Royal Enfield’s BTR Women’s Road Racing Set for VIR

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Kayleigh Buyck was one of 15 of the BTR Road Race women who recently got on the track at Barber Motorsports Park for a test day. Racing begins at VIR this weekend. (Royal Enfield/)

Royal Enfield’s Build. Train. Race. roadracing program—the first women’s racing initiative that teaches women to not only race, but to build their own bikes—throttles into action this weekend during the third round of MotoAmerica at Virginia International Raceway.

The Royal Enfield BTR series, which launched in 2020 and is now in its second year within the MotoAmerica FIM North American Road Race Championship, features 15 riders from across the country. The VIR round in Alton, Virginia, is the first of the BTR championship’s six rounds.

Ash Truxal gets the tire warmers going during the Sportbike Track Time day at Barber. (Royal Enfield/)

“This is a landmark year for Build. Train. Race.,” Royal Enfield Americas marketing and communications lead Breeann Poland said. “Last year was incredible; we received such support from fans and the industry. And this year, everything is twice the size—our field of riders, our schedule, and our presence in the MotoAmerica paddock. We’re really going to wow people with a full grid of riders from all levels of experience. Among our new and returning riders, we can already see that the level of competition has come up.”

“These ladies are going to put on a great show this season.”

Bridgette LeBer is crossing over from the BTR Flat Track side, where she raced the 2021 season. (Royal Enfield/)

As part of the “build” stage, each of the 15 participating female racers in 2022 received a Royal Enfield Continental GT 650, which they then built over three months with sponsorships arriving from Parts Unlimited, S&S Cycle, Harris Performance, Dunlop, Maxima Racing Oils, Boxo USA, Öhlins USA Suspension, and Arai Helmets.

The racers spent time ahead of the VIR season opener in the “train” phase, lapping Alabama’s Barber Motorsports Park with Sportbike Track Time. The Barber sessions were the first time all the women racers rode together on the track. While at Barber, the female racers were mentored by BTR crew chief Melissa Paris, an icon in female roadracing.

“It was so nice to get to meet all of my new teammates and see the returning ladies, who have become close friends of mine,” said returning rider Trisha Dahl, 31, of Minneapolis, Minnesota. “I’m proud of how fast I’ve progressed, but this new crop of ladies has far more experience, and it shows. Our first race is coming fast, and competition will be fierce, but we’re all coming together as a team to represent Royal Enfield North America, and it will be a beautiful sight when we all line up on that grid for the first time this season.”

Jenny Chancellor of Tumwater, Washington, is among 10 new women joining the BTR Road Racing program for 2022. (Royal Enfield/)

Many new BTR racers will hit the VIR grid, including Jessica Martin, 38, of Savannah, Georgia. “The opening round seemed so far away, now it’s here and I’m overcome with emotions,” Martin said. “The Build and Train portions were very encouraging and confidence inspiring. You could say I believe in me more than I ever have. The camaraderie among the team is what stands out most. We are here to help each other reach our goals, while also competing. It’s very amazing, intense, and enlightening. And now, it’s go time!”

Find bios on all 15 BTR Road Race women at the Build. Train. Race. website.

2022 BTR Road Racing Roster for VIR

• Kayla Theisler, 26, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• Michaela Trumbull, 29, Sheridan, Wyoming
• Alyssa Bridges, 31, Orange County, California
• Trisha Dahl, 31, Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Bridgette LeBer, 29, Port Angeles, Washington
• Ash Truxal, 31, Oakland, California
• Chloe Peterson, 31, Steger, Illinois
• Cora Tennyson, 36, Brandenburg, Kentucky
• Crystal Martinez, 34, Thousand Oaks, California
• Hannah Stockton, 23, Kansas City, Missouri
• Jenny Chancellor, 46, Tumwater, Washington
• Jessica Martin, 38, Savannah, Georgia
• Kayleigh Buyck, 30, Sodus, New York
• Nicole Pareso, 34, Carrolton, Ohio
• Patty Paul, 57, Berrien Springs, Michigan

And as Martin said, now it’s “go time” as the 2022 BTR Road Race series opens at VIR. This is the second year that BTR will be featured in the MotoAmerica FIM North American Road Race Championship, joining many other sub-series such as the Twins Cup and Junior Cup.

“We are very happy to see the return of the Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. program to MotoAmerica for the 2022 season,” MotoAmerica COO Chuck Aksland said. “It’s an innovative program. From the application process, to having the participants build their own race bikes in three months, to training, getting licensed and then going racing—that’s a lot of commitment from the BTR women.”

The BTR women do their own wrenching in the paddock, as Buyck demonstrates. (Royal Enfield/)

“Last year the program was a big hit with the fans,” Aksland continued. “Bike builds were very creative and it was cool to see the racers’ personalities come out in the look and design of their Continental GT 650 motorcycles. Having Melissa Paris as their mentor means that the women have the right person to go to for advice on how to hone their skills. Last year we could see the riders improve race by race and with more bikes on the grid this year, I’m sure competition will rise to another level. We look forward to watching the first round next weekend at VIR.”

For additional information, visit Royal Enfield BTR’s roadracing website.

2022 Royal Enfield BTR Road Racing Schedule

For 2022, the BTR roadracing program has added three additional MotoAmerica rounds to the schedule:

2022 BTR Road Racing Schedule

• Round 1, May 20–22: Virginia International Raceway, Alton, Virginia
• Round 2, June 3–5: Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin
• Round 3, July 29–31: Brainerd International Raceway, Brainerd, Minnesota
• Round 4, August 19–21: Pittsburgh International Race Complex, Wampum, Pennsylvania
• Round 5, September 9–11: New Jersey Motorsports Park, Millville, New Jersey
• Round 6, September 23–25: Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Alabama

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