Tommy Ulikowski
Summer 2007
You are a well-recognized figure around Raceway Park. Tell us a little about yourself. I’m 33 years old and own Robertsville Landscaping. I race 25+, 30+ expert and pit bikes, and I live in Bayville NJ with my wife and two dogs.
How long have you been racing? I started in 1988, so 19 years
What got you started in racing? My neighbor had a track and raced and my brother and I thought it was the coolest thing ever. That year my mom worked two jobs to get us each a CR 80 for Christmas and we’ve been riding ever since.
What is your involvement with Raceway Park? I started out as an instructor at the Jay Irwin motocross school, and I became more involved as the years went on, helping Jay, Richie Zupko, and Mickey Kessler from picking up garbage to helping with the track design.
Do you have a favorite Raceway Park memory? My all-time favorite memory was the 1997 Kawasaki Race of Champions when my buddy Joel Dengler got the holeshot and led most of the race to finish 3rd behind Jeff Emig and Ryan Hughes.
Your brother Shawn has been a factory mechanic for several years now and even has a Supercross Championship to his credit. Do you make him work on your bike when he comes home for the holidays? Shawn is very busy with his rider, Travis Preston, who can’t even lube his chain, so I give him a break and let him just chill when he’s home. However, he does show me the way things are done on the factory bikes when he can, and that’s pretty cool.
What does the sport of motocross mean to you? I love the energy and adrenaline that I get from racing, there is nothing like going into the first turn with 39 other guys, but I also love this sport because I not only met my best friends racing, it’s where I met my wife, Joy. She was a score girl at Powerline Park and thanks to the Zupko’s I have a great wife.
You have a tight-knit group of racing friends, how important to you is the social aspect of the motocross community? As much as I love racing, I probably wouldn’t ride as much if it wasn’t for the fact that all my friends are there. Raceway is like a second home to me and the people are as important as the racing.
You are a top competitor in both the regular race series and the pit bike series. Do you enjoy the pit bike or big bike racing more? The big bike is serious racing and the pit bikes series is all about having fun. I wish I could get the results on the big bike that I get on the pit bike, but I enjoy both.
Who would you like to thank for helping you out in your racing career? My brother Shawn, if it wasn’t for him my bikes would be junk, my mom for getting me started, Mickey Kessler at KPS, Kenny Watson, Ken Landerman, the Zupkos, the Irwins, the Denglers, Buford at Utopia and my parts guy Scott Lukaitis
