PORSCHE TAYLOR TALKS TO TIGRA TSUJIKAWA

We had the opportunity for two of the powersports industry’s top community builders to talk shop at last year’s AIMExpo. Tigra, who was instrumental with the Riders Of Kawasaki community before she went to AMA to orchestrate a couple global women’s conferences, was helping Dealernews, NPDA and The Lilly group with their show efforts, when she had the opportunity to meet one of her heroes, Indian Motorcycle Ambassador and pioneering publisher, Porsche Taylor:

I have the awesome chance to speak with Porsche Taylor... Porsche, please introduce yourself.

Okay, I am Porsche Taylor, owner of Black Girls Ride magazine. We started our magazine in 2011. So this is our 11th year. We built quite a motorsports community of female riders.

What are you up to now? What are some of your current projects?

Wow, I’m excited. From a personal standpoint, I am an Indian Motorcycle Ambassador, and I also work with Polaris Slingshot. I do an educational series as Black Girls Ride across the nation in different locations where we educate women on long distance riding. Our goal is to have them ride outside of their comfort zone. We want them to be prepared… When you’re prepared, there’s less anxiety to ride. So that’s been our focus.

We produce different events as well. We have our annual ride to New Orleans for the Essence Festival, where we take 300 women from all over the country to New Orleans, and it’s the best party of the summer. And then we’re also doing the Beautiful Bikers Conference, which is always the weekend before Thanksgiving. In 2022 it was in Long Beach, California.

Great. Is there more information I can get on the magazine and events?

Absolutely. You can get all the details for our events at www.BlackGirlsRide.com and then the Beautiful Bikers website will be revised soon.

Your events are fantastic and I’ve always wanted to ask you, What inspired you to go this route to spread the word about motorcycling and working with women helping us all along and get into a larger community?

Well, what I wanted to do was turn my passion into profit, to be quite honest! I have a passion for biking, I absolutely love riding, and I’ve come to love riding long distance. Initially, when we started Black Girls Ride magazine, it was because the face of motorsports didn’t quite look like me. Instead of complaining to different outlets, I decided to start my own community and be the change that we wanted to see. I’m excited that over these years, we have become instrumental in changing the face of motorsport. You’re starting to see OEMs include people of color in advertising and marketing. You’re starting to see women in general, getting more and more support from the industry. We just wanted to put a face on motorcycling that wasn’t traditional.

I think you’ve accomplished that. And as part of acknowledging that accomplishment, you’re one of the Dealernews Top 100 Women In Powersports.

Oh man, that is such an honor. I have to say, the list is full of so many dynamic women. It’s almost overwhelming to be in a room with that many women who have made such strides in motorsports. I’m on a list with a lot of my heroes, from Sarah Schilke, who gave me my first opportunity in motorsports. And Erin Sills, who’s just an incredible racer. Joey Lindahl who is a great advocate for women riders through her jobs at Polaris… There’s just so many dynamic women that have done everything they can to further the cause of women… to help create opportunities for other women in motorsports. Alisa Clickenger is another one — She’s amazing with the rides that she puts together and the community that she fosters.

So what can we expect from you and where are the most exciting things coming up?

We’re going to be all over the country educating women in different cities, and we definitely want to invite you to come out to the Beautiful Bikers conference. Our goal is to show women that there are opportunities for them to work professionally in motorsports. Whether it’s becoming a brand ambassador, becoming an MSF instructor, learning how to do mechanical work on their own bikes, just broadening their horizons when it comes to powersports.

You can find us online at BlackGirlsRide.com and on all social media sites including Twitter, Facebook, TikTok… and just about any other outlet.

Tricia Szulewski — Editor, Women Riders Now

Tricia has worked full-time in the motorcycle publishing industry for more than 21 years as Creative Director, Photographer and Staff Writer for TAM Communications, publisher of numerous retail print motorcycle magazines, including American Iron Magazine, Motorcycle Tour & Cruiser, RoadBike, Motorcycle, Garage Build, and more. Tricia has written hundreds of stories for all of these titles, from motorcycle reviews to gear reviews, tech and how-to installs, riding skills, and road trips. She began sharing her stories and photos with WRN in 2014 and today heads up the editorial department as WRN’s Editor.

Shayna Texter-Bauman — AFT

SuperTwins Racer

History maker, inspirational figure, role model and possibly the most popular rider in all of dirt track racing. Texter became the first female to win an American Flat Track Main Event with her GNC2 triumph at Knoxville Raceway in 2011. Since then, she went on to become the winningest rider in AFT Singles history. At the 2019 Texas Half-Mile she and her brother, Cory, became the first siblings to earn AFT Main Event victories on the same day. Texter-Bauman joined her husband, Briar Bauman, on a works Indian FTR750 in the premier Mission SuperTwins class in 2022.

Valerie Thompson — Land Speed Record Holder

The World’s Fastest Female Motorcycle Racer and a 10x land speed record holder with membership in the Sturgis Motorcycle Hall of Fame as well as eight 200 MPH Clubs and one 300 MPH Club, Valerie is often referred to as “America’s Queen Of Speed.” Consistently ranked as one of the World’s Top 10 Fastest Motorcycle Racers, her relentless quest to become the world’s fastest motorcycle racer by breaking the current world record of 376.363 mph (605.697 km/h) is the focus of the upcoming land speed racing documentary film, “Rockets and Titans.”

Sofi Tsingos — Motorcycle Missions Project Manager/GT-Moto Owner

It has been about four years since Sofi started working in the garage full time. Before that, the certified BMW, Ducati and Triumph technician worked in mainstream service departments for several years, as well as a welder, fabricator, body work and paint. Now, with ingenuity and high-quality materials, she and her father George hand-build motorcycles, cars and good-ol’-fashioned parts. Through their charity & community outreach, they work to promote a positive, all-inclusive motorsports culture.

Tigra Tsujikawa — Rider

Long-time rider Tigra’s career spans three decades and includes stints with Kawasaki helping launch the ROK community, Fox Racing, AMA, Advanstar and the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum & Hall Of Fame. During her time with the AMA, Tigra managed the International Women & Motorcycling Conferences, Vintage Motorcycle Days and the annual Hall Of Fame induction ceremonies. She later was the Engagement Marketing Director for Advanstar to develop rider outreach programs for the International Motorcycle Shows on the consumer side and engage dealers to attend Dealer Expo.

Jean Turner — Journalist/Photographer/Copywriter

A self-described lover of coffee, a twister of throttles, and scribbler of stories. Jean has spent more than 15 years in the powersports industry as a freelance writer, photographer and content creator. She’s also spent time as a staffer for industry publications Cycle News and Dirt Rider. Most recently she launched Cross Rutted her own YouTube Channel dedicated to her passions in life — motorcycles, travel and storytelling: www.youtube.com/@CrossRutted