It’s hard to believe that in less than ten years you can go from being terrified of riding a motorcycle to representing the United States in the inaugural Women’s World Championship. And yet, that’s exactly what Mallory Dobbs is doing. A civil engineer from Olympia, Washington, the Sekhmet Motorcycle Racing Team rider in the FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship (WorldWCR) has arrived at the start of the championship following a decidedly unconventional path, which at the age of 30 is leading her to test herself for the first time on European circuits, after cutting her teeth in MotoAmerica.
“I didn’t ride a motorbike until I was 22. Honestly, for a long time I was terrified of riding a motorbike on the road,” she told the organisers of the Women’s World Championship, explaining how she got into the world of motorbikes: “I just remember my boyfriend at the time showing up at my house on a CBR600 with a spare helmet. I accompanied him on the back of his motorbike for a couple of months before deciding that I would rather have my own. My first motorbike was a 2007 Yamaha R6 that I bought in 2016. I remember the first couple of times I picked it up I was too scared to take it on the motorway, so I just rode around town.”
The beginning of a passion that soon led Mallory to try his hand at racing.
“I started racing recreationally six months after I started riding,” she recalled. “In 2017, I purchased a 2003 Yamaha R6 as my first race bike and raced with the Washington Motorcycle Road Racing Association (WMRRA) and Oregon Motorcycle Road Racing Association (OMRRA). From 2017 to 2020, I would say I was a casual racer. I raced for fun on the weekends with my friends. In 2018, I finished second overall in the Novice 600 class and have won several women’s championships over the years.”
Experiences that made the American understand that she had what it took to compete at a higher level.
“It wasn’t until 2021 that I decided to put the time and effort into my racing program. I started racing in the winter in Southern California, where I met Jason Pridmore. I took lessons from him to prepare for my MotoAmerica debut. I bought a brand new ZX6R and finished third in every 600 class I raced that year,” she said. “In 2022, I competed in my first two professional Supersport events with MotoAmerica at Ridge Motorsports Park and Laguna Seca. Those were pretty successful rounds, so I decided to do a full season of Supersport and Superhooligans in 2023. I finished the season seventh overall in Superhooligans with multiple top-10 finishes, while also taking some points in Supersport.”
What inspired Dobbs to get serious about the sport? “I’ve always been a competitive person, but motorcycle racing wasn’t my first interest. I grew up competing in World Championship horse events. I got my first horse when I was 11 and I still have him. I started racing motorcycles for fun and then I realized I wanted to see how far I could go. I never imagined I’d be racing World Championships. My entry into racing was a bit of a fluke. I started racing on the track and met some really nice people who said I should try racing and it didn’t take long to convince me!” she replied.
“Once I started racing, I really enjoyed the community and became addicted to constantly working to get better. When I started racing in MotoAmerica, I got to see and interact with a lot more fans and one thing that really inspired me to keep pushing to see how far I can go is seeing little girls get so excited to see a female racer,” she added. “Being able to be a role model for kids, and little girls in particular, is something I really enjoy. Being a woman in this sport still has its challenges and I really hope I can do my part to make things better for other women in the future.”
For young girls who aspire to compete at the highest level, the American would advise: “Find and surround yourself with people who always support you. This sport is tough and there will be times when you want to give up, that’s normal. But having the support of those around you will make it much easier to keep pushing. Never give up on your dreams! As cliché as it may sound, dreams can seem big and daunting, but keep working towards them and they will come true, I’m living mine right now!”
A milestone that the 30-year-old hasn’t yet fully realized she’s achieved.
“It still feels like a dream! When I talk to people and tell them that I’m racing in the WorldSBK paddock it still doesn’t seem real. I never thought I’d be able to say that! It means a lot to me to be the only American,” she acknowledged. “It’s incredibly important because racing isn’t just about me anymore. It’s the first time in my life that I’ve represented my country and the pressure is so much! There are a lot of really good riders in America, so to say that I’m representing our country instead of all the other girls that I race with who I know are really good gives a certain weight to what I’m doing and motivates me to do everything I can to make my country proud.”
Mallory’s family can’t help but be proud too. “They don’t really understand why I love racing so much, but they are my number one fans and they support me in everything! I’m an only child and it can be difficult for my dad to watch me race in person, but he is still very proud of me for chasing my dreams” underlined the Sekhmet Motorcycle Racing Team rider, who has also found great support within the World SBK paddock.
“The other American teams have come up and introduced themselves, because they know how hard it is to be the only American in the paddock. It’s really cool,” she said. “Part of the Gerloff team came up to me and said, ‘Welcome, we want you to know that you can be with us anytime, we want to make sure you’re taken care of.’ I really appreciated that. I know what it’s like to be the new kid on the block. It’s a great community to be a part of, and everyone has been really welcoming.”
