PERSONAL

• Full Name: Peggy Llewellyn 

• Resides: San Antonio, Texas 

• HT: 5'2"  

• WT: 115 lbs.

2008 CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

• After being on the sidelines most of the season, she returned to race circuit in Denver making it to the semi-finals

• Qualified at 5 of the 6 events she entered

DRAG RACING ROOTS

     My drag racing 'root' is firmly planted.  My dad, Eugene Llewellyn, actually planted my need for speed seed.  He is the owner of Southeast Cycles in San Antonio, Texas and an avid drag racer himself.  Our family outings consisted of loading my father's Honda nitro funny bike onto the trailer and heading out to Alamo Dragway.  I can remember looking forward to racing each weekend with enthusiasm because besides watching my dad race, my brother and I would get to race against each other on our Dandy 'pocket rocket' bikes.

     The racing bug bit me (again) while pit crewing for my brother in late 1994.  The same feeling I would get when my brother and I would race, the intensity and excitement of racing all came back to me.  I asked my father if he would build me a dragbike, mind you he already had an idea of what kind of dragbike he wanted to build me, he just wanted to make sure I was going to be 100% committed to the project.  He didn't want me to get fed up and abandon the whole thing.  My father sat me down and went over the cost and time it would take to build a dragbike.  Within a week I had bought a GS1150, my dad and brother totally gutted the bike and sent the bare chassis to Robbie at RLM (in San Antonio) to get raked.  I had already used all of my savings, but my drive and determination wouldn't let lack of money be a problem for me.  I took on a second job, worked some overtime and used my quarterly bonuses to finish my dragbike.  In the meantime, my father and brother wanted me to get a feel for a dragbike, although I had rode motorcycles since I was seven years old, piloting a dragbike was a different concept.  My father and brother would have me practice burnouts and dry-hops in front of the shop.  He and my brother decided in order to get the full effect decided in order for me to get the full effect of racing down the quarter mile, I would need to go out to the track and actually do some shakedown passes on my brother's dragbike.  On the weekends if my brother went out in competition early, I would get to make some passes on the bike.  He had a KZ900 1428cc with a 3-speed automatic transmission.  My brother gave me some informal training on piloting the bike.  My first couple of passes were in the 10's and 11's.  I was just getting acquainted with the dragbike, so my brother told me not to worry about the e.t.  I had to get used to the launch, as well as using body finesse if the bike should get out of shape or starts to drift and most importantly keeping the bike on the 'power band' by being able to hit all my shift points.  The third weekend on the bike I took all my informal training and turned in a 9.18 @ 140mph!

     I was already looking past just racing at the local track.  Turning my hobby into a 'career' as a professional racer like Dave Schultz and John Myers was highly unlikely, ESPECIALLY for a woman.  I decided I would hone my skills, get my license and race the Division 4 circuit.  All that changed in July 1996 when Stephanie Reaves (the first women to ever receive an NHRA PSB license and qualify for a national event) along with Angelle Sampey and Karen Stoffer qualified for the Mile-High Nationals in Denver.  The prostock motorcycle class was forever changed.  These women came into a male-dominated sport and proved they were a force to be reckon with.  Without these pioneers, it would be impossible for me to even consider a career in drag racing, at that point I reassessed my priorities.  It took 2 1/2 years before my bike was finished, but I had decided to make racing a prostock motorcycle my #1 goal.

     In the meantime I raced at my local track, the Texas Shootout and several races in and around Texas.  In 2000, I got the opportunity of a lifetime.  The chance to compete in NHRA PSB for the 2001 race season for Harry and Joann Lartigue of Lartigue Racing!  After getting the job, I was scheduled to go to Houston to do some test passes on the bike.  I don't remember being that nervous, but my dad was.  We first practiced burnout and dryhops, but I really couldn't wait for was a full pass.  We were looking to do some 8.20's mind you the fastest pass I had ever gone was 8.93 @ 147mph.  Geez!  a prostock bike does 150 mph at half track!  Harry wanted me to get familiar with the launch, the shifting (which is a lot quicker), just the whole process of riding a prostock bike.  This is funny, but Harry said when he taps me on my back to go ahead and stage.  Well, I was so anxious that I did my burnout, pulled up and turned on my first bulb, then second, the lights blinked and I took off.  I know I banged every gear.  I did keep the bike somewhat straight, although it drifted on the top end a bit.  I was disappointed 'cause the run was over so fast!  It was like I popped the clutch, bam, time to pull the clutch in!  Just like that.  Well Harry and my dad came to the other end.  Harry asked how that felt.  Honestly, I didn't know my mind was still at the starting line.  He also asked what do I think I ran.  Well, I was thinking maybe an 8.50 (remember I told you I banged every gear).  I was totally floored when he told me I ran a 7.77!!!!  A 7.77! holy cow.  I was so pumped, I did 3 or 4 more passes in the 7's, so that day, my first day on a psb I was able to upgrade my bracket racing license to a psb license.  We only competed half the season and out of the six races I qualified at three.  I was also up for  Rookie of the Year.  I look forward to returning to the circuit in the future.  The competition has become fierce,  we have Harleys and Buells that add excitement & growth to our class, and a crop of talented new riders. There is also the possibility of the first six second pass this season.  I hope the right opportunity will present it self, so that I will be able to add myself to the NHRA PSM history books!......... written by Peggy Llewellyn in early 2005.......the rest as you know IS HISTORY