LANEXA — At just 18 years old, Brianna Cutler of Lanexa is already making waves in her rookie season with MotoAmerica on the competitive motorcycle racing circuit.
Cutler may be new to racing, but she has spent her life around anything with wheels.
“I have always been surrounded by motorsports, horsepower, anything with wheels. When I was four, I got my first four-wheeler, I drove it into a ditch and I got it taken away until I was seven. When I got it back, I always loved driving,” Cutler said.
On the same day she received her car learner’s permit, Cutler also earned her motorcycle permit. Watching his daughter drive around on her motorcycle, her father proposed a visit to a local track where she could ride with other motorcyclists.
There, Cutler encountered other female motorcyclists and learned of the MotoAmerica Build, Train, Race program. After an extensive application process, Cutler was accepted into the program and has since started her first season.
“The Build, Train, Race program was created by Royal Enfield when they decided to form a team to compete in MotoAmerica. It’s an initiative of all women, where you build your own motorcycle, they train you on how to be a professional racer, and then you race for two years at MotoAmerica events,” Cutler explained.
At 18, Cutler is the youngest woman to earn a spot in the program.
“It’s not just about your speed. I know they have turned down people faster than me. They are looking for somebody that can be a racer, be a good brand ambassador and promote Royal Enfield, but also someone who can be a good teammate, a good competitor, and friend and have the emotional intelligence to be able to balance all of that. I was just so honored to be selected for this program,” Cutler said.
With her rookie season now underway, Cutler knows exactly the legacy she wants to leave with the sport.
“If you go to any other tent in the racing paddock, if you go to a MotoAmerica race and you look around, you are going to see the motorcycle riders sitting in a chair because their job is to ride. Then you’ll see mechanics swarming and working on the bikes. With Build, Train, Race, it’s our responsibility. We built these bikes from a stock model straight off the dealership,” Cutler said.
When the Build, Train, Race team is not competing, Cutler says that the group is the best of friends. But on the track? Watch out.
“When I’m under the tent, I’m Brianna Cutler. But as soon as my visor goes down, I’m number 35. There is no, ‘oh, she was having a bad day, I’ll let her pass me.’ I’m here and I want to win,” Cutler said.
When she isn’t on the road competing, Cutler is balancing school, where she is majoring in funeral sciences at Brightpoint Community College.
“I love history. I think it is the most fascinating thing in the world. I really enjoy learning about people and I’ve always been drawn to the people that have just lived normal, every day lives. You would think working with death, it’s not a positive career, but every day you get to go to work and hear the best things about people. You get to hear all these things about the people that lived in your community have accomplished and it’s really cool to be able to do that,” Cutler said.
Her inspiration? “Live your eulogy.”
“It really gives me an opportunity to reflect on how I want to be remembered. What do I want to do? What impact do I want to make? And how do I want people to speak about me at my funeral? It’s a chance for me to really think inward,” Cutler said.
At every race, Cutler hopes to inspire the next generation of motorsport athletes.
“When I was little, there were not a lot of girls to look up to in motorsports. I thought that I had to get rid of any feminine stuff. I hated pink growing up because I equated motorsports to acting like a man and that it was the only way to be successful in it. As the sport has grown and more women are getting into it, it gives the current little girls examples and you realize that you don’t have to throw away your femininity just to be successful. I love dressing up, I love doing my hair, I love makeup, and that doesn’t make me any less of a racer than somebody else,” Cutler said.
Cutler has raced all around the country, but in August, she will race at the Virginia International Raceway as part of the MotoAmerica Superbikes at Virginia event.
To learn more about Cutler and her racing journey, follow her on Instagram.