Sport: Motocross | Activity: Rider
Lara used to just watch her brothers race but soon decided at the tender age of only 6, that it would be fun if she was out there racing too. She wasn’t disappointed, still absolutely enjoying riding and improving her motocross skills, and currently holding 4th place in the Girls State Championship in the 85cc 9-U12 age group. Although Lara would like to improve this positioning, she would much prefer to improve it against the boys and has aspirations to eventually be competing and winning in world championships.
While her friends at school don’t ride, it’s the boys in particular who think what she does is very cool.
Many of us may already be familiar with seeing the dirt track motocross racing, with all its challenging turns and jumps, we may not fully appreciate the amount of training and fitness actually required to be truly competitive. While motocross has been around since the early 1900s, and there are many variations of competition across all countries and age groups, there’s still only a limited number of girls joining in the fun of the sport. But the ones who do, like Lara, are highly committed to the competition and encouraging more girls to try it out.
Lara has a message for anyone considering giving motocross a go. “If you want to ride, then do it, don’t listen to anyone that says you can’t. It can be hard sometimes but it’s worth all the hard work. Never give up on your dreams.”
Lara currently travels to quite a few country tracks to race most weekends, along with her mum, dad, grandparents, and brothers, but doesn’t leave the racing to chance, as she manages to get in a couple of practice sessions each week to make sure she is competition ready on her brand new 2019 KTM85sx (a recent upgrade from the 2016 KTM 85SX). As part of the larger motocross racing community, Lara gets to enjoy the not just the racing, but also the friendships and comradery that develops in the pits on race day.
“It’s important to work and train hard, but just as important to have fun and make friends,” Lara tells us.
If you’d like to support Lara and her team, then drop by the “Team O’Leary Racing” Facebook and Instagram page. Please don’t forget to also support the sponsors who support the team, NR Metal Recycling, Prox Racing Parts, Dirt Girlz Clothing, Peter G’s Marine Products and Mandurah City KTM.
What’s your why? Whether you’re a racer, behind the camera, on the tools, or the loudest cheerleader, we want to hear your story! Share with us your passion and motivation to inspire others. Submit your story: https://bit.ly/4aYoxO4