Appeared on the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's multiple news platforms in August 2019 as a preview to the upcoming MotoAmerica races. I chose to focus on this subject matter as a way to reach a broader, more diverse audience. The Post-Gazette's site is paywall activated and imposes a limit of free stories per month. This is the story as published. It can also be found on the Post-Gazette's site here.

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BY ANTHONY CONROY

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When MotoAmerica, the nation’s premier motorcycle road racing series, visits Pittsburgh this weekend, it will do so with two women looking to break up what is otherwise an all-boys club.

Caroline Olsen and Jamie Astudillo will be racing at Pittsburgh International Race Complex near Wampum from Friday through Sunday.

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Ms. Olsen races in the Supersport class, which includes motorcycles with engine sizes ranging from 600cc to 750cc. Ms. Astudillo competes in the Twins Cup, a class that includes two-cylinder engines ranging from 600cc to 800cc.

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Ms. Astudillo, 18, of Gilbertsville, Pa., in Montogomery County, said being one of only two women in the series has its challenges, but gaining respect on the racetrack has more to do with results than gender.

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“I think for me it’s been tough to get the respect that I deserve not because I’m a female but because of inconsistent races that I’ve had in the past couple of years,” said Ms. Astudillo, who rides a race-prepped Kawasaki Ninja 400. “I’d say that I get more recognition for a good result then a guy would only because females on the podium isn’t something you see that much.

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“I think we have this mutual respect for each other,” she said. “The guys have come to understand that fast females are here now, and it’s just a thing that they are going to have to accept.”

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Ms. Olsen, 29, agreed that results have to speak loudest.

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“I’m not in racing for the glitz, glam and attention of being a female in a male dominated sport,” said Ms. Olsen, a native or Halden, Norway, who rides a Yamaha YZF-R6. “I’ve always let my results speak for itself, and I think most riders have respect for that.”

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Chuck Askland, a principal for MotoAmerica, said the series doesn’t necessarily look for female talent, but it encourages their participation.

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“MotoAmerica provides a platform to better yourself as a motorcycle racer, and it’s not dependent on being a man or a woman, it’s about having the opportunity,” he said. “We have five different categories for racers to progress through, plenty of choices from beginning your racing career to racing in the top category, Superbikes.

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“The competitors that we have appreciate the fact that in our racing there is no handicap, it’s a racer with his/her motorcycle competing against each other. The women competing with us like to race against the other competitors as competitors, not male or female.”

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Once the riders line up on the grid, gender differences are irrelevant, Ms. Olsen said.

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“I feel like I connect good with most of my fellow riders, regardless if they are boys or girls,” she said.

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Ms. Olsen said she has readjusted her goals during her racing career.

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“Before I was always too focused on results and forgot to enjoy the journey,” said Ms. Olsen, who started racing in 2008 “by accident” after riding 125cc bikes on the street. “Now, I’m living my best life enjoying every second of it, and I’ve realized I’m already living the dream.”

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Ms. Astudillo, who said she has been riding since age 2 and racing on dirt since age 3, has similar goals to the men her age she races against.

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“My goals for racing is to win a national title and from there go onto the world stage,” she said. “[Then] make my way over to Europe and race with the fastest riders in the world.”

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While women compete at all levels of the sport, including the world stage, the challenge for riders like Ms. Astudillo is how to be compared equally to the male riders while also acknowledging the unique place women have on the racetrack.

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“I know us girls say that we don’t want to be looked at as girls on the track, we want to be looked at as just any other racer, and that is true,” she said, “but the fact is we are different from our guy competitors, and females haven’t had so much success until these past few years in racing. So seeing how these girls can compete with the other riders at one of the highest levels in our sport shines a light and gives hope to us other girls wanting to get there.”

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Why more women aren’t racing likely has more to do with culture than biology, she said.

“In the past few years there have been a number of women racing at the club level which has been awesome to see,” said Ms. Astudillo. “What we don’t see is women racing at the professional level, and I believe that’s because women and girls want to ride, but when they’re younger they aren’t introduced to it or their parents won’t let them ride and race, which to get to a professional level and be competitive you have to start racing at a very young age.”

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Nationally, more women are riding and owning motorcycles. In a 2018 Motorcycle Industry Council survey, 19% of all motorcycle owners were women, which the organization said was an all-time high.

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“In general, there are more women riding motorcycles now then ever, and obviously we see that popularity crossing over to the racing side,” said Mr. Askland. “In local clubs and in MotoAmerica, we are seeing more women participants each year. It’s very positive and as we see younger participants, that brings out more family members which definitely adds to the overall atmosphere of our paddock.“

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Ms. Astudillo and Ms. Olsen hope more faces like her own will help inspire a new generation of racers.

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“I want people to open their eyes and see that girls can race motorcycles, too, and they can be good at it,” said Ms. Olsen. “We’ve got some amazing fast females out racing on the world stage right now, and I want everyone to realize it’s no reason girls can’t do this.”

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Ms. Olsen said there are touching moments when small girls see her in the paddock wearing her racing leathers.

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“They are kind and sweet, and I love it when they ask for pictures,” she said.

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Being an inspiration to girls, while rewarding, isn’t her main motivation, Ms. Olsen said.

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“I hope I am [an inspiration], but for other reasons as well — not just because I’m a girl in a guys sport,” she said. “To follow your dreams and never give up. I came from Norway not knowing anyone. I sold all my stuff and flew over here for a chance to race but not knowing what to expect. It’s been ups and downs over the years, with more downs then ups at times. But I never gave up, and here I am having a great season with a great team. I couldn’t have asked for anything else.”

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In racing, heroes have traditionally been men, but Ms. Astudillo said there’s no reason a hero can’t be a woman wearing a helmet and racing leathers.

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“I remember being a young little girl and going up to my heroes and getting that sparkle in my eye, that if they can do it why can’t I,” she said. “And that’s what I see in a lot of little girls faces when they come up to me.”