When it comes to women and motorsports, the first name that instantly pops into your mind is Danica Patrick.
Willow Street's Shayna Texter is the only female rider on the Pro Sport motorcycle tour.
Willow Street's Shayna Texter is second in driver points on the AMA Hot Shoe series tour.
Someday, Shayna Texter could change all that.
The 17-year-old Willow Street resident is on the fast track to stardom, just like Patrick, the Indycar driver.
But unlike Patrick, Texter's vehicle of choice is the motorcycle.
If Texter's name sounds familiar, it should. Her cousin is Jared Texter, the Penn Manor grad and budding golf professional.
Her father, Randy Texter, is a former professional flat track motorcycle racer and owner of a Harley-Davidson dealership in Willow Street. He pulls double duty as Shayna's coach and pit crew leader.
You could say Shayna was born to race. Her grandfather, Ray Texter, is a former stock car driver who still works in the Harley shop in Willow Street.
And her brother, 20-year-old Cody, is a pro Grand National Champion flat-track motorcycle racer.
"The most important part of this whole deal is that we have fun doing this," Randy said. "It can be like a second job … a lot of dedication and a lot of hard work."
Shayna, who is home-schooled and will earn a high school degree in January, has been working hard at polishing her craft since she first climbed on a cycle at the age of 3. She had her first race at age 4, and hasn't looked back since.
"I like the challenge racing gives you," she said. "You're on your own out there. If you want to win, it's up to how much effort you put into it. I do it because it's fun and because I enjoy that challenge.
"I love the adrenaline rush you get when you're on the track. And I always leave the track with a smile on my face, not matter where I finish."
Shayna is the only female rider in the 450cc Pro Sport series, and is one of the very few pro female riders out there.
But she's a proven winner. In fact, she racked up three first-place finishes last weekend alone.
She won a pair of half-mile events in Illinois, then loaded up the truck and drove to Frederick, Md., where on Sunday she became the first female to win the prestigious Barbara Fritchie Classic, edging out rival Jeff Carver to become the first woman in the 85-year history of the race to take the checkered flag.
"She's always been a good racer," Carver told the
Frederick News-Post. "You've got some people who are squirrelly, but she's real smooth."
For proof, look no further than the second-floor hallway at the Harley dealership in Willow Street. That's where Shayna keeps her stash of trophies, which stretch from one end of the hall all the way down to the other — three deep. There are hundreds.
Beyond that are about 20 boxes, stacked from floor to ceiling, housing her championship plaques.
Her resume is jaw-dropping.
As an amateur, Shayna won 33 championships in five years, and she's pocketed Pennsylvania (District 6) Female Rider of the Year and American Motorsports Association Female Rider of the Year awards.
And this season, racing in the AMA Hot Shoe series, she's currently second in points, just 16 behind Carver with one race to go, in September. If she does well there, she could win the points championship.
Her sponsorship list is staggering, and includes — among many others — Suzuki, Harley-Davidson Racing, Power Bar and Penske Racing Shocks.
How large has Shayna gotten in her sport?
When she created her Web site, she discovered that
shaynatexter.com was purchased by a search engine company, and they wanted her to buy the rights for her own page.
So she settled for
shaynatexter.net instead.
"When I get to the different tracks I feel the support out there," said Shayna, who should reach the top level, Grand National Champion rider, within the next two years.
There is one female GNC rider on the circuit, Nichole Cheza, whom Shayna called a role model — and someone she's now teamed up with to become role models, they hope, for a wave of up and coming female riders.
"I feel some pressure," Shayna said, "because I want to do well, and I want to do well for the fans … give them something fun to watch. I don't want to let them down."
And as for the Patrick comparison?
"I don't want to be the next Danica Patrick of motorsports," Shayna said. "I want to be the Shayna Texter of motorcycles. I don't want to be compared to other people. I want to be remembered for what I do. That's what drives me; that's my motivation.
"I've pretty much earned my respect out there. The guys know what I'm capable of doing and they know that I'm a threat on the track.
"I've earned my way and I get the respect I need to continue doing this. I can go up to any of the guys at the track and talk with them. That's the way we are in the flat track community: we race on the track, but we're friends off the track."
Sports writer Jeffrey Reinhart can be reached at jreinhart@LNPnews.com or 291-8777.
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