While 12-year-old Kadyn Gillooly may have caught the dirt biking bug from brother, Keenan, and dad, Kieran, the Halls Lake youngster is paving her own path while making quite the name for herself on the competitive racing scene.
The Gilloolys recently returned from an international motocross event in Ohio, where Kadyn tested her mettle against a dozen other racers to earn the first major hardware of her young career, a second-place plaque in the Route 62 MX Track Winter Series Championship.
Given it was the Highlands youngster’s first time competing on a professional level supercross track, parents Kieran and Kayla said she surpassed everyone’s expectations. She was the only one of six bikers from her race team, United MX, to finish on the podium.
“It was a really cool experience, being in an environment like that. Everywhere I looked there were people racing around on bikes, moving bikes around, or fixing them. I just remember having this huge smile that I couldn’t get rid of,” Kadyn said.
Her first race was a qualifier against 12 other racers, with the top 10 finishers advancing to the finals. Kadyn came in third, recovering well after a rough start that saw her overshoot the first corner and almost lose control of her bike.
The final was a different story, with Kadyn starting strong. She said she was nervous as she approached the gate, but adrenaline soon took over.
“I just wanted to show all the Americans up,” she cheekily exclaimed.
Kieran admits to getting a bit overzealous at Kadyn’s runner-up finish and while Kayla was excited, she knew her daughter had it within her to do well.
“We got there pretty late on the Friday after a full day of driving, but Kadyn never once complained. She went out on the track that night for practice, most of the others out there were boys from Ohio who knew the track, but she kept up with them. For someone who had never done a supercross track before… she was a natural,” Kayla said.
Kieran added, “you lose a lot of feel for bikes when you’re not on it every week. Kadyn hasn’t ridden in months, so for her to enter this competition cold and do as well as she did… we couldn’t be more proud of her.”
Kadyn has five years of racing experience under her belt, competing in the Burnt River MX Series between the ages of seven and 10 before moving up to the Amateur Motocross Ontario (AMO) circuit last summer. She has a custom pink and white 85CC Husqvarna – her pride and joy that she inherited from Kayla.
“When she first started, she was on a 65CC, but once she got her technique down and started to show improvement, she found she couldn’t really compete with the older kids, who all had bigger bikes. She needed more power, and so she’s been racing mine ever since,” Kayla said.
Kadyn will be upgrading again this year – transitioning to a KTM 112CC super mini as she looks to improve on last season’s 10th place finish in the AMO girls nine-16 year age bracket.
She’s also harbouring hopes of returning to Ohio for a regular spot on the Route 62 schedule. Kieran said it’s the closest competitive indoor winter motocross event, with monthly races from November to April. He’s also keeping his eyes open for other events Stateside that could help get Kadyn’s name out there.
Kadyn said she wants to make her mark in what is a largely male-dominated sport. She hopes to emulate her mentor, Bella Morgan, a 16-year-old pro who races for Team Kawasaki. The two are close friends, having connected through United MX.
“Bella has really taken Kadyn under her wing – they have a lot of similarities,” Kayla said. “Bella has walked that path as a young girl making it in motocross, so there’s no better person to learn from.”
Biking is in Kadyn’s blood. She’s already counting down the days until spring, when she can again whip around her own custombuilt mini motocross track at home – every lap leading towards something.
“I hope one day I’ll be able to make it as a pro and race the Triple Crown Series (Canada’s premiere motocross event). That would be a dream for me,” Kadyn said.
