Local family wins four national motorcross titles

For the VOICE

The Parmeter family has been racing motorcycles since the 1970’s, but 2011 might be the highlight of their racing career.

Local riders Luke Parmeter, 23, along with stepbrother Andy Eichinger, 15, dominated the 2011 AMA Racing Hillclimb Grand Championships in Dayton, Ohio, on Aug. 13 and Aug. 14. The duo took home a total of four championships.

Parmeter won three classes, a feat accomplished by only one other rider in the history of the sport. In doing so, he also earned Rider of the Year.

“That was a long time coming,” said Parmeter. “Since I started racing at the age of 5, my goal was to win a national, and to finally achieve it, especially in this fashion, is unreal. I’ve been so close the last 2 years.”

Luke Parmeter

While Parmeter came within .05 seconds of winning in 2009 and .06 seconds in 2010, Eichinger’s story is quite different. In 2009, on his very first attempt at nationals, he won the Mini Sr. class and then followed it up with a victory in the 125cc class the following year. For 2011, Eichinger was the man to beat, and he handled the pressure with ease. In fact, after leading the class after the first round, Eichinger was bumped back to sixth place before his final ride. If he didn’t improve his time, it meant he would have to give up the number one plate for the first time in his career. However, Eichinger flew up the hill and regained the lead by almost a full second.

“I knew my bike setup was perfect, I just needed to have a good ride,” said Eichinger. “It feels good to have the same number plate three years in a row.”

The man behind the scenes keeping the bikes running fast has more than 30 years experience, as well as a National Championship under his belt.

“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for my dad,” said Parmeter. “He puts 110 percent into making the bikes go as fast as possible.”

Although retired from racing, Jay Parmeter probably spends more time in the garage then when he raced full-time.

“He’s always testing equipment, figuring out what works best,” said Parmeter. “The other day we weighed different tires, inner tubes, and chains to figure out what was lightest. Last week we spun bearings to see which would spin longest.”

Although it may sound crazy, Parmeter said that’s what it takes to win.

“In hillclimbing, bike setup is key. This sport is too competitive to overlook things like gearing, tire choice, wheelbase length, and so on.”  

Andy Eichinger

The crew takes notes after every race, writing out everything from soil conditions to tire pressure.

“When you win or lose by a fraction of a second, having the right setup can be the difference between first and second,” he said.

With the 2011 Nationals in the books, the family still has the Wisconsin and Minnesota

state championships to compete in. Eichinger has a firm lead in 125cc class while Parmeter

leads the 250cc, 750cc, 4-Stroke and King of the Hill classes. The next race is at Kato Cycle

Club in Mankato, Minn. on Aug. 27.

Source: www.lpmotocross.com