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Personal History

Hello, my name is Melissa Torchio and I race quads, both flat track and TT.  My racing nick name is "The Little Torch."  I have been racing since I was four years old.  I will be 11 years old in December.  I have raced flat track since 2007 and I started racing TT at the end of last year.  The 2012 season was my first full year racing TT.  I have been ice racing for two years as well.  I am currently racing a 90cc Apex.  One of the most important things to me is the support of my family.  That is where my team, "Team Torchio" comes in.  "Team Torchio", my pit crew, consists of my mom, my dad, my pop pop and my uncles Adam and David.  They are all former racers, but have now come together to support me and my racing.  My dad is a plumber and he used to race motorcycles, side hacks, and drag race cars.  My mom is a social worker and never raced, but she is always there to cheer me on.  Neither of my parents have ever missed a race.  Some of the other  activities that I enjoy are shooting my gun and bow and arrow.  I also like fishing for striped bass, playing my guitar, my drums, and my trumpet.  Of course I like to drive around our property with my quad and motorcycle on the track that my dad built for me in our back yard.  My school work is also very important to me.  I am a 5th grade student at EJR Elementary School in Pine Bush, New York.  I am a very good student and get good grades.  I am also a girl scout and "Big Buddy" to a kindergarten class at school.  This means that I am in charge of putting the children on the right bus at the end of the day, and walking other children to safely meet their parents.  I really enjoy this and like that the little children look up to me and count on me to learn to behave in a way that keeps them safe.  

Riding Goals

I race because I love the adrenaline rush and the excitement that I feel when I race.  I also love the pride that I feel when I win, but I also love the pride that I feel when I don't win, but know that I did the best job that I could do.  One of my main goals is to inspire younger children to get into the sport of racing, and to show them how to be good sports.  Often when I am having pictures taken in the winner's circle there are little children standing around that want to look at my quad, sit on it, and have their parents take pictures.  I think that it sometimes surprises them that girls can compete in quad racing and even win, just like the boys.  My goals for the 2013 season is to ice race more this winter, to become a better TT racer, and to compete in a national race.  I am an AMA member so can compete in AMA sanctioned races. 

Competitive Highlights

2007 - 50cc Oval Track Champion Accord Speedway

2008 - 50cc Oval Track Champion Accord Speedway

2009 - 50cc Oval Track Champion Accord Speedway (undefeated with 12 consecutive wins)

2010 - 90cc Oval Track Champion Accord Speedway

2011 - 90cc Oval Track Champion Accord Speedway

2011 - 90cc Oval Track Champion Oakland Valley Raceway

2012 - 90cc Oval Track Champion Accord Speedway

2012 - 90cc Oval Track Champion Oakland Valley Raceway

2012 - 90cc TT Track Champion Oakland Valley Raceway

2012 - 90cc  2nd Place TT North East Extreme Dirt Track Traveling Series

2012 - 90cc  1st Place Oval North East Extreme Dirt Track Friday Night Series

2012 - 90cc 3rd place TT North East  Extreme Dirt Track Friday Night Series