“Never judge someone by the way he looks or a book by the way it’s covered; for inside those tattered pages, there’s a lot to be discovered”

— Steve Cosgrove

To glimpse the figure that is Lacey Tucker is to see a woman some may view as being of the delicate variety.

Fair skin and natural, dark, flowing locks present an unmarked beauty more suited for roles within the fashion and entertainment industries. And, truth be told, Tucker notes herself as being quite comfortable in stylish, fine wares.

However, to consider the 34-year-old a shrinking violet or as fragile as fine china would be a mistake. For beneath the veneer of elegance lies a penchant for the dirt and danger of motocross racing, a sport in which the risk of harm is all but certain.

“I never was a tomboy and I’m still not up until today,” said Tucker, whose 125cc Husqvarna bears her “Lemonade” nickname — indicative of her light complexion, affinity for the soft drink and the yellow primary colour. “I like my high heels and dressing up. I don’t wear make-up, but I like to dress.

“I don’t know, this sport just grabbed me. I like a bit of speed and danger.”

Indeed, on December 4, 2022 at Southside Raceway, Tucker experienced first-hand the perils that accompany dirt-racing high-powered machinery, after crashing awkwardly mere yards from the starting gate and fracturing one of her thoracic vertebrae — there are 12 contained in the human anatomy.

“I broke my T10 bone,” she explained with a wince. “Coming off the gate, I flipped my bike and must have landed really wrong as I was trying to get the holeshot [the distinction of being first to the first turn].

“It was painful ... really, really painful and something I would not like to go through again.

“I had to wear a back brace for a few months and I had to go through physiotherapy.

“Fortunately, there was no surgery or fusing of bones required; they just told me to wear the back brace and allow it to mend itself.

“But I’m back on the bike so, hopefully, I’ve learnt from my mistake.”

What might have triggered some to call time on competing in an activity that can imperil life and limb at any given moment only fortified Tucker’s desire to return to action.

Nevertheless, to place her feet on familiar pegs during the New Year’s Day Trophy races did not come without trepidation, the mental scars burdensome, but these are hurdles Tucker is determined to overcome.

“I’ve been pretty nervous, with butterflies and stuff, but I had to go back,” said Tucker, whose partner, Kwa-z Dill, shares her love for the sport and competes in the Novice class. “Plus I’d just got a new bike last year, so I didn’t want to give up so quick.

“I started racing in 2020 in the 85cc class and after finishing that season, I upgraded to the 125s.”

While Tucker accomplished her first goal of building the courage to get back on the bike, greatest desire is simple — make it through the initial turn first.

It is a feat that would go a long way to expunging the fear of crashing for ever.

“I just want my holeshot,” said Tucker, who has moved into the less intense Over 30 class as a confidence-building exercise. “Everybody else can pass me [later]; I just want my holeshot. I’ve got close, but …

“Right now, I’m a little nervous to jump. My problem is that I overthink. Everyone keeps telling me to think less so that I can ride more freely, but it’s hard.

“I have to really work on myself from a mental aspect this year.”

Regardless of class or status, Tucker stands as a model for other females looking to intrude upon what in years past stood as a male-only bastion, her steely determination, courage and skill set to be imitated, her love affair with motocross unwavering in times of tribulation.

“There are a few girls that joined this year, which was good to see,” Tucker added. “I started going to Coney Island when I was 12 because my father likes motocross.

“I would go there every Sunday and really liked the sound, the smell, all the excitement — and I loved the two-stroke engines.

“I’ve travelled to a camp in Canada to study and learn more about riding, and I go abroad to watch supercross and motocross.

“I’ve been to Atlanta, to Las Vegas and Unadilla [New York]; I just love the sport and everything about it.

“It’s a tough sport, but you just have to have the desire to push through it.

“One should take their time, stick with it and in time you’ll get better.”