Susan Bacigalupi

Susan, age 64 and counting, started out with motorcycles around 1959 when she purchased a Honda step thru scooter. It was love at first sight. The following year she entered her first race, a 1/2 mile flat track, and has been racing ever since! During this time she has raced short track, scrambles, TTs, flat track, motocross, enduros, and road races.
Many brands and displacements have been involved, such as Triumphs, BSA's, Greeves, Cotton, Bultaco, Montessa, and Yamahas, from 50cc's to 650cc's. Road racing tracks have included Sears Point, Laguna Seca, and the old Cotati Airport courses.

In 1978 she gave up her career in Television, and bought a Yamaha dealership in Monterey CA. She added Suzuki to the line up and proceeded to have quite a succesful 15 year run as a motorcycle dealer. In 1986 she learned of Yamaha's plans to import the YSR50 and proceeded to change a subsidiary of the dealership, Team Calamari Racing, from a 2 stroke performance company to a YSR only performance company. This proved to be such fun that the dealership was sold so she could concentrate on the YSRs and her main interest, engineering.
In 1993 Logan Wilke talked her into competing in the Can-Am challenge in Wenatchee WA. She had way too much fun and continued to compete occaisionally until the 1997 season when Jerry Douglas (another "old timer") talked her into racing the whole season. It did not take much talking! She competed in the Women's Class in Prairie City finishing 3rd overall. Were it not for a disqualification in the May race on a "technicality" she would have placed 1st!

Rotator cuff surgery slowed her down in '98, but she still managed to compete several times at Sacramento, and toured the U.S. and Canada with her team. 1999 and 2000 were really bummers in the physical limitations of bad knees. Although in both years she went back to Georgia and participated in the "True Grits" run. 2001 called for drastic measures and she has had her left knee replaced. There have been some complications involved with recovery so her race schedule for 2001 is the "Isle of Physical Therapy."

In 2002, Thanks to Central Coast Physical Therapy in Salinas CA, she got back on the race track, literally. She entered the first race at Prairie City, was passing for 2nd place (Vet's Class) when her bike spit her off and was run over by the bike in back of her re-injuring the replaced knee. An attempt was made to race in the West Coast YSR Invitational later in the year, but was abandoned when the knee would not co-operate.

Goals for 2003? Participation in the Annual True Grits run, and continuing to run the best mini road racing team in the U.S.

2003 goals were acheived, She was named Grits Galaxy champion, and her team won it all in Northern CA!

The Grits Run was the last competition for Susan, as age is catching up fast!

If you check out Cannery Row during the U.S.G.P. you will probably see her there!