Elena Myers
Encyclopedia
Elena Myers is the first female motorcycle racer to win a race in the 76 year history of American Motorcyclist Association
(AMA) Pro Racing. Myers won Race 1, Round 4 of the 2010 season
of the AMA Supersport Championship
at Infineon Raceway
in Sonoma, California
on 15 May 2010. The AMA Supersport West series is limited to riders ages 16–21 riding close to stock 600 cc displacement
sport bike
s.
The race was supposed to be a duel between East Division points leader Cameron Beaubier and three time Western Division winner Joey Pascarella. Myers, riding a Suzuki GSX-R600
, began in 8th position on the starting grid, and advanced to 5th place shortly after the start of the race. Myers' team took advantage of a red flag on lap seven, when Jake Gagne went off the track in turn 9, to make adjustments to the bike to improve traction, as Myers explained, "I got a pretty good start but my tire started going off a little bit on the fifth lap and it was kind of hard to stay with the guys up front, but we had the first red flag. I came in and we made a couple changes." On lap ten, of 18 scheduled laps, Myers was in second place when the race was red flagged for the second time. She had been in first in lap 9, but was passed in lap 10. The red flag was caused by the new leader, Joey Pascarella of the LTD Racing Yamaha team, having a high side
crash, at which time the race was called, securing first place for Myers, because officials determined lap 9 would be the final one of the race. The race was not allowed to run the full 18 laps because cleaning up the track and restarting would have put the day's program too far behind schedule. Myers described interval between the first and second red flags by saying, "I got a good restart off the front row and made some moves. I felt like I was getting a little bit closer to the leader with about eight or nine laps to go. He ran a little wide and I took advantage of it to take the lead. I came around the next lap and the red flag was shown again."
After winning Race 1, she placed 5th in Race 2 at Infineon Raceway. With four rounds complete, six rounds remain in the 2010 season, and Myers has total of 92 points for the season, putting her in second place for the championship. Pascarella, with 137 points, is still in a strong first place.
Elena Myers might be the youngest female ever to enter the AMA circuit. In 2007, at age 13, she was the youngest rider under contract with Kawasaki Team Green. She had a manufacturer's contract three years before she was old enough for a drivers license.
, then progressed to mini bikes, then to supermoto
. In 2006, at age 11, Myers raced on John Ulrich's Team Roadracing World in the United States Grand Prix Racers Union (USGPRU) National Series 125 cc class and won her first race, riding a 1997 Honda RS125 GP
. She then gained sponsorship assistance from Kawasaki and Road RacingWorld.com's "Kids: Don't Smoke!" program. She also had sponsorship from Umbrella Girls USA, a modeling agency for paddock girls
. In 2008, riding a Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R
, she won a Western-Eastern Roadracers' Association (WERA) national race, and had several podium finishes. She was racing as amateur against adults since age 11, but as professional competes in league for teenagers. When she was 11, Ulrich had promised to take Myers to Daytona International Speedway
when she was 16, the minimum age to turn pro. As promised, she made her professional debut at Daytona on March 11, 2010.
Myers lives in Discovery Bay, California
, and trains at the Stockton Motorplex, where she first began on pocket bikes, at the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds, which is managed by her father, Matt. Matt Myers is a former amateur motorcycle racer who ran the Stockton Mini Road Racing Club.
through California's Liberty High School District, at Independence High School in Brentwood, California
. She is a student, and will graduate a year early, in June 2010. Myers says that not going to a traditional high school means that, "I miss out on dances and stuff, but who cares about that — I race motorcycles!"
Her father was her coach and mechanic in the early years, but now has a diminishing role. "I look forward to showing up and just watching from the stands," he said. Currently, Myers gets advice from AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame
inductee Jimmy Filice, and racer Chris Ulrich of Team RoadRacing World is a mentor. She is also receiving instruction from Jason Pridmore's STAR Motorcycle School. Team owners are Richie Morris and John Ulrich.
In 2010 she has several more sponsors, including Pirelli
. Myers' family had realized being female helped her get noticed. Some of the advertisements created by her sponsors Kawasaki and Pirelli emphasize her youth and gender to draw attention. Suzuki
colored their home page pink in honor of her victory riding their GSX-R600 motorcycle.
Myers, at 5 in 3 in (1.6 m) tall and weighing 116 lbs, is aware of the perception that women lack the upper body strength for 600-class motorcycles with minimum weights of 365 –, says that, "it's more of a mental game." Virginia Meyers, Elena's grandmother, was worried about the risks but was reassured after seeing her ride. She had crashed several times as of 2007, the worst injury up to then being a broken finger. In a 2008 crash she was pinned under her bike, and suffered burns, a concussion, and a lacerated spleen. Of that crash, she said, "I wanted to go out and train so much. They told me to wait six weeks, and I waited three." On the morning of her victory at Infineon Raceway, she had taken shots of cortisone
and Lidocaine
for foot pain. Her parents, aware of the risks, won't allow her to go too far, while still pursuing her goals, explains her mother, Anita Myers, "she's very well balanced and just trying to take advantage of the opportunities that she has."
Myers goals are to graduate to the AMA Daytona Sportbike Championship class for the 2011 season, which would normally be the result of winning the 2010 AMA Pro SuperSport Championship. In the longer term she has her sights on the premier motorcycling class, MotoGP
. Kawasaki's senior media relations coordinator Jeff Herzog said in 2007, "I think she's the fastest female road racer in (the United States), and she hasn't had a chance to stretch her wings yet."
American Motorcyclist Association
The American Motorcyclist Association is an American not-for-profit organization of more than 300,000 motorcyclists that organizes numerous motorcycling activities and campaigns for motorcyclists' legal rights...
(AMA) Pro Racing. Myers won Race 1, Round 4 of the 2010 season
2010 AMA Pro Supersport Championship season
The 2010 AMA Pro Supersport Championship season was the second running of the AMA Supersport Championship. Title sponsors for the series include Sunoco, Amsoil, National Guard, Dunlop, Speedcom and SunTrust. Tyler O'Hara became Top Gun champion in a final round shootout, in which the champion was...
of the AMA Supersport Championship
AMA Supersport Championship
AMA Supersport is the 600cc class for AMA motorcycle racing, held from 1988. The current national champion is Graves Motorsports' Ben Bostrom who succeeded the younger brother of Nicky and Tommy, Roger Lee Hayden....
at Infineon Raceway
Infineon Raceway
Infineon Raceway, formerly Sears Point Raceway, is a road course and drag strip located on the landform known as Sears Point in the southern Sonoma Mountains near Sonoma, California, USA. The course is a complex series of twists and turns that go up and down the hills...
in Sonoma, California
Sonoma, California
Sonoma is a historically significant city in Sonoma Valley, Sonoma County, California, USA, surrounding its historic town plaza, a remnant of the town's Mexican colonial past. It was the capital of the short-lived California Republic...
on 15 May 2010. The AMA Supersport West series is limited to riders ages 16–21 riding close to stock 600 cc displacement
Engine displacement
Engine displacement is the volume swept by all the pistons inside the cylinders of an internal combustion engine in a single movement from top dead centre to bottom dead centre . It is commonly specified in cubic centimeters , litres , or cubic inches...
sport bike
Sport bike
A sport bike, also written as sportbike, is a motorcycle optimized for speed, acceleration, braking, and cornering on paved roads, typically at the expense of comfort and fuel economy in comparison to less specialized motorcycles...
s.
The race was supposed to be a duel between East Division points leader Cameron Beaubier and three time Western Division winner Joey Pascarella. Myers, riding a Suzuki GSX-R600
Suzuki GSX-R600
The GSX-R600 is a 600 class sport bike in Suzuki's GSX-R series of motorcycles.- History :1992–1993Launched with a water-cooled 599cc inline-4 engine. The first model had the same body specifications as the 1992 GSX-R750, with the smaller engine and carried over through to the 1993 model year with...
, began in 8th position on the starting grid, and advanced to 5th place shortly after the start of the race. Myers' team took advantage of a red flag on lap seven, when Jake Gagne went off the track in turn 9, to make adjustments to the bike to improve traction, as Myers explained, "I got a pretty good start but my tire started going off a little bit on the fifth lap and it was kind of hard to stay with the guys up front, but we had the first red flag. I came in and we made a couple changes." On lap ten, of 18 scheduled laps, Myers was in second place when the race was red flagged for the second time. She had been in first in lap 9, but was passed in lap 10. The red flag was caused by the new leader, Joey Pascarella of the LTD Racing Yamaha team, having a high side
Highsider
A highsider or highside is a type of motorcycle accident characterized by sudden & violent rotation around the long axis of the motorcycle in the direction of travel...
crash, at which time the race was called, securing first place for Myers, because officials determined lap 9 would be the final one of the race. The race was not allowed to run the full 18 laps because cleaning up the track and restarting would have put the day's program too far behind schedule. Myers described interval between the first and second red flags by saying, "I got a good restart off the front row and made some moves. I felt like I was getting a little bit closer to the leader with about eight or nine laps to go. He ran a little wide and I took advantage of it to take the lead. I came around the next lap and the red flag was shown again."
After winning Race 1, she placed 5th in Race 2 at Infineon Raceway. With four rounds complete, six rounds remain in the 2010 season, and Myers has total of 92 points for the season, putting her in second place for the championship. Pascarella, with 137 points, is still in a strong first place.
Elena Myers might be the youngest female ever to enter the AMA circuit. In 2007, at age 13, she was the youngest rider under contract with Kawasaki Team Green. She had a manufacturer's contract three years before she was old enough for a drivers license.
Amateur racing
Myers began riding at age 8, with the help and encouragement of her parents. She began with pocketbike racingPocketbike racing
Pocket Bike racing, also known as Minimoto or circus racing, is a category of racing where miniature racing motorcycles are raced around kart tracks...
, then progressed to mini bikes, then to supermoto
Supermoto
Supermoto is motorcycle racing on a circuit that alternates between three types of track: flat track, motocross and road racing, using motorcycles designed for that purpose...
. In 2006, at age 11, Myers raced on John Ulrich's Team Roadracing World in the United States Grand Prix Racers Union (USGPRU) National Series 125 cc class and won her first race, riding a 1997 Honda RS125 GP
Honda RS125
The RS125 is a race motorcycle built by the Honda Racing Corporation for the Grand Prix motorcycle racing's 125 cc class. The motorcycle debuted in 1988 season.-World Champions with the Honda RS125:...
. She then gained sponsorship assistance from Kawasaki and Road RacingWorld.com's "Kids: Don't Smoke!" program. She also had sponsorship from Umbrella Girls USA, a modeling agency for paddock girls
Paddock Girls
Paddock girls is a term that has been used in professional motorcycle racing for many years. It refers to young women employed to hold umbrellas above racers to protect them from the sun...
. In 2008, riding a Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R
Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R
The Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R is a Kawasaki 600 class sport motorcycle.It was introduced in 1995, and has been constantly updated throughout the years in response to new products from Honda, Suzuki, and Yamaha...
, she won a Western-Eastern Roadracers' Association (WERA) national race, and had several podium finishes. She was racing as amateur against adults since age 11, but as professional competes in league for teenagers. When she was 11, Ulrich had promised to take Myers to Daytona International Speedway
Daytona International Speedway
Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. Since opening in 1959, it has been the home of the Daytona 500, one of the most prestigious races in NASCAR. In addition to NASCAR, the track also hosts races of ARCA, AMA Superbike, Grand-Am and Motocross...
when she was 16, the minimum age to turn pro. As promised, she made her professional debut at Daytona on March 11, 2010.
Myers lives in Discovery Bay, California
Discovery Bay, California
Discovery Bay is a census-designated place in extreme eastern Contra Costa County, California in the United States about from San Francisco. As of 2010, its population was 13,352....
, and trains at the Stockton Motorplex, where she first began on pocket bikes, at the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds, which is managed by her father, Matt. Matt Myers is a former amateur motorcycle racer who ran the Stockton Mini Road Racing Club.
Professional career
Elena Myers does weightlifting and cardio training at the gym, and travels around the US to races. She takes independent studiesIndependent study
Independent study is a form of education offered by many high schools, colleges, and other educational institutions around the world. It is sometimes referred to as directed study...
through California's Liberty High School District, at Independence High School in Brentwood, California
Brentwood, California
Brentwood is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States. It is located in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. The population is 51,481 as of 2010....
. She is a student, and will graduate a year early, in June 2010. Myers says that not going to a traditional high school means that, "I miss out on dances and stuff, but who cares about that — I race motorcycles!"
Her father was her coach and mechanic in the early years, but now has a diminishing role. "I look forward to showing up and just watching from the stands," he said. Currently, Myers gets advice from AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame
Motorcycle Hall of Fame
The Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum is an offshoot of the American Motorcyclist Association that recognizes individuals who have contributed to motorcycle sport, motorcycle construction and motorcycling in general. It displays motorcycles and riding gear and memoribilia. The museum is located in...
inductee Jimmy Filice, and racer Chris Ulrich of Team RoadRacing World is a mentor. She is also receiving instruction from Jason Pridmore's STAR Motorcycle School. Team owners are Richie Morris and John Ulrich.
In 2010 she has several more sponsors, including Pirelli
Pirelli
Pirelli & C. SpA is a diverse multinational company based in Milan, Italy. The company, the world’s fifth largest tyre manufacturer, is present in over 160 countries, has 20 manufacturing sites around the world and a network of around 10,000 distributors and retailers.Founded in Milan in 1872,...
. Myers' family had realized being female helped her get noticed. Some of the advertisements created by her sponsors Kawasaki and Pirelli emphasize her youth and gender to draw attention. Suzuki
Suzuki
is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan that specializes in manufacturing compact automobiles and 4x4 vehicles, a full range of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles , outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines...
colored their home page pink in honor of her victory riding their GSX-R600 motorcycle.
Myers, at 5 in 3 in (1.6 m) tall and weighing 116 lbs, is aware of the perception that women lack the upper body strength for 600-class motorcycles with minimum weights of 365 –, says that, "it's more of a mental game." Virginia Meyers, Elena's grandmother, was worried about the risks but was reassured after seeing her ride. She had crashed several times as of 2007, the worst injury up to then being a broken finger. In a 2008 crash she was pinned under her bike, and suffered burns, a concussion, and a lacerated spleen. Of that crash, she said, "I wanted to go out and train so much. They told me to wait six weeks, and I waited three." On the morning of her victory at Infineon Raceway, she had taken shots of cortisone
Cortisone
Cortisone is a steroid hormone. It is one of the main hormones released by the adrenal gland in response to stress. In chemical structure, it is a corticosteroid closely related to corticosterone. It is used to treat a variety of ailments and can be administered intravenously, orally,...
and Lidocaine
Lidocaine
Lidocaine , Xylocaine, or lignocaine is a common local anesthetic and antiarrhythmic drug. Lidocaine is used topically to relieve itching, burning and pain from skin inflammations, injected as a dental anesthetic or as a local anesthetic for minor surgery.- History :Lidocaine, the first amino...
for foot pain. Her parents, aware of the risks, won't allow her to go too far, while still pursuing her goals, explains her mother, Anita Myers, "she's very well balanced and just trying to take advantage of the opportunities that she has."
Myers goals are to graduate to the AMA Daytona Sportbike Championship class for the 2011 season, which would normally be the result of winning the 2010 AMA Pro SuperSport Championship. In the longer term she has her sights on the premier motorcycling class, MotoGP
Grand Prix motorcycle racing
Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix is the premier championship of motorcycle road racing currently divided into three distinct classes: 125cc, Moto2 and MotoGP. The 125cc class uses a two-stroke engine while Moto2 and MotoGP use four-stroke engines. In 2010 the 250cc two-stroke was replaced...
. Kawasaki's senior media relations coordinator Jeff Herzog said in 2007, "I think she's the fastest female road racer in (the United States), and she hasn't had a chance to stretch her wings yet."