Dust, Hills, and Heart: Inside the GPS180 with Fanny Freckles

If you’ve ever wondered what a three-hour endurance mini bike race feels like from inside the dust cloud, this one’s for you. On this week’s Mini Bikin’ Ain’t Easy, Jason, Oliver, and Bernie sit down with racer and event producer “Fanny Freckles,” fresh off the fifth annual GPS180—still bruised, still smiling, and already planning her next lap.

From the back of the grid to the heart of the action
Fanny chose to start deep in the pack—on purpose—trading a low number for a last-row spot and embracing the chaos that followed. Picture this: switchbacks swallowed by a wall of dust, a first big hill littered with toppled riders and stranded bikes, and visibility so bad you could only hope no one was directly in front of you. She muscled a vintage 1972 Speedway powered by a Wildcat 240, skinny tires chattering on rocks. The bike had the grunt; the terrain had other plans. After a gritty push, a lost air filter and some honest self-preservation called it. The rescue crew hauled her back—professional, fast, and kind, exactly how a safety team should be on a day like that.

The build, the bruises, and the big takeaways
This Speedway sat in her living room for six years before GPS180 lit the fire. With help from June Custom Metal Works, a pile of “wrong” parts became a right-on-time runner. Everything the fabricator touched held; everything else, well, the race had notes:

• Traction beats bravado: skinny vintage tires and jagged climbs don’t mix
• Secure the small stuff: air filters, fasteners, and anything that shakes loose will try to
• Big hills demand momentum planning: line choice and patience matter in a crowd
• Gear up: boots and a chest protector help—add dust filtration and eye protection next time

Community is the secret sauce
The GPS180 is as much family as it is race. Fanny camped, swapped stories, and shouted out folks like Rick Watson from Busted Knuckles and TLC’s Travis Cox—people who pause their own race to make sure you can continue yours. Sponsors and volunteers kept the whole thing humming; from trail sections to turnstiles and the endless Jeep shuttles hauling riders, it was all-hands, all day.

From Mississippi Mayhem to flat track Fridays
Off the bike, Fanny builds culture. She produces Mississippi Mayhem in Wisconsin—a two-day motor-and-music festival celebrating pre-’77 rides (with special love for ‘64-and-older customs), rockabilly bands, themes, valve-cover racing, vintage bicycles, vendors, and food. It’s an indoor/outdoor fairgrounds takeover with camp vibes and a new theme each year.

Her personal motorsport origin story? Demolition derbies. Strategy tip: drive in reverse to save your radiator; last car rolling wins. She’s won, she’s learned, and she’s eyeing another run for her 50th.

The Midwest mini bike scene is cooking too:

• FlatOut Friday (Milwaukee): indoor concrete flat track
• Northern Roundup: drags, ovals, and a “slow race” where balance beats speed
• SIMCO and other hot rod shows with mini bike classes
• Winter “pokey tire” ice racing: studs in tires, oval tracks on frozen lakes
• Tough-mudder style off-road events in Iowa

More women on the grid
Fanny is clear: let’s grow women’s participation. Ideas kicked around in the episode:

• A women’s class or trophy bracket to lower the intimidation barrier
• Support for women’s teams in endurance formats
• Outreach to existing women’s moto groups to discover the GPS180
  The spirit isn’t to silo anyone—it’s to widen the door so more riders feel welcome to race.

Safety, prep, and the human side
Between laughs about Maine road trips and deer encounters, hot-sauce festivals at Martin House Brewing, and Bernie’s Air Force-to-camera journey, this episode is full of practical takeaways. If you’re heading to an endurance race, think:

• Boots, chest/back protection, good gloves
• Breathable dust mask/neck gaiter + sealed goggles
• Air filter security; with spares on hand
• Tools for trackside tightening and quick fixes
• Hydration and electrolytes for long stints

And when she’s not racing or producing shows, Fanny resets by hiking—like the day she crawled out of a wind-blasted saddle on Death Valley’s Telescope Peak with frozen water and hair, proving grit is a transferable skill.

What’s next
Expect more travel, more events, and maybe even a purpose-built GPS180 bike for Fanny—a big-tire, suspension-forward prototype was floated on-air. If you’ve got event flyers or ride invites, send them; if you filmed at GPS180, check the video description for where to upload your footage. The crew wants your angles.

Watch the full episode
Settle in for the full conversation with timestamps in the YouTube description, from dust clouds and vintage builds to ice racing and event-building secrets.