Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

~ THERESA MARTIN GIRL GLADIATOR tJl By Art Friedman Photos by James Brammer and Rich Hoffman 3: w z w d Speedway i~ generally considered to one of the hairiest, gladiatorial, lions-versus-Christians forms of motorcycle sport. Four riders, on macbines that are mostly nitro-burning .500cc engine and hardly anything else but skinny wheels, skid around a little tiny track at inconceivable speeds with no place to go but into the wall. For this reason, speedway is often considered to be a very masculine thing. In the midst of this world of skid shoes, leathers, Bell tars, boots, and nitro, the long blond hair and unique bulges of a girl comes as somethillg of a shock. G be an engine to prove her wrenching ability. By and large, the other riders are friendly and helpful to her, although some are a little wary. "The guys are all nice to me, but they don't want to get beaten by a girl, either. A lot of guys get the idea that I'm out there to prove something; that L think L'm as good as them or better, or that 1 just want to put them down." One person who has helped Theresa immeasurably is her sponsor, Jerry Fairchild. He is an SRA board member and runs a shop in Pasadena. Even though he sponsors three other riders, "A friend had a Pursang, and it went faster, That was the end of my trials career." The girl, as most people know, is Theresa Martin, 22-year old Third Division speedway rider. Said one rider, uWow, she doesn'r look like a racer!" How does a girl get into speedway? Strangely, she started in Trials. "L had a Tdals bike, and I was kind of into Trials. A friend had a Pursang, and It went faster. That was the end of my Trials career. ,. A fter that she began to look around, experiencing different forms of (ompetiti(lIl, and trying to find what she wan ted to do, She tried some motocross, des,ert racing, Grands Prix, flat track, short track, and Qer second love, TT. "Then I started watching speedway. r tbought, 'Wow, that looks really neat', and the first time I got On one I flipped it over backwards. That was the end of my speedway career for about six months, I wouldn't have anything to do with them. "I started 'Iooking at it a little bit more, and thought, well, 1 might like to try i l. Then I knew I ......as going to be hassled about getting a license, being a girl and all ..... She was, too. Getting the license was all Division I, he took Theresa under 'his wing. She said nothing but praise for him. "1t was a hassle for him to take on another rider. He's really a neat person. He's helped me in every way he possibly can." Theresa is still in Division III and seems to anticpate staying there for the remainder of the season. She has come a long way from her first ride. !:hough. '''l've never been coached. I think jJ I'd been coached I'd have come a lot further. During the win ter r'm going to gel someone to coach me. This way L'm getting the feel of it. 1 know what r'm going lo have to do. "I'm not charging the comers hard enough yet. .. 1 let a lot of lillie things bug me. Then I get nervOus and blow it. I'm not much of-a threat yet." On the northern circuits, though. she has taken a third. "Everv time I think that 1'm just blowing' it, I catch on to something." * * * "I can blow her doors off around that track," said one track official to fairchild. "Okay," said her sponsor, "I'll ~upply both bikes." Somehow the race never came to "She doesn't look like a racer:' .............................................y tfV'r. .. be.. ''The guys are riding because that's where it's at for them. I'm out there for the same reason." actually a smaller hassle th.an others that have come along. Promoters have kepl her off the program. She has trouble getting into the pits at events. If she doesn't ride, she will often go to the races as a mechanic. Officials who felt that a girl had no place in the pits were considering making her tear down .. Sbe doesn't like to be singled out for being a girl. After the program is run the spectators come into the pits and talk to the ra ers. A lot are interested in the slightly shy Teresa, "r used to get out of my leathers real fast, and they wouldn't recognize me. But now they even recognize me without my lea{hers on." On occasion she is upset about her performance and doesn't feel like talking and signing aUlographs when she feels she hasn't achieved anything, "Sometimes you're in a hurry, but you have to be nice to them, And all the time I'm thinking, 'You really blew it. You could have done betteL' and all the tir:ne they're pointing al me and going ',.vow!' " She has been serious about her racing from the start. "I knew it was going to be a challenge, but at the same time it really looked like a gas. When 1 first got my bike and went out, I though, 'This is impossible!' Plus it scared me - no brakes. 1 automatically wenl for the brakes, and there weren't any. And the power was, boom. right there. "The bike was light enought that I felt comfortable, but at lhe same lime, when you're crossed up that way, you have to be in really good physical shape, because you're working with the bike all the time." * • * Can a girl be c0l'l\Pelilive in a sport like speedway? "Let me put it this way. If the best male racer is matched against the best female racer, the male is going to win. A girl is just not aggressive enough, and she doesn't have the same muscles lhat a guy b.as. A girl can be ex tremely competitive, and she can beat a lot of guys, but she can't beat the best. Never happen. Vh-uh. "In speedway,. a girl could be really competitive because of the handicap. If she jumps Out and grabs the pole, it is harder for the guys to come around on the ou tside. n With this in mind, Theresa is continuing and striving to improve. She does a lot of the work on her bike and is very serious about her racing. "I take racing seriously. I'm not ou t there for a big lark. That's what I want to do. The guys are riding because that's where it's at for tbem. I'm out there for the same reason." What about the future? "I'd like to try some drag racing maybe, You know, that class where they use 250s that go 125 miles an hour? And maybe even some road racing. When the season's over, I'm getting eager to ride some TT's and short track. "But right now, you know, it's speedway. "

• Cover