Wikipedia Bio / Profile Background
Introduction :
- Melissa Kennedy is a Northern Irish motorbike road racer.
- She has also recently made history as the first female racer to win an Irish National Race.
Personal Life, Parents and Family Details :
- Melissa Kennedy was born in 1991 in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland.
- She has a brother, Wayne Kennedy.
- Melissa’s father Trevor bought Melissa her first bike when she was only fourteen years old. From then on, Melissa was hooked.
- She comes from a line of racers: her grandfather, her father, and her older brother Wayne. Melissa frequently attended her brother Wayne’s races when she was growing up, and her own passion for racing did not wane in the wake of her brother’s retirement from racing.
- Melissa’s mother is scared of her daughter’s career in racing, but she always attends her races despite not being able to bring herself to watch them. Melissa’s brother Wayne is also worried about her racing, but her biggest supporter remains her father, who is always there with her. Her pre-race ritual involves getting a tap on the back from her father Trevor Kennedy once her visor is down.
- Melissa is currently dating fellow racer Gary Dunlop who is racing for Joey’s Bar Honda and is the current Irish Champion.
- She continues to reside in her native Enniskillen.
Career, Income, Salary and Net Worth :
- Melissa has been road racing for many years. Her debut came in 2013, when she participated in the 125cc/Moto 3 race at the Ulster.
- Since then, Melissa has been on the podium in an impressive amount of races within various competitions, and has won several too.
- In 2017, she achieved seventy-nine points in the Duke Road Racing Rankings which had her qualifying 160th.
- Also in 2017, Melissa achieved forty-one points in the 125cc/Moto 3 category of the Irish Road Race Championships, which had her ranking seventh.
- In 2018, she jumped up to fifty-eighth in the Duke Road Racing Rankings, where she achieved 169 points.
- The same year she also jumped up to fourth place in the Irish Road Race Championship 125cc/Moto 3 ranking, where she achieved forty-five points.
- In September 2019, Melissa became part of Irish road racing history when she won the East Coast Festival Irish National race in Killalane, north of Dublin.
- She is currently racing on a KNR Honda in her Moto 3 125cc category.
Interesting Facts, Height and Trivia :
- Melissa considered quitting racing in 2016 after her friend, fellow racer Malachi Mitchell-Thomas, was killed due to injuries sustained in the North West 200 race in May 2016. She has stated that the memory of her friend made her keep going throughout the shock and the grief of his loss[3].
- She was awarded the Woolsey Coalter scholarship during the NDM Aprilia Championship.
- Melissa had a difficult road racing season in 2018, but her 2019 season has been very successful, with her win at Killalane and her podium finishes at Armoy and Kells.
- She loves the Armoy circuit, which she considers technically enjoyable.