MotoBS Special Guest Interview - Kayla Yaakov - 17yo Pro Racer

Sean jumped at the opportunity to interview Kayla Yaakov, the 17yo professional motorcycle road racer who is burning up the tracks across the US and around the world!  Kayla talks about her recent races at Barber, racing in Italy, her racing goals and much more!  A huge thanks to Kayla for taking the time to stop by MotoBS and chat with us. Go KY19!! 

For booking coaching sessions with Kayla at her track school, message her at the following places;
Kayla's Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/kcrayyaakov
Kayla's website - www.kaylayaakov.com
and Kayla's Instagram -  kayla_yaakov

Help support MotoBS by using coupon code MotoBS at checkout when you buy a new Cardo communication device!

Also use this link for awesome discounts when you buy motorcycle gear and parts on Revzilla! 
https://imp.i104546.net/razzQ5

Each episode of the MotoBS Podcast is available in video at the MotoBS YouTube channel. 

https://www.youtube.com/@motobs

Transcript

Sean - MotoBS (00:02)
Hey there, welcome back to Moto BS. We have a special guest with us today. It is an honor and a privilege to interview our guest. Actually our first celebrity guest here on Moto BS and I'm super excited. At the incredible young age of nine years old, this professional motorcycle racer became the youngest American to race full-size motorcycles. She became the first female to podium in Moto America Super Sport class and

Kayla (00:11)
.

Sean - MotoBS (00:31)
the only female to podium in three Moto America classes. She has won 47 regional championships and has won over 410 races. She now races with Rahal Ducati Moto with X-Belle in the Moto America Super Sport class. It is my honor to introduce our guest today, none other than Kayla Yakov. Kayla, welcome.

Kayla (00:57)
Hi, yeah, thank you for having me on. I know we've been trying to get this podcast in and I'm so happy to be a part of it.

Sean - MotoBS (01:05)
Well, thanks for taking the time to chat with us today. I've got a whole bunch of questions. You know, when I started to sit down and write some questions out, I'm like, my gosh, this is gonna this is gonna be like a four hour podcast. I can't do that to her. So I tried to pick some of the some of the easy ones. A real quick backstory on though of how this came about. I was actually doing a track day at Jennings last October. And Borg, the owner there

Kayla (01:18)
No, you're all good.

Sean - MotoBS (01:34)
mentioned to us, because I did a novice day school with him. And he said, in the fall, keep your eye out for the professionals who come down and test. Right. And he said, it's a real treat to watch them here at Jennings.

Kayla (01:44)
Okay.

Sean - MotoBS (01:46)
And so the next track day that I did, I asked my paddock neighbor, I said, Hey, are there any any pros here this weekend? And he said, Kayla's here. I said, Okay. And so we walked over to the fence. And there was a yellow blur.

was a streak that was just screaming around the track, noticeably faster than every other bike and the advanced group was out of course. And he said, that's Kayla.

Kayla (02:15)
Hey.

Sean - MotoBS (02:16)
And it was just amazing. He says, by the way, she's 17 years old. And from that day on, I said, you know what, I've got it, I've got to go give her a motor be a sticker. You probably don't remember, but I interrupted, I broke up a conversation you were having, I felt horrible.

Kayla (02:21)
That's.

Sean - MotoBS (02:33)
and I gave you a MotoBS sticker and I got a selfie with you and now I have been evangelizing Team Kayla. So I've got my mom and my sister and my wife and we're all just like, go Kayla go. So it's a real pleasure to have you here and we've been talking about you. We've been encouraging our watchers and our listeners. We're not a racing channel per se. We're more of a street motorcycle channel, but we've been telling everybody make sure you tune in and you watch.

Kayla (02:34)
Yeah.

Thank you.

Sean - MotoBS (03:04)
So with that enough of me gap and let's let's get on to the person who we came here to listen to. Kayla, you know, real strong finish at Barber, your first race of this year. So you did a Saturday race and you had a Sunday race. You finished both races ahead of your qualifying position and Sunday you did it. You brought it home clean and horrendous downpour.

What's your thoughts coming out of barber?

Kayla (03:33)
Yeah.

Yeah. You know, I had I had knee surgery in the off season. I was repairing an old injury ⁓ I've had.

I've been riding actually with a torn ACL for two years now. So finally got that fixed and yeah, just been basically on the road to recovery this off season. ⁓ You know, I think the time that you saw me there was one of my first times back on a bike. ⁓ you know, just kind of working up to speed and, ⁓ you know, last year was my first full season in the class and you can't really have a lot of expectations. I think if you walk into it with too many, then you, ⁓

Sean - MotoBS (03:45)
Wow. ⁓

Kayla (04:12)
you're probably going to get disappointed. I kind of felt like that at times. Like I would set a, I wouldn't say a goal for myself, but I would set maybe the bar too high too early. And you know, that bike's a big learning curve. The Ducati it's, it's awesome. It's a great bike, but definitely a lot different than anything I had ever ridden up to that point. So yeah, but coming into this year, I was, I was pretty confident, you know, having a year under my belt.

Sean - MotoBS (04:18)
say a goal for myself, but I would set maybe the bar too high too early. you know, that bike's a big learning curve. The Ducati, it's awesome. It's a great bike, but definitely a lot different than anything I had ever ridden up to that point. Yeah, but coming into this year, was pretty confident, you know, having a gear under my belt

Kayla (04:39)
And I've just been getting stronger. Honestly, this off season, I've been taking everything super seriously.

Sean - MotoBS (04:40)
and I've just been getting stronger. Honestly, this off season, I've been taking everything super seriously.

Kayla (04:46)
I've gained so much muscle in the last ⁓ few months, just pushing, know, pushing really hard. And ⁓ I think it's starting to pay off. Obviously the race was really good at Barber. We were able to get a top five in race one. ⁓ The race got stopped, unfortunately, due to a red flag, ⁓ which you'd never like to see, but I was. ⁓

Sean - MotoBS (04:46)
I've gained so much muscle in the last few months. Pushing, know, pushing really hard. I think it's starting to pay off. the race was really good at Barber. We were able to get a top five in race one. The race got stopped, unfortunately, due to a red flag, which you never like to see. But I

I held it down fourth place pretty about midway through the race and was trying to set up for a pass. But that's when the

Kayla (05:07)
I held it down fourth place ⁓ pretty about midway through the race and was trying to set up for a pass, but that's when the

red flag came out. So unfortunately we couldn't make that happen, but it was, was cool to start, you know, now we're running up front and ⁓ I was able to do that a little bit at the middle of last year. So to be there early on is great. And hopefully we can carry that momentum ⁓ into the rest of the year. And then like you said, Sunday was kind of a different story. It was torrential downpours and

Super sketchy like honestly probably one of the most sketchy races I've ever had and I told myself, you know after the warm-up lap ⁓ Because we got a warm-up earlier in the morning and I actually didn't get a lot of laps in because we had a mechanical so I was in and out of the pits the whole time and only had one time laps so it was a pretty hectic in the morning not knowing the conditions really and kind of guessing with setup and I knew right on my warm-up lap that okay, this is gonna be a tough race and I told myself

Sean - MotoBS (05:45)
because we got a warm up early in the morning and I actually didn't get a lot of laps in because we had a mechanical so I was in and out of the pits the whole time and only had one time laps so it was pretty hectic in the morning not knowing the conditions really and kind of guessing with setup and I knew right on my warm up lap that okay this is going to be a tough race I just

Kayla (06:07)
I just have to finish as high as I can and this is what it's gonna be. I knew I was gonna be uncomfortable and ⁓

Sean - MotoBS (06:07)
have to finish as high as I can and you know this is what it's going to be I knew I was going to be uncomfortable and

It wasn't worth hurting myself and throwing down the road so early on in the season when I could just get the points. We were walking out of Barbara tied for fifth and fourth and we'll see, man. It sucked.

Kayla (06:16)
it wasn't worth hurting myself or throwing down the road so early on in the season ⁓ when I could just get the points. And we were walking out of Barbara tied for fifth in points and we'll see, man, it's ⁓ tough.

Sean - MotoBS (06:32)
Well, in your mind, I know you're focused on doing what you need to do out there on the track, but were you expecting that race to be red flagged at all? Because there were times during that race where it was just

pouring so hard. it had been a car race, they would have red flagged it.

Kayla (06:47)
Yeah. Yeah. You never hope for a red flag because that usually means something bad happened, you want to like in that case for me, I was really hoping for a race stoppage. ⁓ honestly, because it was not, not so much like from the track standpoint, because yeah, the track was bad, but you know, we're all dealing with the same track. And, ⁓ as much as I don't think we should have raced at that time, it is what it is. I was hoping because.

Sean - MotoBS (06:51)
⁓ Yeah ⁓

Kayla (07:15)
my setup was just not what I would have wanted. And that's really no fault to

my team or anything. We've been changing so many parts in the bike and honestly I haven't had a lot of testing time, especially with my knee and my knee surgery in the off season. ⁓ That wet setup was something that we hadn't really talked about. So ⁓ as much as I've been a pretty good rain rider in the past, ⁓ a lot of what...

Sean - MotoBS (07:20)
We've been changing so many parts of the bike and honestly I haven't had a lot of testing time especially with my knee and my knee surgery in the off season. That wet setup was something that we hadn't really talked about. as much as I've been a pretty good rain rider.

a of what

Kayla (07:41)
happens with speed for me is comfort. I need to have a lot of comfort before I can go at my maximum and I just wasn't comfortable that day. like I said, we brought home points and that's yeah, Top 10 is still good.

Sean - MotoBS (07:41)
happens with speed for me is comfort. I need to have a lot of comfort before I can go my maximum and I just wasn't comfortable that day. like I said, we brought home points. It was a strong finish in such conditions. So congratulations on that. And no good.

Kayla (08:01)
No, was just, top 10 is still good. mean, last year I finished, like that was pretty much my average finish and I got to that where I was uncomfortable and in the past where I've been uncomfortable, I've been a lot farther back. So, I'm happy about that.

Sean - MotoBS (08:15)
Okay.

You mentioned your injury. ⁓ Was that a factor in skipping Daytona this year? Now, just a reminder to our audience that Daytona isn't a points race. ⁓ That's correct, right, Kayla? So did that factor your injury plus it not being a points race? You were like, hey, let's just go towards Barber and yeah, that makes sense.

Kayla (08:36)
Correct.

Yeah, yeah, this

like I said, I had an injury. ⁓ We got so many new parts to our bikes and we figured that time is better for testing for us rather than to basically waste a lot of resources on Daytona. ⁓ You know, my injury played a big part. Also, know, ⁓ Graham wants the championship. So all three of us riders are doing the best thing we can and doing the best we can to.

Sean - MotoBS (09:06)
can do the best we can

to be ready for the points painting round. that was a big, big factor as to why we didn't race that. So you mentioned Graham. Graham is Graham Rahal, which some of you may may know from auto racing. He's the son of famous Bobby Rahal, who I grew up watching as a kid. And Graham is now a race winning Indy car driver. And he owns Rahal

Kayla (09:08)
to be ready for the points paying rounds. that was a big factor as to why we didn't race that.

Sean - MotoBS (09:37)
What is it? It's Rehobo Kari Moto. Is that the official name? Okay. So he owns the team and he's a big, think he has a Ducati dealership, right? Is that his, connection there?

Kayla (09:39)
Yeah, that is.

Yeah, yeah, he has a couple. It's ⁓ Ducati, Indian Ducati Cleveland are his, his little branches there.

Sean - MotoBS (09:55)
Okay has he invited you out to an IndyCar race?

Kayla (09:59)
Yeah, yeah, I actually, so ⁓ I was supposed to go to the 500 and I ended up not being able to make it, but I did go to ⁓ St. Petersburg from last year, which was actually right after the Daytona 200 in 2024. And then I also went to Mid-Ohio, which both of those races were really cool. ⁓ The fan atmosphere was great. And yeah, it was, it was pretty cool to see his side of the sport when he can now come and see.

Sean - MotoBS (10:05)
ended up not being able to make it, but I did go to St. Petersburg from last year, which was actually right after the Daytona 200 in 2024. And then I also went to Mid-Ohio, which both of those races were really cool. The fan atmosphere was great. yeah, it was pretty cool to see his side of the sport when he can now come and see

Kayla (10:28)
what road racing and motorcycle racing looks like.

Sean - MotoBS (10:28)
what road racing and motorcycle racing looks like. Right. know he's a big motorcycle fan.

There's some videos of him on YouTube where he gives a walk around through his garage with a bunch of classic Ducatis and new Ducatis. So speaking of Ducatis, you mentioned ⁓ the bike you're racing on now, which is the Panigale V2. Is that correct? Yes. Okay. And I read an article earlier this year that said there was

Kayla (10:51)
Yes, yep.

Sean - MotoBS (10:59)
there were plans for you and your team to move to superbike class at some point. And those are, that would be moving up to the V4 also, right? And you've had a, have you had a chance to shake those bikes down?

Kayla (11:09)
Yep. Yeah.

Um, so originally kind of our plan was to go into this 2025 season, uh, with the super bike program. That's kind of what we had talked about in 2024. Um, the end of 2023, early 2024. Um, but then as we got to the end of the season, uh, kind of our, I guess I would say our goals would change. Um, we wanted, especially Graham, we want to win that championship for him and, uh, put a number one on the bike. And yeah, I mean,

Sean - MotoBS (11:25)
the end of 2023, early 2024. But then as we got to the end of the season, kind of our, I guess I would say our goals would change. We wanted, especially Graham, we want to win that championship for him and put a number one on the bike. Yeah, I mean,

Kayla (11:43)
I think ⁓ definitely his goal is for sure to go to Superbike. ⁓ I could still see that happening. I don't want to say maybe in this year, I don't know, but

Sean - MotoBS (11:43)
I think definitely his goal is for sure to go to Superbike. And I could still see that happening. I don't want to say maybe in this year, I don't know, but.

anything could happen. If it feels like the team's ready and we're ready, we could go to Superbike, being the team. But yeah, for me personally, I have a Ducati V4, a personal bike that I use for training and coaching.

Kayla (11:55)
anything could happen. If he feels like ⁓ the team's ready and we're ready, we could go to Superbike being the team. ⁓ For me personally, I have a Ducati V4, a personal bike that I use for training and for coaching.

Sean - MotoBS (12:12)
So I have been able to get on the V4 just a little bit and have a little fun on it. Oh, wow. That sounds awesome. Now that's not a street bike. That's a race prep track bike.

Kayla (12:12)
⁓ I have been able to get on the before just a little bit and have a little fun on it.

That one's kind of in between. We've been working to get it more race ready, but it's not a bike that we'd be running ⁓ if we were going to run a Superbike Championship. It's just my own personal bike.

Sean - MotoBS (12:24)
Okay.

Is that the red one you put on your Instagram page? Okay, beautiful bike, beautiful. I love it. Cause that's when you were asking your fans, what do you like better the yellow or the red? And what was the, what was the verdict on that? Did more, more people like the red? would assume, right? Yeah. That's cool. I love it. Especially with, you know, Ducati is, is the bike to have with Moto GP. Now they're dominating with, with,

Kayla (12:44)
Thanks.

Yeah.

It was the red, but it was actually plus, yeah.

Sean - MotoBS (13:07)
the factory team over there and even some of the independent teams are doing really well. You mentioned your team, Kayla. Your teammates are PJ Jacobson and Corey Alexander. What's your ⁓ relationship like with them as teammates? Do you share information or is it super competitive? What's the dynamic there?

Kayla (13:10)
.

it's an amazing dynamic. mean, I'm really, really fortunate. ⁓ Both of my teammates are really, really fast, which is great. ⁓ You know, it pushes me because I think a lot of times when you

Sean - MotoBS (13:40)
because I think a lot of times when you

Kayla (13:42)
Look at teammates, you look at MotoGP, right? You're always comparing Mark Marquez to Peko Bangaya. So it's the same kind of thing. ⁓ you know, obviously, yeah, it's competitive, but, ⁓ you know, we're all, we all want the best for each other and, ⁓ you know, we all help each other. All the data is open. ⁓ I can walk up to Corey or PJ whenever and ask them, hey, you know, in this section of the track, what are you doing differently? And they'll tell me an honest answer, which is

Sean - MotoBS (13:42)
look at teammates, you look at MotoGP, right, you're always comparing Mark Marquez to Panko Bengaia. So it's the same kind of thing. obviously, yeah, it's competitive, but we all want the best for each other. And we all help each other. All the data is open. I can walk up to Cory or PJ whenever and ask them, in this section of the track, are we doing different things? And they'll tell me an honest answer, which is.

Kayla (14:09)
kind of something.

you know, unfortunately it's kind of hard to get by in a paddock like that because everyone wants to win and some people might not be, ⁓ I guess, very open to sharing stuff like that. you know, these guys are really good and ⁓ really just want the best for me and the best for the team. And I think that's a really great dynamic. I'm happy that all three of us are back for this year. ⁓ you know, obviously that makes testing and, you know, trying to get parts on the bike, the new parts that I had talked about before.

Sean - MotoBS (14:38)
parts on the bike, the new parts that I had talked about

before sorted out a lot easier and sooner. Right. That's awesome to hear. You're real powerhouse team and it's just going to be so much fun. Now that the full season is underway here, I am literally counting the days down until the next race, which is coming up May 2nd, 4th, 2nd through the 4th at Atlanta. So everybody's got to make sure to tune in. And if you're close enough, definitely

Kayla (14:41)
sorted out a lot easier and sooner.

Sean - MotoBS (15:06)
Go to Atlanta there and watch Kayla and PJ and Corey just ⁓ kick butt on the Atlanta Speedway there. That'd be awesome. Kayla, you were featured on numerous episodes of Moto America's video series, Pressure to Rise. And on one episode, it follows you and your dad as you headed to Italy last year for a one-off race in the Italian Super Sport Championship, where you climbed 11 positions in

Kayla (15:14)
it.

Sean - MotoBS (15:36)
13 lap race. ⁓ You mentioned at the end of that episode that you were looking forward to coming back and maybe doing some more European racing. What's on the cards? What's in your long-term vision for that? Is that something you're still interested in?

Kayla (15:49)
⁓

Sean - MotoBS (15:59)
I feel like it's super important for me to just keep refreshing my brain, getting used to whether it's a new track, a new team, trying to adapt.

It's it's different. It's kind of like, you if you've lived in the U.S. your whole life and then you

Kayla (16:17)
Do

Sean - MotoBS (16:18)
go to different country, you're going to have a culture shock and it's the same kind of thing for racing. It's very different over there and the way that they run things is very different. So just being able to go over there, not only from like an exposure standpoint, but just the racing. racing is great. And yeah, I try to go over there at least once a year to just keep refreshing myself. But yeah, long term.

Kayla (16:19)
to different country, you're gonna have a culture shock and it's the same kind of thing for racing. It's very different over there and the way that they run things is very different. just being able to go over there, ⁓ not only from like an exposure standpoint, but just the racing, the racing's great. ⁓ And yeah, I try to go over there at least once a year to just keep refreshing myself. ⁓ But yeah, longterm,

I'd love to race over there. That's my goal is to race a world superbike ⁓ and try to do well there if...

Sean - MotoBS (16:42)
I'd love to race over there. That's my goal is to race the World Superbike and try to do well there.

Kayla (16:48)
you know, that can lead to different options. If I end up doing well, could, you know, maybe do something like Ben Spees and go to MotoGP. But really my goal and I think a very realistic goal is to go to the World Superbike paddock and hopefully, you know, one day race in World Superbike.

Sean - MotoBS (16:48)
you know, that can lead to different options, if I end up doing well, can, you know, maybe do something like Ben Spees and go to MotoGP. But really my goal and I think a very realistic goal is to go to the World Superbike paddock and hopefully, you know, one day race the World Superbike. That would be fantastic. Yeah.

Couple of things I want to mention about that Pressure to Rise episode, ⁓ and I encourage all the watchers and listeners here at MotoBS to go out and watch it. It's super cool. But we get to see a human side of the racers too. And it was fun to watch you jamming out on the start grid to some music, to kind of just clear your head and focus a little bit before the green flag. Is that a standard tradition for you?

Kayla (17:37)
It's a tradition for my dad, I will say that. It's been something I've basically done since I started, I can't even remember, it's been forever. He's always played the same song over and over against me. If you're wondering, it's Godsmack I Stand Alone. It's from the Scorpion King movie.

Sean - MotoBS (17:38)
It's a tradition for my dad, I will say that. Okay.

⁓

Kayla (18:02)
Yeah, he loves that band, he loves that song and he's just always played it for me. then, you know, every single race weekend, every single race he's playing it. yeah, it's gotten pretty annoying over the last few years, but, ⁓ you know, it's a thing. So I let it happen.

Sean - MotoBS (18:16)
That's awesome

Kayla (18:18)
Yeah, it just gets me, now it kind of gets me happy and kind of ⁓ relaxed before the race, before maybe it got me pumped up a little bit more. But now it's kind of just funny and, you know, gets...

Sean - MotoBS (18:31)
gets

Kayla (18:31)
gets me, I guess the pre-race jitters aren't as bad, I guess.

Sean - MotoBS (18:31)
me, guess the pre-race jitters aren't as bad. Right, right. Well, that's a good segue too, because on your Instagram recently you posted your new helmet graphic for this season and it's super cool. And on the back of it, it has your name Kayla and you have it in the corn font, right? Corn the band. Was that your design or how did that come about?

Kayla (18:54)
Yep.

Yeah, it was one of my ideas for the shirt. So I did a line with actually one of Corey's clothing brands, it's Defile Odds. And we had been talking about it forever and he asked me, what are you kind of looking for? And I said, you know would be really cool is if we did something kind of hard, like hard and metal. Like I love music. I mean, in the back I got my guitars and stuff and music's a big part of.

Sean - MotoBS (19:24)
⁓ awesome.

Kayla (19:26)
Yeah, music's a big part of my life. So I kind of wanted to do something hard and edgy and just cool and a design that looked really cool from afar. yeah, just the Korn font fit perfectly. One of my favorite bands ever. And yeah, the Anarchy A was super cool because I feel like that represents a lot of what I do in the sport. yeah, I was stoked with how it came out. know, Corey and his

this designer's kind of figured out how to do it correctly. But yeah, was partially my idea for that.

Sean - MotoBS (20:00)
Oh,

it's a sick helmet and absolutely love it. It's a very cool idea. Have you been racing with HTC for long? That's your preferred helmet brand, right?

Kayla (20:13)
Yeah, I've been with HJC now for, I guess, four, probably four years now, four or five years.

Sean - MotoBS (20:19)
Wow.

Okay. I'm curious. I'm kind of a helmet buff. So I was like, she's she likes the HSC. That's cool. ⁓ Let's see here. We're winding up here. Kayla, I know you're running out of time. ⁓ You mentioned your dad. And I don't think you know, I, it's a big part of your story in air quotes, story in air quotes. You and your dad, right? He travels with you. He's part of your team. What's his what's his title? There is he your mechanic?

Kayla (20:24)
Yeah.

So on our team, I have two mechanics. ⁓ I guess you could say my A kind of crew chief kind of mechanic, Michael Godin, who's absolutely amazing, love him. He's like my A

Sean - MotoBS (20:54)
I guess you could say my A kind cruchy kind of mechanic, Michael Godin, who's absolutely amazing, love him. Who was in the Pressure to Rise episode

I mentioned. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, he ...

Kayla (21:07)
Yeah, yeah, he, basically,

⁓ crew chief, he's my crew chief. go to him after each session and even during a session and just tell him what's, what I'm kind of feeling with the bike and he'll try to make a change and help fix a problem. Then my B mechanic is Will. And, ⁓ my dad basically has done tires for our team for actually last year and now pretty much officially this year. ⁓ and just helps out with that, making sure things are getting mounted and.

Sean - MotoBS (21:31)
and just helps out with that, making sure things are getting balanced.

Kayla (21:35)
⁓ Just an extra set of hands because you could always have more. So yeah.

Sean - MotoBS (21:35)
Just an extra set of hands because you could always have more. So, yeah. Right. Well, that's cool. You obviously have a great relationship. You guys travel. You're nonstop. You're traveling all around the country and the world. So what's that like? Is that just, do you ever need like Kayla space where I'm like, I just need to be alone?

Kayla (21:58)
Yeah, I mean, it's, think everyone can kind of relate, you know, you're traveling or you're around your dad for so long and ⁓ you're just like, okay, I need my own time right now because this is not going to end up very good if I stay here right now. But, you know, it's, it's great. I'm glad I have him my corner. He does a lot for me. And, you know, obviously I wouldn't be where I am now without him. ⁓ I owe a lot of my success to him. And ⁓ obviously, yeah, it's.

Sean - MotoBS (22:09)
Yeah.

Kayla (22:26)
It's been hard at times because yeah, you're traveling with him 24 seven and we're away from home and it's a lot of stress and pressure, especially when there's a lot of people involved and he's spending a lot of time away from his job to help me. And yeah, I think it's difficult at times, but at the end of the day, it's what we love, what we love doing together. And even if we're 12 hours in a car together and maybe not talking the whole time,

Sean - MotoBS (22:39)
The passion

Kayla (22:56)
It's comfortable and that's what I've been used to for the last 12 years. Yeah, exactly.

Sean - MotoBS (22:56)
It's comfortable and that's right. It's a comfortable silence. Yeah, exactly.

That's fantastic. And I also my thoughts go back to the end of that pressure to rise episode when you were in Italy and there was just a really great emotional.

just this overwhelming emotion that you had at the end of that episode where you could see that the, what had gone into it. Cause you mentioned, you know, everybody, all the people that are there to make it happen and get this all put together. So that was, it's really great to see the human side of that too. That's why if you're familiar with ⁓ like drive to survive from the formula one side where, know, we get to see, we get to see the racers and that they're not just, you know, faceless.

Kayla (23:40)
Yeah. Yeah.

Sean - MotoBS (23:49)
beings behind a helmet, right? So it was really cool. ⁓

Kayla (23:54)
Yeah,

when you're in Europe and it's like, the only reason I'm here is because of all the people around me. And obviously, yeah, I've been working hard and I wouldn't be here if I wasn't working hard, but it was a really cool moment and I'm glad they put it in. there were a couple of times during the season where maybe I got, I guess, mad or upset. And I wish they would have put that in because I think that's a good part of, you know, not only just seeing it, but

Sean - MotoBS (23:57)
reason I'm here is because of all the people around me.

and I wish they would have put that in because I think that's a good part of, you know, not leaving.

Kayla (24:22)
I guess the dramatic part of the series, but no, I think they did a good job of kind of showing how much it means because I think there's not a lot of people that, ⁓ everyone's like, it means so much to me, but it means the world to me and this is my life and I would do anything and I keep doing everything to achieve my goals.

Sean - MotoBS (24:23)
I the dramatic part of the series, I think they did a good job of showing how much it means because I think there's not lot of people that, everyone's like, it means so much to me, but it means the world to me and this is my life and I would do anything and I keep doing everything to achieve my goals.

Right, that's awesome. That's so cool. I'm dying to know though, this is a really

Stupid question. I apologize in advance. But when you guys are traveling, because I know when I when I travel, it's fast food drive thru is all the time. So how do you how do you keep from the temptation of hamburgers? You know? Because I know you're trained and hard to keep in shape.

Kayla (25:05)
You used to talk about that.

Yeah. My dad wants to get fast food all the time. And yeah, it's, it's bad because yeah, you're on the road and you're on a rush like most of the time. ⁓ but I, I try to carry with me a bunch of really healthy meals, ⁓ either meal prep or have, ⁓ some pretty good microwave meal brands that I like. And then, if we go out to eat, you know, like Panera bread is really good for me. You know, you can get something that isn't

Sean - MotoBS (25:34)
Healthier. There

Kayla (25:35)
Horrible for you. Yeah. It's not horrible or, know, we go to waffle house and I'll just get eggs and bacon and steak and stuff like that. Sticking eggs, basically. So it's picking, picking and choosing. if, you know, we happen to go to fast food and there's nothing else, I always get like grilled chicken or something and get it plain, you know, no fries. Unfortunate. Yeah. Unfortunate sometimes there's a lot of temptation, maybe

Sean - MotoBS (25:44)
you go. So at least some smarter decisions, yeah.

Kayla (26:02)
after the race weekend, like a Monday. I don't care.

I'll probably just eat whatever I want, but no, most of the time I try to keep super healthy and, you know, not, not stray away from it too much.

Sean - MotoBS (26:09)
keep super healthy and not stray away from it.

Right. Do you take your bicycle with you so that you can do laps on the track and stuff?

Kayla (26:21)
Yeah, I try my best. ⁓ Like on the Moto America weekends, it kind of depends on the track. Like some tracks you're not allowed to have bicycles. So I tried to see which ones do and if they do, bring it and ride it on a Thursday before the race, you know, the weekend starts. ⁓ This training, this past year with like training in the off season, a lot of my training has been on the actual trainer that I have, which has definitely elevated my

Sean - MotoBS (26:30)
to see what one's do and if they do I'll bring it and ride it on a Thursday before the race, you know, the weekend starts. This training, this past year with like training in the off season, a lot of my training has been on the actual trainer that I have, which has definitely elevated my,

Kayla (26:49)
not only my cycling, but my just overall fitness. ⁓ So I've been doing that a lot more. I've been getting outside just a little bit more now that it's finally

Sean - MotoBS (26:49)
not only my cycling, but my just overall fitness. So I've been doing that a lot more, you know, I wanna, I've been getting outside just a little bit more now that.

Kayla (26:59)
getting warm here in Pennsylvania. But ⁓ yeah, I'll probably bring it to Atlanta next two weeks from now and get spent some laps.

Sean - MotoBS (27:09)
I have to ask Kayla, do you have a favorite track, a track where you go to and you're like, I'm home. This is where I like to be. Or do they all just have that kind of good and bad to them?

Kayla (27:24)
would say for sure like Barber is like a track that I love to go to every year even if you know I have a bad weekend there I still love the track and ⁓ that's yeah definitely my favorite track in the US. I love going to the Ridge you know it's another one that I do really well at but it's not really the fact that I do well there it's just I love the layout I love the Pacific Northwest I just I like being there so ⁓ I think that that's a big part of it.

Sean - MotoBS (27:36)
Yeah, definitely my favorite track in the US. I love going to the Ridge. It's another one that I do really well at. ⁓

Kayla (27:54)
when I'm in an environment that I really like ⁓ and I feel calm throughout the weekend, I tend to do pretty well. So those are two tracks for me that I feel like I'm able to kind of get into my zone a little bit easier.

Sean - MotoBS (27:57)
and I feel calm throughout the weekend. I tend to do pretty well. So those are two tracks for me that I feel like I'm able to kind of get into my zone a little bit

easier. Right. That's awesome. Very cool. I want to mention as we wrap up here, Kayla, that professional racers are always on the move. You always have commitments and you're traveling. So you're not just sitting around waiting between races. And you also do private coaching sessions.

where people can hire you and you'll give them professional advice on how to shave tints off their lap. I'm curious to know, do you usually work with advanced riders that are going for PBs or is it the whole gamut of people? It's pretty open, honestly. I've met a lot of people at various skill levels and normally it's people that I've done track days.

Kayla (28:46)
It's pretty open honestly, ⁓ you know, I've I've met a lot of people at various skill levels and ⁓ You know, no normally it's people that I've done track days before

But it's not all advanced guys, you know, I've definitely done a lot of intermediate guys as well and You know, I whenever I'm at the track. I try to help people out anyways, and I figured you know

why not start a school and start coaching with that? And I think it's played a big part in just being able to, I guess, give back in a way to the community. think what I can offer is definitely for riders to be safer, be more consistent on the track, and try to drop times as well. Obviously, everyone wants to go fast, but ⁓ you teach techniques that definitely...

A lot of people don't even know they're doing and or how to do it. So ⁓ that keeps people safe and it transfers to so many things. ⁓ And yeah, I just love to do it. Have fun. know, obviously I was down at Jennings doing a lot and I'll be all across the country doing some coaching throughout the season. And yeah, just if anyone wants coaching, let me know. I'm I'm available. Just DM me. ⁓

Sean - MotoBS (29:53)
all across the country doing some coaching throughout the season. And yeah, just if anyone wants coaching, let me know. I'm available. Just see me. And how would they so

DM you on your Instagram? Is that is that the best way to get a hold of you there? Yeah, so you can go to go to my Instagram, my Facebook direct message me. I have a website.

Kayla (30:07)
Yeah, so you could go to my Instagram, my Facebook, direct message me. ⁓ I have a website

as well that has contact info. It's just kayleyyankov.com I believe. yeah, it has all my contact information there. ⁓ if you're ever interested, just let me know. I can hopefully get you to drop your times and to be a little bit more safe around the track.

Sean - MotoBS (30:15)
It's just KayleeOnkos.com, I believe. OK. I'll put that in the description. Yeah. It has all my contact information there. And if you're ever interested, just let me know. I can hopefully get you to drop your times and to be a little bit more safe around the track.

Well, I wish I would have known before my last track day session where I low sided and turned eight in Jennings. And yeah, that ended my career.

Kayla (30:44)
No, no.

Sean - MotoBS (30:44)
It was a career ending low side and turn eight. I was like, I wish I would

have hired Kayla.

Kayla (30:51)
Nah, it's a tricky one too. A lot of people have said they've crashed through there, so yeah, I'm for sure.

Sean - MotoBS (30:58)
sure.

Well, Kayla Yakov, thank you so much for taking the time. I know it was kind of a you know, a back and forth as it always kind of is to get these things coordinated. But you're a fantastic racer. And you seem like you're a fantastic person too. I'm sure you are. And best of luck to you. And we'll be watching. And again, you've got out there spreading the word one person at a time.

Kayla (31:27)
I appreciate it. Thank you so much for having me. It's fun to chat with you and maybe we could do another one in the future.

Sean - MotoBS (31:33)
Great. Thank you so much, Kayla. Have a great evening. Bye bye.

Kayla (31:36)
Thanks. Yep. Bye.