Camille Conrad

Camille Conrad carved her path from extreme skiing to motorcycle racing with the same conviction and bravery that once propelled her down terrifying slopes—and she’s racking up podiums faster than most people learn to shift gears.

EARLY YEARS

Details about Camille’s childhood remain largely private, though whispers of “Hollywood genes” suggest a background with at least a touch of glitz[3]. What’s documented is far grittier: she grew up in an environment that shaped what one profile delightfully called her “delicate flower persona”—a tongue-in-cheek reference to a woman who makes her living coaching and teaching on the mountain while spending summers in Truckee doing manual labor, clearing brush to prevent fires[2]. Not exactly the Hollywood starlet trajectory.

Long before she ever threw a leg over a motorcycle, Conrad was a Junior Olympic ski racer who went on to become a professional extreme skier[1][2]. The mountains were her first proving ground, demanding the presence, conviction, and bravery that would later translate seamlessly to two wheels. Her upbringing in this world of high-consequence decisions—where reading terrain and identifying the fastest line could mean the difference between glory and catastrophe—laid the groundwork for everything that followed.

OTHER INTERESTS

Camille’s life outside racing is still deeply rooted in the sport that made her: skiing. She continues to coach and teach on the mountain, work that not only pays the bills (more on that reality later) but keeps her connected to the discipline that shaped her athletic identity[2]. Her summers in Truckee involve the kind of hard physical labor—clearing brush to prevent fires—that most professional athletes would consider cross-training at best, punishment at worst. But for Conrad, it’s just life: funding her racing passion one day of manual labor at a time[2].

The transition from extreme skiing to motorcycle racing wasn’t exactly a straight line. She describes her early relationship with motorcycles as a “dance”—a years-long internal debate of “Should I? Should I not?”[2]. That ambivalence ended abruptly when she hit a deer while riding on public roads. Though she escaped serious injury, the incident scared her enough to make a vow: no more street riding. If she was going to do this, it would be on the track, where the only variables were skill, speed, and nerve[2]. Enter super bike school.

EARLY SUCCESS

Conrad’s first race was exactly as humbling as first races should be: she placed eighth out of nine competitors[1]. But here’s where her extreme skiing background became an unfair advantage. The sport had already trained her to read terrain, identify the fastest line, and commit with conviction even when her brain was screaming abort. By the end of her first racing season, she’d secured three second-place finishes—all within a hair-raising 0.5 seconds of the leader, competing in both men’s and women’s categories[1]. As of those results, she’d only been riding on the track for two years and racing for one[1].

Her progression was meteoric. By September 28, 2023, Conrad podiumed three times at the final AFM series weekend at Thunderhill Raceway Park—two second-place finishes against women, and one against the men[2]. She was competing in CVMA 2023-24 as a Novice and had set her sights on AFM 2024 in the Expert category[1]. The woman who’d been terrified of motorcycles on public roads was now hunting down seasoned racers and damn near catching them.

What makes Conrad’s early success particularly notable is her self-awareness about the learning curve. She’s refreshingly honest about her progression, stating, “This season, my race results showcase my dedication and progression. I placed eighth in my first race, out of nine competitors. I finished the season with three, 2nd place finishes all within .5 seconds of the leader, in both the men and women’s categories”[1]. No inflated claims, no excuses—just the data and a clear trajectory upward.

NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS

• Junior Olympic Ski Racer: Competed at elite youth level before transitioning to professional extreme skiing[1].
• Professional Extreme Skier: Career in high-consequence skiing that developed skills directly applicable to motorcycle racing[1][2].
• 2023: Three second-place finishes in first racing season, all within 0.5 seconds of leader, competing in both men’s and women’s categories[1].
• September 28, 2023: Three podium finishes (all second-place) at Thunderhill Raceway Park in final AFM series weekend—two against women, one against men[2].
• Go Fast Girls Ambassador: Selected to represent organization dedicated to supporting women in motorsports[1].

INSPIRATIONS

Conrad’s inspiration isn’t a racer or a hero—it’s something far more personal and harder to articulate. She describes her relationship with her motorcycle as “kind of analogous to the relationship that I’ve developed with myself,” adding that it’s “a way that I can celebrate not having healed because I understand that that’s a lifetime journey, but it’s a way for me to celebrate kind of how far I’ve come”[2]. This isn’t the typical “I watched this race when I was five” origin story. This is someone who found in racing a mirror for her own internal work, a way to measure growth that has nothing to do with trophies.

Her transition from skiing to racing was shaped by a single visceral moment. She recalls looking down at the pavement while riding and “acknowledging how consequential what we were doing was. And it enlivened me. It was such a sensational feeling to be so close to something so high-consequence”[2]. That’s the thread connecting her two athletic lives: the thrill of consequence, the demand for total presence. She’s drawn to sports where hesitation can be catastrophic and commitment is everything.

Kelly, her riding partner, played a crucial role in immersing her in the super bike racing world[2]. Together, they navigated the steep learning curve of track riding and racing culture. But Conrad’s driving force remains internal—a relentless pursuit of speed and the personal growth that comes with it. As she puts it, “Whether in a race course or skiing a challenging line, skiing demands a combination of presence, conviction and bravery. I believe this to be true across all racing platforms which has made my transition from skiing to racing motorcycles smooth and fast”[1].

REPUTATION

While there’s limited documented commentary from peers and competitors, Conrad’s selection as a Go Fast Girls ambassador speaks volumes about how she’s regarded within the women’s motorsports community[1]. Her racing resume—podiuming against both women and men within her first year—has established her as someone who doesn’t see gender-separated categories as a ceiling but as just one more line to cross.

What’s perhaps most striking about her emerging reputation is the brutal honesty she brings to discussing her progression. There’s no bravado about her eighth-place finish in her first race, no hedging about the 0.5-second gaps that kept her from winning. She’s building a reputation as someone who shows up, does the work, acknowledges the reality, and comes back faster. In a sport often dominated by egos and excuses, that’s its own kind of rebellion.

Media coverage positions her as part of a new wave of women entering motorcycle racing with athletic backgrounds in other high-consequence sports. Her story—extreme skier to motorcycle racer—makes for compelling reading, but it’s her race results that give the narrative teeth. She’s not just an interesting story; she’s a legitimate competitor getting faster with every race.

FUTURE GOALS/PLANS

Conrad’s goals are refreshingly blunt: “to be on the podium and be absurdly fast”[2]. Not just fast—absurdly fast. She’s stated her ultimate objective simply: “to win”[1]. Given that she went from eighth out of nine to consistently finishing second within one season, betting against her seems unwise.

Her approach to achieving these goals is pragmatic, shaped by financial realities that most professional athletes don’t discuss publicly. She’s candid about the fact that there’s “little money in this endeavor until you’re at the top,” funding her racing through her coaching work on the mountain and that summer gig clearing brush[2]. She’s pursuing success with enthusiasm but also with the efficiency of someone who knows every track day costs money she’s earned with a chainsaw and a rake.

Conrad describes each race as “a learning experience and a progression toward my ultimate goal”[1]. She’s driven by the same force that propelled her down mountains: “I am driven and motivated to be as fast as I can and I’m only beginning to develop as a motorcycle racer”[1]. Translation: the woman who’s already beating seasoned competitors thinks she’s just getting started. The field has been warned.

References:

Camille Conrad – Go Fast Girls
Camille Conrad | The Fifty Most Interesting Athletes
The Athlete Chronicles x Camille Conrad – YouTube