Out of the Blue | Ciel Marie Ferguson | Presented by Schrader’s
By Jensen Amyotte
Name: Ciel Marie Ferguson
Date of Birth: April 27, 2003
Hometown: Ile des Chênes, Manitoba
School/Grade: Grade 12 @ École Régional Gabrielle Roy
Race Number: 16
Bike: 2019 YZ 125
Race Club(s): 204 Grassroots Motocross, Manitoba Dirt Riders, and Rockstar Energy Triple Crown MX Tour
Classes: Ladies Open & 250 Open Jr. (204GMX), Open C (MDR), WMX (Nationals)
Who got you into the sport of motocross?
My dad got us into the sport when I was around 9 years old. My mum was away for the weekend and he took advantage of that and put me and my sister on a little Honda 50!
When not on a dirt bike how do you keep yourself busy?
Outside of riding and school I work full-time for a metal roofing/fabrication company. I spend a lot of my time with friends, and I also love playing the piano and cycling. I used to mountain bike competitively but I got too busy with motocross to do both so now I just do it for fun! In addition, I adore spending time training at the gym and in the past year have found that I really enjoy hot yoga.
As a racer, are there any obstacles you feel a female racer has to deal with that maybe a male racer does not?
In the past, people have often thought that, “Oh, girls can’t race motocross and be good at it” or “It’s a man’s sport,” but over the years now that more women have gotten into it and raced also at a high level there’s a lot of support from everyone and it’s very encouraged. Although, it is still a challenge to be able to compete at the same level as some of the men because, in a lot of cases, they’ve gotten into the sport easier and have had more support at a younger level. And also because men are physically better built for it. But all of that is easy to push past if you are able to set your mind to it and do what needs to be done.
Who is your all time favourite rider?
I’ve always been a huge fan of Ken Roczen like many others. His road to success has had many obstacles but he’s always pushed past it and come back even better which I really admire. I also love Chase Sexton and Jett Lawrence. Haha
What is your favourite track and why?
I’m horrible at picking favourites, but one of them would have to be Shadow Valley Raceway down in Morden, MB. I love all the elevation changes they have throughout the track and the off camber corners are so much fun!
What event do you look forward to most every year? One you don’t ever want to miss?
Zhoda International Raceway is another one of my favourites and I always hate to miss it because it’s the first motocross track I had ever ridden on. It’s one of my home tracks so I practice there a lot and I’ve gotten pretty good. The loamy type of sand they have there and the track design are fantastic and the race is always super well done! I also love that event because the Burmey family who owns and operates the track invests so much time and energy into providing the riders with an amazing experience.
Who has been your biggest inspiration/hero on and off the track?
My biggest inspiration and the person I look up to the most not only when it comes to motocross but also in life generally is Jamie Burmey. She’s the most wonderful person I’ve ever known. She has helped me out tremendously when it comes to racing motocross and if it wasn’t for her I wouldn’t be where I am now. She is always willing to put down whatever she’s doing to help a person when they need it and she is just constantly glowing with a sense of welcome and warmth.
She’s gone through some very tough injuries herself that brought her racing career to a halt for a little bit but she came back and still fought just as hard as before. She’s like family to me and I have no clue what I would do without her.
She is such a strong advocate and believer in women in the sport of motocross. I can only hope that, as I get older, I will be able to be just as amazing as a person that she is.
Tell us about your 2019 race season and what your plans are for 2020.
My 2019 race season went very well for me! 2019 was actually my first year fully committing to motocross. Prior to motocross I raced mostly single track in the woods with my family which I really enjoyed but once I got a real taste for moto I couldn’t stop.
A few of the events I had to go without parents because they happened to be on the same weekend as the woods races but I was very lucky to have a close friend of mine’s family take me in and bring me to those races where my family couldn’t be there.
I had some good races and some not so good races but I ended up finishing the season with the championship in the Ladies Open class and I was nominated for the Miss Congeniality award which was a huge honour for me.
Coming into this year, a lot of things changed as our race team was put together and things started to get more professional with big plans to follow the Canadian national women’s motocross races. This has been a huge opportunity for me and I’m using every advantage I can get to improve my skills and get better as a rider.
With it being my first time racing out of province the goal was to finish at least top ten which I was able to achieve at my first WMX race at Gopher Dunes! I am super excited to continue to follow the series and improve my skills along the way!
What are your biggest accomplishments to date?
A couple of my biggest accomplishments would probably be winning the ladies title in 2019 and I’m very honoured and proud that I’m able to be a positive mentor for younger girls getting into the sport and girls that already have a thriving passion for riding.
What is the biggest lesson that motocross racing/ off-road has taught you so far?
A big lesson that racing dirt bikes has thought me is that nothing comes easy and if you want to be good at something you need to work for it. It takes dedication and motivation to not only make it through the good days but also the bad days. Racing has also brought to me what I consider to be a second family where they’ve helped me to learn good sportsmanship and how to become and even better person than I am now.
Who would you like to thank?
First and foremost, I would like to thank all my sponsors who have been supporting me coming into nationals: FXR, 6D helmets, temple metal roofs, new image custom graphics, ryno power sports supplements, vantage builders, schraders motors, sun and snow sports, hamm suspension services, and burmey training. I would also like to thank my family and the hamm family who have made it possible for me to race this year as well as all my friends and everyone that has supported me along the way!
