Double victory for talented teenage off-road racer

Collon's Holly Dennis received the titles of 2023 Proride Enduro and Proride Extreme Ladies Champion last weekend.

The 13-year-old off-road motor bike racer competed in the final rounds of both the Proride Enduro and Proride Extreme, ladies category in Northern Ireland.

The championships began with the first round in January. The Proride Enduro consists of six rounds over the year while the Proride Extreme consists of three.

The final rounds which took place on Saturday, 4th November saw five competitors for the Enduro race, including Holly, while the Extreme race featured only Holly. Throughout the competition the other Extreme racers had dropped out before competing in the final round. Holly's determination was evident in how she stuck it out until the end and came out on top for both championships.

Speaking about her experience, Holly said: "Never ever did I think that I’d tackle some parts of the courses or get around but I was determined to keep going no matter how hard or how many times I fell or slipped off, I just kept pushing on. I can seriously say this has been a truly fabulous experience for me."

Not only did Holly have the support of her parents Debbie and Alan but also the local community. Leading up to the competition Holly held many fundraisers to fund her racing career, one of which was a poker run which involves participants to visit five to seven checkpoints, drawing a playing card at each one and returning with the best poker hand at the end.

Holly also got great support from her two sponsors TwoTwo95 Designs and Clear Cut Marketing.

“Without their support I wouldn’t have achieved a double victory to get the ladies Extreme Proride championship and the ladies Proride Enduro championship. I’m over the moon."

She added: "I’m going to reflect and look forward to see what we can do in 2024."

Holly's lust for the sport came from growing up watching her father Alan successfully race while winning several major titles.

From the age of four, Holly was yearning for a racing licence to take part in competitions just like her dad. The moment she turned six, the legal age for a licence, she got one and competed in her first race on her very own pink PW50. She finished 10th in the Milverton Stubble Championship and her passion just grew from there.

Fast forward seven years later and Holly holds three champion titles, the two she achieved over the weekend and the Bigwheel Enduro Ladies Champion Wales, which she achieved earlier this year.