MAN EATER
Shayna Texter
Photos by Scott Hunter
Some are bound to not appreciate this story ’ s headline . Some will think it ’ s rude , or sexist , or in bad taste . But those of you who ’ ve seen Shayna Texter in anger on a dirt oval racetrack – and especially during one her dominating AFT Singles wins against some of the best male motorcycle racers in the world – will understand exactly what we mean .
Boiled down , Shayna Texter – who ’ s all of five feet tall and 100 pounds – regularly beats men in a highskill and physically demanding sport , one that plays out at speeds of well over 100 mph and demands high levels of physical strength and fitness . That almost never happens in sports .
Texter won her first professional Grand National race in 2011 ( beating her fiancé Briar Bauman in the process after battling him all race long ), and has racked up 18 National wins since , a feat that makes her the winningest AFT Singles rider in history . There have been other good female motorcycle racers , but Texter ’ s National-class wins put her at the very top of the list .
American Flat Track calls flat track racing “ America ’ s original extreme sport ” – and that ’ s not hype . Racing wide open around dirt ovals with other riders just inches away has been dangerous since the sport ’ s inception in the early 1900s . To quote the late Bruce Brown ’ s epic On Any Sunday , “ They don ’ t all make it through the season .”
Texter ’ s aware of the dangers , but the risks don ’ t stop her . “ I ’ ve seen friends pass away and get paralyzed ,” she says . “ It makes you think . But we were born to be motorcycle racers . We know the risks ,
Shayna always has her game face on , determined to win .
“
ONE [ GOAL ] IS TO END UP IN THE AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE ASSOCIATION ’ S HALL OF FAME , AND YOU CAN ’ T DO THAT BY WEARING SWIMSUITS AND MAKEUP .
but I kinda think that ’ s why you go out and enjoy every ride .”
Motorcycle racing is in Texter ’ s blood . Her grandfather and father both raced , and there ’ s a Harley-Davidson dealership in her family , so it ’ s no surprise that she started riding at age three . Her brother , Cory Texter , started racing flat track in 2003 , and halfway through the season she decided she wanted to race , too . Sadly , her father passed away in 2010 .
“ I watched him battle and never give up ,” she says , “ and that was a huge inspiration . On the day he died Cory and I said , ‘ we ’ re going racing ’. It would have been an easy time to walk away from the sport , and I was struggling , but I continued to push .”
Despite hitting rock bottom after her father ’ s death , Texter showed up at Knoxville Raceway in 2011 without even a mechanic to help her out – and proceeded to make history with her first Grand National win . But one victory wasn ’ t enough . She went on to take three more wins in 2012 , three in 2013 , an
68 | MAY 2020 | THUNDERPRESS . NET