The Beginning

My interest in motorcycles started at a young age with my dad taking me for rides around the block on his old bike. Even back then, I knew that motorcycles were the coolest thing ever. I spent the next 13 years trying to persuade my parents to buy me a dirt bike. Like most parents, they worried that I would go out and kill myself. Instead they pushed safer sports like soccer and tennis. My passion for motorcycles never went away, and on my 18^th birthday, I bought my first bike, a 1992 Honda Nighthawk 250. Within weeks, I was craving more power and more speed. I upgraded bikes several times before settling on my current 2001 Yamaha R6. It was love at first sight. I put over 1000 miles on it the first week. That summer, I rode to Monterey, CA for the World Superbike races at Laguna Seca Raceway. Watching the racing first hand changed everything for me. I didn't want to be a bystander; I wanted to be part of the action. A year later I bought my second R6, this time to go racing. There was no single event or person that influenced my decision to race. Instead, I was drawn to the smell of the races, the excitement of watching the bikes line up on the grid, the challenge of pushing a little more with every race, the focus on the faces of the riders, and the passion needed to do this all over again every weekend. I was determined to be a part of this, even if I had to do it alone.

Read more about me.

Novice

As a novice in WMRRA (Washington Motorcycle Road Racing Association), I finished 15 races in 9 weekends, crashed three times, broke three fingers, had two concussions, and loved every minute of it. Priceless. I also attended over a dozen track days. I soaked up everything I could. I talked to everyone, watched every rider, and took detailed notes of every experience. By the middle of the season I was already making plans for the next year. After consulting with several expert racers, I decided to ride a Suzuki SV650 for 2003.

A non-racer friend of mine asked me to describe the sensation of racing.

2003

My goals for 2003 were to become faster in the corners at my home tracks and to get experience on as many different tracks as I could. In February 2003, I drove down to Rosamond, CA to Streets of Willow with a fellow racer. In May, I flew to Atlanta, GA for the Kevin Schwantz Suzuki School at Road Atlanta. In June, I attended a two-day track event at Thunderhill Park in Willows, CA. In July, I raced with CCS (Championship Cup Series) at Buttonwillow Raceway Park in Buttonwillow, CA where I finished 6^th in Expert SuperTwins, 6^th in Expert Lightweight GP, and 7^th in Expert Lightweight Super Sport. I also raced with OMRRA (Oregon Motorcycle Road Racing Association) and WMRRA at Pacific Raceways (PR) in Auburn, WA, Spokane Raceway Park (SRP) in Spokane, WA, and Portland International Raceway (PIR) in Portland, OR. In October, I finished third in the Light Weight NW Endurance Cup. My lap times decreased considerably at each of my home tracks throughout the season, and I gained a new level of confidence. I look forward to being a threat in OMRRA next year in 650 GP Twins and 650 SS Twins.

2004 Goals

My first goal for 2004 is to compete with OMRRA in 650 GP Twins and 650 SS Twins and to finish top ten overall. Secondly, as scheduling allows, I’d like to attend all the WMRRA events. Lastly, I’d like to attend 3 or 4 events in California at Buttonwillow, Sears Point (Infineon), Streets of Willow, and possibly Thunderhill.

I’d like to thank the following sponsors and people who’ve helped me the last two years:

Sparky and Motorcycle Works of Renton, Lockhart Phillips, Rick Salmon and SB Motorsports, Alan Schwen, John Greer, Kevin "Goatboy" Burgess, Mike Castro, Steve Stallman, Janice Logan, Dan Zlock and Zlock Racing, Chris Townsend, the corner workers and other race day crew, and most importantly, my mom Vera and her husband Loren who have been supportive and encouraging through everything.

Becca Yucha
#176

The highlight of 2003 was riding around Road Atlanta on the back of an SV1000 masterly piloted by none other than former AMA Superbike champ Jamie James. You’ll have to contact me for the full story.