Out of the Blue | Lacey Burkitt | Presented by Schrader’s

Out of the Blue | Lacey Burkitt | Presented by Schrader’s

By Jensen Amyotte

Name: Lacey Burkitt

Date of Birth: May 9, 1990

Hometown: Frankford, ON

Grade or Occupation: Registered Nurse (Emergency)

Race Number: 15

Bike: 2017 YZ250F

Race Club: AMO

Classes: Ladies B

Who/what inspired you to get into the sport of motocross and how long have you been racing/riding? 

I was fortunate enough to grow up on a dairy farm, so there were always “toys” around and lots of space to ride them! My dad raced some motocross and ice growing up and my younger brother got into racing motocross as well. Because of this, I spent a lot of time around the track!

I’ve always ridden, but never actually raced before last year. Quite honestly, riding dirt bikes didn’t feel like it came easy to me at first and so I felt intimidated by it at that time. However, something about dirt bikes, and motorcycles in general, has always captivated me.

The older I get, the more I love to challenge myself. “Race moto” was always on my bucket list, and I finally bought myself a bike in 2017. I am so thankful that I did!

When not on a dirt bike how do you keep yourself busy? Are you involved in any other sports or extracurricular activities?

I don’t really ever sit down, to be honest, I like to keep busy! Growing up I played any and every sport I could. These days a little less so because well … adulting. I do continue to play hockey in the winter, and soccer and baseball in the summer when I can. I enjoy wakeboarding as well as getting out ice riding, snowmobiling, and snowboarding in the winter.

As a racer, are there any obstacles you feel a female racer has to deal with that maybe a male racer does not?

Yes! Can we start with talking about loading and unloading the bike? (Haha … but seriously!) I’m sure a lot of women have found ways to perfect this, and I have found some very creative ways to load my bike when I didn’t have a helping hand as well! But sometimes things seemingly so simple for men can be a little more challenging for us due to our differences in build. This just means we need to think outside the box sometimes to get sh*t done on and off the track!

Who has been your biggest inspiration/hero on and off the track? 

I definitely want to give a huge shoutout to Lindsey Bradley on this one! She is an all-round gem of a human on and off the track! I first met Linds last summer at Sand Del Lee when I was there for my first race. Not only did she make me feel like I belonged on the starting line, she helped me out a tremendous amount that weekend. She is an incredible resource who is so passionate about the sport, and helping others succeed. She works 5 jobs (maybe more, I can’t keep track!) and still manages to find the time to train and race. She is the definition of hardworking and we all know when it comes to this sport, you’ve got to be willing to put in the work! Not only does she do that, she does it with a huge smile on her face.

Do you have any pre-moto rituals? 

I’m a bit of a weirdo … left-sided gear goes on first, and I get on the bike from the left side. I’ve always been a superstitious person.

Tell us about your 2021 race season and your plans for 2022.

2021 was actually the first year I ever raced, at 31 years young, thank you very much! Haha. Unfortunately, it was a pretty short-lived debut as my bike broke that same weekend and it turned into a bit of a process to get it back together!

I plan to upgrade my bike for the 2022 season to literally anything with electric start … Haha! Picking up the 250F in the middle of a race is rough enough, let alone kick starting it multiple times – thought I was going to go into cardiac arrest my first race! I should probably just learn to crash less!

Anyway, I am actually starting a crazy new work adventure this month where I will be doing some northern/remote nursing in fly-in communities as well as travel nursing to various emergency departments across Canada. My plan is to ride/race when I am home, and I am hoping to find some places to ride while I am traveling as well! I am also hoping to try out some more flat track this year! I plan to keep working on my form, gaining more confidence in the ruts, and hitting some (slightly) bigger jumps! Just have fun!

What is the biggest lesson that motocross racing/ off-road has taught you so far?

You need to be in shape! It is a tough sport! I was fortunate enough to load up my bike and travel down to Tennessee with a girlfriend of mine to attend a Babes in the Dirt event in 2019. This really showed me that there are so many cool opportunities to be had and so many interesting new people to meet! The moto community really is incredible, and I especially love how much the women in this sport support one another!

If you could give 1 piece of advice to a female of any age who wants to start riding what would it be?

If it makes you happy, do it! Life is too short! I wish I didn’t let the fear of failing hold me back for so long. I missed out on way too many years of good riding time!

What was your first race number and how did you choose it?

So, this is kind of a funny story. My first race number was 15, but I didn’t technically choose that number. My bike was an old MX101 bike that Jess Pettis had rode when he raced with them. My friend Kevin got an old unused set of graphics that were left over from when Pettis rode and decided to surprise me one day by putting them on my bike while I was at work. It was at that point that I became number 15 and “Lacey Pettis” to my friends! Haha. I plan to upgrade my bike this year though, so that means a new set of graphics, and likely a new number. Stay tuned!

Who would you like to thank? 

Thank you Jensen Amyotte and DMX for giving me the chance to do this, so cool! Thank you Lindsey Bradley for all your support and for never letting me sell myself short! Thank you to Kelcey Jones who lent me her bike so that I could ride my second moto and complete my first ever race weekend after mine broke! Thank you to Steve Simms who stepped in and helped me out big time by getting my bike back into one piece again! And also a huge thank you to my riding girls and all of the other supportive, wonderful people in my life, some of whom don’t always understand why I do this, but support me because they know that it makes my heart happy!