Girl On Mary Perkins
Jun 28 2007 / Los Angeles, CA
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She’s a girl and yes, she’s a freestyle motocross rider
The world of freestyle motocross has had a facelift recently. And no, isn’t the proposed switch of bikes, from two-stroke to four-stroke which all factions are implementing as early as next year.
The radical change in the world of freestyle motocross comes from the introduction of one of its newest members. A member of the opposite gender has joined the ranks, the first in freestyle motocross history. New Zealander Mary Perkins.
Perkins is taking the freestyle motocross world by storm. It would have been unheard of just a couple of years ago for the Crusty Demons Tour to have a woman included. Yet this past season, there was Mary Perkins, pulling crazy stunts with the rest of the riders. Times have changed folks, and for the better.
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In-between training for upcoming competitions and breaking new world records (including breaking the world record for longest motorcycle ramp jump by a female), Mary Perkins will be gracing the pages of Lat34 regularly by submitting a regular blog. Mary’s insights into her crazy and wild world will be available for all to read.
A revolutionary in many different aspects, please welcome Kiwi freestyle motocross rider Mary Perkins.
Lat34: So you do freestyle motocross, but you race as well?
Mary: Yeah, I do a little bit of motocross racing, just for fun.
Lat34: What kind of bike do you ride?
Mary: I ride a Honda CRX 250. Four-stroke.
Lat34: You ride the four-stroke?
Mary: Yeah, just switched last year from the two-stroke to the four-stroke.
Lat34: What do you think about that switch? From what I understand, they’re trying to get rid of the two-strokes here in the U.S.Mary: Yeah, they’re getting rid of them here too. One of my friends that first helped me out getting into freestyle was Bilko (Blake Williams), who got third at X Games last year, and he’s on the four-stroke. I thought, “If he can do it, I guess it’s do-able.” So I decided to give it a go and I really enjoy it. It takes a bit to get used to, but it’s great once you get used to it.
Lat34: How did you get into motocross?
Mary: I was brought up on a farm here in New Zealand. My dad used to give me hand-bikes in order to round up the sheep and cows. And my brother got a motocross bike one day, and I just slowly got into it after that.
Lat34: When are you going to be in the U.S. next?
Mary: It’s looking like I’ll be over in August, to ride for Marc Burnett and Boost Mobile.
Lat34: Who are your favorite riders?
Mary: Probably Mike Mason. And Bilko. ‘Cause they’re just crazy. And they’re quite amusing.
Lat34: What do you think of the Metal Mulisha crew?
Mary: Umm, I think they’ve put a big image out there. I probably don’t quite fit in with their whole image. It doesn’t interest me too much. I’m not dying to be a part of it.
Lat34: Are you a good girl?
Mary: You could say I’m quite a good girl. I’m not a badass, you could say.
Lat34: You’re going to be blogging for Lat34. What’s the blog going to entail?
Mary: I’m not sure, actually. I think I’m going to write about you! (Laughing)
Lat34: How many other women motocross riders are there?
Mary: Well actually, no one in freestyle. I don’t know anyone that does ramps in New Zealand, Australia, or Europe. But in motocross racing, there’s a new girl that’s come up. She’s one of my friends, Katherine Prumm. She’s actually won the world series last year. She’s probably the biggest motocross rider in the world.
Lat34: What’s your favorite trick, and what’s your gnarliest trick?
Mary: My favorite trick’s probably the Look Back Heart Attack, and my gnarliest trick is the double-grab, which I landed on my front wheel recently.
Lat34: Who’s paying your bills?
Mary: Sessions, Smith Optics, Fox Gear, Honda, EVS, and Ride Snowboards, which is pretty cool.
Lat34: Are you a big snowboarder also?
Mary: Yeah. And wakeboarding.
- Cyrus Saatsaz
Stay tuned to Lat34 to see Mary's Blog -- coming soon!
