GNCCRacing.com: Tell us a little bit about yourself

Becca Sheets: Hello GNCC friends! My name is Becca Sheets. I’ve been racing dirt bikes for twenty years. Eleven of those years have been spent racing GNCCs and off-road, growing as a professional in the sport. Off-road racing has been a huge passion in my life.

Congrats on winning your second WXC title! How does it feel?

It feels amazing to have accomplished this. I set this goal every year and when you have all the right pieces and it all falls together it’s just indescribable.

What were some of the biggest challenges you faced this season?

I think the biggest, everlasting challenge is just believing in myself. Knowing that I can win races and make a difference in this sport.

Between Maria, and then Kacy, and then Tayla, you’ve faced some heavy competition over your decade racing in the WXC class – but it also seems like that level of competition elevated the class as a whole, and you’ve certainly come a long way since your first GNCC back in 2011…

Oh yes. I’ve told the story many times, but I like to tell it because it’s something I want the younger or slower up-and-coming female riders to know: I grew up racing motocross competitively as an amateur before switching to off-road. At the first GNCC I ever did, I was lapped by Maria Forsberg, who at the time was a Factory KTM support rider who dominated the women’s class. I was not good at racing off-road. But I kept racing – 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and kept getting better each year. I was battling for podiums when Kacy Martinez came in, just before Maria retired. It took me three years to win against Kacy, who was a three-time champion when she too retired from GNCC racing. I finally accomplished a dream that I had chased for so long, because I was determined to win a national title and refused to quit. Then the following year, Tayla Jones came and elevated our class even further. All of the WXC riders had to step up our game yet again to get to her level and try to end her three-year reign as champion. I guess what I’m trying to say with this story is that we all have to start somewhere, and even if it seems like you’re a ways off, you shouldn’t be discouraged and automatically assume that you’ll never get there. It is also worth remembering that this is the fastest the WXC class has ever been. The speeds have increased so much from ten years ago to today.

That actually segues really well into the next question – what has it been like to have a front-row seat to witness the growth of women’s off-road racing over the past decade?

It’s been really cool to see women’s participation in off-road growing. I often take it for granted because I’ve been in it for so long, but it’s important to look back and see that. When I first started racing there was one women’s class, that was all there was. Which is just crazy to think about now. We started like three rows back and had a split row with one of the vet classes. There were maybe ten or fifteen of us, and every woman racing that day would be lined up together, from the very fastest factory-supported riders all the way down to a girl who might be racing for the first time ever. Now, there’s three separate women’s classes, with full starting lines. And then the WXC class has grown tremendously in the last few year, and by grown I don’t just mean rider turnout, I’m talking about the depth of talent in the class, the number of riders who are putting in the level of effort required to be up front. It’s been amazing and difficult at the same time (laughs)

Yeah, as a female in the sport it has to be cool to see the class evolving, but of course, the more riders there are up at the top, the harder your job becomes. Which, getting back to you after our little deviation into women’s racing as a whole, tell us about your switch back to Yamaha. It seems to have agreed with you, and if I recall, your first GNCC title was also won on a Yamaha.

 Switching back to Yamaha came about quite randomly. I decided to test ride a Yamaha at the end of last season. I wanted to see if I would feel even remotely comfortable on it after spending three years on KTM. Needless to say, I fell back in love with the Yamaha and was offered support for the 2020 season. It was a tough decision to leave KTM because I had accomplished so much riding for them and was grateful to do so. I knew I meshed a little better with the Yamaha and pulled the trigger to make the switch, knowing that I could win races on it.

Besides the bike, was there anything else that you think helped make the difference in your performance this year?

Absolutely. The WXC class has become so competitive. You have to be at the top of your game physically and mentally in order to win races. I started focusing more on my mental game in the last couple of years. It’s something that has helped me grow as an athlete and as an individual. Getting a lot of second place finishes gives you to opportunity to break down your races and learn from them. I’ve also been blessed with some awesome friends within our racing community who help the good within me grow. It’s an ever-evolving process.

Now that you’ve wrapped up the title early, what are your plans for the rest of this season and for next season as well?

I plan to finish out these next two races on the podium and fight for another championship next year on the BABS Racing Yamaha.

Over the course of your career, what do you consider your biggest accomplishment?

Winning two national titles and a world title with the USA Women’s Trophy Team are the highlights, but I’d say that my biggest accomplishment in racing is simply the fact that I have made it this far and have been able to be an inspiration to others in this sport.

I’ve noticed that you’ve been coaching at the Fuel Ministries camps quite a bit here recently, and have done a few of your own riding schools. Want to tell us about that?

Oh yeah! My love for instructing has grown tremendously over the last couple of years. I’ve met some really awesome people along the way that have given me the drive to continue with it. I wouldn’t be where I am in the sport today without the help and instruction I have received from other professional riders. I feel like the best thing I can do to help others is to share my knowledge. Next year I will be starting “BABS Racing Academy”. I plan to do four riding schools throughout the year. I’ll be starting pretty small as I continue with my racing career and hopefully grow BABSRA in the next couple years.