Sara Andersen has been immersed in motocross from the very beginning – quite literally born into the sport thanks to her family and older brother. From her first laps as a singing three-year-old to becoming a three-time European Champion and the only Danish woman to stand on a WMX World Championship podium, Andersen has carved out an impressive career in a discipline still dominated by men. But it hasn’t been without its challenges. Battling injuries, funding struggles, and the demands of balancing racing with studying, Andersen’s journey is a story of resilience and determination. We caught up with the talented Dane to talk about her early days in the sport, the level of competition in WMX, her goals for the future, and life both on and off the track.
GateDrop: Sara, let’s go back to the very start. Motocross is a sport dominated by men, so I am intrigued, how did you get into the sport?
Andersen: When I was born, my brother was riding. He was a six-year-old, so he was already riding when I was born. I’ve just been on the track as a baby and when I was two, I told my parents I also wanted to ride like my brother. On my birthday, when I turned three, they gave me a bike, and I’ve been riding since. So, very early, and you can say I’m just really born into the sport.
GateDrop: Do you remember the first time you rode a bike – I am assuming you enjoyed it? And do you remember a point when you knew you were good, and this could be something you could do in the future as a career?
Andersen: Yeah, I don’t remember the first time, because I was very young. I’ve seen videos and it’s very easy to see that I enjoy it. My parents told me I was singing when I was just riding around. They told me I really loved it, and I can see that from the videos, I also say that I’m really happy to ride. So, I knew I loved it from the first time. I was also pretty good from the beginning. I was battling with the boys, I was very young and battling for the Danish championship and all of that. But back then, it was just all for fun, and I didn’t really think about it could be a career or something bigger. But, when I got a bit older and started to ride just with the women, I was doing really good.
So, when I started riding World Championship and European Championship and all of that, and I won the first time. I saw that I was actually really good, and I could maybe become a World Champion one day, and that was my goal.
GateDrop: You are still young, but I don’t know of that many really fast girls from Denmark, Jakobson is good but apart from that… would it be fair to say you are probably the fastest Dane WMX rider ever (so far anyway)? That must make you pretty proud…
Andersen: Yes, it makes me very proud. If you look at results, there’s not really any Danish girl who are close to me in making the same results. I’m the only one to get on the podium at the World Championship. I’m the only one to finish inside the top five, and I’ve done it several times. Again, three times European Champion, many times Danish Champion, Swedish Champion, all of this. I’m not the only Danish girl who is a Danish Champion, but for the rest, I am. So it makes me really proud.
GateDrop: The level of WMX is really high and I think gets underestimated. It seems to get faster and faster every year. How would you describe the level?
Andersen: The level is really high and the last few years, it’s getting better and better. We’re not only getting faster and faster, but also more girls are getting faster. I remember some years ago, you could make a small mistake or a small crash, and I could still make it inside top five. Even some races, I would crash twice and still make it inside top five. That’s not possible anymore. I really have to do my best to make it inside the top five. For sure, more girls are getting faster, and the top girls are also getting even faster.
GateDrop: You are young but then you have Lotte van Drunen and Daniela Guillen who are even younger. They’re kind of talented freaks (laughs). What is it like racing against them?
Andersen: Yes, for sure. They are very young, very talented. I still feel quite young, but I’ve been riding for many years now, and they are so much younger than me. I actually saw Daniela ride an 85cc at the Spanish championship, so I kind of knew she was coming because she won against the boys. Lotte, she’s been very famous on social media from very young.
I saw them coming, but they are doing really good. They have a lot of talent, they work hard, and they have a lot of good people around them. I guess they really have what it takes, so a lot of respect for them. There’s no doubt they are doing really good.
GateDrop: Kiara Fontanesi, we have to chat about her. She has had two kids and this year is battling for the title – I am sure you have a lot of respect for her? It’s kind of crazy what she is doing!
Andersen: Yes, she’s really good, and I clearly don’t know what it’s like to be a Mum, but it’s impressive that she can be a Mum and race at this level. I see she’s not really bringing her kids now to the races anymore. I think that’s the difference, I think it makes it easier for her to only focus on her riding, and she can have focus on the kids during the week. It’s very impressive, and I have a lot of respect for that.
GateDrop: Back in 2019, you got your first podium in Turkey, just how did that feel – it must have felt amazing? Then three years later again in Turkey you got another podium – I think you like that place (laughs)…
Andersen: Yes, I like the track in Turkey. I had my first podium there in 2019, and I was only 18 years old. That season, I really improved a lot, I got faster and faster, and then I finished off the season with my first podium. I was really happy. It was something I actually expected to do before that. I was really happy to finally do it, because I knew I had the speed for a while. But then, the next season, I got injured in the beginning, and I really thought that was my year and I could fight for the title, because I had just finished second.
I was young, and I just thought that now it was going to be my time to shine. I got an injury, and then it took really long to get back mentally and physically. Three years later, I finally got back on the podium again, and that was an even better feeling, because when I did it the first time, of course I was happy, but I expected it to be something that I would do many more times. Then it was three years where I didn’t, and then I came back. That meant a lot to me, to finally be able to come back, and I was really proud of that. A lot of things happened in my career, like my setup and everything, from the first podium to the second podium, so I was really proud to get back on the box.
GateDrop: I guess you want to win and that is a target for you over the next couple of years – to try and stand on that top step of the podium? And what’s the long-term goal/dream?
Andersen: I always dreamed about becoming world champion, but the last few years it’s been tough… I’ve not known if I was going to ride another season. It’s been tough with the sponsors, teams and everything. It’s been one year at a time and just hoping I would get a ride or whatever for the upcoming season. I don’t really have that long-term goal anymore. Now I just enjoy every race because you never know when it’s your last race.
But for sure I want to win, and I work hard to get back and finish off this season good. This year, even though it’s not going to plan in the world championship, I will not get a good position, but I can still get a good result in the last races.
GateDrop: This year, you made the switch to Yamaha, I believe you did ride a Yamaha when you were young but then spent many years with KTM machinery. How did it feel to get back on a Yamaha?
Andersen: It was good. I’m happy to be back on the Yamaha, it was nice to have a change. I was riding Yamaha back in 2016 and 2017, and then I’ve been riding KTM since. I had a really long break and I was not riding for three and a half months, so when I came back on the bike, I didn’t really feel the biggest difference, because I think it would be weird for me to go back on the KTM as well. I just had a long break, and I came back on the bike and I’m happy with it. I was feeling really good. I felt mentally and physically stronger than ever going into this season and had a lot of motivation. I think maybe it also had something to do with just a little bit of change. I was really happy to be back on the Yamaha.
GateDrop: The season started well in Riola but then disaster and an injury in Lugo… that must have been really frustrating for you?
Andersen: Yes, exactly. As I said, I was feeling really good this year. Sardinia was probably the toughest track for me on the calendar that I was not looking forward to it. I’ve never really felt like a sand rider, and I always enjoyed the hard pack way more.
You also see the podiums I’ve made; they’ve been on hard pack. The better results I’ve made in my career have always been on hard pack. Normally, I lost a lot of points when I came to Sardinia, but this year I did really good. I was really impressed with finishing fourth. Only three Dutch girls in front of me who grew up in the sand, so I was really proud and really happy.
I was actually sick the whole weekend and the whole week before, so it was a really tough weekend. But I came out with a better result than I would ever expect. It was nice, and I felt like all the hard work in the off-season paid off. I was really looking forward to giving it my all this season, and I did the whole winter. As I said, I had a long break, and I thought maybe I would stop last season. I didn’t know if I would continue or not, and I made the decision to continue so I just gave it everything. Every training on the bike, off the bike, everything. I was just thinking, this is one last shot, and I’m going to give it everything. I know I did everything I could.
My goal was to finish top three in the World Championship this year, and I felt like I could do it. It was devastating for me when I hit the ground. It was also out of my hands. It was a lapper who lost control and just took my front wheel. Immediately when I hit the ground, I knew my collarbone was broken. It was really hard. All of that hard work, and I knew the season was over. I was leading the Swedish championship, and I knew there was one round the week after, so that championship would be over. Again, the World Championship, which was the most important for me, would also be over. It was really hard to get back. I am slowly getting back now, but it was not fun at all.
GateDrop: You say about not sure about continuing, you are still super young… We don’t have to worry about you quitting in the next couple of years, do we?!
Andersen: I’m afraid so. It’s not easy being a woman in this sport. I have finished inside the top five many times now. We don’t get any money, or at least I don’t, and I think a lot of the other girls also don’t. I’ve always been working or studying on the side. Right now, I also do all the mechanic parts by myself. I go to training by myself and do all of that.
I only have a mechanic for the GP’s, and my dad is helping a little bit at home with the difficult stuff that I can’t do, but all the washing and cleaning of the bike, and changing oil, and all of that basic stuff I have to do, so it’s a lot of time and a lot of hard work. To be a full-time mechanic, you can say, full-time rider, full-time student, all of that, it’s a lot… Finding sponsors is also very hard.
I’ve not really found any this year. I have my team, and they support me, but to travel around, I need sponsors, so for this year, I’ve been riding with the money we got from selling the bikes from previous years, all the KTMs. So, I cannot do that for another year so, it’s hard, and this sport just takes a lot of time and money. You need a lot of people around you also, so it’s not that easy.
GateDrop: I believe you have started riding again and you’ve raced some National races – for the World Championship the plan is to be back in Arnhem?
Andersen: The plan is to be back in Arnhem. I’ve been in Belgium now for one month training, and I was back on the bike before that even. It’s hard getting back, harder than I expected, but the feeling is, it was painful at the beginning, but it’s not painful anymore. It’s just hard to get that good feeling back and feeling like I did before, but it’s slowly coming back. I think I will be ready for Arnhem. I will go racing in Arnhem, and I hope I will be riding like I know I can.
GateDrop: WMX currently gets six rounds… What would the perfect WMX calendar look like for Sara Andersen?
Andersen: For sure, more rounds, because it’s not easy now. If you have one bad race, if you struggle with the bike or just have a big crash or something, you are pretty much out of the championship. So, yeah, more rounds. I would like also not to go to Turkey and Australia when you only have six rounds… Turkey is a good track, but it’s very complicated with all the traveling and getting the bikes there, all the paperwork and all of that. It’s not easy and not cheap.
I would actually prefer to just have more rounds. Before, we were riding a lot in France and Italy and all of those tracks, like Mantova, Trentino and some of the French tracks. I really, really like them, but we’re not really going there anymore. So, just more hard-packed tracks and closer tracks for me, that would be the perfect calendar for me.
GateDrop: The final round in Australia, what is your thoughts on that? I am guessing you won’t even go because of the injury – otherwise would you have gone? Do Infront offer the girls much support to go?
Andersen: My plan was this season to do the first three races, and if I was in a position where I could potentially finish top three, I would definitely do everything I could to get sponsors and get the money to go to all the races this season. But when I crashed, I forgot everything about Australia. I’m not going, and I’m also not going to Turkey. Arnhem will be my last GP.
Infront, I think they offer some support for the girls to go to Australia. I’ve got some emails, but I’ve not really looked too much into them because I know I’m not going anyway. But some kind of support, I think, they give to some girls at least. But it’s far away, and when we only have six rounds, I think it’s a bit stupid for us to go so far and have two rounds that are that expensive. So, I doubt many girls are going to that last round.
GateDrop: I believe you graduated from University this year, what did you study and is it nice that you can now focus 100% on Motocross?
Andersen: I graduated, but only the bachelor’s degree, and I’m going to do a master’s degree.
GateDrop: Oh, you are smart then (laughs)?
Andersen: I hope so, I’m trying to be (laughs). I studied business economics, and my masters degree will be also business economics and auditing. For me, it’s just a summer holiday now, and I will be back studying in September. So, it’s not much of a change at the moment.
GateDrop: So, your partner is pretty decent on a bike too (laughs)… Camden McLellan. I want to know how a Danish girl gets together with a South African who lives in Belgium (laughs)?
Andersen: It does sound a bit weird, I can see that. But, well, he lives in Belgium, and he goes to many of the same races as me and the GP races. So, I just met him at the track. It’s not as weird as it sounds (laughs).
GateDrop: In all seriousness though, I believe you live in Denmark and he’s based in Belgium. So, is that difficult? Are there periods where you don’t see each other that often – that must be quite difficult?
Andersen: Yeah, for sure…there’s both good and bad things about both of us riding. The bad thing is we are both busy racing almost every weekend when I’m not injured, and when I don’t have the summer break, I am also racing at the Swedish championship and national races. So, I also have races every weekend like he has so sometimes we cannot see each other so often. But on the other hand, it’s also nice that we are both kind of in the same boat and understand each other. But sometimes it’s difficult and we cannot see each other that often.
GateDrop: I would assume most of the time you go to Belgium to see Camden? Although I think he did go to a Swedish Championship earlier in the year when you were racing? Has he got himself out to Denmark yet?
Andersen: Yes, he has actually been to Denmark a few times to meet my family. Also, for the New Years, he was in Denmark. I think he’s been there four or five times. He was also with me at the Swedish championship in Uddevalla this year. So, he has also been traveling to me a few times. Of course, I travel more to his races and here to Belgium because he’s busier and he has the team here and I’m just riding by myself. This month I can just put my bike in my van, I can go here, and I can live with him and do my own training. He cannot really do the same when he’s got a team that is based in Lommel.
GateDrop: People on the outside only really get to see Camden on TV or racing out on the track, but what’s Camden like as a person?
Andersen: He’s a really good guy. He is very calm and just easy to be around. He is very caring and just a funny guy. He says he’s a chill guy and I would say that’s true. He’s easy to be around and that’s really nice.
GateDrop: The first time I met Camden was actually the day he won the EMX85 championship at Loket and for me he is pretty much still the same person seven years later. It can be kind of rare for riders that then make it in the GP’s stay the same, but he really is!
Andersen: For sure. He’s very down to earth and he’s not thinking he’s anything that he isn’t. I didn’t know him back then, but I think you’re right. He didn’t change much in that aspect. Of course, he changed as he’s gotten older, more responsible and probably also better at some things. But he is still very nice to everyone and not cocky in any way.
GateDrop: Would you guys do much riding together and off the bike would you do much training together or do you stick to having your own programmes?
Andersen: For sure. We can help each other a lot also with motivation and all of that. We need to have a lot of discipline. There’s training every day so maybe sometimes I’m a bit lazy or the other way around and we can help each other. We do stick to our own programs, but we can go to the gym at the same time and do two different things. So we’ll go to the same tracks, but we do not ride together because also it’s a different level. We don’t get much out of that, so we do train our own programs, but together somehow and that’s really nice.
