Is Shayna Texter the World's Fastest Female on Two Wheels?

Is Shayna Texter the World's Fastest Female on Two Wheels?

At 5’ tall and 110 pound soaking wet, 27-year-old Shayna Texter is a formidable competitor on all flat track venues, be they the mile, half mile, short track or TT. The third-generation racer became the first-ever female to win a flat track National in 2011, and she has backed that historic win up with not one, not two, but 14 more victories! Her most recent win came at the Meadowlands Mile National in October. Chosen to race under the Red Bull KTM banner in 2019, Shayna again made history by becoming the first female to enjoy a factory ride in the flat track arena.

We were able to meet Shayna and gain some insight into the current state of flat track racing in America this week at Perris Raceway, where the Red Bull KTM team was announced to the press.

The sport has changed quite a bit in recent years. What is the state of flat track?

Flat track has changed a lot in the last three years. It was at a high point, but then it went through a low, low point. I was part of that, and I think that in a way, I am lucky that I experienced that. It is on an upswing now and that makes me appreciate it even more. I have always told people that we were the best-kept secret when it comes to racing, and being able to get flat track into the X Games, and bringing NBC Gold in to cover it…that has been huge for us! It is spreading the awareness of our sport and taking it to all-new levels. We didn’t even think that was possible five years ago…we were hoping just to have a series to race the next season! And now here we are in 2019 and Red Bull KTM has entered the sport and I am thrilled to be a part of it.

What do you attribute the sudden surge in popularity to?

I think it’s simple. You can follow it now. You don’t have to find motorcycle magazines to find results. You can find out about it on social media now.

Did the demise of the print version of Cycle News hurt flat track?

(Laughs) Honestly I think it did. It was a huge disappointment when it went away. It was a big cultural twist for our sport. We have so many older fans. At some point all of our fans were 60 or 70 years old and we were wondering who would come to watch the races when they all died off? And that was the low point, really. When Cycle News went online only, not many of our fans knew how to even get online I think. (Laughs) They said, “We don’t know how to operate a computer, how can we find out about the races?” The American Flat Track crew has definitely had their work cut out for them, but they have made some great changes that have grown the sport. Implementing a younger class in the 450 class, and also trying to get kids involved on the amateur level…we’ve been able to turn that page now and now I am proud to say that I have fans of all ages and both genders. From five years to now there has been a huge change. Back in 2011 I won my first National and made history as the first female to ever win at that level. That night I found myself sleeping in the front seat of a van on the steering wheel with three other people. I thought, “What am I doing here? I just made history!” It’s been a long road since then, and I hope that the sport continues to grow, but at the same time it can hold tight to the values that have always made flat track so special.

How did you get into flat track as opposed to other motorsports, like motocross?

It’s simple. Just like a lot of flat trackers, it is in my family. I am a third-generation flat tracker. My dad was a pro flat tracker and road racer and when he retired in 2002 he asked my brother if he wanted to give it a try. About halfway through the year I said, “Hey, I wanna try that too!” So pretty much since 2003 I have been racing flat track and I haven’t looked back. He gave us the option to try either flat track or road racing, but not both because it was expensive. Thankfully, I made the right choice!

I’ve heard of you before…perhaps it was in Cycle News I read about you winning. So it’s not like, “She’s fast for a girl,” it’s “Shayna is a bad ass who beats everyone.” Why do you think you have been able to win at the highest levels of flat track racing, while women in other forms of motorcycle racing have not been able to do so?

That’s a tough question. For me, I grew up racing against the men I had no special female class or any special treatment. If I wanted to win or compete it was against the guys. That helped shape my confidence and mental state. When I have my helmet on I am a motorcycle racer and I can beat the guys. I think the sport is evolving as women are becoming more and more involved in motorcycle racing. I would not be surprised to see a woman in motocross at the highest level; it’s not there now but hopefully it will be there in the future. Supercross guys are gnarly; you have to be able to send big triples and hit a double right after it. We think that they do is gnarly and they think that what we do is gnarly. (Laughs)

I’ve been told that you are fearless on the mile tracks. What is it about the bigger courses that suit you?

I don’t wanna be known as just good at miles. I have had quite a few wins on the half miles, too. I won the Lima Half Mile this year and I think that made a statement. Lima is the roughest track on the schedule. I don’t think anyone - including myself - expected me to win at Lima but when everything is gelling you just feel invincible. I feel like on a good day I can go out and beat all of these guys on any kind of track, and on a bad day I still expect to be on the podium. I don’t go out there to get second and I approach every race with a never -give-up attitude because if I ever did my dad would yell at me. (Laughs) So I still race as if my dad would be in the pits ready to give me a bunch of crap if I don’t give it my best. So I am never going to give up.

Is it a dream to a part of the very first Red Bull KTM team?

It is a dream come true to be working with legends. Roger DeCoster, Ian Harrison and Aldon Baker…to have them in my corner gives me chills. It is super motivating to know that I have the best people behind me. I know that they are going to live up to the brand’s slogan of “Ready To Race,” so I will do everything on my end to give it my best effort, too.