Jean Turner | January 13, 2022
Brandy Richards laid down an unbeatable hand in 2021. With four titles, including a Pro-Am championship racing against the men, what’s next for one of the greatest female talents in off-road racing?
Two WORCS championships, an NGPC championship, ISDE gold and the individual championship—it’s been a banner year for Brandy Richards.
Photography by KTM Media, Harlen Foley, Mark Kariya
An undefeated season in WORCS, a total of three national championships, and a world championship feat that no athlete in the history of enduro has accomplished—riding to a flawless victory at the ISDE winning every single test over all six days—the 2021 season was a straight flush for one of the world’s best off-road racers. And yet Brandy Richards remains a modest privateer (Elite Off-Road KTM) still working on carving her path through the off-road racing scene. The 25-year-old Arizona native seems all but untouchable in the West Coast off-road racing scene, having dominated the Women’s Pro ranks in both WORCS and NGPC, and even earning the WORCS Pro-Am Championship racing against the men. So what’s next for Brandy Richards?
Despite a broken wrist in early 2021, Brandy Richards stormed to an undefeated championship in WORCS.
We caught up with Richards to hear more about her landmark season, what the big change was that vaulted her into a dominant year in 2021, and what it’s like competing against the men. Richards also talks about what the reception was like at the ISDE where she achieved the impossible, and how she feels being the flagship female athlete in off-road racing, and where she hopes to be in 2022.
You had an incredible season in 2021. Take me through the championships you won.
I actually won quite a few titles. About four, I think. The year started out great. I felt really strong switching to the KTM 350 and just kind of a lot more comfortable on it and getting my suspension set up a lot better and my fitness a lot better. At the beginning of the year, I felt phenomenal, and then I broke my wrist in the very first round of WORCS. So, I struggled with that for the first few rounds and had a couple other injuries. And then I went back East and did some Sprint Enduros, those were fun. Just trained for ISDE, really. Mostly from May all the way up to ISDE, that’s strictly what I trained for. Going to Six Days and doing what I did was pretty phenomenal. All the hard work I put into it paying off, that was great. And then I had to come back and get straight back into racing. I wish we had a break because it was so tiring after traveling and just everything. But I just finished both series: In WORCS I won the Women Pro Championship and also the Pro-Am Championship. And then in NGPC I won the Women Pro Championship. So that’s three, and then four if you count the ISDE title.
We do.
It was a great year. I couldn’t have been happier.
Richards made history at the 2021 ISDE by becoming the only racer to ever win every single test.
And it was not just a win at ISDE, you were completely undefeated all week, which is a feat that has never been accomplished in any class at ISDE.
Yeah! [laughs] Yeah, that was insane. That was pretty crazy. It still doesn’t feel real. Kind of feels like a dream. Just, it’s insane to think I actually did that. It’s pretty cool.
The 2021 ISDE Women’s Pro victory along with Britney Gallegos (left) and Rachel Gutish (right) was a major highlight of Richards’ season.
What was the most stressful part of that?
Day five was kind of the most stressful day because we had two enduro tests, or one was like half enduro, half cross. I knew how far ahead I was on the cross test. I didn’t really worry about those. But the enduro tests, I just had to not make any mistakes. That was kind of stressful on day five. Day six is motocross. I grew up doing that so that was easy. I knew I had that one. Day six was pretty easy. It was just kind of getting through it, really.
What was the reception like out there? Were people supportive?
Oh, absolutely! It was cool. Had a lot of people taking pictures of me. Everyone was stoked about me winning all of the tests. They were really tripping out on it.
Kind of seems like you’re untouchable right now. Does it feel that way?
To an extent, yeah. I mean, I try not to think about it. [laughs] You don’t want to get a big head because anything can happen. Anybody can kind of step up. I made such a drastic change in a year, you know, anyone can do it. I’m always hoping for someone to catch up and challenge me. The younger girls, I’m looking forward to them catching up. Cause I know eventually they will. Hopefully.
The fans at the Italian ISDE were thrilled to cheer on Richards as she raced to a flawless victory.
Let’s talk about the landscape of women’s off-road racing. What you’ve done is pretty monumental. How do you feel about being the flagship female athlete in off-road?
It’s a little different. It’s something I’ve always worked toward. Because I know that… well now with not having motocross, and just in America, there’s no place for women’s pro to kind of excel. There’s GNCC, but it’s kind of one series. I feel like we need multiple series for women. Because there are so many talented women. And just growing it and showing women that it’s possible to run with the men and it’s possible to be as fast as them and just be super competitive and that you can actually make a living doing it.
I think that’s the hardest part. When you’re 18 years old and you’re looking at a career, you see that there’s maybe one person kind of making money. But when I was 18, no [woman] was full-time racing. So it was hard to look at and say “hey, I can make this a career.” But that’s what I’ve always wanted to do. I’ve wanted to show women that it is possible, and we do need the support and the coverage. It’s growing. If you look back five years ago to now, it’s huge how much it’s grown. I’m hoping it continues going. If we get more support, money-wise, then you get more women training. I think that’s the hardest part. When you’re over 18 and you got to work a job and race, that’s not easy. Just the last two years that I haven’t had to work a normal job has helped tremendously. The things that you can do when you’re just focusing on racing is insane. So, if we can get more women to where they can actually make a living racing, I think our sport can be phenomenal.
With factory KTM support, Richards races with the Elite Offroad KTM privateer team.
Let’s talk about that jump that you made from ’20 to ’21.
Well, when Covid hit, and we weren’t racing, I had to work a job. I’m on the win-to-eat program, so you have to win; you have to race just to make money. So, when we didn’t race, a couple months in it kind of sucked. And then we went into our summer break, and I had to get a summer job. I went and did some East Coast stuff, but I went into it super unprepared. And that really taught me a lesson in just being prepared and respecting other sports. Right after that I went home and just changed everything. I changed my whole routine throughout the day and then we got right back into racing, and I was able to not work a job, so I was able to train and that was the end of 2020. When 2021 came around, I was already full blown into training and just absolutely pushing… I didn’t take an off-season. I just kept going. So actually, at the beginning of 2021, I was feeling phenomenal.
Talk about the Pro-Am Championship and competing with the men. What was the reception there like?
I always love competing with the men. They are hard to race against and racing against Evan Stice this year, he was phenomenal. He got me most of the time. When you race with those guys, obviously you’re going to get faster. And you have to push so hard just to run with them and train with them. It gave me something to push towards and that helped out a lot. I love the competition. That’s what’s been the best part of it.
Evan Stice obviously has a lot of respect for you, as a racer. There’s kind of a stigma that men can’t stomach being beat by women, is that really true?
Um… not necessarily. When we race Women Pro we race with the A class and we are the third line behind the 250s and 450s. And sometimes when I’m coming up on those guys and they see me, they start pushing 10 times harder. And it’s the funniest thing because by that point, they’re out of control. It’s like, I already caught you. I’m already beating you on time. But I don’t think they like to get beat by women at all. But I do think that a lot of the men truly respect me. And they are a little afraid of me sometimes. [laughs]
Competing against the men in the WORCS Pro-Am class helped Richards elevate her intensity and speed. She went on to win the title, but feels it was “by default.”
You mentioned GNCC. Is that something on the horizon?
I’m not sure. It’s something I want to do because it’s something I haven’t conquered. And there’s some very talented women, and I have some serious respect for the women who race that series. It’s something I want to do, but I also think that’s something you have to fully commit to and ride all the time and be adjusted to it. I think over the years I’ll run a few and get more comfortable, but I don’t think I’ll just jump straight into a season.
A win at the final round in Primm earned Richards the WORCS Pro-Am title, her fourth championship of 2021.
What is on the scope for 2022.
Kind of similar to [last] year. I’ll do WORCS and NGPC, and then I’ll probably do some Sprint Enduros back East and maybe some GNCCs, and then I really want to race Mammoth. I’m over 25. I’ve been waiting for the 25+ class! [laughs]
Can you defend your WORCS Pro-Am Championship, or do you have to move up?
Umm… That’s been a tough decision. Personally, I don’t feel that I’m a 250 Pro rider quite yet. I did win the championship but at the same time it was kind of by default, you could say. Because [Evan Stice] didn’t show up for the last race and that’s kind of what got it. Because I only won two races. I kind of feel like if I was allowed to go back and defend it, it’d be pretty cool to do that. I feel like another season would really get me more prepared to race 250 Pro.
What’s next for the greatest female talents in off-road racing? We’ll be keeping an eye on this very impressive lady.
Are you in any talks with factory KTM?
Yeah, a little bit. They take care of everything already. I’m just… not quite under the tent.
Do you want to be under the tent? Or do you function better more independently?
I mean, it would be nice to be under the tent but it’s not something I’m super pushing hard for. Because I know how much responsibility comes with that. There’s just a lot that goes into it. I’d really like to, but it’s not something I’m going to push.CN
