Katie Sullivan Blog Post 6/30/10

Sonoma is getting closer and I couldn’t be more excited. Things have been really busy around here. My Dad and I usually work all day and then meet up in the evenings at our garage. This weekend I spent a lot of time running around. On Friday night my dad and I put a motor in one of the bikes we own. On Saturday morning I drove up to Redding, a town about an hour from where I live, to pick up a pro stock motor that we had being freshened up. My dad and I spent the rest of the day putting the motor into our pro stock bike. On Sunday we were still working to get the pro stock bike together. Once we had it pretty much ready to go we loaded it up in the trailer and I set out for Fields Performance in Sacramento.

Right now our bike is with Mike Fields Jr. owner of Fields performance with his dad, Mike Fields Sr. Mike is a member of my crew and a good friend of my families. When my dad is busy with work, Mike usually helps us to finish up the bike so we can go racing. Mike is a very intelligent person and I could not be more thrilled to have his help. At Fields Performance they are a Hayabusa shop and they also own the fastest no bar bike on the west coast. Even though Mike’s experience is with Hayabusa, he finds his way around a GS motor just fine. I can see Mike really thriving in this sport and I am so thankful to him for his help.

Now that I have explained a little of Mike’s story, I will tell you a little bit about how my dad got into drag racing. My dad bought his first drag bike when he was 16 years old. Of course when my grandma found out about this, the bike never made it to the track. It really wasn’t until he was 18 that he started riding drag bikes out at the track. He is a very driven person, and I think he saw something he wanted to do and he did it. After racing bikes for many years, my dad purchased a funny car. I must have been around 6 or 7 at this time. He still gets a glimmer in his eyes when he talks about that car.

My dad pretty much put his racing aside to help my brother, Chance, my sister, Kristin, and I race Jr. dragsters. Chance even went dirt track racing when he was in high school. My dad was right there to help my brother get to the track, and he never missed a race. Chance and Kristin’s lives took them on different paths and they both kind of fell away from racing. They are both incredibly successful and I think I have a big enough addiction to this sport for the three of us kids. My dad still rides today as much as he can, but being the great dad that he is, he always puts my racing ahead of his own.

I am one lucky girl to get to work with so many amazing people. Right now Mike Field’s Jr. and my dad are my main crew. We all share a big passion for this sport and I think that is so important to being successful. One of my favorite quotes is “When work, commitment, and pleasure all become one and you reach that deep well where passion lives, nothing is impossible.” We are head to Sonoma this weekend to get in a little more seat time on the pro stock bike before the national event in a couple weeks. I can’t wait to be in that rider’s seat!

Other things in my life are still going full throttle as well. My sister’s pregnancy is going great. In fact my mom and I are taking a road trip down to Sacramento later today to go maternity clothes shopping with her. I can’t wait to be an aunt, I love kids. I am also still plugging away to get everything all worked out for Kalifornia Katie’s Trailer Sales. My dad and I decided it would probably be best to wait to really open our doors until after the Nationals in Denver. Right now we are trying to sell trailers, but more on an appointment only basis. As far as school goes I just finished my first online semester. I love going to school online, it is a way better fit into my life. I am staying busy, but things are amazing all the same. Only 18 more days (432 hours) until Sonoma, but who’s counting right???