Before everybody bags too hard on your boyfriend, let me say maybe he has judged your skill and thinks you're ready for a little competition. But that's not the issue here. If you don't feel comfortable racing, don't do it, but if you think you can and he thinks you can, go for it!
That said, I think racing is the most fun thing I have ever done. You will get a few practice laps so you will have an opportunity to run the track with other people on it before you line up at the gate.
RELAX. This is fun. Do remember that we all ride because we enjoy it. Try your darndest, but don’t expect to win—and don’t be embarrassed, or angry or frustrated, if you don’t. The women’s class is the most forgiving class to race since MOST women (there are plenty of exceptions) aren’t as brutal and are way more cautious—don’t sign up for the 80, supermini or open beginner classes. You will get run over in the carnage.
There are no cc divisions in the women’s class, There will be gals on all type of bikes. I don’t know about your area, but around here, 125s and YZ 250Fs are the most popular choices. I ride a KTM 200 and will race it for my first time soon. I raced the XR200 I used to have a few times before I sold it—harescrambles, indoor "rough scrambles" (a small easy track) and one arenacross on a friend’s BBR. I personally am not a great rider and don’t expect to win myself—I just go out there so I can say "Yeah, I race."
I am assuming you have ridden on this track, or a track, before and have watched mx races before. Are you familiar with the race format? Every track, depending on time frame and class sizes, does things different. There may be 2 motos or you may just have one. You may be in a combined class with Supermini, or vets or oldtimers, or some other smaller class if there aren’t enough women for a full gate. Make sure you know what moto you’re in and if it is a 2-moto format, check again after halftime since the order might change. Be geared up, warmed up and on the line at least 3 motos before you start.
Holding your line is excellent advice. Don’t worry about what the person behind you is going to do—just ride at your own pace and let them pass where they want to.
Don’t worry about going big over the jumps. You’ll lose way more time if you take a jump and eat it and have to get up and re-start your bike than you will if you roll it. Concentrate on corners and whoops—these are excellent places to pass and far less dangerous than jumping. Many people concentrate on jumping since it is so COOL but if you can scream through the whoops and rail the corners, you’ll be able to take them.
Go at your own pace. Challenge yourself, don’t just putt, but don’t ride out of your limits because you can get hurt. You can get hurt that way just out fun riding but in a race, there are other people who might not be able to avoid you if you ride like a squid and are all over the place. If you fall down, get up and get your bike off the track as soon as you can to get out of the way, then restart and get going again. Don’t worry about what other people think or say.
I love racing and can’t wait til I can get the new scoot—which totally screams—out there and see what it can do. I’ve only had it 2 weeks and I already can turn faster laps than on my old bike. Is your boyfriend racing too or is he going to be able to help you out? Have fun, good luck, and e-mail me if you have any other questions.