16-Year-Old Gray Leadbetter Signs With Monster Energy Sponsored Greaves Motorsports.
MORGANTON, N.C., March 10, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Sixteen-year-old Gray Leadbetter has taken a major step in her professional career, joining the Monster Energy sponsored Greaves Motorsports Team.
Led by off-road legend, Johnny Greaves, the Wisconsin-based team is a dominant force in short-course, off-road racing. With 80-plus wins, the 54-year old Greaves is the winningest driver ever in the short-course format. His accomplishments include 10 championships and a 301-foot jump that earned him a World Record in 2009.
Fortifying the team's dominance is Greaves' 25-year-old son, CJ. This second-generation driver started racing motocross at a young age, but his career took off when he switched to four wheels at age 14. CJ took 2nd place in his first Super Buggy race and went on to win the championship. With 11 championships to his credit, CJ has established himself as one of the most talented drivers in off-road racing.
Leadbetter represents a new generation of determined, female racers who are proving that they can go head-to-head with the men in this male-dominated sport – and win. Last year, she became the youngest driver and first woman to win a Champ Off-Road Sportsman SXS race. She did it convincingly with a dramatic last lap pass after starting 14th.
"We are thrilled to have Gray join our Monster Energy team," says Johnny Greaves. "We've worked closely with her during the past few years and we're confident that she will be a formidable addition to the team."
Leadbetter is the first racer in her family. Dad, Steve, bought her a battery-powered car when she was three, but it bored her. So, he bought a 50cc dirt bike, "And she just took off," says Steve. "And she hasn't stopped since."
By five, she was racing motorcycles and eventually progressed into karts, UTVs, Legends and Mini-Outlaw Sprints. In 2019, she joined the Dreyer-Rienbold Team as the youngest driver and only woman competing in Americas Rallycross Series.
As a member of the Monster Energy Greaves Motorsports Team, Leadbetter will be competing in a 200 hp Yamaha SXS ProMod that weighs just 1850 pounds. Of course, she'll probably be the only woman and one of the youngest competitors in the field. "But I don't even think about that," says Leadbetter. "I'm used to it."
Follow Gray at: grayleadbetter.com
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SOURCE Gray Leadbetter Racing
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