Getting to Know the Women Behind the Pro’s, Julie LeMay

8/26/2002
by Barb Goley

If you follow the GNC series, chances are you have probably seen Julie LeMay.  She is engaged to Pro rider #2, Tim Farr of Canal Fulton, Ohio.  You will often see Julie on the track, camera in hand, ready for the racing action to begin.  She started taking pictures as a hobby, but recently several photos have been published in various ATV magazines.  She is a delightful woman who very graciously shared with me a bit about her behind the scenes role.

I asked Julie if there was a story behind Tim’s proposal being the “craziest thing he’s ever done” and Julie told me how she and Tim have been dating for eleven years, and they attended the same college.  “Tim takes his time to do most everything.  He even had the ring for almost a year before he proposed.  He asked my Mom her permission two months before he actually got the nerve up to do it!  She waited every day for a phone call and could barely stand to keep the secret any more!  I think his statement that proposing was the craziest thing he has ever done is a joke because it took so long.”

I asked Julie if she has a favorite track and what makes it her favorite.  Julie said, “My favorite track is Pine Lake because it is owned by my brother-in-law's family, and it is close to home for us.  I have spent a lot of time there over the years, even before I met Tim.  The (national) race comes only one time a year, but the Fischer family and friends go there almost every weekend to camp, picnic, jet ski, and relax.  It is a beautiful place.  Believe it or not, on the non-race weekend, you would never know there was a race track on the grounds.  I used to go to the Pine Lake races once a year with my sister and brother-in-law to help, but never really paid much attention to the races until I met Tim.  I went to a local race with Tim after we met.  The announcer kept announcing how Tim Farr was there and that he was the number four Pro rider in the country.  Kids kept coming up for autographs.  I had no idea at the time that he was famous!  I flew to Texas to meet up with Tim and watch my first ever national motocross race in 1992.  Tim was known more for his TT skills back then.  I remember that Tim got the holeshot and led the first moto until almost the half-way point when his rear shock broke. Mark Baldwin, Tim's family, and sponsors (The Whites) were so excited when he was in the lead.  I was instantly hooked!”

Julie also told me a little about their schedules and the difficulties they have due to the races being all over the nation.   Julie “hates” mobile home living and stays in a hotel close to the track.  She also flies to some of the races when they are too far to drive.  Their wedding is planned for late September.  Unfortunately, due to the timing of the GNC series, the honeymoon will have to be postponed for several weeks.  After the GNC series ends, Tim rides the indoor racing series sponsored by Clear Channel, which provides indoor racing events with monster trucks and quad races.  As both series expand and more events are added, the sport is quickly becoming a year-round event.  Julie says it is “tough not seeing Tim” for about 3 months straight during the winter months when he tours for the indoor series.  Julie said, “I think I am pretty understanding and self-sufficient, but when he is gone for more than two or three weeks at a time I really do miss him.  During the winter months when he is away most often, I try to fly to see him every few weeks.  My vacation is limited due to work, so I use most of it to go to the races.  It gets to be a real challenge for me as well.”

Julie is very active in helping Tim’s racing career in any way she can.  She does whatever she can to get things ready for him at the races, getting goggles, clothing, and other equipment ready.  Julie appreciates Mark Baldwin, Tim’s mechanic and driver who makes sure everything gets to the track, and Tim gets to concentrate on racing.  She also keeps track of the points for Tim’s finishes and corresponds with the sponsors.  “I help Tim most in the way of sponsorship.  I put together his updated resume each year and we decide who we would like to approach to increase his sponsor base.  Tim has tried to remain loyal to most of his sponsors throughout the years and they have rewarded him for it.  He has developed quite a relationship with most of them.  Tim follows up with all of the sponsorship proposals and does the negotiating.  I also take pictures throughout the year.  I do this mainly for his sponsors.  I try to send packets of pictures to his sponsors every few months for their use.  They really appreciate this and it has really helped Tim.  His face and pictures appear in all kinds of ads and brochures now.  I also write race reports for his sponsors after every race to keep them up to date on how Tim's season is going and who won the past week's race.  This along with my full time job, and traveling with Tim keeps me pretty busy!”

Julie’s biggest fear while time is racing is the first corner.  “I get nervous when Tim is on the line for the start of the race.  The first corner in every race is so dangerous.  For the most part, I know that once he gets through the first corner he can take care of himself and I can calm down.  He had a tough year in 2000 and wrecked more that year than he had the whole time I had known him.  He really scared me quite a few times that year.  Since then, I have regained my confidence in him.”

Julie shared with me a little about how Tim reached the professional riding level.  “Since Tim has raced since I met him, it has always been a way of life.  I was very glad that he went to work and used his degree after graduating from college.  As the race schedule continued to get longer and longer each year and the indoor stadium series started, it got increasingly harder for Tim to be able to get the time off work for racing.  He would work extra hours during the week in order to take Friday off to drive to the race.  Each night he would have to head directly from work to a track to practice and get home at 9:30 or 10:00 at night.  He would wake up the next morning and do it all over again.  Thursday or Friday we would drive all day or night to get to the races, race all weekend, and head for home Sunday night.  We usually got home after midnight on Sunday on the race weekends only to get up for work the next day and do it all over again.  As he continued to improve, win Championships, and gain sponsors he started to be able to support himself through the sport.  We have worked very hard on Tim's sponsorships and it has paid off.  He made the decision a few years ago to quit his job and support himself solely through racing.  It was a big decision, but it was the right one.  Now he can travel more often and go to more races without being so rushed to get back home.  He has been using his days to work out in the gym and evenings at the tracks.  He has really been able to step it up another level this way.  With the increased competition, this is where he needs to be.” 

Julie is a very involved member of the racing community and really enjoys the sport.  We all appreciate her efforts in promoting ATV racing with her photography and her involvement in the GNC series.  Good luck Tim and Julie!