MEGAPHONE IS OUR HOME FOR GUEST COLUMNISTS . THIS MONTH , SCOTTIE DEUBLER & CHRIS CARTER

Fast Females

American Flat Track ( AFT ) announcer Scottie Deubler and Chris Carter run the popular flat track podcast “ Off the Groove ,” and talk dirt track racing every week for an audience of thousands . So when we wanted to talk fast females like Nicole Mees and Shayna Texter , we knew who to call .

Cheza Mees was a player in GNC competition , making 14 Mains during her last three seasons – ’ 13 , ’ 14 and ’ 15 .

These days , more women than ever before are getting involved in flat track racing , and much of that trend is due to two of the most highly visible and highly successful women racers ever – Nicole Cheza Mees and Shayna Texter . At amateur races across the country , more females are showing up to race the guys , and there ’ s even a women ’ s class in international flat track racing .

But it ’ s Cheza Mees and Texter , in particular , who ’ ve boosted interest and excitement in the sport .

Cheza Mees pretty much led the way in dirt track racing , competing in the GNC1 class in the AMA Grand National Championship and doing well enough that she was the 2003 AMA Female Rider of the Year . Very simply , the woman is a badass . She worked out harder than her husband – current factory Indian Twins rider and five-time Grand National Champ Jared Mees – and shined when

10 | MAY 2020 | THUNDERPRESS . NET tracks weren ’ t perfect , outriding many of the guys . If she crashed she got right back up . Badass .

While she ’ s now retired and Mom to young daughter Hayden , she continues working within the sport as the co-promoter for the Lima , Ohio Half-Mile every summer along with husband Jared . She ’ s meticulous in her preparation for the legendary Lima event , and the one behind the scenes making sure everything goes smoothly at that hugely exciting race .

And then there ’ s Shayna Texter – the winningest AFT Singles rider in history – who ’ s now carrying the torch for every fast female in dirt track racing . She ’ s both talented and fearless , and we always expect her to be out front as one of the top riders in the top-level AFT Singles class . Shayna , who ’ s part of the Red Bull KTM factory team again in 2020 , is a consummate professional , someone the entire series looks to . That happens when you win races against some

Riding for the Red Bull KTM factory team through 2021 , Texter is the winningest Singles rider in history .

of the fastest male riders in the world , and she ’ s done that on many occasions . Texter has done for flat track what Danica Patrick did for

IndyCar and NASCAR , and she ’ s an example young girls can look up to .

She ’ s a hell of a rider , and not just because she ’ s small and on good equipment . She was a very good rider before she had topnotch equipment . My favorite race I ’ ve ever announced was in Knoxville , Iowa back in 2011 . She had a horrible start that night , and went back and forth with now-boyfriend ( and current factory Indian Rider and 2019 Twins Champ ) Briar Bauman , who was competing in his first season as a pro . As they battled wheel-to-wheel the crowd was going apeshit , on their feet the whole race . That was the night she won her first Grand National race .

Of course , when talking about women in flat track , we ’ ve got to mention Tammy Jo Kirk . She was the first woman to hold a national number and grabbed the best finish by a woman ( at the time ) at Du Quoin , Illinois in 1986 , later leaving flat track to race NASCAR . Then there ’ s Diane Cox who was the first woman to advance beyond an entry level AMA Pro Racing Flat Track License in 1974 . And there are others surrounding the sport today , such as Michelle Disalvo , who was the second woman to hold a national number and who went on to work as Factory Indian rider Briar Bauman ’ s mechanic .

Cox , Kirk , and Disalvo opened the door . Mees walked boldly through it , and Texter is continuing the tradition . More women than ever are throwing down on dirt ovals across the country , so if you ’ re a female who wants to ride , stop thinking about it and go do it . And bring three more women with you !