Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/692010
IN THE WIND P30 ANGELLE SAMPEY VALIDATES RETURN WITH 42ND NHRA VICTORY W hen Angelle Sampey retired from NHRA competition fol- lowing the 2008 season, she was certain that she'd never make an- other 190-mph run on a Pro Stock Motorcycle. After winning three championships and 41 events, she had nothing left to prove so she got married, had a daughter, and was determined to live happily ever after. But after seven years on the sidelines, the temptation to return just became too great, so she rejoined George Bryce's Star team and resumed her career. More than ever, Sampey is con- vinced she made the right deci- sion after winning her first event in nine seasons at the NHRA Summernationals in Englishtown, N.J., June 12. "I actually did this because of my daughter, Ava," Sampey said. "She's five now and she just knows me as mommy; she doesn't know me as a racer. She sees my trophies and they don't mean anything to her. I did this so show her that she can do anything she sets her mind to. I want to be her role mode, not someone else. To come back and finally win again, I don't have the words for it. This means so much more to me now than all the wins and all the champion- ships did all those years ago." Sampey and the Star team were quick at the first three rac- es of the season, but she threw two of them away on red-light starts. Frustrated by her own rid- ing errors, Sampey renewed her focus and was rewarded with one of the best performances of her career. Early in eliminations, Sampey defeated both of the factory Screamin' Eagle Harley- Davidson V-Rods of Andrew Hines and Eddie Krawiec, and she finished the win off with a 6.876 elapsed time in the final round to beat White Alligator Su- zuki's Jerry Savoie, the defend- ing Englishtown champion. "I was under the weather today and I wasn't even sure if I could do this physically," Sam- pey said. "Today was also really tough with the wind. It was blow- ing directly across the track and you really felt it as soon as you passed the grandstands. I got through it in the first two rounds and then in the semifinals when I ran Eddie [Krawiec] it almost blew me over the centerline. Then in the final, I was so busy keeping the bike under control that I thought I lost. I didn't even know. "When I came back I just wanted to win one race so I'd feel like it was all worthwhile and now I want to win about ten more. I'd almost forgotten how good this feels." Kevin McKenna Angelle Sampey is officially back after topping the NHRA Summernationals at Englishtown. PHOTOGRAPHY BY MATT POLITO