Tammy Sessions riding a motorcycle in a pink leather jacket.
HomeEventsBreaking Barriers: Women in Motorcycling

Breaking Barriers: Women in Motorcycling

Tuesday January 13, 2026 @ 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
  • This event has passed.

Celebrate the rich and varied history of motorcycling with Northwest women who have broken boundaries and left storied legacies in their tracks. Join us for this panel discussion full of firsthand accounts of trail adventures, racing achievements, and fights for inclusion while celebrating the joys and thrills of riding from women who have been trailblazing for decades.

ASL Interpretation and CART captioning are available during the program. In addition, a limited number of Assistive Listening Devices are available upon request. For more accessibility support, email programs@mohai.org two weeks before the program.

MOHAI will open at 6pm with Kickstands Up! 125 Years of Motorcycling in the PNW open for attendees until the program begins at 7pm.

This program is produced in partnership with the Pacific Northwest Museum of Motorcycling. Support for this program is provided by the Hugh and Jane Ferguson Foundation.

Register to Attend this Event

Details

Venue

Other

Event Accessibility:
ASL Interpretation, CART Captioning, Assistive Listening Device
Cost:
Sliding Scale: Free-$50
Audiences:
Adults

Speaker Bio

Olivia Pugh

Olivia Pugh

Olivia Pugh grew up in Tacoma, learned to ride motorcycles at age 4 and started racing Hare- scrambles at age 13. In 2024 Olivia qualified for the International ISDE 6-day Enduro race in Spain, the most prestigious and most difficult Enduro race in the world. She raced for team USA and won the gold medal on the women’s club team.

Speaker Bio

Tammy Sessions

Tammy Sessions

Tammy Sessions was born in 1955 in Bellevue and raced her first Desert Cross Country on a 120cc Suzuki in 1968 at Mattawa. That began a life-long love for motorcycles and racing including MotoCross, short track, flat track, and Desert Racing on a fleet of now vintage Pentons, Ossa, Montesa Bultaco and Triumphs. Tammy is still an active motorcyclist and her devotion to two wheels stretches across decades of changes.

Speaker Bio

Inna Thorn

Inna Thorn

For over a decade, Inna Thorn has led the Backcountry Discovery Routes® (BDR®) nonprofit as Executive Director and Vice President of the Board. Based in Seattle, she has devoted her career to mission-driven work and inspiring adventure. A lifelong explorer, Inna once rode from Seattle to Tierra del Fuego on a six-month motorcycle journey—an experience that fuels her passion for helping others discover the world on two wheels.

Speaker Bio

Debbi Selden Pugh

Debbi Selden Pugh

Debbi Selden Pugh started racing motorcycles against men on her 13th birthday. In 1967, while working at her parent’s motorcycle dealership, Debbi started petitioning the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) to let her race professionally. Despite petitions from professional motorcycle racers, the AMA rejected her application due to her sex. Debbi started litigation and took her case all the way to the Supreme Court. She won and was formally presented her professional AMA license in 1972.