With less than 4,000 people, the town of Raymond, Alta., is small by any standard.
But for Sara King, a 14-year-old motocross rider from Fort St. James, there's nothing bigger than Raymond on her race calendar this season.
Next week, King and her family will make the long haul to Raymond (south of Lethbridge) for the Western Canadian motocross championships, where she will find out how she stacks up against the top riders from B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
King is no stranger to national-level competition.
Last year she finished sixth in the ladies A class in Raymond, and as a 12-year-old she was the overall winner in the ladies B class.
Last weekend, King was in Prince George for the final two race dates of the Canadian Motorsport Racing Corporation B.C. provincial Spring Series.
The races marked the official opening of the motocross track at Prince George Motosports Park. Like the rest of the 163 riders, it took King a few laps to get comfortable with the new track but she had no trouble winning the ladies races. She also finished third Sunday in the supermini class after a fourth-place result on Saturday.
"The highlight of the weekend for me was not wiping out," King said. "I've never been on this track before. The dirt is different [from the former race site at Blackwater Motorcycle Park] so it's more slick. Blackwater is more hard-packed and I can get more traction there. My first race here [on Saturday] was so-so. The track is difficult and it's hard to pass but I like it now, it's fun."
The highlight of the season so far for King came at the CMRC Monster Energy Motocross Pro Nationals in Kamloops, May 29-30, in which she placed eighth out of 18 women in the ladies class. What makes that result even more impressive is King is still riding a 150cc Honda, racing mostly 250cc bikes.
"It is a disadvantage, but I'm not tall enough yet for a 250," said King. "Once I get taller it will be easier."
There is no motocross track in Fort St. James, but there is an area of trails that's been built up to keep King's racing instincts tuned. She practices there with 13-year-old Warren Constantine, who also plans to compete in Raymond, as well as veteran rider Dean Johnson and his son. Johnson won the plus-40 class on Sunday, while Constantine racked up second-place honours in the 85cc event Sunday and supermini class Saturday.
King got involved in motocross five years ago at the urging of her cousin Steven. She suffered a broken collarbone in 2007 but has otherwise avoided major injuries. Her steady results the past few years have earned her sponsorship deals with Cycle North Power Sports, Honda Canada, Printwerx, Golden Tire and MacLean Trucking.
From Raymond, King will pick up racing in the CMRC Fall Series, which gets underway July 23-24 in Terrace. She's also looking forward to a return to Kamloops for the BCMA pro-am championships, Sept. 3-5. Racing returns to Prince George in late September.
