LATEST
Elena Myers made racing history Saturday when
she became the first professional woman racer to
win a major event at Daytona International
Speedway.
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4:52
5:59
3:31
AMA Pro rider elbows her way
into the record book with win at Daytona
Elena Myers looks to make some
more history at Barber Motorsports
Park
Elena Myers gets Suzuki
MotoGP chance
Elena Myers to Test Suzuki
GSV-R800
6/05
Elena
wins 125GP at Portland International
Raceway!!!
Elena
Makes 125GP
debut!!
Elena
wins both 125 and 250cc races at
PIR!!
Myers
has rough weekend at USGPRU
Final
BIO
Results
Snippets
Web site www.elenamyers.com
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BIO
I was born: November 21st 1993 in Mt. View,
California
I live in: Northern California with my Mom and Dad
and younger sister Sara
Race influences: Valentino Rossi and John
Hopkins
Hobbies: I have fun hanging out with friends and
playing sports like Basketball and of course,
playing MotoGP on PS2
My favorite music is: Pop
My favorite food is: Italian, Japanese, Mexican,
just about everything
Racing History: Turned Expert in 2004
I first Started riding at the age 8 on a little
50cc minibike my dad got me. I didn't really like
it at first so we sold it and got a couple of
Go-Ped Goquads. After riding around on the mini
karts I got kinda bored so we sold those and that's
when we discovered pocket bikes. My dad started a
pocketbike racing club where we live and I began to
compete. It took me a little while to get used to a
small pocket bike but after a few months of
practice at our local track, we went down to So Cal
where I won my first junior pocket bike race. From
there it was just practice, practice, practice.
That first year of racing I became the PBRN West
Coast junior champion and our club's (WCMRA) junior
champion. In-between the pocketbike racing I got my
first taste of a shifter bike. I got a Kawasaki
KX60 and began to do a little Flat track and
Supermoto racing, which was a lot of fun. After you
learn to shift a bike it's hard to go back to
pocketbikes so it was Motard for me for the next
year. In 2003 I raced in SupermotoUSA's
superlightweight class. For half the year I rode
the KX60 but by mid season we got a brand new
Suzuki RM85. That year I finished 3rd in the
championship against 2 national supermoto champs.
It was a fun season and I learned a lot. I really
love the pavement and it's where I do the best so
for 2004 I began to concentrate more on road
racing. There was a new mini road race club
starting at our local track called the SMRRC so we
joined and I began racing my RM85, which by now was
built up mainly for road racing. I also raced a
Honda XR100 in two classes as well. 2004 was such
an awesome year, I met some great friends and had a
great time. That year I won 3 championships, an
endurance race, and became the youngest female road
racer in American history to ever win a 80cc Expert
title!
Results
Here are the quick stats for my year so far
AFM at Buttonwillow California
600 Superbike-1st place
600 Production-1st place
WERA West at Fontana California
B Superbike-3rd place (on a 250)
WERA West at Las Vegas Nevada
C Superbike-2nd place
C Superstock-1st place
Solo 20 (20 lap race) 1st place
I tried out for the RedBullRookiesCup back in
October of last year. I ended up making the team
but it got cancelled in January. Fortunately,
Kawasaki called us just a couple months later and
wanted me back on their team, and boy, was I
excited to ride for them again!
Now so far this year I've competed on my 2008
Kawasaki ZX-6R twice, one weekend with AFM and the
other with WERA West. The first event was at
Buttonwillow with AFM and it was my first time back
to that track after my get off there last year.
With conditions not being the greatest and with
having to start on the 4th and 5th rows in my two
races, I ended up pulling out two wins and beating
Lenny Hale! One of the two wins was taken away from
me because I had an illegal throttle housing, but
oh well, things happen. I was just there for the
experience and to get more time in race situations.
The next event was at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with
WERA. That was another great weekend with two
victories and a second to the seasoned racer Jeremy
Toye!
Another really cool special event I got to
participate in was the filming of the new Kawasaki
SPEEDtv show called Kawasaki Test Drive and it's
all about the 2009 Ninja ZX-6R. The riding part was
filmed at Barber, which was the part I got to
participate in. It was awesome because not only was
the bike awesome but I got to ride with some pretty
awesome people too including: Jamie Hacking, Jason
Britton and Rickey Gadsen! The show, I believe will
be airing at the end of May. I fell in love with
the new bike, even though it was completely stock!
I can't wait to ride mine at the next event!
That brings up another exciting event taking
place at Miller Motorsports Park and that is the
WERA Nationals on the 22nd-24th of May, as well as
the World Superbike weekend on the 29th-31st of
May! At the WSB races I will be participating in
the GTU filler class, that is being put on by the
Utah Sportbike Assoc. I am super stoked to be
racing in front of such a huge crowd and in front
of the top racers in the world!
AMA Pro rider elbows her
way into the record book with win at Daytona
Elena Myers made racing history Saturday when she
became the first professional woman racer to win a
major event at Daytona International Speedway.
Myers won the closely contested AMA Pro
Motorcycle-SuperStore.com SuperSport race, which
was staged prior to the 71st Daytona 200, won by
Joey Pascarella.
I was crying the whole cool-down
lap, she said. I was crying and that
was ridiculous. Im such a girl. I can get
away with it.
The 18-year-old Myers stayed in the lead group,
forging to the top of the chart on Lap 6 of the
10-lap sprint over Daytonas 3.51-mile Long
Course.
James Rispoli tugged the lead back on Lap 7.
On the final, white-flag lap, Myers found
herself with the lead as she exited the chicane
a quick left turn that separates the
3,200-foot back straightaway from the Turn 3
banking.
She waited a few seconds for another rider to
blow by her for the lead, but there were no takers.
She charged through the gear box to reach maximum
speed in the East Banking and charged to the finish
line.
Nobody got around me so I went to my next
two gears and ended up pulling it off, Myers
said. It was crazy that nobody got around me.
I wasnt expecting to win after leading down
the front stretch.
Myers mentor and bike owner John Ulrich
said Rispoli had a problem with his bike, leaving
Corey Alexander and Hayden Gillim fighting
side-by-side for second place.
Alexander finished second, just a scant .240
seconds behind Myers.
Ulrich said a rider leading out of the chicane
is generally a sitting duck for others to draft
around for the victory.
She led them out of the chicane, which is
normally a recipe for disaster, Ulrich said.
When nobody challenged her, she put her head
down and made a run for it.
She did a really good job. She did a great
job of staying with the lead group and holding her
ground.
It was Myers second career SuperSport
Series victory and had officials from the AMA and
Speedway scrambling through the record books.
They determined Myers had just become the first
female competitor to win a major professional
racing event of any kind at Daytona, which opened
in 1959.
Myers cried in her helmet because she had just
won a major race. She didnt think about the
gender aspect of the victory until she was
interviewed by the media.
I didnt think about the female part
of it until I got to the media center and somebody
asked me about it, she said. I was more
excited to get another win, not just Daytona, but
to get a win. If you can win at Daytona,
thats great.
And, maybe most important, she earned a bit more
respect from her male counterparts, who are known
to throw elbows during these close-quarter
events.
I am just as capable of running up front
and I hope they know that, she said.
Im sure they do but I dont think
they are ready to admit that yet.
They throw elbows at me, but I was
throwing elbows at them. Im not scared to be
aggressive. If they do it to me, I have the right
to do it back.
Myers hopes to make a championship run then
return to compete in the 2013 Daytona 200. Ulrich
says Myers only needs to build endurance to compete
in the grueling, 57-lap race.
I knew she was going to win again,
Ulrich said. I didnt know it was going
to be at Daytona.
Myers realizes she created history Saturday, but
for her, it was a rider winning a race, that just
happened to be at the World Center of
Racing.
Right now I see myself as another
rider, she said. I guess I did
something no other girl has done, so its a
little different to people. Not in my
eyes.
Source: femaleracingnews.com/two-wheels/ama-pro-rider-elbows-her-way-into-the-record-book-with-win-at-daytona
Elena Myers looks to make
some more history at Barber Motorsports
Park
Elena Myers is probably too young to remember
legendary female racers like Janet Guthrie and Lyn
St. James.
The career paths of the 16-year-old high school
student from California and other women in
motorsports were made easier by the trials and
tribulations of Guthrie, St. James and other female
racing pioneers.
But Guthrie and St. James would surely smile at
what Myers has been able to accomplish on a
motorcycle in her first season in the AMA Pro
Series.
Myers became the first woman in series history
to win a race when she won in the Supersport class
at Infineon Raceway in May.
And if that wasnt impressive enough, she
did it with a broken foot,
Yeah, that was pretty awesome, Myers
said of riding her Lucas Oil and
Roadracingworld.com Suzuki GSX R-600 to the top of
the podium, broken foot and all. And what was
really great was winning it on my grandpas
birthday.
Myers is in Birmingham this weekend to compete
in AMAs season finale races at Barber
Motorsports Park, sponsored by the National Guard.
Practice and qualifying begin Friday with races in
each top class on Saturday and Sunday.
Shes hoping to score win No. 2 at the
highly technical track. But she also wants a
legit win, as she described it in an
interview at Infineon.
Her win at Infineon was by the book, but it was
somewhat unusual.
She had passed race leader Joey Pascarella, a
three-time winner, on Lap 9 of the scheduled 18-lap
race. Pascarella passed her back on Lap 10 but then
crashed to bring out the second red flag of the
race.
AMA officials ended the race early due to the
second red flag, but because Pascarella caused the
red flag Myers was declared the winner.
Shell take the win, she said, but I
think the best kind of weekend is the one where you
win the pole, lead every lap and win the
race.
But there was also the matter of the broken
foot.
The whole weekend I was racing with a
broken foot and didnt even know it, she
said of an injury she sustained at Road Atlanta
when she took a spill because of fluid on the
track.
It was just kind of a nightmare
weekend, she said.
By the time she got to Infineon she needed
several injections in her foot to be able to
compete and then special inserts for her racing
boots.
The foot is fine now, she said. It just
needs some resting time.
The Supersport class that Myers competes in is a
development series for younger riders ages 16-21 on
600cc bikes. Her plans for 2011 are still
undecided.
She might move up to AMAs intermediate
class, the Daytona Sportbikes. Eventually, she
said, shed like to compete in MotoGP or maybe
even the much heavier American Superbike class.
Otherwise she plans to return for a second year in
the Supersport class.
At 5-foot-3 and 110 pounds, racing the bigger
bikes might seem an arduous task for her, but she
isnt fazed by the challenge.
I dont think its something I
couldnt do if I want to some day, she
said.
But before that happens she has to finish high
school, which she is scheduled to do in a few
months. And she also wants to be known for more
than just being a female winner.
I dont want to be the fastest
girl, she said. I want to be the
fastest racer.
Elena Myers gets Suzuki
MotoGP chance
The offer was made after 16-year-old Myers was
invited to tour the Rizla Suzuki pit garage during
the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix at Mazda Raceway
Laguna Seca last weekend.
We saw that she was doing quite well over
here on her Suzuki, said Tim Walpole, Rizla
Suzuki MotoGP Press and PR Officer. So we
thought she might like to come by the box and get
to meet the guys and have a look at how we do
things.
It blows my mind that people like that are
kind of looking at me and the AMA stuff, said
Myers, who rides for the Lucas Oil
Roadracingworld.com RMR Suzuki team. To get
this opportunity is a once in a lifetime kind of
thing.
When Myers arrived in Rizla Suzukis
bustling garage, she was introduced to MotoGP racer
Loris Capirossi, who asked a lot of questions about
her racing and then immediately invited her to sit
on one of his GSV-R racebikes.
It felt really small, said Myers,
but everything, all the bars and levers and
pegs were exactly where I wanted it. I was like,
I could ride this thing right out of
here.
It was really cool, especially talking to
Capirossi. I have a lot of respect for the guy but
even more now that Ive talked to him. I
thought he was a really down-to-earth guy. Talking
to him was just crazy, to say the least.
Myers also met Rizla Suzukis MotoGP rookie
Alvaro Bautista, who explained what all the
switches and buttons on the GSV-Rs handlebars
and dashboard did.
After Myers chatted with Bautista, it was time
for the Rizla Suzuki crew to start the warm-up
procedure on one of Capirossis machines, and
they asked for Myers assistance in blipping
the throttle of the 240-horsepower beast.
It was like a 125 almost with the way the
rpm went up so fast, said Myers. Any
movement of the throttle made the revs jump so
fast. Im just speechless about the whole
thing.
While she was visiting the Rizla Suzuki garage,
a couple of different team staffers asked Myers if
she would like to ride one of the GSV-R racebikes
some time, and she thought they were joking.
But Rizla Suzuki Team Manager Paul Denning then
made it clear that he would like to give her an
opportunity to do some laps on one of the bikes,
after the season-ending Grand Prix at Valencia, in
Spain. Denning explained that it wouldnt be a
test, but just a chance for Myers to experience
riding a MotoGP racebike.
If I could ride it that would just be the
most insane thing ever, even if it was for just a
couple of laps. Im just speechless about it,
its so crazy, said Myers.
It was all pretty overwhelming, but
thats where I want to be some day.
And this just makes me want it even more
now. Im going to be motivated no matter what,
but seeing what this is all like makes me want it
even more.
Elena Myers to Test Suzuki
GSV-R800
A 16-YEAR-OLD female American racer is to test ride
Rizla Suzukis GSV-R800 MotoGP racer at
Valencia, as part of the post-2023 season test
schedule.
AMA Supersport race winner Elena Myers will ride
the 240bhp machine after being offered the chance
of a blast during a visit to Rizla Suzukis
pitlane garage at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix.
To get this opportunity is a once in a
lifetime kind of thing, said Myers after she
sat aboard Loris Capirossis bike at the
USGP.
It felt really small, said Myers,
but everything, all the bars and levers and
pegs were exactly where I wanted it.
It was really cool, especially talking to
Capirossi. I have a lot of respect for the guy but
even more now that Ive talked to him. I
thought he was a really down-to-earth guy. Talking
to him was just crazy, to say the least.
Myers admitted to being blown away by the
experience, hinting she would like a future career
in MotoGP.
It was all pretty overwhelming, but
thats where I want to be some day, she
added. And this just makes me want it even
more now. Im going to be motivated no matter
what, but seeing what this is all like makes me
want it even more.
Elena wins 125GP at
Portland International Raceway!!!
12 year old Arclight Racing / UmbrellaGirls USA
sponsored rider, Elena Myers, won her very first
125GP race this past weekend at Portland
International Raceway in Oregon.
After her 4th place finish at the Streets of
Willow track in Southern California this past June,
this Northern California phenom was invited up by
OMMRA to take their new riders novice school and
get her official "Big Track" license. Very excited
about this opportunity, Elena didn't take long to
impress the powers that be when it came time to hit
the track. Immediately she was comfortable with the
very fast and very flat circuit by lapping in the
1:17 range on her very first day, times that are
considered very competitive. However, her best time
of the weekend came on Saturday's practice with a
1:15.8...a time that would have easily put her on
pole for last months USGPRU national!
By race day, Elena was very comfortable and
wasted no time in winning the first 125GP 4
lap-qualifing race by over 10 seconds to secure
pole position for the 10 ap main. Main event time.
When the green flag dropped, Myers got a bad start
and was in third by turn one behind fast locals Rob
Tatom and Mike McDonough. It didn't take long
however, as Elena made her move on lap one around
the outside of Portland's
back straight to grab the top spot, a spot that
she would not relinquish. By the white flag, Myers
had built up a lead of over 20 seconds and cruised
home to take her first GP win! At the awards
ceremony after the race, and as a big bonus, the
President of OMMRA granted her Expert status!
Elena has now officially become the youngest
rider in OMMRA's 33 year history to be granted
"Expert" status. Elena thanked all her great
sponsors and was quoted at the ceremony saying "I
want to thank OMMRA for giving me this great
opportunity and for believing in me, it was an
awesome experience."
6/05
Continuing with her astonishing learning curve,
UmbrellaGirlsUSA sponsored rider Elena Myers took 4
seconds off her best lap time at her most recent
track day at Thunder Hill raceway. Right from the
get go Elena was down into the low 2:05's in her
first session. By the 5th and final session, and
finally with no one in front of her, she knocked
off several
2:03's and then did her best of 2:02.56. These
times would most likely put her on the podium in an
AFM race!
With this being just her 3rd time at the track,
Elena was finally comfortable with not only the
track layout but the bike as well. When asked by
her father after he showed her the time "Well how
did that feel!" she replied "Fine but kinda slow"
she went on to say "What a difference a clear track
makes, I can't believe I did those times."
Stay tuned for some exciting news regarding a
little trip up north, details to follow soon.
Elena Makes 125GP
debut!!
Arclight sponsored rider Elena Myers made her 125GP
debut this past weekend at Willow Springs raceway
in Southern Claifornia. This once a year event held
at the Streets of Willow track was the perfect
venue for this rising stars first outing. Run by
the CMRRA minibike club, the weekend consisted of
all day practice on Saturday and a 2 race/moto
format for Sunday's races. Elena having been used
to tight and twisty circuits had no trouble
figuring out the very fast and very technical 1.8
mile track by lapping in the low 1:28's by the end
of her last practice session. While a few of the
fast guys were already in the 1:26's, Elena felt
confident that by the end of the day she would be
ready for Sunday's event.
Against a field of 16 riders, several of which
were the USGPRU top brass, Elena managed to draw
pole position for race one. Green drops and Elena
holeshots in turn one only to be passed by John
Schendel with a bold out-braking move up the
inside. She held on to second for a few more turns
but was passed again by a few more experienced
riders. Elena turning high 1:27's, managed to hold
on to fifth by the checkers for a second row start
in the main. Main event: Knowing what she had to do
and where she was loosing time, Elena was
determined not to make the same mistakes she had in
the first race. Starting from the second row she
put her head down when the green flew and charged
into turn one in the fifth spot. She nabbed one
rider on the exit to get into the 4th spot and
nearly out-broke the 3rd place rider by turn three.
It was a tight battle up front with all 4 riders
nose to tail.
As the laps wore on the 2 up front, Ben Solis
and John Schendel were battling hard, with Ryan
Ferris and Elena starting to lose touch. White
flag: By now, there was about a 3 second separation
between Ferris and Myers, who was securely in 4th.
As far as the rest of the field goes, they were
pretty much out of it as Elena crossed the line
with one lap to go. Starting to reel Ferris in a
bit for a last ditch effort, Elena managed to close
the gap slightly but it was not enough as she
settled for 4th place at the checkers some 2+
seconds behind Ferris. More than pleased, Myers
managed a best lap time of 1:26.4 seconds, just a
little over a 2 seconds off the 125cc lap
record!!
Elena wins both 125 and 250cc
races at PIR!!
Arclight Racing / UmbrellaGirls USA sponsored
rider, Elena Myers, once again paid a visit to
Portland, Oregon this past weekend for race number
7 of OMRRA's 8 race series. After achieving expert
status with a victory at her first visit, Elena
decided to enter both the 125 and 250GP classes.
Though the 250cc class was fielded with mostly
125's, it was nonetheless a great way to get track
time and work on bike set-up especially since
Saturday's usual all day practice was cut short
with a 4 hour endurance race.
Race day...Greeted with mild weather with temps
in the low 70's, Elena riding her 97 Honda RS125,
again tasted victory in not only the 125GP race but
the 250cc class as well. Myers easily won both 10
lap mains by well over 20 seconds. In the 250 race,
she nearly equalled the 125GP lap record, missing
out by just a few 10ths with a lap of 1:15.1 and
all while running into traffic from OMRRA's usual
multi bike,
multi wave start. This last outing caps off
Elena's phenomenal 125GP debut with three victories
in three starts. Quoting Elena "I wanna say thanks
to all my awesome sponsors, family and fans for the
great support this year, I can't wait till
2006!
Myers has rough weekend at
USGPRU Final
With some last minute sponsors help coming through,
Elena made a decision and decided to do just one
more race to wrap up a great first year of 125GP
racing. The logistics were tough but everyone came
through. Here's how it went.
With limited time to learn a new track and on a
rented bike, Elena was making the most of the two
sessions that she got on Saturday when things went
all wrong.
Myers, who was making her national debut at this
USPRGU final in Texas, struggled with a high speed
crash during qualifying. The USGPRU runs a 20
minute qualifying session to determine grid
positions for the main event. After setting
competitive times on her final lap of her last
practice session, she was ready to qualify. On her
second lap of qualifying she was overtaken on the
outside of turn 6 (a wide open 4th gear turn) when
the over taking rider made contact with her handle
bar sending Elena into a wild tank slapper. She
tried to recover but ran off the track at over
100m.p.h where she cart wheeled herself and the
bike to a stop. Battered and bruised she got up
only to find her bike did not fair as well. With
two swollen knees, some road rash a destroyed brand
new helmet and a destroyed bike, Elena at best,
would have to start at the back of the pack, that
is if we got the bike back together. After icing
down her knees and taking some anti-inflammatories,
Elena went to sleep in hopes of feeling ok for
Sunday's race. We managed to piece back together
the bike with some help from some fellow racers so
by race time, we were ready to go. Elena woke on
Sunday morning with her left knee badly bruised and
swollen the size of a softball. We had some
concerns about whether she would be able to
position herself on the bike as she struggle to fit
into her leathers. After taking some
anti-inflammatories and warming up the area she
mounted the bike and felt she was fit to ride.
Though she only got in one and a half laps of
qualifying she was still gridded in front of 3
other riders as her out lap of 2:05 was used for
her qualification. When the green flag dropped
Elena got a great start and rocketed by both rows
in front of her. By the time she came around for
lap one, she was in 14th position! Unfortunately,
the race was red flagged on the following lap which
meant a total restart from the original grid
position. On the re-start, Elena again got a great
start, this time coming around for lap one in 16th
position. She battled hard and made it up to 15th
going back and fourth with several riders. On lap 9
and in still in 15th position, Elena struggling
with the pain of her injuries, began to fade
slightly as she was passed by two riders when she
made a mistake and ran off the track. She regained
control and found herself back in 18th place where
she conceded to just finish and make it through the
race eventually finishing in that spot.
Though she was upset about the idea of finishing
back so far, we were all very proud of her results.
Elena showed some real courage to get back on and
race after such a high speed get off. At the
official awards ceremony after the races, she was
given a special "Tough Luck" award which cheered
her up. She was also given special consideration
for her efforts and bravery from the president of
the USGPRU.
Elena learned a lot from this past weekend,
about herself and what she is capable of
accomplishing, especially when things don't go her
way. After everything was said and done she still
said she had a good time. After all, that's what
really counts in the end.
Stay tuned for next year!
Photo Courtesy of Keith
Henry
What's up for 2006?
Well, it's a new year and I'm on a new team,
Roadracing World.com's team 'Kids: Don't Smoke!'.
I'll be racing my RS125 GP bike in the WERA West
series along with selected West Coast USGPRU
national events. It's going to be an exciting new
year with a great team and opportunity. I want to
thank John for believing in me and giving me this
chance of a lifetime. Stay tuned for some great
results!
Snippets
Elena Myers looks to make some more history
at Barber Motorsports Park.
* * *
Twelve-year-old Elena Myers at wins both the 125
and 250cc races at Portland International
Raceways.
* * *
Pigtails. Photo courtesy of Bob
Pengraph
* * *
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