WHATCHATHINKIN’

WHATCHATHINKIN’

SHIRA KAMIL

YOU GO GIRL!

I suppose I am a little late to the game. I did not start riding until age 30, while so many I know were enjoying it almost all their lives. That has happened to me throughout my adult years – movies people mention as iconic which I’ve never seen, songs I hear and fall in love with that have been out for decades, and racers who have set some high standards who I’ve just started following. Case in point: Ms. Kayla Yaakov. This young woman has been hitting high marks since she threw a leg over her Yamaha 50 at age 4. Wanting to follow in her father’s tracks, who raced professionally for 13 years, Kayla started racing at age 5 on that same bike. While most young’uns were learning to ride a bicycle without training wheels, Kayla was mastering the art of tight turns, acceleration and dropping a knee to the ground. At age 8 she was invited to participate in a three-lap race, along with 14 other youngster, at the Junior Supercross Challenge in Anaheim, CA. Selection mandated strong academic and riding skills, of which she possessed mightily.

Kayla has experienced many tracks in her short career, but one of her favorites is the Herrin Compound – Herrin as in Josh Herrin, who is now racing in MotoAmerica’s Supersport class. After rst seeing Kayla’s talent and potential, he joined a number of other road racing experts on a seven-tenths of a mile long track, Herrin looking to have Kayla chase him to the nish line but instead saw himself being beaten by an eightyear-old by .28 second.

By age 10 she had won 11 national championships as an amateur and the following year took seven more, two of which were amateur AMA Grand National Championships. She made the move from amateur to race with the experts and won 5 national championships, including the AMA Lightweight Superbike Expert Grand National Championship – quite a long title for a little lady. As of age 13, she had 247 wins and 38 championships under her belt.

And the winning kept on coming, and her competitive nature and determination has made this young woman a force of nature. She has certainly made a name for herself, and has been subject of many interviews. I’ve watched and listened to many and have found Kayla to be quite articulate and well-spoken, her attitude upbeat and positive. During one she was asked what accomplishment she was most proud of: “Probably my lap records because those are for everyone that has ever raced on these tracks over the years the tracks have been opened.’ In her younger years (funny to say that about a 15-year-old) she even beat her dad’s top lap time on their home course.

That’s when he knew things were getting real.

In 2021 Kayla began her MotoAmerica racing, joining the BARTCON Racing Team on a 400cc motorcycle. She had to wait until June 24, 2021 – her 14th birthday – as that is the minimum age requirement. Even though entering the series mid-season, she earned a podium as well as ranking eighth in her rookie season.

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