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From Ribbons To Dirt Bikes

Tribune photo by JAY NOLAN

Morris is a freshman at Durant and is one of the top amatuer motocross riders in the country.

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By NICK WILLIAMS | The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 16, 2009

BRANDON - As the sun begins to set, 14-year-old Kelsey Morris slides into a pink-and-white leather motorbike suit and leaps onto a Honda 125, which stands nearly eye-level with the 5-foot-3, 125-pound teen.

She twists the throttle, vibrating the earth beneath her feet.

"My friends want to go shopping," she says. "I like to go racing."

Morris, a freshman at Durant High, is one of the top amateur female motocross racers in Florida.

Still years away from earning her driver's permit, Morris already has signed with two Florida-based motocross racing companies - KWWD Racing and Imoto Racing.

Her resume includes placing 10th at the 2008 Loretta Lynn's MX Championship in Tennessee, regarded as the top amateur racing series in the country, and placing fifth at the 2008 Mini O's amateur racing competition in Gainesville.

"She's a fantastic young rider," said R.J. Huss, owner of Imoto Racing. "She's an extremely fast rider. She's running in the top three of her class. In about two or three years, she can be racing in the women's nationals, for sure."

Influenced by a family member's passion for motorbikes, Morris began riding in 2005 and a year later, won a junior girls championship race at Dade City Raceway. She has since accumulated dozens of trophies and plaques at the raceway.

"She's definitely one of the top girl racers that has come to our facility," said Dade City Raceway owner Randy Yoho, a fixture on the Florida motocross scene for 30 years. "She's competitive with the boys. She'll have a very bright future in motocross."

Hard to believe this rider was once a cheerleader.

"I just liked competing," Morris said of her cheering days.

Her family travels to each of her races, whether it is in Virginia or Texas. Marty Morris, Kelsey's father, has turned the family's backyard into a dirt track.

"It's family oriented," Marty said.

Able to reach speeds up to 65 mph, Morris has on more than one occasion taken a spill. She's suffered a broken collarbone and has required stitches in her chin. Teachers have called home with concerns because teenage girls with bruises don't translate to motocross racing.

"They don't think girls can ride," Kelsey said.

"I just pray a lot," said Melissa Morris, Kelsey's mother.

For Kelsey, who will pursue nursing as an alternative, it's worth the bumps and bruises.

"When I look back on it, I think it'll be pretty cool," she said. "I think it's cool that a girl races."

Reporter Nick Williams can be reached at (813) 259-7851.

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