Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
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VOL. 51 ISSUE 10 MARCH 11, 2014 P67 lot of throttle control. I tend to whack my throttle wide open and that works at a track like Dayto- na." Last year's winner Rush and Robinson will be two of the re- cord nine former Daytona Short Track winners entered in this year's race. Matt Weidman, Sammy Halbert, Jake Johnson, Henry Wiles and Byran Smith will be there. And veteran fans will be happy to hear that JR Schnabel (2004 winner) is coming out of retirement to race Daytona. And the older set will have a rider to root for in the form of 1991 win- ner Ronnie Jones, who is coming DAYTONA SHORT TRACK >>TEXTER MOVES UP Shayna Texter, the daughter of the late Randy Texter, a lead- ing AMA flat tracker and road racer of the 1980s, has defied all odds to make a name for herself in the rough and tumble world of flat track racing. The sport is not for the faint of heart and Texter has proven her abil- ity, as her eight Grand National support class race wins will attest. Texter is making her much antici- pated move up the Grand National class after years on the Pro Singles (and to a lesser extent the odd Basic Twins race). In the support classes, Texter has earned a reputation as a serious threat, especially on the big tracks. Texter is an analytical racer, who rides with patience and discipline, constantly looking for small seams where she can take advantage. She's also unique in that she often races feet on the pegs, even when her machine is in a full-lock broad- slide. Texter will be racing as a factory support rider for the Castrol/Latus Motors Triumph squad. "Some of my friends were joking for going with that cliché telling people that my new ride is a dream come true, but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't," Texter said. "This is what we all dream of as little kids, to have an opportunity to race motorcycles professionally and to join the Castrol Triumph/Latus Motors team truly is a dream of mine. I'm ready to get on the bike and see what we can do." Women racers often face muffled criticism that they're only getting good rides because of the novelty of a woman racer, but that's cer- tainly not the case for Texter. She's a proven winner. She's earned six National victories in Pro Singles and two wins in Basic Twins sup- port class races. So coming in as a rookie Grand National rider she has the kind of résumé that justifies a factory supported ride. She won't have an easy road in front of her either. The Triumph Bonneville flat track machine is still relatively new to the AMA Pro Grand National Series and is going through the typical teething problems that come with any new racing bike. So the machine she'll be racing is not a proven winner. Texter potentially could face her brother Cory in a Grand National race. That would be a first. "It would definitely be fun to line up next to Cory," Shayna said. "But when we put our helmets on we're as competitive as anyone out there." Texter won't be on her own. In addition to having her brother in her corner, she'll have one of the best possible advisors in former AMA Grand National Cham- pion Joe Kopp. "I'm looking forward to learning this year," Texter continues. "As a manager and mentor what better guy could you have in your corner than Joe? He's a role model – a past champion of the sport and a family man off the track. I'm really looking forward to working with him and just learning." Texter is realistic about her chances on the Triumph once the Grand National Twins roll out over Memorial Day weekend in Spring- field, Illinois. She thinks she can be competitive, but the key element she feels is practice time on the bike. "I definitely think with the support of Triumph I can do well," Texter ex- plained. "One of the biggest things I keep expressing to them is the importance of seat time. If we get enough seat time on the thing I think we can be competitive. You know those guys have so much track time on their motorcycles and that's one thing as a rookie that you're at a dis- advantage. I've always done well at Springfield whether it be on a singles or a twin, so that is definitely one of races that I'm looking forward to." Shayna Texter, who will make her Grand National debut in 2014 with Castrol/ Latus Motors Triumph, already has Twins experience. She won a pair of Basic Twins support races including last year at Springfield on a Kawasaki.