Not many girls growing up in the Winston-Salem, N.C., area were attracted to fast motorcycles like Angie McBride.  She not only turned that fascination into reality more than a decade ago, she took her quickest two-wheel quarter-mile ride Monday.

It came during a test session in Cecil, Ga., but the 6.950-second effort aboard the Nitro Fish Buell brought a satisfied smile and a big boost of confidence as she prepared for the season’s first NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle race – the ACDelco Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway, Friday through Sunday.

“We had an awesome test session,” McBride said.  “We were the quickest bike of the day.  We also had runs of 6.99 and 7.02 so I was very pleased with what we did.” Not many girls growing up in the Winston-Salem, N.C., area were attracted to fast motorcycles like Angie McBride.  She not only turned that fascination into reality more than a decade ago, she took her quickest two-wheel quarter-mile ride Monday.

It came during a test session in Cecil, Ga., but the 6.950-second effort aboard the Nitro Fish Buell brought a satisfied smile and a big boost of confidence as she prepared for the season’s first NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle race – the ACDelco Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway, Friday through Sunday.

“We had an awesome test session,” McBride said.  “We were the quickest bike of the day.  We also had runs of 6.99 and 7.02 so I was very pleased with what we did.”

This is McBride’s first of four guaranteed races and her first aboard a motorcycle capable of winning rounds and races in this highly-competitive category.  Matt Smith, her fiancé, qualified No. 1 seven times, won four races and finished third in 2008.   He is riding a Nitro Fish Suzuki this year for Don Schumacher Racing.

“I know the bike is capable,” she said.  “I’m all about comfort and with me never having ridden this bike before, I was a little nervous.  The first pass we threw out because I had to adjust the clutch levers so we really didn’t know where we were.  After that, every pass felt more and more comfortable and by the last pass I felt ready to go to Gainesville.”

McBride says she started racing “eight or nine years” ago, advancing to the Outlaw Pro Street motorcycle class.  “The Outlaw Street bikes go just as fast as the Pro Stock bikes with nitrous but without a wheelie bar.  I was the only girl to win in that class, and actually I won 11 races.  My quickest run was 7.12 seconds at 194 (mph).”

She qualified sixth at Gainesville last year and advanced to the quarterfinals.  Overall, she started 10 times in 2008 and finished 13th in points.

McBride’s ride comes with more responsibilities.  She and Robbie East will share crew duties.

“Matthew taught me what to do with the computer and he will be a consultant,” she added. “I know it’s a fast bike and I know that bike is a lot better than what I had last year.  It’s a better chassis and we have tons of information from when Matthew ran the bike last year.

“I just want to go out there and do a very good job.”