Tuesday Toolbox: Kristen Atwell

Welcome to a special Wednesday edition of Tuesday Toolbox!  It may be late, but with the way things have been happening as of late, this is one interview I was not going to let get away.  Kristen Atwell has been known as the sweet little niece of Defending Women's Class Champion Angel Atwell for the past few years.  But now she is feared as one of the fiercest competitors on the track and the one everyone is trying to figure out how to beat in the Saturday morning ATV race.   As hard as she was to track down by phone, I can only imagine what her competition is facing on the track!

GNCCRacing.com: Hey Kristen what's going on?
Kristen Atwell: Not much, just driving home from the movies.

What did you see?
Sex In The City II

Was it as good as the first?
Yes! It was very good!

Sounds like a good treat for yourself after your third win in a row.  Congratulations, that is really something big for the Women's ATV class right now.
I am actually shocked right now but it feels really, really good.

I notice the last couple of years you have been getting more and more consistent with your finishes.  I know you have always been a strong starter; that is why I call you "Lightening." It seems you have the whole package figured out right now. 
We've been training really hard and working on different aspects of my weak spots to make me better.  It is really starting to come around.

I am sure you had some major challenges in taking the previous two wins, but the John Penton win had to be excruciating with the way the conditions were.
Yes!  The beginning of the race was extremely muddy and kind of sloppy. I was surprised, that was probably the best Penton I have ever raced.  I got the lead early on the first lap and I ended up catching up to Super Senior 50+ rider Dave Simmons and we kind of hooked up and I got to ride with him.  That was like a big thing for me because I have wanted to ride with Dave.  He is an amazing competitor and it is just an honor to be up there with and battle with him so it really made the race a lot of fun.

Was that the first chance you have had to battle with Dave like that?
Yes, it was the first I got to battle with him.  I got to ride with him a little bit at Steel Creek this year but I was really far back from the pack.  I had gotten into a little bit a mess on the first lap and was a couple minutes back and he had started a couple minutes back so I got to ride with him a little bit there, but it wasn't a battle for a position or anything like that.

The battles in the Women's class have been pretty intense this year.  It has not been a runaway for any one in the class.  I have seen a lot of times this year the first couple of laps the top five are nose to tail.  I guess there is no room for error?
It is definitely crazy.  It used to be if you messed up you would lose like one position.  Now if you mess up you can go you get passed by four people.  You go from 1^st to 5^th right now.

That is what makes it so exciting.  It used to be a two rider shoot out with your Aunt Angel and Traci Cecco but now there are several contenders with you, Lexie Coulter, Jennifer Albright and several others that can win on any given Saturday.  What is the difference now?
I just think that maybe everyone's training programs have changed a lot.  Everyone's hunger for it gets stronger every year and you change your bikes and you change your riding style and you change little things and I think it's all started working for all five of us. I think it is starting to make a good season out of it.

What about you, how long have you been racing GNCC?
I started in 2006 when I turned 16 and I have been doing it every since.  So I guess this is now my fifth season.

It's kind of a family affair for you isn't it?
Yeah, my Dad (Ed Atwell) does it, my Aunt Angel and me.

So how long did you want to race before you tried it?
I kind of got into it coming with my aunt coming and just watching and helping her.  I decided a year or so before when I was 14 that I would like to try it.  My Dad bought me a bike and gave me the opportunity and got me started and I just ended up loving it.

Are you surprised to be tied for the points lead and have three wins in row right now?
Very!  It's crazy because I watched them for years and had so much respect for those girls.  And to be actually be racing with them and competing against them is definitely an honor.

Now that you all are so close in points with only three points separating the top 4, is the atmosphere in the class still as relaxed as it was?
Oh yeah, I definitely think so.  You are one person on the track and one person off the track.  I am still close with Angel and at least friends with all the girls that I race against.  So that makes it a lot of fun.

I know Angel is happy for you, but at the same time she does not like to lose, but if she is going to lose to someone is she glad it is you?
Oh yeah!  She is very, very encouraging and helpful.  She really seems happy for me and it is great competing against my aunt at this level of the sport.

What kind of goals have you set for yourself?
I have achieved a lot of goals that I set for myself this year.  I wanted to win overalls and I wanted to win the class.  I mean three wins in a row was something I never expected and to have done it is unbelievable!  As far as long-term goals, I would like to win the championship some day.  Whether or not it is this year or later it doesn't matter, but it's something that I would like to do someday.

I know there are only 8 races down so far and a lot of things can happen between now and the end of the season, but do you feel that you have as much potential to win the championship as anyone this year?

It is hard to say, but knowing me and knowing how hard I'd be willing to work, I could see it maybe happening.  You never know, though.  Racing is kind of up in the air. You never know race to race if anything is going to happen.  You never know if you are going to break down or have something silly happen.  It's just uh... (Laughs) racing! It's the best way to put it.  So I hope for it, but I cannot make any promises.

What inspires you each race?
It's just my love for it. It is so much fun.  I love the people that you meet. And it's the kind of adrenaline you get when you are out on the track.  It's kind of like you get to be a different person for a little while and you get to do something you love with the people you love. You get to share everything. I think really that is what keeps me coming back.

What are some of the highlights of your career?
My first year at my first race I actually pulled the hole shot and stalled in the first turn.  But it was cool for that moment.  Finishing 6^th in the points for that year was awesome for me.  Then of course winning my first over all in Yadkinville, finishing 3^rd in 2008, there are so many great memories that is kind of hard to pin them all into one statement.

What is your best memory so far for the 2010 season?

So far I would have to say my win at Yadkinville.  I love that place and to have gotten my first podium there and my first overall and then the over all I got there this year. I love that memory. I love that place. I love being there.

Are you nervous being in the position you are in right now or is so much fun that it just doesn't matter at the moment?
I'm a little nervous, but I am taking it race by race and just enjoying everything that has happened this year and just hoping everything will go well.  But yes it does make me a little bit nervous.  I mean I have never been in this position, I have never been this high in the points. So it's definitely different.

Do you have any rewards program set up for a good performance to kind of treat yourself for a job well done?
Ah yeah I do.  I stopped eating ice cream and that was kind of a big thing for me because I love ice cream.  And I am like, "Well if I get on the podium then I am going to DQ and get some ice cream!" Or I'll say "If I win an overall I am going to take some time and go do something for myself that I normally wouldn't do because I would be riding or training." Just little things like that.

What about Snowshoe, do you feel any pressure with one more race before the break?
Not necessarily pressure, but nervous just because Snowshoe is always a crazy race.  There are so many bottlenecks; there are so many things that can go wrong.  I had a bad experience last year and I am hoping to better what happened last year, so that is what my goal is for this race.

What was the "bad experience" last year?
Initially going into the last lap I was leading and I had about a two minute lead as far as I remember, and I ended up getting lost because there was a bottleneck and some lapped riders pointed us around and I ended up with a couple Utilities and a couple of other riders down in a valley. We had no idea where we were at and I ended up getting passed. I actually finished 6^th that day. So it was kind of a bummer.  I am hoping this year will go better.

So is there anything you would like to say before I let you go?
I have got thank my boyfriend Brad. He helps so much with my training and bikes and stuff. And certainly I want to thank my dad. He brought me here and bought my bikes and put all the parts on it and took me to every race. He is great; I could not do it without him. I also want to thank the Shadron family they have been a big help this year and all the other years. And I want to thank GT Thunder, Laz's suspension is amazing. I want to thank Mark Spataro from Moto Pro Training. GBC Tires/ Powermadd / Flexx / Motor X / Scott / G4 Graphics / Amy from Xcountry photos and Buchannon Racing.

Good luck and most importantly keep having fun Kristen!
Thanks Rodney!