Promoter focuses on
Women's Motocross
Wednesday, December 1, 2004
By Nicole Buzzard/The Press Enterprise

NORCO, CA - Tami Rice wants the world to take women's motocross seriously.  "My goal is for women's motocross to be treated as an equal to men's motocross," said the energetic 43-year-old.

The Norco resident is the daughter of motocross pioneer John Rice, and grew up riding dirt bikes. When she's not working as training specialists for patient services for a well known medical laboratory, she's taking her almost 25 years of racing experience to help out young women interested motocross.

"I'm working with 15 to 18 year olds from other countries trying to get them sponsorships and salaries," she said.

Rice grew up in Long Beach, California and moved to Norco in 1978. By the time she was 21, she bought her first bike and started racing regularly.

"I love the adrenaline, the speed," she said. "I prefer to race against women, but when I race against men and beat them, it's a great feeling."

Tami also runs her own website, www.TRPro.com, a promotion company for industry and has developed www.Train2Ride.com providing dirt bike schools to beginner level riders.  "Kids are going to ride dirt bikes, so I want to teach young children how to do it safely, so they know from the get-go how to ride," she said. Tami also works with Miki Keller, president of the WMA (Women's MX Association)  maintaining the groups website. "Promoting women's racing is for me, right on top," she said.

In the late 1980's, Rice and Bonnie Warch of Ramona, California were members of the first American Suzuki Women's MX Team. Together, they went across the country racing.  "That was a major accomplishment and opened the door for other women racers," Rice said. "We got bikes, parts and race gear. It set the precedent for younger female riders."

The duo developed the Women's Motocross Association (W.M.X.A - not related to today's WMA) in 1988, which offered races for novice, intermediate and expert female competitors. The association expanded during the time it was promoting to include women's personal watercraft and auto racing.

"No one has sacrificed as much as she has for women's motocross," said Warch 40. "When she's doing her thing promoting, she's very thorough. She's the most organized person I know."

Rice worked with equipment and motocross clothing designers to develop a women's chest protector, which lead to the company starting a line of race gear for women. "We had to wear the same chest protectors as the men and that didn't really work," Rice said. "I always had problems with rocks getting in. Men and women's bodies are different shapes and it wasn't fitting the right way."

Rice also maintains four motocross-related websites. "It's a very economical way to promote events and companies," she said. "We wouldn't be able to communicate around the world with out e-mail or a website."

Rice participates in AHRMA vintage and WMA women's (modern) motocross events around the country all year long and says she's not finished with the sport yet. "My dad, who's 68, is still racing," she said. "I have many more years left in me for racing."

Back to Profile