Alyssa Oplinger put in an impressive 2012 season racing against the guys in the Schoolboy (13-15) class logging several top 5 finishes throughout the season after beginning her season with a solid 2^nd place in Georgia. We caught up with Alyssa to find out about her 2012 season, racing against the guys, and more.

GNCCRacing.com: How's everything going today?
Alyssa Oplinger: Good! Just enjoying my week!

Awesome! So for those who don't know you, tell us a little about yourself.
I'm 15 and in ninth grade. I live in Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania with my parents and brother. I've been swimming competitively for eight years. I did my first GNCC in Somerset, Pa when I was nine.

How did you get into the off-road world?
I just found it more interesting than watching some guys go over some jumps for a couple minutes. The terrain, the challenge, it’s all a lot of fun for me.

What brought you to the GNCC series?
In 2004 my parents were planning to go to the Hatfield McCoy trails in West Virginia, but there were thunderstorms. Instead, their friend heard of the GNCC race in Florida, and decided to go race. My dad and mom raced GNCC on and off for the next few years. When I turned nine, they decided to let me try one.

What has been the biggest accomplishment of your racing career?
It definitely has to be my youth podium in 2011 at the Indy 100 GNCC. I also lead the overall on lap 2.

How did your 2012 season go?
Not too good. I had some serious crashes and made a lot of mistakes. But even with that, I still got lucky enough to tie for 5^th place in the points, even though the other rider had a win, so he beat me out for 5^th place.

What is it like racing against the boys in the School"boy" class?
I like it! I think it's more fun than racing with all girls. People find it more interesting to see a girl up front in a class with all guys.

You had some solid races in 2012 and came close to some wins, what would it have taken to get up into that top spot?
I was hoping to at least get one win this season, but it sadly didn't happen. I definitely need to start thinking more while I race, and hopefully that will work out to my advantage and I can snag some wins in the future.

Is there anything you would like to have done differently in 2012?
I would've liked to have made some better choices during races. My parents say I'm fast enough to win, I just don't ride smart enough. I want to try to work on that during the off-season and come back even better in 2013.

What are your plans for 2013?
Those plans are still up in the air. I want to try Schoolboy A/B, but my parents want me to do Women’s Novice. Regardless, I’ll still be racing!

What do you hope to accomplish in 2013?
A championship is always the goal, but I just want to get faster and improve.

What do you hope to accomplish down the road in your racing career?
I would like to eventually be one of the top women in GNCC, and to race in the afternoon at least once.

What kind of advice would you give to aspiring female racers?
I would say that there’s no reason at all that you can't do it and win, you just have to want it bad and not be afraid.

Alright, before we wrap this up, who would you like to thank?
I'd mostly like to thank my parents for getting me there, my brother, AJ, my grandparents, M.O.B. Racing, Yamaha of Donegal, Pro Graphix, Fly Racing, Flexx Bars, FMF, ITP, Powermadd, Scott, GT Thunder, and all of the guys that I race with for a fun, competitive year.