When I see my old friends from the WERA days one of the first things they ask me is “How’s Jackie?”
A couple of cuties. Andrea Hampton and Jackie at IRP in 1992. Andrea was former top-10 AMA Superbike racer Terry Hampton's wife.
As many of you may remember Jackie (aka the wife) used to travel to the races with me and we’d set up a table and sell photos. To this day I think we did so well because a lot of the racers just wanted to come over and hang out with her while I was out shooting photos.
She’s still doing great all these years later. Unlike me she’s aged very gracefully. I keep trying to convince her to go back out on the road with me to sell photos at the races again, but she politely declines, unless she says, Ray Yoder is going to be there, whatever that means.
Yes Jackie had her favorite riders. She liked Ray and John Eidenberger and of course she always rooted for Fritz Kling (she thought Fritz and Tina were the cutest couple in racing).
Here's Jackie today at our niece's wedding last summer. (Yes I know I'm a lucky bastard)
These days Jackie keeps busy with work, going to watch our two grandsons in Little League and a lot of volunteer work with food and clothing charities. I still drag her to the races now and again and she loves watching Nicky Hayden on TV. She knew Nicky, Tommy and Roger Lee when they were just little guys racing mini-bikes.
So there’s your answer to “How’s Jackie?” She’s great and keeps me smiling everyday.
Rider Files 