At the team Winston trailer we found Angelle Seeling with members of her family who accompanied her to support her run for the motorcycle drag racing championship. Angelle(ever-the-competitor) is always running for the championship, but as the season draws to a close, each race has a sharper edge.
It's our second entry into the comfortable trailer facilities occupied by the Star racing team. George Bryce, Angelle, and Angelle's cousin extended us a warm welcome enabling us to ask a second tier of fresh questions. Join us in these cool surroundings.
I (Dwight) asked Angelle these new questions. George Bryce answered a few questions also.
When driving a car, do you always wear a seatbelt?
1. Yes. 2. No. 3. If yes, really?
"Yes. My boyfriend makes me."
Do you have a nickname?
"CJ."
Do you have time for a hobby?
"Jet skiing, diving, and bow hunting. I like to go to the shooting range, but I don't know if I'm going to be able to actually shoot a deer in the wild."
Are you happy?
"Not always. I'm not happy when I lose. George (Bryce) is always happy. (Except when I lose.")
What could make you happier?
"Winning. Racing is a great family, a great job, but it's so hard to win."
When asleep do you ever dream you're riding a motorcycle?
"Often."
How fast? And what happens?
"I'm racing, but I don't feel the speed. I'm making the run, but it's in slow motion."
Angelle's smile radiates the confines.
"This is a fun interview. I get tired of answering the same questions over and over that I'm asked in most interviews."
(Thanks, Angelle)
When not wearing leathers or racing garb, what's your choice for clothing?
"Mostly casual. T-shirts and shorts. Comfortable stuff. I don't dress up often."
Name one other sport, you believe you could excel at?"
"Motorcross. I don't like anything but motorcycles. But maybe I'd like to play for the
WNFL."
If you could make one part of your body stronger, what part would that be?
"My heart." Then Angelle specified. "A stronger heart not for emotions, but so I could have more strength to deal with things."
When frustrated. What do you do first? 1.Erupt. 2.Withdraw 3. Try to be cool.
"Erupt."
How long does it take you to come off an emotional high? Like a winning high?
"Couple of days. Either way."
George Bryce added a few comments after this question.
"I always play golf after a race to clear my mind. Whenever Angelle wins I score my best rounds. It's 100% connected to how the engine program turns out."
If you could control one factor in motorcycle drag racing, what factor would you want to control the most?
"George you're going to have to help me on this one." George thought for a moment and said.
"The weather."
WHERE do you find the most peace in your life? WHEN do you find the most peace in your life?
"At a family gathering at Christmas at Grandma's house."
You're a skilled racer…What one factor, what one reason separates you from the fast traffic on smooth public highways?
"Driving defensively. Most people panic and get into wrecks because they don't react. I react using my 180 mph experience."
George Bryce added this about public highways:
"Fifty-five mile-an-hour birds never get smacked out of the sky by a car doing less than 55 mph. Only the cars exceeding 55mph hit the birds. Roy Hill told me when I attended his drag racing school. 'Bryce, you have a 55 mph brain, you have to develop a 200 mph mind, son.'" Additional Comments?
Angelle was proud to announce her fan club, The Angelle Fan Club. An exclusive hat, an autographed photo, drawings for prizes and more are available for fans at:
Angel Star Inc.
P.O.Box 526
Boutte, La 70039
Below you'll find the first series of questions we asked Angelle Seeling. Her answers are still relevant. At that time we sought a single word to describe Angelle and settled on:
DEDICATED. Do you work
out?
"I have a personal trainer at
home in Louisiana. work on fore arms and every muscle I
need to ride the bike."
Do you have a special
diet?
"I don’t eat a lot
of junk food. I eat vegetables, high protein foods, and
low carbohydrates."
What mental steps do you take to prepare you
for a race?
"Fifteen minutes before the run
I sit on the bike, I get accustomed to the bike. That
starts my run."
What are your most fearful moments?
"Losing my mom." "Another moment like
the one at the Gainesville race. My helmet was too big,
and it rode up off my chin and covered my eyes for about
3 seconds at 180 mph. I could’t see, but if I
lifted my hand to pull it back down, I’d be blown
off the bike. I shook my head down more than once, and
finally it slipped back and I could see. We sent the
helmet back. Now I wear a tighter helmet." She
pushes the sides of her face toward her nose to show how
the helmet fits. This maneuver doesn’t interrupt
her beauty. "It squeezes my face." She says.
"But I don’t care." (It occurs to me
that I can’t go 180 mph on a motorcycle down any
strip, and that day she went 180 mph blind, then got
back on to ride like a hurricane wind again)
Many motorcyclists ride to unravel.
What do you do to unwind?
"Ride a Jet ski. My family has
boats and we love water sports."
Who are your heroes?
"My mom. John Myers."
What’s most important?
1. fame 2.
money 3.
thrills/fun 4. winning
"WINNING!"
One last question. What personal quality (a
single trait) would you want your fans to admire
most?
"Determination."
Willful Comments
Angelle supplied these statements without us having
to ask questions. "I am responsible for the speed,
for winning. It’s up to me to drive it perfectly,
and it’s so hard to get it perfect. You have to
concentrate on so many things. It’s not just the
tree, it’s everything else at once. I don’t
know anyone who has had a perfect run, but it’s
scary when the others are driving in the
thirties…But I am responsible." We
smile.
"I’ll always wonder if the others
are close to their perfect run," Angelle says.
"We can’t know what their computers
indicate." She relaxes into the cushions. "I
want to have the fastest motorcycle."
She smiles. "There were 3 or 4 more hundredths
in that last run."
She smiles again.
"I want to have the fastest motorcycle."
Our second interview proved that Angelle continues to be intense about winning. Her focus and efforts show our choice of that one word is on target. Angelle is still (if not more):
DEDICATED.
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