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Shelina Moreda grew up riding motorcycles on her family’s dairy farm in Northern California and her love for two wheels grew from there.
“Most of the racers were guys. That never stopped me from wanting to do it. My dad never raised me to see a difference. He never stopped me from doing anything because I am a girl. My mom is the same way,” says Moreda
Now Moreda races at a professional level in the USA, China, Qatar, Japan, and Europe. She has achieved many firsts, such as being the first female to race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (on a motorcycle) and China's Zhuhai International Circuit in 2016. Moreda also finished first in the Women's Championship in Qatar.
Despite these achievements, Moreda struggled initially to break into motorcycling as it is a largely male-dominated sport.
“It is not only the guys holding me back. While some of it is, everything else is about getting taken seriously as a female - in a male-dominated world.” In this interview, Moreda shares how women can overcome this challenge and find the confidence to go for what they want.
Michelle King: How did your career in motorcycling start?
Shelina Moreda: I grew up on a ranch and I have been riding ranch motorcycles since I was a little kid to bring the cows in from the field. That’s what started my love for motorcycles. I watched the pro racer guys on TV and dreamed of racing against them. One day I went from watching the motorcycle races on television to going to the track and signing myself up to get my racing license. I had no idea that people didn’t do that; Normally you go to the track for a couple years and practice before signing up to race. So sometimes, ignorance is bliss. I just dove in head first. It was what I really wanted to do. When you put your whole heart into something you are bound to do it with a lot of passion and to force yourself to succeed at it.
King: What are some of the challenges for women entering the sport?
Moreda: When you have anything that is so male dominated it makes it really intimidating for females to actually get into it. I struggled a lot because you are learning from just guys. It can be embarrassing to learn from guys because you feel more stupid if you do something wrong; we learn a bit differently than guys, we tend to want to ask more questions, so it’s just flat our harder to get started. I just throw myself in and try and learn from them anyway, but I don’t think that’s the typical way a female wants to learn.
King: This is a largely male-dominated sport, so what was it like competing?
Moreda: One of the big things I have struggled with is just being taken seriously. To me that is a huge issue because I stepped into this sport saying, ‘This is what I am going to do professionally.’ People just looked at me and said, ‘Yeah sure.’ They don’t take you seriously. You would automatically assume that this was just coming from the guys but it is also about females holding each other back. That’s the saddest part. Women don’t take each other, or themselves, seriously a lot of the time. That hurts women who are putting their head down and trying to make it. That’s across all industries. I am sure a lot of females face this same thing.
King: So, how do you get taken seriously?
Moreda: I think that one of the big things is to just do it 100 percent for yourself. Don’t do it for the eyeballs. Don’t do it for everyone else. You have got to follow your own path. If everyone did it like that, everyone would be a lot happier in their jobs. In growing my career, I have only done the things I wholeheartedly believe in. Show that you are in it for the long run and willing to put the work in. That is how you get taken seriously.
King: What do you think can be done to support more women entering motorcycle racing or any male-dominated sport?
Moreda: Support. In all directions and at all stages. In my career, I see a lot of females struggling. They’ve dropped out because they can’t get the support they need, sponsors don’t take them seriously enough, they don’t get enough training, and they lose their confidence. I know I have had to really push to get to the level I am at, and it’s hard. This is why I created my (motorcycling) camp because I wanted to make women feel comfortable and take away any excuse not to learn. We need a place where females can go and build their confidence, learn and get into the sport if they want to, or just challenge themselves in a new way even if they don’t want to ride forever.
