57-year-old motocross racer Cathy McMaster competes against riders that are half her age

Cathy McMaster flies through the air at age 57 as the oldest women's motocross racer in the are

Cathy McMaster admits she's always been "kind of a crazy person."

At 57, she is 30 years older than the next oldest woman competing in area motocross circuits. Most of her competitors are 14- and 15-year-old girls. The oldest woman in her class is 27. In her first full season of racing in the Oshawa Competition Motorcycle Club McMaster, who first tried the sport at 55, finished third in the ladies B division.

"I'll try anything," said McMaster. "It was really scary in the beginning. You're going off jumps four and five feet in the air and I'm no spring chicken."

The adrenaline rush, she says, is worth the risk. So far, her worst injury is a broken thumb caused when another rider collied with her. She's had several spills.

"As they say, if you haven't crashed, you're not going fast enough," she said.

"Conquering the fear is a big thing for me. Getting yourself up in the air is scary and when you actually do it it's like 'Wow, I actually accomplished it.' It's a total adrenaline rush."

McMaster has seen children barely old enough to walk on bikes so she's aware of how late a bloomer she is, but she says she's been accepted by the youngsters.

"They're really great kids. Very different from your average kids. They kind of respect anybody who will give it a go," McMaster said. "They're very helpful. I've learned so much from them. Watching them is very inspirational. They're fearless."

McMaster and her partner Christina, moved to Bridgenorth from Ajax last year after retiring as TTC drivers. They've owned a trailer in Omemee for 11 years and liked the area.

McMaster has ridden road bikes all her life but bought her first dirt bike at age 52 and road on area trails. Two years ago, she joined the OCMC and now that she's retired she has the time to run the full series. She also races at the Burnt River Offroad Facility once a month and in the Maguire's Motocross Racing Series which travels around Eastern Ontario.

Riding a motorcycle, she said, doesn't necessarily prepare you one for motocross.

"The only things the same about a motocross bike and road bike is they have gears and two tires," she said. "Everything else is totally different. When I got on the dirt bike it was so different.

"There is more to it than I ever would have imagined. There is so much to learn and so much technique. I used to think you just get on the bike and ride."

Christina helps in the pits and is her biggest fan after some early trepidation.

"At first I was worried about her crashing and hurting herself," said Christina. "She had just retired and I thought 'Oh, my god.' But she's very safety conscious. I'm really excited for her and I'll support her in anything she wants to do. We've been together for 29 years so I'm kind of used to her now."

Cathy does have one regret.

"I wish there were more women my age who did it. Then the competition would be more equal for me. These kids, well, you know how much energy a kid has. On the other hand, they do push me to go faster."

mdavies@postmedia.com