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AMSOIL Swapmoto Race Series Profile | Kailey Skelton

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AMSOIL Swapmoto Race Series Profile | Kailey Skelton

Age: 19

Classes raced: Women’s Open

Sponsors: Motoloans

Kailey Skelton is one of the most active girls we’ve ever met, as she surfs, mountain bikes, shoots photos, and of course…races motocross! The turnout in the Women’s Open class at the Glen Helen West Coast Open series finale was giant, and Skelton was one of the quickest and smoothest females out there.

How did you get into photography?

I got into photography through surfing. I have been surfing since I was four years old and as I grew older I began seeing moments in the water that I wanted to tell people about but I knew they would never have been able to picture it in their head as I saw it. This brought me to bringing a GoPro into the water and eventually getting my first real DSLR camera when I was 13 years old. This allowed me to add a photo to my stories about all these cool moments I saw.

What is your favorite type of photo to take? Action like moto or still photos?

I love all types of action and lifestyle photos. When it comes to action – I find moto, mtb, and surfing to be my favorite subjects. Aside from action I love lifestyle photos because they tend to always have lots of “feel” to them. I like to try my best to be different and creative when I am behind the lens to set myself apart from others. It’s a lot of fun to be experimental and take chances while shooting photos. (CLICK HERE to check out a gallery Kailey shot at the Fox Raceway MX National)

 

How was your day at the track today?

I am happy to say my day was awesome. It was filled with good people, and rad times behind the gate and on the bike. Nothing but adrenaline and stoke when you get to ride a two-stroke at Glen Helen.

How do you feel being a woman in a very male-dominated sport?

It feels awesome and makes you feel bold and empowered. Although there are ups and downs there are definitely more ups than downs and I encourage girls to feel strong and courageous when they’re on their dirt bike and never lesser.

How can we get more women involved in the sport?

If we invited more women along and encouraged them to be brave and give it a try, I think they’d feel more comfortable giving it a go if they saw other women doing it because they’d feel safer. Also displaying it a lot more through media may help as well. It would be awesome to see more girls join in!

How did you get started in motocross?

My brother and dad always rode when I was younger. I got hooked the first day my older brother let me ride on his dirt bike with him when I was 3 years old. When I was 4, I got my first bike, a CRF50 and I have been loving it ever since.

I understand you do quite a lot of other sports, where does motocross fit in?

I think balance is key. Luckily, I have a flexible job and do online college so I can fit in all my sports and training into my schedule. I try to arrange at least three days a week toward motocross so I can continue to ride and progress evenly. It’s busy lifestyle, but I love it.

Why do you choose a two-stroke?

The smell, the sound…they’re badass!! Best part is that in the grand scheme of things they will teach you how to be a better rider and how to properly ride a dirt bike. I love the feeling of no engine breaking, it’s similar to riding a bike, and is a great tool to teach you how to hold momentum. It is also super fun to have to stay on the gas and have to constantly be shifting gears to keep the thing going how you want it to. I love how fast paced everything is especially when the power band hits, it’s a whole new type of adrenaline!

Are you a student or do you have a job? What do you do during the week?

I am a college student and I work for California Surf Experience as a surf instructor in Laguna Beach. A weekly routine usually consists of days where I can make the most out of the offered daylight. My days are filled with morning surf lessons 3-5 days a week, training for my sports, if I’m lucky, a free surf at sunset then onto school work when there’s no more daylight left.

Do you train for moto? How seriously do you take moto?

I do actually! I train a lot on my mountain bike, doing long evenly paced rides and shorter ones with interval training. Aside from mountain biking, I do breath holds to help expand my lungs for both riding and surfing, I count surfing as well because it helps with balance, strength and endurance. On top of that is regularly scheduled full body workouts. Lately, I’ve been taking moto pretty seriously. I have been gaining loads of seat time to continue to learn the safest and most efficient way to ride so I can prevent injuries and have fun. I love seeing progress and creating new goals to meet.

What have you done to your bike to make it work well for you?

I have had my suspension rebuilt to best work with my body and riding style. I have also put a Pro Circuit Pipe and silencer to even out the power band and make the bike run more efficient. The rest of the bike is stock except for a few cosmetic pieces.

Please explain motobutts!

MotoButts is one big group of best friends that love to ride dirt bikes!! We are all girls with a love for moto. We made MotoButts with the hopes of encouraging more girls to get out on dirtbikes and to share the fun we have all together when we ride them. Check us out! @motobutts_ on Instagram.

 

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Megan Maeda

Megan Maeda is a junior at California State University, Long Beach. She has been the Swapmoto Race Series onside reporter for four years now and is the editor of our weekly newsletter.

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3 Comments

  1. Swappa June 7, 2019

    Love this!

  2. Sam Melton June 7, 2019

    Really hope the women’s racing can grow in the US, I met my wife racing and have two young daughters that I hope will be racing one day. Hopefully 10-15 years from now there will be a better professional series for woman. I’d like to see them racing during the same broadcast as the sx and mx. Would be great to put them in between the triple crowns.

  3. Jessica Werner June 8, 2019

    Awesome story