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2004 Best In The Desert Champion
LYNN PROSSERBy Jeff HensonReprinted from ATV Illustrated magazine, April 2005 If you follow Desert Racing at all, then you know who Lynn Prosser is. She's the one who proved Desert Racing doesn't require a large dose of testosterone to win a championship. Lynn, teamed up with partner Brett Greenholz, claimed the 2004 Best In The Desert Expert Class title. They went to the podium four times during the BITD five-race series, which included class wins at the famed 500-mile Vegas-to-Reno Race, and Terrible's Town 250. They also finished third overall ATV (including the Pro class!) in both of those races. For '05 Lynn has decided to become the first female BITD racer to step up to the pro ranks. We recently caught up with her, in the Hieroglyphic Mountains north of Phoenix, for a little ride time, as well as for a little insight as to what life is like when you're Lynn Prosser. |
ATVi: How old were you when you first started racing, and how old are you now?
LP: Oh, I think I was either eight or nine. I'm 24 now.
ATVi: What type of quad did you start out on?
LP: A TRX70 Honda, and my first race was on a LT80.
ATVi: Do you remember your first race? Where was it?
LP: Cinder Hills near Flagstaff. It was a local cross-country race with the Arizona Desert Racing Association [now known as Whiplash Motorsports].
ATVi: Tell us about your family's background in off-road racing.
LP: Actually, pretty much everybody in my family raced. My dad raced for a long time and my brother was a pro motorcycle desert racer. My sister raced in the womens class, she did really well until she had her first child, then she quit. My other kid sisters and mom raced every once in a while; it's kind of a family tradition.
ATVi: What does your mom think about your professional racing career?
LP: Well, she's kind of scared around races, she doesn't really like them too much now. She finally gave in and started supporting me a lot more than she used to, but she really wanted a quiet little bookworm, and she got me instead!
ATVi: Does she ever worry about you getting hurt, or anything like that?
LP: Yeah, she worries, but she knows that I love it and that it's something that I'll do for a long time. She's accepted it.
ATVi: Your dad owned a bike/quad shop for a while; tell us a little about that.
LP: It was Big Joe's Cycles, and he owned it for ten years or so. I remember pretty much growing up in that shop. It's kind of wierd now that he's retired; I don't get to go in there and hang out anymore.
ATVi: So he sold the shop, but he still works there occasionally, right?
LP: Yeah, he's a mechanic there now.
ATVi: Have you lived in Flagstaff all your life?
LP: I lived in New Mexico for about three years when I was little, but yeah, other than that I've lived in Flagstaff.
ATVi: What was it like growing up in Flagstaff?
LP: Well, kind of boring. It's a small town. Pretty much all there is to do is go out and ride motorcycles or get into trouble. I chose the riding more than the trouble.
ATVi: Where do you ride in Flagstaff?
LP: I used to ride out at the Cinder Hills OHV area, but after 20 years of riding out there, it gets old. So I usually go down to Cottonwood or Phoenix to ride now.
ATVi: What kind of riding do you do when you're not racing?
LP: Motocross practice, and just trail riding. Every once in a while we'll go out and have some fun.
ATVi: What's your occupation?
LP: Currently I work at W.L. Gore, they're the people who make Gore-Tex jackets and stuff. They also make medical products. I'm a quality control associate.
ATVi: We understand you're currently attending college, too. What are you looking to become?
LP: I'm going to Phoenix Therapeutic Massage College, so hopefully in a couple of months I'll be a massage therapist.
ATVi: What inspired you to pursue massage therapy?
LP: Going to all the races, you don't really see anybody out there doing massage. I thought it would be kind of a cool idea to start a little side business. I could take my massage chair or table out and give racers either a pre- or post-race 15-minute massage.
| CURRENT RACING |
LP: Oh, let me think; at least three or four.
ATVi: What were those?
LP: Best In The Desert, World Off-Road Championship Series, and then the Phoenix summer Beat the Heat series. I also raced two GNCs and one GNCC in Ohio.
ATVi: Which two GNC races?
LP: Glen Helen in California and Daniel Boone in London, Kentucky.
ATVi: Rumor has it that you race at least once a week. Any truth to that?
LP: There used to be a lot of truth to that, but since I've started college I've kind of laid back a little bit on my racing. Between full-time college and full-time work it's been kind of stressful. But before that, through all of 2003 and half of 2004, I was racing pretty much every weekend.
ATVi: You still race quite a bit, though. How do you make time for that many events while working full-time and going to school?
LP: Well my work is pretty cool because I only work Monday through Thursday, and the same for school, too. It's pretty easy because my weekends are always open.
ATVi: So you're pretty much on the move all of the time still?
LP:Yes.
ATVi: As a woman, do you ever get teased for competing in a sport that has historically been dominated by men?
LP:Not really, because I've been around the sport for so long. I think everyone is used to me by now. But I like teasing them about getting beaten by a girl.
ATVi: Yes, we know all about that. You're ruthless!
LP: Yeah, I like to rub it in once in a while.
ATVi: Tell us a little about the Bombardier DS650 that you race in the desert.
LP: Well, it's extremely fast, I think it's probably one of the faster quads out there as far as desert racing goes.
ATVi: Has it been very reliable for you too?
LP: Oh, it's been very reliable. For the 2004 Best In The Desert Series we finished every single race, which neither my racing partner Bret nor I have ever done. So it's been extremely reliable.
ATVi: Did you ever tear down the motor between races, or has it gone the whole season?
LP: I don't think we ever tore the motor down. I know that between each race we had to do the little stuff, you know, take care of the damage we've done. We've had to fix little things like cracks in the frame and that sort of thing. But no, never any major stuff.
ATVi: What sort of aftermarket products do you have for suspension?
LP: Right now we're running Works suspension on both the Yamaha and Bombardier.
ATVi: You just picked them up as a sponsor, right?
LP: Yes, we picked them up as a sponsor earlier this year.
ATVi: On the Bombardier DS650, have you made any performance modifications to the motor?
LP: My dad pretty much takes care of that. He likes to try to add things on, and keeps trying to talk me into getting more power out of the motor, which I kind of frown upon because I want to keep the quad as reliable as possible.
ATVi: How about your YFZ450? What have you done to it as far as the motor and suspension?
LP: Nothing internally to the motor, but again, if dad had his way, I'm sure there'd be a lot done on it. I have the Works shocks and then Lonestar for everything else -- the swingarm, A-arms and steering stem, all that good stuff.
ATVi: You race the DS650 when desert racing. In what kind of events do you race your YFZ450?
LP:Everywhere else: grand prix, the WORCS races and motocross. I used it this year for the GNCC races as well. It's pretty much my "everything else" quad.
ATVi: Some ATV magazines claim the Bombardier DS650 is a machine set up for a big, Herculean man, because it is a heavy quad. What do you have to say to them?
LP: I think they're wrong. I'm definitely not Hercules. I think they need to learn how to ride it. It's a different style of riding. You just need to learn how to handle it, and not let it get the best of you.
ATVi: You won the Best In The Desert Expert Class Championship in 2004. Tell us a little bit about how it feels to win a championship with one of the most prestigious, and internationally known desert racing organizations in the world.
LP:Oh, awesome! Bret and I have both been racing for about six or seven years. Neither of us had ever won a championship. Last year we came really close, but we lost it down at the Baja Mex 300. So this year we just came out, bound and determined to win it. We're both really, really happy and excited that we finally accomplished that.
ATVi: You mentioned Bret. Who were your teammates for the 2004 BITD series?
LP: My main teammate was Bret. Then we had Brandon Cliptak come onto the team because Bret hurt himself halfway through the season.
ATVi: Tell us about Bret.
LP: He's an amazing rider, definitely the faster one on the team.
ATVi: You seem to have had a little trouble keeping him in one piece, though.
LP: Yes! He seems to like to break body parts every once in a while. But it doesn't seem to happen on quads; it's on his BMX bike and in his other extreme activities that he does that. He's a great guy, a really good racer and I'm glad to have him on my team.
ATVi: The longest race of 2004 was the nearly 600-mile long Vegas-to-Reno race. You took third overall quad out of 30 quad entries, and placed 15th overall in the quads and motorcycles combined. That's quite an accomplishment, especially considering that expert and amateur quads start at the back of the pack. Tell us a little about the experience. Did you think you could finish that far ahead?
LP: Honestly, we weren't even trying; it just kind of happened. The first part of the race was more technical, so our team and a couple of other teams from the expert class were dicing it out. The last half of the race was just extremely fast, and the Bomb really excels on the flat, fast roads. I think that's where we made a lot of our time. I think we were all really shocked to find out how well we did. It was pretty cool. It felt great to know that we could stay up there with those fast guys.
ATVi: How many miles of racing are involved in the Best In The Desert Series events? Shortest to Longest?
LP: I think the shortest is about 200 to 225 miles. Then the longest for the 2004 series was the Vegas-to-Reno 500, but they've had a 2000-mile race before.
ATVi: In 2000 you raced and finished the BITD Nevada 2000 race, which took place over six days and 2000 miles. Care to share any memories from that one?
LP: That was a couple of concussions ago. I do remember the second or third day, many racers got food poisoning at the restaraunt, me included. I was out for the day and not feeling too hot, so my partners, Shane Strunk and Luke Stucky, got a little extra seat time. It was an awesome experience just to be able to race that long of a race, though. It was really fun. I liked that one.
ATVi: What's the strangest thing you've ever seen while racing out in the desert?
LP: The one race that really stands out in my mind, I think, was the 2003 Nevada 1000. I was out in the middle of nowhere. I came around this corner and saw this giant Indian teepee, with three guys dressed up in Native American clothes including full headdress. One of them was beating on a drum and the other two were dancing around. There was this sign that said "Chief so-and-so wishes all the racers good luck." It just totally shocked me. I actually hit a rock and almost went flying off my quad.
ATVi: For the 2005 season we heard you're stepping up to pro. Do you think your team can compete with the likes of teams from Alba, Duncan and CT?
LP: I don't know, I hope so. It's just an honor to be able to race with those guys. They're some of the best riders in the country. Being able to sit on the same line with them, it's just a good feeling.
ATVi: You did well against those teams anyway, in the 2004 Vegas-to-Reno race. You've kind of already proven that you can compete with them, right?
LP: Yeah, we would have gotten third at Vegas-to-Reno in the Pro class. We also placed third overall at the 2004 Terrible's Town 250.
ATVi: You've raced in Baja and other regions of Mexico before. What's that like?
LP: Baja is amazing terrain, I mean, it's some of the most beautiful riding areas I've ever seen. But the locals, with those booby traps, they kind of make me nervous. I'm pretty much jinxed there, so I don't know how much more racing I'm actually going to do down in Baja. But the terrain is absolutely beautiful.
ATVi: Why do you think you're jinxed in Mexico?
LP: I've had some accidents. I think it actually started the time I crashed at the Point to Point race, and you crashed right after me, so I think it's your fault. [laughs]
ATVi: I don't think either one of us saw that big hole in the trail. [laughs]
LP: I've crashed a couple of other times down in Mexico. Then I had a bad accident last year at the Baja Mex 300. It just really kind of scared me out of going down there anymore.
ATVi: Do you think you'll ever break that jinx? Would you be willing to go back?
LP: I'm hoping so, I'm willing to go back and just kind of cruise a race, just to prove that I can finish without killing myself. I might end up racing Mexico again.
ATVi: You also raced the WORCS series in 2004. What classes did you race?
LP: I raced a Production A and the 16- to 29-year-old class.
ATVi: Did you make it to every WORCS event in 2004?
LP: I believe I missed two, just because of the driving distances and because I felt pretty okay with where I was with points.
ATVi: How did you do in points?
LP: I got sixth for the Production A class and second for the 16- to 29-year-old class for the year.
ATVi: What was your favorite course of the 2004 WORCS season?
LP: Probably the Austin [Texas] race.
ATVi: Why did you like that course, compared to the other ones?
LP: It was technical and more of a woods course. I think I ride a lot better at those types of races than others do. And I finished in second place. That really boosted up my points for Production A.
ATVi: What do you think of the new "ATV Only" format that WORCS has in store for 2005?
LP: I think it's awesome. I think it's about time that the West Coast started getting some more ATV races out here. I hope it really takes off big.
ATVi: Do you really think it will be comparable to GNCC on the East Coast?
LP: I don't know if it will be comparable the first year, because GNCC has been around for a while, but I think as it progresses it will start getting up there in reputation.
ATVi: There will be some new classes for the 2005 WORCS series, including some Women's classes. Do you plan on participating in those?
LP: Yes, I want to race the new Women's A Class, and I'd like to race the Production A Class again.
ATVi: How does racing on the East Coast compare to racing in the Western U.S.?
LP:It's like night and day. I remember my first GNC race at Loretta Lynn's, sitting on the line with all these women. I think there were like 18 of us, and it was before they split the women's class into A, B and C divisions. All these girls were gossiping and talking about totally girlie things. The gate dropped and I was laughing off the line, they just wasted me. It was definitely a wake-up call.
ATVi: You raced QuadCross at Glen Helen too, right?
LP: In 2003, I raced QuadCross, and I got first in the Women's Intermediate and the Men's Intermediate classes.
ATVi: Of all the different types of racing you do, which is your favorite, MX, XC or Desert?
LP: I'd have to say either the cross-country or grand prix, which is kind of the same.
ATVi: So basically WORCS or GNCC?
LP: Yeah, I like the technical, tight courses where you don't get much out of third gear.
ATVi: Who is your biggest inspiration when it comes to your racing career? Why?
LP: There are a couple. Actually, my dad has been a real inspiration for me the whole time; he's pretty much taught me everything I know about racing, and has just always been there for me. My brother Patrick, I've always wanted to be as good as he is. I've always been in his shadow when it came to racing, so I've always strived to get up there with the likes of him. My family has always inspired me to keep on going, and always supported me.
| 2005 PLANS |
LP: I'm going to try to run the whole WORCS series again. I'd love to do the whole GNCC series. It will be tough since I'm going to be switching careers. It really depends on whether I can get the time off and the money to go back and do those.
ATVi: You'd do the GNCC series and the WORCS series together?
LP: As long as the race dates don't conflict.
ATVi: OK, here's your chance to plug all of your sponsors.
LP: Maxxis Tires, Alba, Works Performance, Lonestar, UM, K&N, TBR, Maier, Moose, Scott Goggles, Sprocket Specialists, IMS, GPR, AC Racing and Laker Custom plastics.