Last Update: 10 March 2024
Elena Myers made history at the Daytona 200, clinching ninth place astride her Triumph and securing the highest-ever finish for a female rider in the Daytona 200’s storied history. Meanwhile, Melissa Paris roared into the top ten, capturing tenth place aboard her MPH Racing Honda. Remarkably, just two seasons prior, Melissa had claimed the mantle of the highest-placed female rider with an 18th-place finish in 2011—an impressive leap that underscores the rapid evolution of women’s presence in motorcycle racing.
“It was a crazy long race,” said Elena, who became the first woman to win a professional motorsports event at Daytona International Speedway last year. Melissa Paris enjoyed battling Myers for the same position on the track. “She’s such a great competitor!” Paris said of Myers. “I like that she can race hard without racing dirty. She’s so talented. To ride around with her was great!”
Earlier Elena Myers wanted to know where Danica Patrick finished at the famed Daytona 500 just weeks earlier. Danica finished eighth. Danica Patrick struck a huge achievement for women in motorsports when she won the pole for the Daytona 500 in February and followed through with her top-10 run. Saturday’s Daytona 200 SportBike race was not nearly the same grand stage as the 500, but Myers continues to make the mark for women in motorsports- and took the ninth place overall, truly a phenomenal performance.
This was Myers’ second consecutive history making race in Daytona. In 2012, she became the first woman to win a professional motorsports race at Daytona International Speedway when she took the SuperSport final by a fraction of a second over Corey Alexander.
“I don’t really think about the history aspect of things,” Myers said. “I’m happy with ninth. I’d be stoked to get ninth at the rest of the tracks this year.”
Paris might have lost the distinction of being the highest finishing woman in the race’s history, but she battled Myers and, had it not been for a late penalty for having too many crew members over the wall, likely would have finished in front of her.
Instead, she finished 10th, marking the first time two women have finished in the top 10 in the race.
“It is disappointing, on the one hand, more than anything just to lose a position to Elena,” Paris said. “She is a great competitor, and I was proud to be in front of her. Me and my crew had done the work to get in that position so to lose it over something silly was frustrating.”
Both Elena Myers and Melissa Paris modestly downplayed the significance of their gender-specific accomplishments, emphasising their satisfaction with merely competing alongside the field.
Nevertheless, the realisation that they had etched a small piece of history was not lost on them.
