So this actually started with a personal battle and it’s not just about being pink for the sake of being pink!
Linda: Right. It was a tough time there for a while. I opted to be aggressive with treatment even though there was no guarantee. I had a double mastectomy, did chemo for 4 months, got sick, lost all my hair and had multiple surgeries for reconstruction. But today I feel great! I go back every 6 months and get checked. 

So Zac, back in 2009, GNCC wasn’t officially pink at the Ironman. Yet you painted your quad all pink?
Zac: I can proudly say I was the first one to do that!
Linda: Vickie Fowler calls him the “Pioneer of Pink!”
Zac: That year, I was the only one that had pink anything and I definitely stood out. Of course, in 2010, GNCC announced that Ironman would be pink in order to raise awareness for breast cancer. And that’s good! It’s just, I don’t stand out anymore! But it’s really not about me. I’m glad that GNCC has embraced Breast Cancer Awareness month and I’d like to think we had a little something to do with it.

Just having mom around is reason enough to wear pink! But you guys have taken it to a whole new level! Linda, you mentioned selling t-shirts in 2010, but that was just the beginning?
Linda: Yes. In 2010 we raised $250 to give to Faith Alliance in Crawfordsville. We had gone out and procured a sponsor for the t-shirts, so all $250 was given (because there was no cost in the t-shirts). For 2011, we had t-shirts donated again and we sold $750! We thought we were doing well. So in 2012, we set a goal to sell $1,500 of t-shirts. We blew that out of the water and finished with $7,500 in sales!
Zac: At that point, we didn’t even know what we were doing! We had one pink t-shirt with a slogan. And we sold $7,500 without really trying. We put some thought into it and did some planning and marketing and doubled that to $15,000 in sales. We’ve been able to donate $15,000 to breast cancer foundations for the past couple years now!

That’s really fantastic! And you said the t-shirts and printing are all donated, so 100% of the money raised goes directly to breast cancer support and research?
Linda: That’s correct! That year we raised $7,500; we realized we were able to help more than one foundation. There’s obviously Faith Alliance and last year there was a matching grant. So the money we donated to them was actually increased 50%, so more bang for the buck! We also give to the Breast Cancer Fund out of Ohio since we race there and know many people there. Spierings Cancer Foundation back home in Wisconsin gets a portion. They are also really good at helping cancer fighters. Both of these foundations help families. They offer tangible things like gas cards, money for chemo, grocery money, rides to treatment and more. The same goes for Pink Ribbon Riders out of Minnesota. We don’t race there, but they help the snowmobile community, which spreads through MN, PA, OH, WI, NY and more. We also want to help find a cure, so a portion of proceeds go to the American Cancer Society. 

So what are the goals for this year?
Linda: We are shooting for $17,000. That’s more than we’ve ever risen before, but we have good traction and really believe in what we are doing.
Zac: We only sell at three races per year. We sell at the St. Clairsville GNCC, the final round of the Iowa Series out in Carlisle, and the Ironman GNCC in Crawfordsville.

If someone is not able to make it to one of those races, is there a way to contact you online?
Zac: Yeah, just go to our Facebook page: Zakowski Motorsports
Linda: Or you can call Zac on his cell phone!
Zac: Right! [laughs] That’s 8675309!

We are very proud of what you are doing. We will be sure to spread the word around! While I have you here, Zac, it’s great to see you out there racing Pro ATV 4x4s again!
Zac: I took a couple years off. I banged my knee up at Ironman in 2012 and just had a really hard time recovering. I had surgery and then re-injury and surgery, therapy and re-injury! So, I finally just took some time off and focused on therapy. I feel really good now and am having fun racing again.
Linda: He had what the doctors called, “dashboard injury” from where a tree impaled his knee. It broke him up pretty good. He had three surgeries in a year and a half. So this momma is happy to see him back out there! I make it to every one that I can! 

You stayed current with UTV Racing during your break from ATV racing.
Zac: That’s a crazy sport. The points can move so quickly with only 6 rounds. Last year, we went from 18th to 10th in points at the final round just because we placed 2nd overall at Ironman! So we are currently sitting just outside the top 20. Looking for another good showing at Ironman to move us up. Of course, there are about 20 other guys who are capable of winning!