Lucy Barker, EMX Women Champion 2023 – Here’s how my European journey went…
I am 16 years old. I ride a KTM 125cc and I am a Jude Morris Racing Foundation Ambassador. This is my first season on the 125 and my first-time racing in the European championships.
Round 1 – Denmark
Heading into round 1 in Denmark, I was extremely nervous and didn’t know what to expect. We travelled 1000 miles to Slagelse MX for qualifying on the Saturday, where I came second in timed practice and qualified first. I won both races on the Sunday.
My first win in the bag! I was not only shocked but also amazed with my results this was my first race in Europe.
The track was great, and I had some good battles with the 250’s and a strong lead in both races. I was ready to keep working ahead of the next round 2 weeks later.
Round 2 – Germany
Next, we travelled just short of 900 miles to Prisanawicz for round two.
Going into this round I had the championship lead and I felt excited to get racing again. Qualifying second, due to a first corner crash, I brought home two race wins.
Very happy with my results and the way I was riding throughout the weekend. In the first race I had a good lead on the rest of the pack but in the second it was a lot closer and nerve racking.
The support from my sponsors, teams, friends and family was amazing!
Round 3 – Poland
This time it was 1,400 miles to Olecko in Poland for round three.
The weather was very hot which made me work twice as hard. But with my focus and determination I pulled in another two race wins.
I was over the moon with this result and super happy that my hard work was paying off. I wanted to keep focus into the next round, which was Lithuania in two week’s time.
Round 4 – Lithuania
1,600 miles to Siauliai in Lithuania for round four. The track was awesome. I qualified first and went 1; 2 in the races.
I was slightly disappointed in the result of my second race as this was my first race I hadn’t won in this championship, however I had a massive crash on lap 3 which resulted in me riding without a clutch for the rest of the race … so in hindsight a second place finish was a pretty good result!! And I still finished on the top step of the podium!
Next up was Slovakia for the penultimate round…
Round 5 – Slovakia
On the road again …. 1,300 miles to the penultimate round in Veľké Uherce, Slovakia.
The scenery and views where awesome and the track looked amazing! I qualified in first again, but the timings were close so I needed to prepare for some hard racing…
In race one, I had 2nd right behind me the whole race which was scary, and I certainly felt the pressure. In race two, I had a more comfortable lead and bought home 1; 1 again for the weekend. This left me with a 37 point advantage going into the final round, so I just had to finish top 6 in the 1st race…
Round 6 – Italy
The final round arrived and we travelled our final 1000 miles to Gazzane di Preseglie, however sooner than we had liked. Three weeks before the final race I fractured my humerus in Scotland racing the Scottish National.
I did lots of rehab and used multiple recovery machines to keep me fit and try to speed up the recovery process. Going into the final round I wasn’t 100% but luckily I had a strong 37 point lead.
It was super-hot in Gazzane di Preseglie and the track was very hard. On Saturday I managed 1st in the qualifying race. This was absolutely amazing and spurred me on for the racing on Sunday.
Going into race one I knew this was the most important race of my season so far – this was the race that I could to secure the championship for me. I was soooo nervous going to the line…
RACE ONE – 1st!!!
EMX Women Champion 2023 – WOW!
I was so happy with this result but obviously wanted to finish the weekend strong to stand on the top step of the podium 6\6 times. Unfortunately, I crashed whilst in the lead so I finished 3rd overall but never less I was the champion.
We are back home now after travelling over 7,200 and I honestly cannot thank my parents enough for everything they do and have done for me – none of this would have been possible without them and also my coach, Brian Jorgenson, who has helped me so much on this journey – lifting the trophy has made it all worth while!
A massive thank you to everyone else for all the kind messages along the way!
