Angelle Sampey – three-time Pro Stock Motorcycle champion and winningest woman in powersports – sets new records aboard the H-D LiveWire
Words by Joy Burgess Photos courtesy of Harley-Davidson
“It was a total surprise!” said Angelle Sampey, Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle/Vance & Hines factory rider and three-time Pro Stock Motorcycle champion. “They said we’d go to Indy and do a test and photoshoot with the Harley-Davidson LiveWire.” But while she was hoping to get to ride for the fun of it, she had no idea they’d be filming…or that she’d be taking it down the drag strip…or that she’d set a record that day.
Before she even headed out to the strip Sampey jumped on the LiveWire in the parking lot. “I twisted the throttle,” she said, “and that thing threw me back. The power was so instant, and I was so impressed. I couldn’t wait to pull it onto the starting line.”
Once out on the strip the tree lights came on, she twisted the throttle and was off, setting all-new records for both top speed and elapsed time by an electric-powered production motorcycle on a drag racing course. She captured record-breaking runs on both the quarter- and eighth-mile, doing the eighth-mile in just 7.017 seconds and the quarter-mile in 11.156 seconds, and setting the top speed record of 110.35 mph (the bike’s top speed is limited to approximately 110 mph).
“I just kept making passes,” Sampey told us, “and I had so much fun I didn’t want to get off it. And it’s so easy to ride! My first thought was ‘my gosh, this is a total new world for women.’”
“I didn’t know we were trying to set a record,” she continued, “I was just having fun, and they told me I’d just set the world record. I had no idea we were trying to do that; I woulda tried harder if I’d known. I was just trying to beat my teammates. I always want to beat them, and setting a world record is great, but beating my teammates is the best!”
Spoken like a true champion.
Read Angelle Sampey’s account of her record-setting LiveWire adventure at WomanRider.com!
