MOTOAMERICA: Kayla Yaakov is blazing her own trail at 17 years old

SALINAS, Calif. (KION) - In the MotoAmerica Supersport class, a young rider is taking the sport by storm. Kayla Yaakov, a fan-favorite at the track, is not only moving up the standings, she's blazing her own trail.

"You always want to be a role model," Yaakov said. "Especially being a minority in a male-dominated sport. I really try to set a good example for girls."

In her first full season, Yaakov became the first female national race winner in the MotoAmerica era.

"You don't see a lot of women thriving in this sport," Yaakov said. "I hope to change that."

While she's only 17 years old, Yaakov is no stranger to the sport. She started racing at three years old, inspired by her father who raced both cars and bikes for over 15 years.

"I actually started out in go-karts, but at three years old, I didn't like it very much," Yaakov said. "I got into motorcycle riding when I was about four. And basically went from there."

Yaakov went from flat track to motocross to road racing. She became the youngest American to race full-size road racing bikes at just nine years old.

Now, at 17, Yaakov is competing in Supersport, where she is the youngest in her class, reaching speeds over 180 miles per hour.

"We go to Daytona, which is our fastest track," Yaakov said. "They go about 180 miles an hour, which is pretty fast. Yeah, moving pretty fast."

Yaakov doesn't even have her driver's license yet.

"I really love it," Yaakov said. "It's the sport that I hold closest to my heart and I'm going to keep riding with it."

Kayla is already leaving her mark on the sport at such a young age. She said it's 'truly special' to see her own impact as more and more girls enter the paddock.