Female Off-Road Race Team Zen Pro Racing Looks Forward to Continuing Their Winning Streak
- Jul 12, 2013
"Soon after filming and documenting the race-team in San Felipe, Mexico, we decided to regroup and search for the finest female racers in the nation, providing them with corporate sponsorship incentives. In turn, we would provide the racer with media exposure and strategically provide our sponsors the same in form of signage at all of the race events attended." In turn, team Zen Pro Racing (ZPR) came to fruition, a team comprised of all female racers. The team has continued to grow, and in fact, sports 21 members in all. Although there are other off-road race teams consisting exclusively of females, Martinez considers their crew as more structured and organized. Zen Pro Racing wasted no time in proving the team would become a force to be reckoned with. Competing in the SandFest week, at North Bend, Oregon, they walked away with seven titles in just one week. ZPR dominated the events for the next three consecutive seasons, thus earning them the honor of being declared the "Best of the West" against the other females teams in the competition.
Although most teams would be more than satisfied to excel in one series, Zen Pro Racing is revered for their skills and riding abilities in many. In fact, the team's riders have earned several championships. They have walked away with 8 titles in the past few years. including the X Games, WORCS, Quad X, AMA District 38, Dirt Series, Dade Series MX, RMX and Lucas Oil Series. The team has earned championships in a plethora of other series as well. Having consistently been well-represented throughout the community of female off-road racing, the team obviously has a knack for recruiting some of the best competitors in the business. When asked the characteristics of a good rider, Martinez said, "We feel strength, combined with endurance, are the key traits to a good racer; That combined with strategic and mental awareness." Looking back, Martinez suggested that, sisters, Shannon Crouch and Chelsea McShane are the "two most profound racers" who have been with Zen Pro Racing for the longest period. According to the the owner, both team members played a significant role in their early success, with seven podium wins at SandFest 2009 between them. Referring to the newest member of the team, Martinez mentioned Clearwater, Florida native, Sara Sandusky. The rider jumped aboard early on in 2012 and closed the season with a series win. Although some of the riders have obviously been members of the team for longer periods than others, Martinez ensured that no particular rider is considered as the leader. "Although our girls are proficient in many aspects as team members, we share one thing in common - to do our very best," the team owner explained. "We do not structure our team in forms of a hierarchy system. We do not believe it is important to assign a team leader amongst our racers." Zen Pro Racing's stat's are a testimony to each and every team member's riding skills. However, Martinez is also savvy to the fact that one of the greatest keys to success is well-tuned and dependable equipment. " To get the holeshot is a definite advantage in all of the series. Us signing on with Barnett Performance clutch kits has given us that extra edge. Utilizing their race clutches has helped us along the way to numerous victories. "Maintenance of our vehicles is very critical and goes hand-in-hand with safety factors as well," Martinez continued. "We recognize the importance of the right maintenance plan, the right equipment , detailed preparation, and most of all, safety for everyone involved in the sport. " With proper maintenance in mind, the team is a strong advocate of using the best filtration systems on the market. Striving to ensure the internal components of their engines remain contaminant free, Zen Pro Racing recently turned to K&N products to help fight the rigors of off-road racing. "We currently use an assortment of K&N air filters and are looking to equip our vehicles with their oil filters in the very near future," stated Martinez. " In the pursuit of perfection, we found that K&N products have improved our machines' performance ten-fold. After researching numerous possible replacements, we decided to give K&N products a go and have not been disappointed. Stellar performance products which are pertinent to our system's integrity on our race machines. "We feel, especially with their air filters, it has provided and increase in mass air flow, thus increasing our machines' ability to breath easier and simultaneously providing a quicker throttle response throughout the power-band range of our machines. With an impressive crew of excellent drivers and quality products on board, Zen Pro Racing is looking forward to what lies ahead in the future. When asked what fans can expect throughout the remainder of the 2013 season, Mo Martinez said, "For the past few years of the making and fielding of outstanding team racers, ZPR has truly been a formidable presence in off-road racing and a dominating force in the world of desert racing. We look forward to sweeping several of the nationals and international series." |
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| Related K&N News Articles about female off-road racing: Off-Road Racing's Brooke Kawell Racing Readies for 2013 LOORRS Modified Kart Championship Bid; Brooke Kawell Currently Sits 8th in Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series Modified Kart Points; Fourteen-Year-Old Modified Kart Off-Road Racer Brooke Kawell Anticipates Success in 2013; Off-Road Racer Corry Weller Makes LOORRS History in 2011 as First Female to Win a Championship |
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