Girl Dad at the Track: Raising a Daughter Who Rides
Our oldest, Saylor, runs #22. Pink checkered gear, a pink Fox helmet, and a little bike with her name on the number plate. She's also the reason this company exists. When she was about six months old, she grabbed a pink teething bar with both hands around a campfire and held it out in front of her like a set of bars. Dad started in on the "brrrrattttt" and that was it! The teether came out of that night.
Her little sister, Sadie Rae, got the job of testing the prototypes. So yeah, this is a girl dad house, and the Girl Dad shirt isn't a bit, it's just us!
She's not the only girl in the pits
You already know this if you've been to an amateur race this season. Girls are on the line, and the sport has room for them all the way up.
The 2026 race order for the Monster Energy AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship, the big one at Loretta Lynn's, lists a Girls (11-16) class and a Women class. On the pro side, the Women's Motocross Championship is back. Racer X reports that WMX ran six rounds in 2025 on Pro Motocross weekends, and Lachlan "Lala" Turner won the title at 18. It was her second championship in a row.
Your kid doesn't have to climb that ladder, but it's good to know it goes all the way up!
How moto dads say to start her
We went digging through the moto dad threads on Vital MX, and the same advice keeps showing up.
A lot of dads wait until the kid can ride a bicycle. One said each of his started around 4 or 5, and that his 5-year-old daughter rides her pink PW around the pits. The usual order goes balance bike or Strider first, then a pedal bike, then a PW50, with some families putting an electric balance bike in between. Learn to balance, turn and stop before there's a motor under them.
The other thing they all say: don't push. Keep it fun and let the kid set the pace. Plenty of them warned that pushing too hard is how a kid loses interest.
When she's ready to race, start her in the starter or beginner class. One dad posted about his daughter's first race at a Swapmoto round, in a beginner class of 21 riders. She went down on the last lap of the second moto, and he still called it a proud dad moment. The replies filled up with other dads saying congrats, a few of them girl dads too.
Gear that fits. Pink is optional.
The color is her call, but the fit isn't.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says to look for the DOT symbol on the outside back of the helmet, which means it meets Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 218. On sizing, NHTSA says a helmet that fits right "will be a little tight" with even pressure all the way around, and it "should not move when you shake your head."
Measure her head with a cloth tape before you order, starting just above the eyebrows. Then check it again every season. Kids grow, and last year's lid might not fit the same.
The way we see it
Some girls want the gate drop. Others want laps around the pits with dad jogging behind the bike. Both are good days. What we want for ours is what we had as kids in the desert: weekends outside, engines running, and the whole family at the truck.
If she ends up out-riding her brothers, or out-riding you, even better!
For the girl dads
The Girl Dad shirt. "MOTOCROSS GIRL DAD" across the chest, on 100% combed cotton in sizes S through 3XL. For the dad whose daughter is going to out-ride her brothers, and he knows it.
The Custom Moto Plates ornament. Her name, her plate number and the year, engraved on a round golden mirror ornament with a checkered ring. Saylor's says 22.
The Moto Baby Teether in pink. For the next rider in the family. It's one piece of food-grade silicone shaped like a set of bars, tested by ACT Lab against ASTM F963-23 and graded 0+. Hers started it all.
Sources
- MX Sports, Monster Energy AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship 2026 race order
- Racer X, Women's Motocross Championship Season Recap
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Choose the Right Motorcycle Helmet
- Vital MX forums, Introducing kids to motocross
- Vital MX forums, My daughter's first race