She’s ready to roll really fast

One woman's need for speed could drive her to the edge of 200 mph and back if all things go according to plan in a few weeks.

At 5-foot-10 and 110 pounds, 26-year-old Marie Peterson catches more than the occasional second glance with her athletic figure and long blonde hair. Maybe it's her looks or maybe it's the blue and silver 2004 Suzuki GSX1300R Hayabusa motorcycle that she rides on.

But either way, the Odessan has her eyes fixed down the track for a personal goal she hopes to meet - joining the 200 mph club in the Texas Mile Land Speed Trials in Goliad County - and the first woman to do it on a mostly stock engine bike.

She's already reached 187 mph in practice runs.

"I'm kind of one of the boys, but I also like pink and ribbons - I'm tomboyish, I guess, in the fact that I like motorsports and going fast," she said. "There's seven women who have gone over 200 mph, but they've all been on a turbo Hayabusa or nitro. We're going all motor."

Marie Peterson said she started riding about eight years ago and has been involved with the motorcycle scene in West Texas for years, including several charity events.

And although she wears the appropriate protective gear for racing - including a $600 helmet - Marie Peterson acknowledged the danger of her sport, taking precaution to prevent injury.

"Two hundred miles per hour is a lot to make a mistake," she said. "I'm sure I'll be really nervous on race day, but I really am trying to take it one step at a time right now."
Husband and crew chief Carl Peterson has raced for 20 years, but his wife quickly surpassed his ability when she took a strong interest in motorsports - even after seeing him injured through the process.

"I don't know if I introduced her or if she saw me and decided she wanted to jump in the deep end of the swimming pool," he said. "She said, ‘That looks like a fun,' and I said, ‘Yeah, it is a lot of fun when you're not face down in the asphalt at 80 miles an hour in the rain.'"

Eye-hand coordination, motor skills, balance, mental drive and intuition play a huge part in a successful speed run and, because his wife won't be using turbocharger or nitrous oxide, Carl Peterson said it will take sheer ability to pull everything out of the motorcycle.

"It's basically the stock engine with an aftermarket exhaust, electronics and ignition equipment," he said. "It really does take a lot to get everything out of these bikes. You have to shift at certain places and pull the engine to a certain rpm range - aerodynamics become as important as horsepower.

"Marie's incredible smooth and incredibly fast - some people just have a knack for things," he said.

Racers in the Texas Mile have one mile to achieve top speed and half a mile to shut the bike down, Carl Peterson said. He's confident his wife will get close to the mark and could reach 200, but safety is his No. 1 concern.

"It is dangerous, it is deadly, and there really is no room for error, and you take every precaution you can. At the same time, I don't feel like it would be fair for me to deny her anything that she was interested in," he said. "We also want to put a positive face on motorcycling for the general public."

Marie Peterson already has about $6,000 in sponsorships on the bike, and she's gained popularity on the Internet through videos of practice runs posted on YouTube.

All the hype isn't distracting the Odessa woman, who's focused on the speed machine beneath her and the asphalt ahead.

"Racing is like an art, and I trust the bike - that eliminates a lot of the fear," Marie Peterson said. "I want to accomplish as much as possible and give everyone inspiration to reach their goals."