RK Excel America

I am just returning from the opening round of the Women’s Motocross Championship at Hangtown. I went up early to do local press for the event. I did some local radio shows, an in studio interview with my bike for the local CBS new affiliate on Sunday, a feature for the Fox 40 on women’s racing and the track ride for the NBC affiliate. I also had a “5 Minutes With…” feature in the July issue Racer X Magazine which was the issue on hand at Hangtown. That is the good news. The unfortunate news is that although I felt familiar with the track and was personally prepared I ended up crashing in practice and injured my hand. I was checked out in the Asterisk medical unit and was told that I could not race.

I have been to the hospital since and do not have any broken bones. The swelling in my hand is pretty severe. I have a splint and am icing on a regular basis. I am going in for an MRI just to be sure there’s no other damage. There is some chance I could be back for Round Two at Freestone. It is just unknown right now. I will keep you posted.

Thank you for your support and I hope to be practicing very soon.

Sherri Cruse # 3

Tarah Gieger joins the Troy Lee Designs / Lucas Oil / Honda Race Team

To Compete in the 2010 Lucas Oil Women’s Motocross Championship

Troy Lee Designs/ Lucas Oil/ Honda welcomes their newest rider to their 2010 Motocross racing team roster with the addition of top-ranked female racer Tarah Gieger. She will be competing in all eight stops of the Lucas Oil Women’s Motocross Championships on her #18 Honda CRF250R, starting May 22 at the Hangtown Motocross Classic in Rancho Cordova, Calif. Tarah will be joining the TLD squad which includes former World Champion and 250 Supercross champion Ben Townley, Wil Hahn, Cole Seely and Christian Craig.

“I am super excited to be on the Troy Lee Designs/Lucas Oil/Red Bull team,” said Gieger. “Everyone on the team and at the shop has been very supportive of me being on the team. The bikes are awesome, and I know they will be very competitive.”

One of the most recognizable names in women’s motocross, Tarah Gieger’s success can be measured in podiums and accomplishments. Since her pro debut in 2003, Tarah has won at every major contest and, in 2008, took home the gold medal at the X Games, the very first Women’s Moto X event. Her past achievements include 2nd Overall in 2007 AMA/WMA series, taking 1st Place at the famous AMA Loretta Lynn’s Championship in 2006 and 2007 and as well becoming the first female in history to compete in the Red Bull Motocross of Nations in 2007, representing Puerto Rico. Injuries prevented her from competing for a majority of the 2009 season, but she is now back, healthier and more focused than ever on winning a championship.

“I’m really excited to have Tarah on the team,” added David ‘Ping’ Pingree, TLD team manager, “For me, racing is racing and if she’s running up front it’s going to be fun. I think she’ll be in the hunt to win every weekend with the Troy Lee Designs/Lucas Oil/Honda team on her side.”

“I am also glad to see that several teams are taking on female riders,” said Gieger. “It just helps validate our series. We have been racing in our own series for some time, and now we are able to get the support that the men have enjoyed. It’s going to be refreshing pitting with a real team, especially one that is as well respected as the TLD team. I am looking forward to the upcoming season and want to thank everyone that helped make this a reality.”

Besides her racing, Tarah will also be the face of Troy Lee Designs Women’s motocross and casual product line, as she will be featured through the brand’s advertisements, in-store displays and select events.

The Troy Lee Designs Lucas Oil Honda race team would like to thank all of the companies that have supported our racing efforts over the years. They include Lucas Oil, American Honda, Red Bull, PPG, Wings for Life, Alpinestars, Avia, Couts Heating and Cooling, Dunlop, Epic Action Video Cam, Leatt Brace, McQueen Racing, Oakley, Pacific Collision, Pro Circuit, Rossignol, Santa Cruz, Selle Italia, Skullcandy, All Sport Dynamics, Cycra, Fasthouse, Flexfit, Hinson Clutch, Hot Wheels, Kahne Racing, Light Speed, Muc-Off, N Style, Nameplate, ODI, Primm, QTM, Renthal, RK Chain, Excel, Twin Air, Vasser Racing and VP Racing.

Follow the Troy Lee Designs / Lucas Oil / Honda team at www.troyleedesigns.com. Check out video of Tarah riding her TLD/Lucas Oil/Honda CRF250R at http://www.youtube.com/user/troyleedesigns

February 22, 2010

DNA Shred Stix/Star Racing/Yamaha signs Jessica Paterson for the WMA outdoor championship series:
With the increasing attention and growth of the WMA Motocross series, an opportunity arose to obtain multi time champion Jessica Patterson’s national #2 services. Star Racing for the past few seasons has had something like this in our radar says team owner Bobby Regan. When meeting with Jessica we really took a liking to this 26 year-old, who has remarkable skills on a motorcycle, and a personality with endless amounts of drive. Once again, Star Racing is able to take on a talented rider and we are optimistic that success will come from this venture. Jessica has already began adapting to who her new Factory YZ 250F ride as of early this week and plans on making her debut outfitted in FOX race wear at the first round of the WMA outdoor championship series.

When interviewed, Paterson said these were the keys to her decision. ”Star has one of the best bikes on the circuit. On top all that I got along great with the crew I met on the team and saw how hard they worked, and those two things are real important to me. I am looking forward to going after the championship, and also working hard with the team to continually promote their sponsors.”

Star Racing thanks the following companies for their commitment.

DNA Shred Stix, Division 7, Yamaha Motor Corp, DNA Energy, NCY, Bell Helmets, Easton ExP, FMF, Sunstar, Factory Effex, Dunlop, Enzo, DC Shoes, RK Chains, Yamalube, GYTR, Ride Engineering, Mechanix Wear, Twin Air, Lightspeed, ARC, Braking, Vortex Ignitions, CP pistons, Web Cams, ICW, JD Built, Renegade Fuels, Crank Works, Eibach, EVOMX fuel foam, Met Tec, Champion Tools.

Dear Sponsors,
Sorry I haven’t checked in sooner. I have been on the road since the X Games.

X Games 15 was great event again and I feel honored to be a part of it. They treat the athletes so well. This year they made the women’s purse equal to the men’s and it was the biggest purse we have ever had.

The Women’s Super X race was scheduled to take place at 6:15pm on Saturday for live ESPN. As things go with live television we were rescheduled for 5:30pm with a 5:15pm call to staging. We had about a 10 minute warning that we had been moved forward in the program. I was just on my way back from watching men’s Super X when I got word. No worries, we all made it on time.

Unfortunately, my racing didn’t go as I had hoped. I got an decent start off the gate but came through the first corner in 2nd to last. The race was a quick 6 minute sprint. According to my mechanic I put in 2 of the fastest laps times (so I am happy about that). I charged through the pack as best I could and finished less than a second behind 3rd place (bronze medal) for 4th.

The track was cool. I felt good on all the jumps and look forward to racing it again next year.

At X Games I had a special sponsorship with Circle K. See photo attached or for more photos go to http://www.pbase.com/mitch_gil/xgames_womens_x_moto_x.
We were able to keep all the existing sponsors on the bike. The bike got a lot of attention and it was a good feeling to be bring in corporate sponsor to our sport.

Also, I have attached a copy of a one page feature I have in the September issue of Transworld. There’s also a few pages on the WMA Nationals and I have a photo and am mentioned in that.

I am getting ready now to head to Southwick and Steel City for the last two rounds of the WMA Championship. I will keep you all posted.

Thank you for all your support,
Sherri Cruse

The WMA Race from Thunder Valley MX is on the Versus Channel today at 6:00pm EST.

Sherri Cruse took 2nd overall at that race.

Bakersfield, Calif., July 1, 2009 – Cernic’s Suzuki/AXO/Dunlop racer Sherri Cruse earned 2nd overall at Round Five of the 2009 Lucas Oil AMA Women’s Motocross Championship, held at Thunder Valley MX, in Lakewood, CO this past Saturday. Cruse has finished on the podium four out the five races held and she now sits in third in the championship point standings, only four points behind second.

At only the national motocross race run at night 20-year-old Sherri Cruse rode her RMZ 250 to a second overall for the Women’s Pro Class. In moto one, Cruse got a very good start and worked her way in to second place by the first lap and secured the position throughout the moto. Moto two was at the end of the evening. Sherri was in the mix near the front of the pack after a 7th place start. She moved into 4th by the third lap and was able to hold onto that position to the checkers.

“I felt great coming into Lakewood, I love this race. I grew up riding fairground tracks at night so I feel comfortable with the night race” said Cruse “Pro Circuit helped with my jetting and I knew my bike would be fast”.

Sherri is sponsored by: Cernic’s Suzuki, AXO, Dunlop Tires, Von Zipper, Pro Circuit, Race Tech Suspension, Troy Lee Designs, Motion Pro, Zip Ty Racing, Throttle Jockey, Excel America, KG Motorsports, ODI, Cycra Racing, Rekluse, Leatt Braces, Shock Doctor and MMI.

Next race: Saturday, July 25th, Washougal MX, Washougal, Washington.

For more information visit Sherri Cruse Facebook Fan page, be sure to post a message.