster and I don't always understand it the way he says it. And he doesn't understand me when I talk about racing, but we figure it out eventually.

[00:17:00.280] - Heather Trees

But yeah, I've just had a lot of people, especially this year and especially at Road Atlanta, just people coming by telling me they were cheering for me and it was really cool as a really neat experience just to know that people were paying attention.

[00:17:12.760] - PJ Doran

That's awesome. Heather Trees, thank you so much for taking the time to join us today on Pippos. It's been a pleasure talking to you. And we look forward to seeing you at the track. Hopefully, Barber, it sounds like I'll be able to catch up with you guys.

[00:17:23.150] - Heather Trees

Sounds good. Thanks for having me.

[00:17:35.200] - Dave Sulecki

We'd like to thank our guest, Heather Trees, for being with us today in our pit pass. Trivia question was, besides Ricky Karmichael, name the writer and year that the only other perfect season took place in Aimé Motocross. And the answer is, of course, in 2008, James Stewart duplicated Ricky's perfect seasons from 2002 and 2004. And it's something that not many people thought could happen twice, let alone three times and a motocross. So hats off to James Stewart.

[00:18:11.220] - PJ Doran

In upcoming racing news, we've got Moto America this weekend, July 30th, through August 1st at Brainerd, Minnesota, World Superbikes upcoming race will be August 6th through the 8th. The Czech Republic and Moto GP will be in Austria August the 8th from the Spielberg ring. They call it the Red Bull ring. Looking forward to that race.

[00:18:33.000] - Dave Sulecki

And off road racing, we've got the mixed sheep of Flanders, Belgium, held at the Lomell facility. And that'll be Sunday, August 1st, and then August 2nd, the kickoff for the Army Amateur National Motocross Championships, better well known as Loretta Lynn's. Good luck to all the racers making their way down there. And they'll spend a week down there racing and going to look forward to it is coming. Great.

[00:19:12.680] - PJ Doran

Thank you again to Heather Trees for joining us today and thank you for tuning in. We really appreciate it. If you enjoyed this episode. Make sure to follow us on your favorite podcast app so you never miss an episode. If you have a moment, please write and review us as well. We really appreciate it. Make sure you're also following us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and visit PYT past moto dot com where you can check out our blog.

[00:19:36.140] - Dave Sulecki

This has been a production of Evergreen podcast, a special thank you to Tommy Boy Halverson, Chris Bishop, producer Leah Longbrake and audio engineer Eric Koltnow. Now I'm Dave and I'm PJ. And we'll see you next week.