Elena Myers makes MotoGP ‘debut’
Added on Friday, August 26th, 2011 by Carole Nash Editor
Elena Myers makes MotoGP ‘debut’
Seventeen year-old AMA rider Elena Myers made her debut on a MotoGP machine at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway yesterday, completing a handful of laps onboard Alvaro Bautista’s Suzuki GSV-R prototype machine.
Team SuzukiScoopFans rider Myers was given the chance to ride the GSV-R after chatting with Suzuki MotoGP Team Manager Paul Denning at Laguna Seca this year and was able to fulfil that opportunity at Indy today. She produced a superbly-confident performance on the Suzuki as she completed five laps of the 4,216m world famous ‘Brickyard’ circuit as part of the build-up to this weekend’s Indianapolis Grand Prix.
Myers got into a smooth rhythm and managed to break the 300km/h barrier as she clocked an impressive 306km/h (190mph) down the main straight. She was watched by regular Suzuki MotoGP racer Bautista and many other Grand Prix stars as she put the GSV-R through its paces, and all were impressed with her smooth and self-assured riding style. Bautista was also on-hand before Myers took to the track to offer advice and was waiting in the pit-box as she returned his bike ready for Sunday’s race.
“Wow! I can’t really say anything else; it was just such an incredible experience,” she said. “I can’t thank the guys at Suzuki MotoGP enough – they have been awesome! This makes me so hungry to come out here and try it someday for real on a race weekend: Well I guess this is a race weekend, but I mean for real next time.
“I can’t say enough about the bike either; it does everything 20 times better than I ever would have imagined – this has just been amazing and I think I’ll slowly realise what just happened over the next couple of days. The GSV-R just blew me away!”
Myers became the first female racer to win an AMA Pro road-race when she took victory at the AMA Pro SuperSport event at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma in 2010. This season Myers has recorded a podium finish at Barber Motorsports Park, plus five more top-five finishes on her way to an impressive fifth overall in the 2011 AMA Pro SuperSport West Division – despite missing two rounds due to injury.
The young American star will remain at Indianapolis for the rest of the weekend and see Bautista, the GSV-R and the rest of the MotoGP field in action during the 12th round of the 2011 MotoGP World Championship.
