Mountlake Terrace racer perseveres her way to national motocross competition

Published 1:30 am Monday, June 29, 2026

MOUNTLAKE TERRACE — In August, 14-year-old Racelee McCoy will travel to Tennessee for an event she’s been dreaming of for years.

She’ll compete with 41 other racers in her class at the Amateur Motocross Championship at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch in Hurricane Mills. It’s the largest amateur motocross race in the world.

As part of a family with a deep history of motorcycle racing, Racelee got her first motorcycle when she was just 2 years old. She rode her first Yamaha PW50 — an entry-level youth dirt bike — at 4, and she competed in her first race at 5.

At 11, Racelee set her sights on Loretta Lynn’s. Three years later, in May, she placed third out of more than 20 riders from the Northwest United States in the regional qualifier, advancing her to the national race. Only the top four racers in each class qualify.

“I was really happy,” she said of the moment she found out she qualified.

It wasn’t the easiest road to get there. In 2022, she broke her femur during a race, leaving her unable to get on a bike for six months. In 2024, she broke it again, leaving her out for three months and forcing her to miss the regional qualifier for Loretta Lynn’s that year.

Six years ago, Racelee was diagnosed with diabetes, which can make a broken bone take even longer to heal. Her diabetes also adds an extra challenge on race days, especially when she has to manage her blood sugar in hot weather, which she’s expecting in Tennessee.

“She’s had a lot of different things stacked against her, and racing motorcycles is her favorite thing, it’s her happy place,” said her mother, Amy McCoy.

Racelee’s favorite part of motocross racing?

“I like going fast,” she said.

Depending on the bike, youth motocross racers can reach up to about 40 mph during a race. Racelee’s favorite race was the Desert 100 in Odessa in 2024, where she placed in the top few riders, racing against both boys and girls, and earned a large trophy.

Racelee comes from four generations of motorcycle racers, starting with her great grandfather, then her grandmother, then her mother, Amy McCoy. Racelee’s younger sister, Rozlyn, also races.

Amy McCoy and Racelee’s father met at a racetrack, which inspired her unique name. “Lee” is her mother and aunt’s middle name and her great grandmother’s name.

“At the beginning, people kind of turned their nose up, like how do you even know if she’s going to like racing? I was like, well, it’s not about racing, it’s combining something special,” Amy McCoy said. “It fits her very well.”

Another challenge for Racelee is not having the same resources as some of the other racers, she said.

“They’re homeschooled, they have tracks at their house and they ride way more,” Racelee said.

Motocross can be expensive, and the family had to cut back on the sport a couple of years ago for financial reasons, Amy McCoy said.

But with every setback, Racelee’s kept going. She hopes to continue to qualify for Loretta Lynn’s in the coming years.

“I want to do good at Loretta’s and just do better each time,” she said.

Jenna Peterson: 425-339-3486; jenna.peterson@heraldnet.com; X: @jennarpetersonn.