BORN TO RIDE
A petite 21-year-old, Surber is
the ideal jockey for a Pro Stock
Motorcycle, which requires riders
to use strength and finesse as
they guide the 600-pound bike
down the dragstrip.
“That was a great weekend,” she recalls. “It was
our home track and we qualified for the first time.
My dad was in tears. He couldn’t stop smiling.”
I
n 2015, Surber dipped her toe in
the water, running just four events. This
season she’s jumped headfirst into the
deep end, announcing plans to compete
in all 16 Pro Stock Motorcycle events. In
order to compete in every event, Surber
has become a teammate to owner Junior Pippin
July 2016
and his rider Chip Ellis. Pippin has his own engine-building program headed by former NASCAR engine builder Lon Moyer and his stuff is
more than competitive.
At the 2016 season-opener in Gainesville, there
were 26 bikes fighting for 16 spots and defending
race winner and two-time world champ Matt
Smith was among the non-qualifiers. Meanwhile,
Surber earned a spot in the top half of the field
with a stunning 6.85, her career-best run by more
than a tenth of a second.
Surber also qualified at the Four-Wide Nationals in Charlotte and at the third race in Atlanta,
she was finally rewarded with her first round win.
Surber won’t soon forget the race for more than
the obvious reasons. She was paired against LE
Tonglet’s Nitro Fish Suzuki and beat the former
world champ on a holeshot, winning with a 6.86
to Tonglet’s 6.84. Three races into the season, and
she had already checked a big thing off her to-do
list. And yes, her first round win was accompanied
by another television interview, but this time,
DragIllustrated.com
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