Personal History
Eight-year-old, at 4 feet 10 inches, Eleanor Pugh, number 28, is making a name for herself in Texas and all the way to Kansas. Tall for her age, Eleanor is long and lanky. That is, until she gets on her KTM 50cc SX dirt bike modified for flat track racing, then Eleanor becomes fierce and graceful when she is racing against other kids or adults.
Eleanor’s progression to a dirt bike started with a Strider balance bike to an electric dirt bike to finally swinging her leg over the seat of her own flat track motorcycle. Her introduction to the flat track world came from going with her father, Howell Pugh, to watch him race locally in Fredericksburg, Texas. Once Eleanor showed interest in racing, Howell started building her highly modified KTM to race in the 50cc youth class in her first partial season last winter. During the regular season (spring to fall) of 2023, Eleanor also began racing her 50cc KTM in the 65cc class as well. The season took Eleanor from the season opener in Fredericksburg to Brownwood, Texas, to east Kansas to the final race of the year back in Texas at Greenville.
Being new to flat track and racing against other competitors while and still getting comfortable on the flat track motorcycle, her debut at the Gillespie County ½ mile Racetrack in Fredericksburg during The Texas Fandango celebration, Eleanor worked hard and paid off with a 4th place finish on both days of the race. After The Texas Fandango race, Eleanor’s father connected with some retired professionals and the fast competition to help her train and provide insight about how to ride the different tracks (short tracks, 1/4 miles, and 1/2 miles ovals). They taught her about the different kinds of dirt used on almost all of the different tracks she raced. Many of the older retired professionals were impressed on how quickly her riding abilities improved and continue to do every time she gets on a motorcycle.
Eleanor’s first full season racing with the Xtreem Flattrack series was a tremendous success. After placing 4th both days at the Gillespie County ½ mile Racetrack in Fredericksburg, Texas, Eleanor pushed herself hard to be on the winners’ podium at the subsequent races, and that she did! For the next nine races she was able to race at, Eleanor finished on top of the winners’ podium placing 1st at each race and in both race classes, 50cc and 65cc. By the end of the season, Eleanor had won the championship at Kanas County Fair Flat Track series in both classes as well as winning the overall championship in both classes for 20023. Four championships in her first full season, Eleanor has proved she is listening to advice and using that advice to go faster around the dirt oval tracks.
Riding Goals
Coming off her four 2023 championships, Eleanor will be racing in the Xtreem Flattrack’s 2023-2024 Texas Winter Championship. This is the first flat track series to pit north Texas against south Texas. There will be four double header races starting November 11th at local Texas tracks. The championship races for the Texas Winter Series will be double header race March 9-10 at the Waco Eagle’s ½ mile track in Waco, Texas.
Eleanor will be racing at as many of the Xtreem Flattrack regular 2024 season. Also, next year, Eleanor will begin to travel further to race new and tougher competition in both the 50cc and 65cc classes. For American Motorcycles Association (AMA) races, she will be riding a Cobra CX50 FEW in the production 50cc class and her KTM 50cc in outlaw races (races not sanctioned by the AMA). In the 65cc class, for both AMA races and the outlaw races), Eleanor will be racing a new 65cc flat track bike, the make of which has not been decided yet. All this will be to ready Eleanor to race her first AMA Flat Track Grand Championship in Du Quoin, Illinois on June 30th - July 6th where she will have to battle against the fastest 8 – 12 year old flat track racers.
Competitive Highlights
· Xtreem Flattrack 2023 Kansas County Fair Series:
1st place series champion in 50cc class.
· Xtreem Flattrack 2023 Kansas County Fair Series:
1st place series champion in 65cc class riding her 2018 KTM 50SX.
· Xtreem Flattrack 2023 Full Series:
1st place series champion in 50cc class.
· Xtreem Flattrack 2023 Full Series:
1st place series champion in 65cc class riding her 2018 KTM 50SX.