GNCCRacing.com: So, you got into racing on your own, travel to most races alone – sounds like it’s pretty much a one woman show. 
Brittany Reebel: Yeah. Sometimes I get lucky and find someone to ride with me, but other than that it’s usually just me and my machine!

And what machine is that? 
I ride a 2013 Honda 400cc ATV. Most of the other girls in my class ride 450s, but I like my 400 because it’s really dependable, never had a DNF my whole racing career. I did try a 450 once, but I didn’t like it because it sits a lot wider than the 400. I clipped like three trees within three minutes. I can handle the 450s power, but all in all I’m comfortable on my 400 and can’t imagine racing anything else. 

Because the narrower machine gives you a bit of an advantage there, do you prefer the tight trail?
Yeah, I really prefer the tighter stuff, but I actually like the John Penton the best even though that’s a really wide and fast round, mostly because I won there. I felt like I rode really strong the whole race, and didn’t make any mistakes. I also like Unadilla and Ironman. Snowshoe is cool too, because it’s such a challenge for everyone! I’m really looking forward to it this coming weekend. I’m pretty bummed they haven’t been any Pennsylvania races lately. If it’s close enough my family will sometimes come, and I really enjoy having them there. They come to the locals, but those were the only nationals they would attend. 

Was the John Penton your first win?
That was my second win. My first was Poweline Park in 2015. I was running second with only five miles to go till the finish. But then she made a mistake on a hill and got tangled up with another rider. I was able to slip past and take the win, but she was on my tail that whole last couple miles. But at the John Penton I lead for most of the race and felt good the whole time. 

When did you start riding and racing?
I started riding when I was younger, my parents got me a Raptor 80cc. They rode a little, but never raced or anything like that, and they wouldn’t let me either. I was into soccer and basketball when I was a kid though, which is why I didn’t start racing until I was an adult. 

And when was that?
Back in 2013, I saved up the money to buy my quad. I wasn’t familiar with my local series, but I’d heard about the GNCCs and figured out how to make that happen. My first national race (and my first race ever!), was The Gusher GNCC, up in Foxburg, PA. I raced in the Women’s Amateur class and started on the very last row because I had no clue what was going on. I still ended up getting seventh out of 11 riders though, and I was hooked! After that I kind of figured out what was going on – everyone was super helpful whenever I had questions. 

It must be pretty hard doing all of this on your own!
Yeah, it does get rough. I work full time for Dave Richardson (Cole Richardson’s dad) at RCP as a quality control technician for their radiator manufacturing business. On top of that, I also picked up a second job this year at PITT RACE in Wampum, Pennsylvania. It’s a paved race course for cars, motorcycles and go karts, and help fund my racing and make all this work. I do like the fact that the second job is racing related, but it’s definitely hard to do it all. RCP is understanding enough to give me a half day on Friday, which makes the travel time a little better. 

Do you ever worry about traveling by yourself?
Yeah, in the back of my head I’m always a little nervous, but I keep a little clinging cross hanging on my dash and I always stop and pray before I pull out of my driveway. So far I’ve always made it home safely. I have to be back at work on Monday, so if it’s a long drive I always leave as soon as my race is over and then catch up with the pro races on Racer TV.

Do you work on your quad by yourself as well, or do you have to take it in to a shop or something?
Honestly, I have to give a big shout-out to Spencer Lane. He kind of took me in since I didn’t know much at first. He’s from the same area I am and really taught me a lot about working on my ATV. I have the basics – tire changes, air filters, stuff like that – down pretty well, but Spencer helps me out with the harder stuff and is always there for me. I want to thank Mat Korpi who does all my motor work as well. 

Speaking of other types of racing, why did you decide to start racing off-road as opposed to something else?
Well, I love riding quads and I don’t like jumps. Not even a little. I’m slowly getting used to them now, because of Unadilla and some of the other rounds that have some moto incorporated, but when I first started I wanted nothing to do with them. So when I found out about the hare scrambles, I was like “oh that’s awesome! There’s no jumps, it’s a marked course, I can go out there, have fun and ride my own race.” I thought it would be a good way to get my feet wet with this whole racing thing, and it stuck. I chose to race ATVs over anything else because I just felt comfortable on them. I’d already ridden them a lot, and I understand the movement of them really well. But really, I’m open to anything, as long as it’s racing! 

How many full seasons of the GNCC seasons have you raced?
This is my fourth season running for points, the last two years I finished third in points overall in the woman’s amateur class behind some fast girls! 

And how is your season going so far?
Well, it hasn’t been the best points-wise. I had a rough finish at the X-Factor GNCC – my first ever last place, it was one of the most challenging races that I’ve ever done just because I’m not the greatest for getting myself unstuck! On top of that I was only able to make it to three of the seven rounds so far this year, so I’m 11th right now. I try to avoid going to most of the southern races because they’re so far away. But I expect that once I get my nine points-paying races in, that will improve substantially. But either way I’m having fun!