Professional motorcycle road racer and model, Patricia Fernandez continues to blaze new trails and thrive in a male dominated field. As the “world’s fastest female road racer,” Fernandez was the only woman racing in the recent King of the Baggers series. She’s not only an influence to the female riding community, but embraces her femininity through work as a professional model. In an exclusive interview she shares her inspiring racing journey, tips on achieving success, and offers the motorcycle advice you need – either as beginner or pro.

Fernandez races in the MotoAmerica Superstock 600 class on purpose-built short circuits, although she has also raced in the Daytona 200, and in one-off short circuit races overseas in both Australia, Ireland, and the US. In 2014 she made her debut at the Ulster Grand Prix, a race in Northern Ireland held on a circuit made up of public roads closed for the purpose and has raced there every year since. In 2016 she was recognized by the organizers of the UGP as ‘The fastest ever female road racer’ with a special gold medal, after her 118.264 mph average lap of the Dundrod Circuit on a 600 during the second Supersport race of the 2016 UGP. Currently she continues racing her custom built Indian Motorcycle in the King of the Baggers race.

HOMBRE: Did you always have an interest in racing?
Patricia Fernandez: I never even saw anyone in my family ride a motorcycle. Nobody races anything. When I first started my parents didn’t want me to. It just worked out. I’ve been a professional since I did the last 3 races in 2012. Ever since 2013 I’ve been a full seasoned pro racer.

H: How did your parents react when they learned you wanted to be a motorcycle racer?
PF: The first words out of my mom’s mouth were ‘ay Dios mio!’ They did not like it at first. They were hoping it was gonna be a phase and once they realized it wasn’t they became my biggest fans. My mom prayed to God a lot. Once they came to my first race and realized how good I was they began supporting me. And once they started seeing that there weren’t many women racing and how special that was they became fully committed.

H: Did you start racing men, women? How did it begin?
PF: It was just men. There are very few females. I did a race in Mexico where I raced women, but here there are not enough girls, there’s maybe 5 or 6 girls. In the last three years I’ve been the only female. I like it because it’s one of the few sports in the world that is not sex divided, there’s not a men’s  or women’s class. To me that’s really appealing because it shows you have to be really skilled to participate.

H: How do guys react when they find out  they’re racing a woman?  
PF: It’s mixed reviews. At first they didn’t like it at all. A portion of them thought I would go away and wouldn’t last. But in the last five years I won over the guys.

H: How has your progression been in the sport?
PF: When I went pro I  was not the best. So now as a professional I found a coach and worked on getting better, and as I got better I started racing for better teams. You’re always improving. You never stop, you just learn different ways and start learning different things. I started learning about dirt bikes. You start changing your physical fitness workout. It’s extremely competitive to be at a professional level, no matter what your sport is. You’re always looking to get better. Even if you’re already the best out there.

H: How was it to participate in the Bagger race?
PF: That was awesome. I got to do the Baggers race, and the King of the Baggers, and in all of them I was the first and only female that has ever competed. It was bigger than anything I’ve ever raced. Those things are 600 pounds, and they’re so tall. The scariest part for me was just stopping because I was afraid I was gonna fall over. It’s definitely a learning curve as far as riding in a pro level.
As far as the community, I loved it. They were really welcoming, they were really happy, they were so excited to be there and it’s relatable. They were just cheering for me and it’s really cool.

H: How was it riding on an Indian bike?
PF: I got to test the Harley before my team built the Indian and I have to say I really love the Indian. It was really smooth and I also went faster. It was amazing.

H: What races do you have coming up now?
PF: There aren’t any more professional Bagger races for the rest of the year. I have dirt bike races. But even if you’re not racing you’re always working to improve your skills. Right now I’m on skill development and the other side of racing like marketing and social media.

H: How do you train?
PF: I have to change a lot. When I race the 600s there’s core, legs cardio, because every 7 pounds is a horsepower so you want to be as light as possible. But now in the big bikes you just have to be strong because the bike weighs so much. So I love weight resistance and try to improve my flexibility and mobility training. My fiancé is also a pro racer so we get to push each other a lot.

H: How do you combine racing with modeling?
PF: If it was up to me I would never model. I like to put the helmet on, that’s where I’m more comfortable and ready to go. I do enjoy it though. It’s a skill set I’m definitely still working on. I’m nowhere near as good in a bikini as I am in a motorcycle.
But I like breaking stereotypes. I like showing people I can race a 600lb motorcycle and I can also put on a bikini. Don’t let what people tell you dictate what you want to do.

H: What made you start riding Indian?
PF: I ride for the Saddlemen team and they had the Harley already and they were interested in adding a motorbike. There aren’t that many Indians out there and it wasn’t as much work. It was easier to ride.

H: What would you say is your key to success?
PF: The key to success is being stubborn. I say that because when I first started everyone told me I would never do it pro. I’m very strong willed and I went pro. And then when I went pro everyone told me I could never last or be successful, everyone was so negative about it. I was stubborn, I love what I do.
I have to be grateful to all the men that always told me no. I would say believing in myself and being stubborn is my answer.

H: And what advice do you have for someone that wants to enter the sport?
PF: Honestly the same thing. It’s hard, I’m not gonna sugarcoat it. Anyone that wants to do it, you have to be dynamic. You have to talk to fans, you have to care about social media, there’s more to it than just going fast. I love my fans, I take the time to talk to them. You also have to train, stay on top of it, you have to believe in yourself.

H: How do you feel when you hear someone say ‘you inspired me to ride’?
PF: I love it. I have so many ladies and men that have asked me how to get a license, all the way to how to become a racer. I always answer as many questions as I can. But when they tell me ‘I got my first motorcycle,’ that’s what I want to hear. I want to hear you had fun.

H What’s next?
PF: For me I just love to ride. I like challenges. I will definitely continue racing Baggers as long as they let me. The last couple of years I haven’t been able to race internationally because a lot of the races were canceled. I want to continue racing and help bring more ladies into the sport.

H: If someone wants to start riding motorcycles, guy or girl, what bike do you recommend they start with?
PF: My biggest recommendation is get something small, and get something cheap that you don’t mind dropping because anyone starting will fall. Nobody gets a Ferrari for the first car. Get 500cc or smaller. Just see it as a stepping stone to your next motorcycle. You need something you’re comfortable to learn basic skills and you’ll probably drop it, so be prepared for that.