By LAWRENCE MACHADO
Mackenzie Tricker is not a one-trick pony, showing yet again she has what it takes to make it to the top.
She showed her bagful of tricks to complete a “three-peat” of the prestigious American National Enduro Championships, braving a big crash during one of the rounds. The 26-year-old Vineyard star’s latest triumph is all the more remarkable because she was coming back to competition after knee surgery, causing her to miss the start of the 2021 season. Making her year even better was marrying Dylan Bean, who is her full-time mechanic.
“I am super stoked to bring home my third AMA National enduro title in a row,” Mackenzie said. “Coming from motocross, the last thing I ever expected was to love enduros, but nothing beats some awesome single track. This year was rough (because) I started in a hole coming off massive knee surgery and then dug myself deeper in round two with some bad luck, but I was glad to finally get myself out of that hole as the year went on.”
Mackenzie finished second in the final round nine, after crashing “pretty big in one of the tests,” but fortunately her bike was not damaged.
“I was just a little winded and banged up. Luckily, I was able to wrap the championship up early at the last race, because (today) was pretty tough,” she said.
“I had one of the biggest crashes I’ve had in a long time in test two and I really thought my day was over. But I clawed myself back to throw it away in the last test, getting stuck in a rut, and getting caught in some vines to lose the day by three seconds!
“All in all, it’s been a good year considering and I’m ready to go home to Australia and see my family, and thanks to everyone that helps me.” Mackenzie has been riding virtually all her life and moved to the United States several years ago to pursue her dream of competing in the American Amateur Motocross Championships, having stamped her class over thereby capturing a hat-trick of Loretta Lynn titles as a teenager.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Mackenzie was unable to make her annual visit for Christmas for two years and she cannot wait to see her family.
“I’m coming back to visit my family as I haven’t seen them for a few years due to COVID,” the former top-ranked Aussie junior motocross rider said. “I’ll be home for about four weeks. I’ll be doing some riding in Australia but no racing. I am going to just enjoy my time there to go on the river and to the beach and then head back to the USA in early January to get ready for the next season.”
