Shelby Turner is hoping for a return trip — to her championship form.
The 16-year-old motocross rider from Barons raced at the 2012 Alberta Arenacross championships at the Enmax Centre Saturday, hoping to kickstart a season in which she hopes to reclaim the CMRC Pro National Western and Enduro CEC championship titles she earned in 2010. She faced off against stiffer competition in 2011, when a gruesome injury kept her from competing. Racing at a cross country event in Porcupine Hills in May of last year, Turner fell from her bike and landed on her stomach. The impact lacerated her liver, damaged a kidney and ended her season.
Now, Turner - who comes from a family of motocross racers — was given the green light to return to the track. And on Friday, she showed a quick return to form, taking first place in the main event of the Ladies A Class.
As she got ready for Day 2 of racing Saturday afternoon, Turner said it was no fun being a spectator in 2011.
“It’s been really long,” she said. “Last summer was really hard, watching everyone and not really feeling hurt. It was really hard to have to sit back and wait. I couldn’t do any kind of physical activity for six months. At the six-month mark I started playing light basketball. I’ve been doing some light training and that was about it. “Now, as far as I know, I’ve been 100 per cent since October, but they don’t know if the cut has healed, so I had to wait until now to start riding, snowboarding or anything like that.”
Judging by her win in the Ladies A class in her first race of the season, she’s off to a good start.
“It’s been pretty good,” said Turner, who is sponsored by KTM Canada and races for Lethbridge KTM and KTM Canada. “I’ve been off for nine months and I thought it would be a lot harder coming back. But I don’t feel like I’ve lost all that much, so that’s a good thing.”
The love of racing runs in Turner’s bloodlines.
Her father, Trevor, races in the plus-40 class and her older brother, 18-year-old Avery, races in the Intermediate MX1 class.
It was watching her older sibling tear up the track that got Turner on a bike.
“I always wanted to do what Avery was doing and chased him around the track. I think I raced in Arenacross when I was four years old. I don’t remember anything, but they have videos of it.”
While chasing her older brother around the track kick-started her racing days, fatherly advice from Trevor doesn’t hurt either.
“He’s really supportive,” said Turner. “Usually if we do bad and we’re down on ourselves he’ll perk us up and tells us better luck next time. He gives us a few pointers.” Now green-lighted to return to the track, Turner eyed up a few goals for 2012.
“I would like to get an invite to the Enduro X Games in July. So we’re trying to get me there and get me back up on the podium in the nationals for the women’s series and try to go out and hit a few CC rounds and do my best.”