Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/779724
FEATURE MOTOAMERICA'S SHELINA MOREDA P86 countries, and even racing in the U.S. at times, has shined a harsh light on the reality the rest of the world does not always share that sentiment. I had to laugh when in inter- views I was asked astonished questions like "Isn't it harder to maneuver the motorcycle because you are a girl?" "Do you have trouble fitting on the bike because you are a girl?" "Do you almost tip over because it's hard for you to pick the bike up out of the corners because you are a girl?" and my personal favorite, "Isn't it more difficult to pull in the clutch because you are a girl?" Again, more fuel for the fire. I humored them by saying that maybe it was maybe harder because my muscles aren't as big as you guys, or that I had to have the brake lever closer be- cause my hands were smaller. I followed most questions up with a good laugh or a joking bicep flex, and assured them it's obvi- ously possible to do those things as a female. Some of the publications I did interviews for said they had a high female rider following, so I wanted to make sure to get the message to those riders that being a woman isn't an excuse. You can do it if you want to do it, and don't let anyone convince you otherwise. M O R E T O C O M E I've had many "First Female" titles so far in my growing racing career. I was the first female to race a motorcycle at Indianapo- lis Motor Speedway; the first female to compete on an electric bike internation- ally; and part of the first female team to complete any Suzuka endurance race. I was one of five females chosen from five different countries to compete in Qatar, and am now the first female to race a motorcycle at the Zhuhai Circuit in China. These are just a few of my favorites, and are always something fun to put in my own history book. It's amazing and an honor to me that I'm in a position where I can impact the future of females in sport. I feel a little like Amelia Earhart sometimes. While paving a path or break- ing glass ceilings was not what I initially set out to do when I started racing, hearing that I'm making a difference like this, just by following my dreams, is defi- nitely inspiring to me and keeps me pushing when things get dif- ficult. It's a big deal in life to get to see that you've made a differ- ence. Being a game changer is something I aspire to. As the old saying goes, "Do not go where the path may lead. Go instead, where there is no path, and leave a trail." CN Happy days as Shelina puts the EBR on the podium in front of 70,000 spectators.