VOL. 50 ISSUE 45 NOVEMBER 12, 2013
P103
BY LARRY LAWRENCE
PHOTOGRAPHY BY LAWRENCE AND
BRIAN J. NELSON
A
few years back Justin Neyra attended his first AMA
Superbike race at MidOhio as a wet-behind-the-ears
spectator with a group of riding
buddies. "I'll never forget the first
time I saw Josh Hayes go by,"
Neyra said. "My jaw dropped and
I said to my friends, 'Oh my god,
look at that guy ride! Who is that?'
My friends looked at me like I had
two heads and said, 'That's Josh
Hayes.' "
Neyra (pronounced nigh-ra)
was well on his way to becoming perhaps a football coach.
That changed when the former
college football player from Cincinnati, Ohio, took a Keith Code
school and realized that road racing was in his words, "The most
amazing thing ever."
A lot of Neyra's buddies were
doing track days, but he figured that was a waste of time.
"I thought that was insane. Why
drive around circles aimlessly
when you can go race other
people," Neyra said. "So I went
racing. I did a year of WERA and
then right into the AMA Supersport Series and then eventually I
got a 1000 and moved to Superbike. As soon as I got a big bike
I never wanted to ride my 600
again. You never get to rest with
a Superbike. From turn to turn
you're spinning and sliding, the
wheel's in the air; it's just a constant battle, which makes it so
much fun."
If it sounds like Neyra's not the
kind of guy who messes around,
but likes to get things done - and
fast - you pegged him. He knows
what he wants and doesn't hesitate to make his move.
Neyra was a good rider by any
rights, but he had one problem
that pretty much sealed his fate as
a serious Superbike racer – he's
built like the football player that
he was. At six-two, 235 pounds,
Neyra realized his chances of
ever being a real contender as a
racer were slim to none, if you'll
pardon the pun (and the rhyme).
But Neyra had fallen in love
with the sport and wanted to stay
involved. He figured if he couldn't
be a podium finisher himself, why
not launch a team and hire another rider, someone who could
potentially get in the mix with the
factory riders. So Neyra Racing
was born and he brought AMA
Supersport and Daytona SportBike standout Huntley Nash on
board to get his first taste of Su-
Nash enjoyed his first season of
AMA Superbike racing.
perbike racing.
Becoming a team owner/rider
happened at a lightening pace for
Neyra, just four years after he was
introduced to the sport via the
Code school. But even though
he's a novice as a team owner he
brings a lot of resources to the
table. Not only does his experience as a rider help him in being
an owner, more importantly is his
experience outside racing.
"I'm a businessman first and
foremost," Neyra explains. "I own
a large construction company
and my family owns a number
of businesses, including auto
dealerships and manufacturing
businesses. So someone might
think they deserve a sponsorship
because they're a fast rider, but
I understand that racing is about
marketing. That's what it's about
on the world level, in America
and everywhere."
