Reason For Being

If you’ve never heard of a New York racer named Kerry Kleid, nor heard or read about her unique place in motocross history, you’re not alone. Kleid was a motocross pioneer who quietly hit the scene in the early seventies, at a time when few women were given much of an opportunity in sports—let alone equal opportunity. She had to fight in court with the American Motorcyclist Association for the right to even get a license to race against the men, as our contributor Larry Lawrence explains in his feature “The Pioneer Woman of Motocross,” which begins on page 86 of this issue. It was a landmark legal case that opened some previously closed doors for women who aspired to race. All these years later there is a strong case to be made that Kleid (now Kerry Robertson), the fastest female racer you’ve never heard of, belongs in the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame, despite her past issues with the association. And she’s not alone.