THE ROAD RACER
Kayla Yaakov
Photos by Preston Brown and MNNTHBX
Kayla Yaakov was only four years old when her dad bought her a Suzuki 50 , and it wasn ’ t long before racing was in her blood . “ I saw some of my dad ’ s old racing videos and magazine articles ,” Kayla said , “ so I thought I ’ d like to try racing . I started at five and have loved it ever since !”
Hailing from Gettysburg , Pennsylvania , Kayla was racing semi-pro and pro road races by the time she was 10 . Now , at 12 years old , she ’ s brought home an impressive 307 race wins at tracks all around the country . In 2017 she won 11 national championships as an amateur . She won seven national championships , including two amateur AMA Grand National Championships in 2018 . In 2019 she won five national championships as an expert , including the AMA Lightweight Superbike Expert Grand National Championship .
What ’ s so astonishing about all this is that she ’ s not racing kids ; she ’ s racing adults in the expert classes , and beats ’ em regularly . It ’ s not uncommon to see Yaakov on the top step of the podium flanked by two grown men – who she ’ s out-raced . “ I ’ ve won a lot ,” she told us , “ and some of my most memorable wins to-date are my ASRA wins , along with my win last year at the WERA Grand National Finals racing as an expert .”
While she ’ s already won more races than many racers do in a lifetime , she ’ s far from done . “ My goals are to race pro here in the United States and , hopefully , get an opportunity to race in world events overseas .”
Kayla ’ s been out-racing grown men since she was 10 years old , and it ’ s incredible to think about how fast she ’ ll be at 15 , 18 , 20 and beyond !
Not only is Kayla an example of what women in this sport can do , she ’ s a reminder that age doesn ’ t matter if you have skill , dedication and passion for motorcycles . And she hopes that other young people start riding , too . “ Any girl interested in riding or racing shouldn ’ t be hesitant ,” she says . “ I ’ m glad I started so young , and I hear a lot of people say they wish they ’ d started younger .”
When Kayla ’ s not racing or training , which takes up a big chunk of her time , she ’ s a lot like other 12-year-old girls . Kayla loves playing her saxophone . She ’ s also into freestyle BMX and spends a lot of time at the skate park with her dad .
When we asked what women in motorcycling inspire her , Kayla said , “ Shayna Texter and Caroline Olsen seem pretty cool .” But her dad went on to say , “ She doesn ’ t really see the gender thing , which I think is what makes her so good .” And that attitude is exactly what we need in the future of motorcycling !
Kayla and her father would like to thank all their sponsors . Please see the Thunder Press website for a complete listing . You can follow Kayla at @ kayla _ yaakov on Instagram !
— JOY BURGESS
78 | MAY 2020 | THUNDERPRESS . NET