Estey Notes
  1. Ashley Fiolek is one of the most widely recognized female motocrossers.
  2. Why is Ashley so famous?
  • She was born profoundly deaf, but that never stopped her from winning championships in MX.
  • When she was four years old she rode a 50cc dirtbike with training wheels, raced it, and earned a fourth place trophy.
  • She believes she fell in love with racing dirtbikes when she was two years old, when her father took her to her watch her first supercross.
  • She communicates with her family, friends, and fans with American Sign Language (ASL).
  • Ashley has won WMA Championships in 2008, 2009, 2011, and 2012.
  • In 2009, she became the first woman rider to win a championship while riding for a factory team.
  • The factory team she rode for was Red Bull Honda.
  • Her parents believed Fiolek did not have any limitations because of her deafness, and never hesitated to put her on a motorcycle.
  • She learned how to shift by feeling the vibrations of the bike.
  • Fiolek has broken her wrist, arm, leg, nose, and even teeth while riding, but her true passion for the sport never broke.
  • (Works cited: Motocross Marvel by Zachary Jones published in Scholastic Choices on 4/1/10)
  • Ashley has been featured in many articles, books, etc as an inspiration to women who race, and deaf people.
  • She was born in Dearborn, Michigan.
  • Her being deaf was not officially diagnosed until she was three.
  • Shortly after her diagnosis, she and her parents moved to St. Augustine, Florida, where her family still resides.
  • In Florida, Ashley attended one of the nation's leading schools for the deaf.
  • She aspired to be a champion in the womens class and compete with the men. She'd get mad when anyone told her she couldn't be good enough to compete against men.
  • Finding neutral in the gearbox of her bike was often a challenge for her, and sometimes she would end up shifting a faulty shift when she was racing.
  • (Works cited: AutoWeek article; "Ashley Fiolek; Motocross Racer > Winning cyclist uses vibration, not sound. by Steven Cole Smith. Page 26, published September 21, 2009.)
  1. Stefy Bau is considered the female G.O.A.T (Greatest Of All Time) of motocross throughout the world.
  2. Why is Stefy so famous?
  • She got her first peewee dirtbike at the age of four years old.
  • Its wasn't long before her parents noticed she had natural talent. Shortly after she got her first bike, her dad took her racing and she beat all the little boys there.
  • At her first official race in 1983, Bau came in 3rd.
  • After her 3rd place finish, she won every race she competed in as a six year old.
  • It was hard for Bau and her parents in the beginning. Stefy's parents were judged by other adults for letting their little girl grow up riding dirtbikes in a male dominated sport. Especially being in Italy, because its a conservative country.
  • She was gay. She never declared it to the world, but everyone knew about it. Not very many people minded that, she was respected for what she did in the sport.
  • She won five U.S. and seven Italian championships.
  • She became the first woman to ever compete in a male All-World Motocross event.
  • Stefy also became the first female motocrosser to be featured in two PlayStation video games.
  • In 2006, Bau retired.
  • Even after retiring, she continues sharing her passion for the sport by training and inspiring the next generation of female motocross racers through her elite motocross academy, 211 MX School.
  • (Works cited: D'Arcangelo, Lyndsey. "A winning streak: Motocross star Stefy Bau was a legendary competitor in one of the world's most dangerous extreme sports." Curve May 2012: 46+. Expanded Academic ASAP. Web. 24 June 2015.)
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