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Rachael Archer: “It’s a really tough sport on your body, and even mentally”.
New Zealand has an enviable global reputation for producing world-class four-wheel and two-wheel racers who excel at the international level.
Some become household names, others quietly win championships with little or no recognition back home.
Rachael Archer sits firmly in the latter category, and her record suggests she deserves
much more attention than she gets.
The Waikato-born off-road racer has won three consecutive American Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) women’s championships on top of a national enduro title, finished runner-up at the International Six Days Enduro (ISDE) and, in October this year, helped New Zealand secure fourth place at the 2026 world ISDE championship in Portugal.
And she finished fifth in the individual category.
“It was pretty testing conditions, real dry and dusty,” Archer told the Herald.
“It was just really dangerous conditions, and I struggled a bit in the dust, especially on the first couple of days.
“We had to start at the back because we didn’t have a women’s team the year before. It was just really hard trying to get through traffic. Once you caught two or three riders, you literally couldn’t see anything.
“I was really proud of the girls. Being their first time competing in that event, it’s a real tough event.”
Archer made her name in enduro off-road motorcycle racing in America after moving to the US fulltime in 2019. She finished fourth in her first GNCC season, runner-up in 2020 and 2021, then broke through to win the Women’s Cross Country premier class (WXC) championship in 2022.
Archer successfully defended the title in 2023 and 2024, establishing herself as one of the best female cross-country racers in the world.
She also claimed the 2024 AMA National Enduro women’s championship, completing a rare American championship double.
GNCC events regularly attract hundreds of competitors, with Archer racing among amateur male and female riders through courses including forests, deep mud, rocks and steep climbs.
“There were races I did where there were like 950 people in there, and you’re having to lap people three or four times. You had all the amateur riders mixed in there as well including the men.
“I actually won a few races outright. I had a really awesome career and I loved it. But at the same time, it was quite isolating, and it’s hard being a woman in a sport like that.
“I had a 40-foot caravan that I lived in and I would drive all around on my own with my dog,” said Archer.
While travelling across America and at times worried about her personal safety, Archer even carried a pistol.
The physical demands of racing off-road were relentless and contracting Epstein-Barr virus added another complication.
Fortunately, she found support from fellow racer Stu Baylor, who had experienced the same illness.
“I was lucky enough that I had some really good doctors around me, and one of my teammates at the time, Stu Baylor, helped me through it a lot because he also struggled with it.
“It’s a really tough sport on your body, and even mentally. A lot of pros I know have struggled mentally.
“You get on this high and you’re addicted to winning, and you’re always chasing that high. It can be really high highs and really low lows. Sometimes when you get on the low spot, it’s hard to enjoy it because you’re always chasing that high,” she said.
Motherhood eventually changed her priorities.
The arrival of her son Archie prompted a move from fulltime American competition despite another year remaining on her Kawasaki contract.
“Archie wasn’t planned. I was supposed to do another year on my Kawasaki contract, but Archie came along and it changed things a bit.
“I’d had a really good career and I was sort of ready to hang up the boots, I guess, and settle down a bit and move back home.
“We then decided to move to Australia to buy a farm.
”I got the opportunity to do a few rounds of Australian enduro this year, and I ended up winning [two AusEnduro rounds], so that was pretty epic, being months postpartum,” she said.
The financial burden placed on riders representing New Zealand internationally annoys Archer, though.
She received only about $500 in assistance from Motorcycling New Zealand (MNZ) and had to set up a Givealittle page, which raised about $12,000 to help meet the considerable cost of competing in Portugal.
“It was actually really tough for me because I didn’t have any financial backing. It was pretty awesome to see how many people donated. I ended up raising like 12 grand.
“That covered flights and things for me and my partner and my baby, but it just costs so much to do that race.
“If I was to do it again, I’d need a decent amount of backing,” said Archer.
MNZ publicly supported the team’s campaign saying: “MNZ, alongside FIM Oceania and dedicated fund raising efforts, contributed over $35,000 towards this year’s ISDE campaign”.
“We remain deeply proud of our riders and are committed to supporting them as they represent New Zealand on the world stage.”
However, Archer’s experience raises legitimate questions about the financial assistance available to elite riders.
Archer is now enjoying life on a 120ha Australian cattle property with her partner and young son, combining farming, work and motherhood with the occasional motorcycle race.
“You’ll never take that [motorcycle racing] away from me. I absolutely love it. I’ve grown up with it, and I just love the thrill. There’s nothing you can compare it to,” she said.
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