Mallory Dobbs is a Pacific Northwest (PNW) professional motorcycle racer who competes in the MotoAmerica Championship series as well as the Chuckwalla Valley Motorcycle Association and PNW local Oregon Motorcycle Road Racing Association and Washington Motorcycle Road Racing Association championships. Mallory is no stranger to the challenges of privateer racing but in the wake of those challenges she has forged her path to the premier racing series in America. We sat down with Mallory for an interview to talk a little bit about her background and her upcoming 2023 season:
Q) For those who might not know you give us an introduction about you and your experiences in racing.
Mallory: My name is Mallory Dobbs and I am a female professional road racer from Olympia Washington. I bought my first motorcycle in 2016 and started my racing career in 2017 on the Washington Motorcycle Road Race Association (WMRRA) circuit with a 2003 Yamaha R6. After only half a season of racing as a novice, I was able to petition to race with the experts in Formula Female and Clubman Qualifier as well. Over the past 5 years I have continued to expand my participation in additional racing organizations including the Oregon Road Racing Association (OMRRA), the Chuckwalla Valley Motorcycle Association (CVMA) down in southern California and more recently MotoAmerica, the premier North American Road Racing Championship
In 2019 I became a volunteer with 2 Fast Track Days, a local track day organization in Washington State and in 2022 I became a volunteer with Apex Assassins down in Southern California as well. Here I was given the opportunity to apply my skills as a control rider and an instructor teaching newer riders proper technique. I absolutely love to give back to the sport and seeing the excitement that riding on two wheels can give to others.
I am also heavily involved with WMRRA as the Secretary and Contingency Representative since 2019 and a Novice Mentor since 2018. This involvement has helped me build relationships and become a well-known positive influence within the racing community.
Over the past year, I have shifted my goals to go above and beyond local organizations. In 2020, the national competitive league known as MotoAmerica came to Shelton Washington for the first time. By adding a local Washington track to the series, it was much more attainable to race at the national level. Prior to racing motorcycles, I had shown horses all across the United States since the age of 11 and competed at the national level in Tulsa Oklahoma at the age of 18, where I won the title of World Champion. Knowing what it takes to compete at a high level, I am pursuing my passion for motorcycle racing and working towards competing at the national level.
Mallory Dobbs and Staff at Ducati Richmond. Photo courtesy of DucatiIn 2022, I competed in my first MotoAmerica races at both The Ridge Motorsports Park and Laguna Seca. I had never ridden at Laguna Seca before and used this opportunity to explore my ability to race and compete at the national level at new tracks. I qualified and finished in the top 15 in two out of the four races between the two rounds!
I have had amazing opportunities throughout my racing career so far such as being featured in Magazines, on national podcasts, and even on the local news channels. I have worked with prestigious coaches such as Jason Pridmore as well. I cannot wait to see what 2023 brings me as I work to compete across the county in both the Superhooligans class and the Supersport class at MotoAmerica.
Q) Tell us a little bit more about the good news some of us have heard about regarding a new partnership with Ducati Richmond.
Mallory: It still feels like a dream, but I have been sponsored by Doreen Walmsley the owner of Ducati Richmond in Richmond BC Canada. With her help, we will be racing a 2022 Ducati Hypermotard for the 4 rounds of the Super Hooligan series with MotoAmerica. Her and her crew at Ducati Richmond are truly wonderful people that have gone above and beyond to make sure that my program for the Super Hooligans season is off to a great start! Also on-board for this season is Chris and Sara at CW Moto. They will be helping me with the development of the bike throughout the season. And finally, Nat from SoSo Cycles Tacoma will be my track side mechanic for all of the Super Hooligans rounds! I am truly grateful for the awesome team that we have been able to put together so far!
I am also excited to officially announce that I will be racing the full Supersport series of MotoAmerica for 2023! CW Moto is going to be helping me build my 2022 Kawasaki ZX-6R as well. As a privateer working to self-fund and self-manage Mallory Dobbs Racing team it is going to be a challenging season and I will be constantly working to bring in more potential partners and sponsors throughout the year to make it happen.
3) What kind of new challenges do you face with competing in a new series (Superhooligans) on a new style of bike?
When I started talking to Chris and Doreen about the Super Hooligans program, I was STOKED! My racing dream is to make a full season of MotoAmerica but I never thought I could do it on my own. Being given this amazing opportunity feels like I am seriously dreaming. There hasn’t been a lot of development with these bikes on the road course, and I haven’t ridden naked bikes much. The riding style and height of the bike are definitely going to be a challenge since I am only 5’5”. It will take some time to adjust to riding the more upright higher center of gravity bike, but it has two wheels and the throttle is on the right, so I am sure I can figure it! Regardless of the outcome of the races and the results on-track, this is truly a once in a lifetime experience and I am going to enjoy every moment of it!
Privateer racers are always looking for mutually beneficial marketing opportunities so if you have a business or product line and want national exposure contact Mallory at the links below for more information. Help keep racing alive!
Mallory Dobbs posing for a photo with some fans and members of her pit crew. Photo Courtesy of Mallory Dobbs RacingContact Information
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MalloryDobbsRacing
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MalDobbs126/
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/MalloryDobbsRacing