CYPRESS, Calif. - Traci Cecco-Pickens, long-time Yamaha rider from West Cameron Township, recently won her ninth Grand National Cross Country women's ATV series title, then announced her retirement.
"This ninth championship is very special to me and by far will be the most memorable - it is going to be my last championship," Traci said. "I am retiring from chasing championships. With nine titles, my health, friends and memories for a lifetime, I finally feel this is the right time for me."
Traci may be retiring from the track, but that doesn't mean she's leaving racing entirely. "I will continue to be at all of the GNCC events supporting my husband and his racing career," she said. "Racing is a tremendous part of my life, and I will truly miss competing, but it's time for me to be part of the sport I love in a different way - whether that be representing longtime sponsors at the track, working the gas can in the pits, or mentoring new lady racers."
To all of the up-and-coming women racers out there, she said: "Never quit setting achievable goals, and always act like a lady."
Cecco clinched her historic championship at the last GNCC round Oct. 6 in St. Clairsville, Ohio. Known as the best woman racer in the history of the sport, Cecco captured six wins and was on the podium at every series stop this year leading up to Crawfordsville.
"Yamaha congratulates Traci on another championship season and reaching the historic milestone of winning nine championships throughout her career," said Donnie Luce, Yamaha's ATV rac-
ing coordinator. "Traci has been an inspiration, a role model, and a champion of the sport throughout her career. She's broken barriers for women in racing, and she's proven that she is one of the best riders ever in any class or category. She's a true champion and ambassador for our sport, and Yamaha is extremely proud to have been so closely involved in her successful career."
Traci turned pro in 1999 and won her first women's title in 2000. Since then, she has finished in the top three every year. In addition to her nine titles, she has four seconds and a third. Her career has given her international recognition as a top ATV racer, and Moves magazine named her one of its "Power Woman" in 2010 - an award that honors "25 influential and successful women in various fields." Among her many career highlights, she remembers "Signing my first Yamaha Racing contract in 2006, being the first woman to win a morning ATV overall race, working with young riders at GNCC University, and traveling the country to promote women in racing," as some of her favorites.
Cecco-Pickens grew up around the sport. Her late father and her brothers were among the founders of the Line Mountain 7-Miler track, and she began racing there at 16. She kept racing on the local level while finishing college, and in 1998, tried her first GNCC competition at Mount Morris, Pa. She took second, and was hooked.