Crystal Dickerson – The Queen of D-Tech Racing
It all began at the tender age of three when Crystal’s Dad ignited her passion for motorcycles with her first dirt bike. And it’s been a love affair ever since.
Also aiding in her passion for bikes (particularly for drag racing) is the fact this is a family affair. Crystal’s parents have been involved in drag racing since 1980 and her brother Ashon, who won Pinks’ Arm Drop competition in 2008 at Maryland International Raceway is also an avid racer. Together this family affair makes up D-Tech Racing which is a story all of its own, however our focus here is on the Queen of D-Tech Racing, Crystal Dickerson.
“My dad gave me my first bike for drag racing in 2002, which was a ’02 Kawasaki ZX-900R. Interestingly enough, I wasn’t old enough to compete in drag racing yet, so I had to wait a year. Talk about torture” she said laughingly looking back.
Fast forwarding to 2006, we find Crystal wining the Fastest Female on a Sport Bike competition at Atco Prostar with a 9.01 ET on a ’03 GSX-R1000. In 2007 she repeats this feat winning Del’s Fry Quickest Female at Englishtown Raceway in NJ with an 8.80 ET. Other accomplishments include wins in the MIROCK series, NHRA, NDRA Nopi Drag Racing and list goes on and on.
In 2008 Crystal shifted priorities to focus on becoming a new mom. However, she knew her racing career was not over. By September of 2008, just a few short months after the birth of her first son she was ready to get back on the track. To her surprise, she did so in a big way by winning the fast female title at Maple Grove Raceway in PA. “I knew I was going to get back out on the track after having my son, I just didn’t expect my first time back to win the Fastest Female title” she says humbly.
Although shes had many accomplishements, Crystal has also had some freighting moments. One of those moments was being straight up/12 o’clock on a ZX-14. Fortunately, she had plenty of experience to handle the situation and bike to finish the run safely…and quickly. Some of that experience came into play from lessons learned from attending Rickey Gadson’s drag racing school. “Rickey’s class really helped me to improve my mental skills as well as physcial skills, helpging me to become a well-rounded racer” Crystal said graciously.
Looking forward, Crystal plans to continue her carrer, she is currently in school studing to be an RN and being a full time mom. Racing is in my genes and it’s what I do. My dad jokingly threatens to retire every year, but keeps coming back and has always supported us. I just want to return that support and appreciation and continue to make my dad proud, she said fondly. With a spirit and track record as impressive as hers I’m sure she’s already accomplished that and has much more in store for us.
Photos: Terrance Belton – TeesPhotoshop.com
Experienced drag race photographer extraordinaire