Matthews, Debbie
Name/Title
Matthews, DebbieDescription
Debbie Matthews has spent her life contributing to motorcycling, and has done so by serving in — and excelling in — almost every role the sport has to offer to increase opportunities for women riders. Known for her smooth and effortless racing style, Matthews set the record for longest consecutive pro and amateur career in women’s motocross, when she raced for 27 years. During her career, she set an additional record for placing in the top 15 of the national rankings for women’s professional motocross every year from 1977–1997. Amidst her racing career, Matthews was recruited by the U.S. Women’s Motocross Team to serve as their promotion/race director in 1994. That same year, she worked with Danny Thompson to create “Stadiumcross” for women. In 1996, she continued her impact by co-founding the Women’s Motocross League (WML). Continuing down the path of innovation, Matthews worked with the AMA and several groups to create the first women’s professional outdoor national motocross series championship — which would run in conjunction with the men’s series — in 1997. Matthews also worked on behalf of women riders when she met with AMA Congress and drove the change to give women “A” Rider classification for the first time in history. When Matthews retired from the WML in 1999, she dedicated herself to the promotion, marketing and teaching of women’s motocross. Recognizing Matthews’ work promoting women’s motocross, announcer Erv Braun described her as the “Godmother of Women’s MX.” In 2012, Matthews was awarded the Lifetime Appreciation Award for her commitment as a women’s advocate, and in 2021 was inducted into the Hot Shoe Hall of Fame. In 2014, Matthews founded the Professional Organization of Women’s Racing (POWR), which generated the largest Women’s Pro Purse & Bonus program in the history of women’s motocross.Category
Class of 2024