Name: Bret Peterson
Hometown: Yorba Linda
Favorite Kart Track: Corona
Years Racing: 20

P2R: Tell us about your racing background?

Bret: I've been going to hillclimbs since I was born, and was finally put on a bike when I was three years old. I started hillclimbing when I was about 8, and won multiple mini hillclimb championships. From there, I went into the pro hillclimb series when I was about 14 and have won multiple races, and have been a part of Team U.S.A.

P2R: Tell us what makes professional motorcycle hillclimbing so difficult?

Bret: Pro hillclimbing these days is the most competitive it has ever been. With most runs clocking in under 15 seconds, you have to take all of your skill and make a flawless run if you want to win a race. In most cases it can come down to a few thousandths of a second. With the profression of the sport, we are taking off from a dead stop on a 200 horsepower bike, jumping upwards of 60 feet, while charging up a hill full of vertical ledges, bushes, and berms. It takes perfect concentration, lots of throttle control, and some major Huevos to run wide open in this type of racing.

P2R: What's it like racing in front of 20,000 people in the N.A.H.A. Pro Hillclimb Series?

Bret: It's crazy. When you're sitting at the start, you have a million different feelings running through your body. You need to concentrate on making a perfect run in a matter of seconds. You get no practice at the hill, and you only have two runs! It can be the most nevrve-racking thing someone could ever go through, and the most-amazing thing if you can pull it off.

P2R: When you were a kid, did you ever imagine that you would be a professional racer?

Bret: I always knew when I was growing up that I wanted to be a professional hillclimber. My dad is a multi-time world champ, and I have seen the many blessings that racing has brought into their lives. I wouldn't trade anything for it!

P2R: How did you get introduced to indoor karting?

Bret: Ken Faught has been a long-time family friend, and when Jason Williams and Ken came up with the idea for Pole Position Raceway, they asked for our help.

P2R: What's your favorite race format at Pole Position Raceway?

Bret: The racing leagues for sure. They are really cool and very competitive!

P2R: What do you think about the electric karts?

Bret: I was kind of hesitant at first, but once I got in one at Corona, I was sold. They're as fast as you would ever want to go indoors, and there's no fumes. You don't get that black mustache that you tend to get from gas karts and they don't burn your back from the heat of the engine. Electric also lets your race inside an air-conditioned building, so you can't beat them in my opinion.

P2R: What's the best advice that you could give to new drivers at Pole Position Raceway to go faster?

Bret: Be smooth and don't just try to go around the track wide open. I know it feels cool, and it may feel like you are going fast, but the more the karts slide, the more time you lose on the track.

P2R: What was it like racing against Jeremy McGrath, Chad Reed, Robbie Maddison and some of the other top motocross and freestyle riders who come to Pole Position Raceway?

Bret: It's way cool to come out and race with those guys. I only see them a few times a year, so it's good to get out on the track where we are all pretty equal. It gets pretty intense.

P2R: If you could pick any driver in the world to race against, who would it be? 

Bret: I would probably revisit the battle between me and Chad Reed a few years ago at the Racer X magazine party. We battled back and forth during the entire main event until he block-passed me on the final lap to take the win.