A one-on-one interview with a female in AMA Pro Racing
Yvonne McAvoyLadyMoto Content Editor
As a woman rider just easing into track days, I was most impressed with Melissa Paris, a female motorcycle racer competing in AMA Pro Racing. I had the privilege of not only interviewing her, but also being able to see her in action at Mid-Ohio. Her start in motorcycles began not much differently than many other women. She began on the back of a friend’s bike at age 20, and after a year realized that she wanted to learn to ride. She started out in a parking lot, took the Motorcycle Safety Foundation course and then purchased a Ninja 250. Melissa admitted, “I didn’t have very much confidence in myself so it was a good bike to start on because I could reach the ground and it was easy to ride.”
After a couple of months on the 250, she felt she was ready to move up and purchased a FZR 600. After aggressively riding the canyons of San Diego, her friends encouraged her to start participating in track days. She was hooked and with only a year under her belt, she was on the racing circuit. Melissa sets her goals high and doesn’t stop until she reaches them. In her first 2009 Daytona 200 race this year, Melissa Paris not only set a new record by finishing 21st, becoming the top finishing female in Daytona 200 history, but also raised $5,000 in donations for the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation, which works to eradicate breast cancer in women.
Most recently Melissa, who is also the wife of American Superbike rider Josh Hayes, had her first 600 class win at New Jersey Motorsports Park! She hopes to do the entire AMA circuit next year and to also race in the World Supersport again.
What’s it like being a woman in such a male dominated sport? Melissa stated that she wants to be recognized as a racer first.
“It's such a struggle to be taken seriously, she said. “The other racers on the circuit are really cool, but there are so many people out there that always want to assume that you are out there for the wrong reasons.”
She went on to say that being a female probably does help her with sponsorship. Because she is a woman, she gets recognized more and definitely gets more media exposure for this reason alone.
She praises her sponsors, LeoVince and Genuine Yamaha Technology Racing (GYTR) for their support enabling her to move up in the ranks of racers as fast as she moves around the track.
Melissa Paris is definitely a racer to respect and a woman to admire.
