“Meteoric rise” is often a hyperbolic phrase that describes a person’s quick pathway to success, if not stardom. In the case of 16-year-old MotoAmerica rider Kayla Yaakov, however, it’s an apt description of her rapidly ascending career. In fact, it’s hard to believe that only three short years ago, Yaakov was competing in the Mission Mini Cup by Motul Championship.
In the summer of 2021, she made the immediate jump to the MotoAmerica Junior Cup Championship midway through the season when she turned 14 and became age-eligible. In less than two years, Yaakov tallied four wins and 12 podiums in MotoAmerica’s entry-level class. This past season, she moved up to the Twins Cup class where she notched five top-five finishes, highlighted by a runner-up result and a third-place finish at round three of the season at Barber Motorsports Park, which was her debut in the class after suffering an injury while training just prior to the season-opening Daytona round.
Yaakov turned 16 this past June, which made her age-eligible for Supersport, and she became a fill-in rider for Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Stefano Mesa, who moved up to Superbike as a fill-in rider for the injured Cameron Beaubier. Yaakov raced Mesa’s Kawasaki ZX-6R in the final two rounds of the Championship at Circuit of The Americas and New Jersey Motorsports Park. She made MotoAmerica history in the final Supersport race of the season when she finished on the podium to become the first female road racer to reach the Supersport podium during the MotoAmerica era of AMA-sanctioned professional road racing.
A lot of important racing-industry people have had their eyes on Kayla Yaakov, including three-time AMA Superbike Champion, 2009 World Superbike Champion, and MotoGP race winner Ben Spies; Ducati motorcycle legend Eraldo Ferracci, and Ducati Corse Sporting Director Paolo Ciabatti, among others. And, when Spies was asked to become Team Principal of Bobby and Graham Rahal’s newly formed Rahal Ducati Moto team–which will compete in the 2024 MotoAmerica Supersport Championship–he quickly proceeded to sign Yaakov as a teammate with PJ Jacobsen where the pair will race bright-yellow Ducati Panigale V2 motorcycle in defense of the Italian marque two consecutive class titles provided by Josh Herrin in 2022 and Xavi Forés in 2023.
Before Yaakov begins her preseason testing program with Rahal Ducati Moto, we checked in with the Gettysburg, Pennsylania, rider to talk about the incredible road racing opportunity now before her.
Q:
How early in the summer did you get the notion that you were possibly going to be racing for Rahal Ducati Moto in 2024? From talking with Ben Spies over the years, I know he’s been paying close attention to your racing. How did the whole thing get started?
Yaakov:
When we went to COTA, Ben and I started talking quite a bit more. He kind of alluded to this new team coming into the paddock, possibly on a Ducati, and he just kind of told me about it and how he was going to be involved in it. He was likely going to play a big role in the team. So, we first heard about it around then. We honestly didn’t really think that one of the riders would be me until a couple of months ago. We had started talking with Ben each day. He was like, “We really want you to be on this team.” Obviously, everything started falling together. This was quite a bit after the New Jersey round had ended. That’s when we started getting pushed in that direction. Obviously, I’m super thankful for the opportunity. It was kind of out of the blue, to be honest. I didn’t know there was going to be a new team in the paddock, and for it to be a team as prestigious as Rahal with Ducati, and then, to have me as one of the riders is awesome.
Q:
You’ve had a connection with Ben Spies for quite a long time. When the Rahals put together this race program with Spies, do you think he said to them, “I already have a rider in mind”?
Yaakov:
You’d have to ask Ben that question, but personally I just feel like the stars all aligned. It was one of those situations where I’m at the age now where I can do a full season of Supersport, and I’m starting that progression. Ben and I had been talking about what I should do over these next few years, how he wants me to go race here, race in Europe, where I should go. We’ve had these conversations, and now, to be on a team that is managed by him, it’s going to be huge for my career. Like I said, the stars have aligned, and we get this opportunity to finally work together on that level.
Q:
Let’s talk about the Ducati part of this whole thing. They are obviously a revered brand around the world. People who are part of the Ducatisti, the riders, the followers, they love their bikes. They get together at race events. They’ve embraced Josh Herrin these past couple of years, and he’s embraced them. This is kind of perfect for you because you have a lot of personality and a lot of charisma. I’m sure they’re as excited to have you with Ducati as you are to be with them. What do you think about not only the racing part of it, but being involved in such a major global brand as Ducati?
Yaakov:
When you look at the past two-and-a-half years or so of racing, Ducati has won almost every championship. In World Superbike, they won the championship. They just recently won both the World Superbike and World Supersport Championships. They won the past two MotoAmerica Supersport Championships, and now obviously they are MotoGP World Champions again. It’s such an iconic brand, and to be a part of that and to be a part of that community is, I feel like it’s something every rider strives for. I’m so excited. Like I said, the last few years have been dominated by Ducati, so to be on a race-winning bike like that is going to be amazing. Honestly, it’s a dream come true.
Q:
You mentioned about how everything became perfectly aligned. There’s also the perfect alignment where you’ve got Ben Spies involved with Ducati and he’s had a long history with them, but now it’s Rahal, as well, and Graham has been a Ducati aficionado for years. Rahal is as big a name in American motorsports and open-wheel racing as Andretti, Foyt, Fittipaldi, etc. That’s got to be amazing for you to be associated with Bobby and Graham Rahal, who are pretty much household names, especially in central Ohio where I live.
Yaakov:
For sure. as someone who loves all motorsports, from IndyCar to Formula 1 to MXGP to Supercross, motocross, everything, it’s so cool to see that such a well-known name as Rahal is interested in MotoAmerica and motorcycle road racing, and also interested in someone like me. To have that interest is awesome. I think it’s just going to be huge for the sport. Not only for just me and PJ (Jacobsen), but for the entire MotoAmerica paddock. It will draw more eyes to what we do, which is exactly what we need to grow the sport more. I’ve always been avid about growing the sport. It’s awesome to see. I’m really excited to see what they can do.
Q:
How about the fact that you’re going to be racing in your very first Daytona 200 and on a Ducati Panigale V2, the bike that won the Daytona 200 last year? So, whether it’s PJ or whether it’s you, you got some shoes to fill. Also, nothing like starting your first Daytona 200 with a team that has a huge amount of recognition. That’s going to be a big deal for MotoAmerica, but certainly for you.
Yaakov:
Yeah. Luckily, I’ve raced at Daytona once before, but my day was cut short due to a motor blowing on a different bike. But, I’m super excited. Last year, I wasn’t able to race at Daytona in Twins Cup because of injury. Also, I wasn’t old enough to race in the Daytona 200. But with Rahal Ducati Moto, it’s going to be our first run-through with everyone and our first race weekend. So, we’re kind of looking at it that way. No pressure going into it, but obviously with a race like the 200, anything can happen. I’m super excited to be a part of it and with such an awesome team. To see the yellow Ducatis go around the banking will be really cool.
Q:
I’m old enough to remember when a Ducati 851, an 888, a 916, a 999, etc., were all in that lineage of V-twin Superbikes. They were the biggest, baddest bikes you could have. What’s the Panigale V2 like to you? Is it big for you? Do you fit on it? What’s your first impression of the motorcycle itself?
Yaakov:
Luckily, I was able to ride last weekend for the first time on the V2, and it was amazing. The bike fits me absolutely perfectly. Honestly, it was a lot smaller than I thought. It feels more like a twin than it does anything that I’ve ridden in Supersport. I enjoyed it so much. The bike is so nimble and so small, so narrow. It fits me absolutely amazing. I can’t wait to get on the actual race bike and see how that is. I’m absolutely enjoying it right now.
Q:
The bike has gone through some pretty substantial balancing procedures per the Supersport Next Generation rules, and Xavi Forés talked about it quite a bit this past season. It’s still a formidable bike, with its 955 cubic centimeters of V-twin power. It’s got to have a lot of torque. Do you feel like it’s got a lot of grunt coming out of the corners?
Yaakov:
For sure. Just with the little time I had riding it, and at a track where it was very flowy, I could still tell when I compare it with a bike like the R6 or the ZX-6R, there is so much more out of the corners that I was able to get out of the bike. Honestly, it was pretty scary at first because the RPM sounded so much lower and deeper because it is a twin. I kept thinking I was about to bog out, but I was at 8,000 or 9,000 RPM.
Q:
I actually had the pleasure of watching you go around Jennings last year on your Yamaha R6 practice bike, and it’s an inline-four that screams. I was amazed at the lean angles you were getting on that bike. Do you think, with this V2 being a narrower bike, you’re going to be able to get even more lean angle out of it?
Yaakov:
I think it will depend. I’ll have to learn a little bit more about the bike before I can give you a definite answer. Obviously, America is so big and we have such diverse tracks, I think it will be track to track what we need from the bike. But having so much power out of the corners, I think it could be something that you can utilize more than all the roll speed you have to carry on the R6. But it’s such an amazing bike, you can almost do both and be completely fine and still run great lap times, carry that corner speed, and also pick the bike up and have grunt out of the corners. So, I feel like it’s the best bike in Supersport right now.
Q:
Last year, you rode a Yamaha YZF-R7. A middleweight parallel twin, but a twin-cylinder bike, nonetheless. Does it relate at all that you were on a twin, in terms of the torque or the feel, to this Ducati Panigale V2? I know they’re two completely different bikes, and even the twin-cylinderr engine configuration is a little bit different–parallel twin versus V-twin–but again they’re both twin-cylinder motorcycles. Do the two bikes relate to each other in any meaningful way?
Yaakov:
I think the power at the bottom and in the mid-range are definitely similar, but the feeling with the V2 is that there is definitely a lot more power, as you’d expect. They’re similar in some ways, but I think, overall, the V2 feels more like a complete racebike.
Q:
Conversely, let’s talk about your R6 practice bike, or the Tytlers Cycle Racing Kawasaki ZX-6R that you rode. Both of those inline-four motorcycles, they actually build their revs and make power higher in the rev range. What’s it like comparing those bikes with riding the Ducati V2? Is it a completely different feeling?
Yaakov:
Yeah, I would say so. It is a twin, so out of the corners, you’re making so much more power. You ride it a little bit differently, too. I was telling Ben Spies that I really think the V2 will suit my riding style. The ZX-6R and the R6 were both good bikes, but this bike is just all-around better. The R6 and the ZX-6R are both amazing motorcycles, don’t get me wrong, but I feel like the Ducati is just more well-rounded.
Q:
The teaser video came out about this team, and they kind of snuck the number 19 in there. Some people on social media rightfully guessed that it was because of Ben Spies’ involvement. It harkens back to when he had the number 19 during his World Superbike Championship in 2009. But, also, you had the number 19 when you raced the Tytler’s Cycle Kawasaki in Supersport at COTA and New Jersey. Was that a subtle reference to you in Supersport this past season and what was to come for you in 2024? How did it end up that you had the number 19 last year, and did it have anything to do with what’s going to happen in 2024?
Yaakov:
At the time of the teaser video, we knew that was what we were going to be doing. But, this past season, 19 was literally the only number in Supersport that was left for me to use. I asked them, “Are there any triple-digit numbers?” because I didn’t want 19. It wasn’t even in my top ten for numbers I’d want. So, anyway, I was given 19 because that’s the only number that was available, and obviously, we did well on it, especially at that last round in New Jersey where I got on the podium. I was like, “Okay, this number has to have something good in it.” Obviously, with this team coming out, they wanted both of the bikes to be associated with Graham or with Ben. So, I was kind of given the option of either 11 or 19. I was like, you know what? I’ll go with the 19. I used it this past season, so might as well stick with it. I had been eavesdropping on the MotoAmerica Discord every once in a while seeing who people were guessing, and not trying to make any comments about it. It was cool to see how everything panned out.
Q:
So, you got the number 19 because it was the only number available. Otherwise, it’s safe to say that you would have preferred to use 31 or 131 or 310, any of those, correct?
Yaakov:
Yup.
Q:
Which makes a lot of sense, but now 19… It’s great for the relationship with Ben and all that. Let’s talk about that 19. You did an amazing job in Supersport in the short amount of time on that ZX-6R. It seemed like you should have been on a Supersport bike all year, even though you couldn’t have because you didn’t turn 16 until this past June. So, I definitely understand why you didn’t start out the 2023 season in Supersport. Were you surprised at how well you did, and do you think, “I wish I would have raced Supersport all year if I could have.” Or do you think Twins Cup was good when you did it?
Yaakov:
Going into the season, like you were saying, I wasn’t old enough to move into Supersport. I didn’t want to do another year in Junior Cup. I wanted to keep progressing and get on bigger bikes. So, our plan was Twins Cup. We were going to use it as a feeder year going into Supersport, try to learn as much as we could, and then go into Supersport. Then, obviously, at mid-season, I turned 16. So I had the eligibility to do Supersport, but we wanted to keep going with the Twins Cup program. Then, when the Tytlers opportunity came up, it was something I just couldn’t pass up. I’m glad we took it at the time we did. I’m so glad that it blossomed into so many opportunities and gave me that feeling in Supersport that I had wanted all year.
Q:
Let’s talk about Yamaha because we both know Tom Halverson pretty well. I have a huge amount of respect for the guy, and I know he really pays attention to the riders who are in MotoAmerica. Certainly, he had his eye on you. I know there were probably some conversations about keeping you in the family. You did the Yamaha R3 European Cup. You did the Yamaha R7 European Cup, and you also obviously raced a Yamaha R7 in Twins Cup this year. So, you were definitely in the pipeline with Yamaha. Then, you had the opportunity with Tytlers Cycle Racing followed by this even-bigger opportunity with Rahal Ducati Moto. So, where does everything sit with you and Yamaha at this point? I’m sure Tom is happy for you, but I’m also quite sure he feels bad that he’s losing you as a Yamaha rider.
Yaakov:
Yeah. It was a tough decision to go from Yamaha to anything else. Our initial plan was to be on a Yamaha for next year, but then, when this opportunity came up, again, it was something I couldn’t pass on. Having so many great people involved in it, it was just one of those things where it could really change the way my career goes. We had a lot of long talks with Tom. He was supportive, especially this last year with me in MotoAmerica as well as in Europe. I have a big family of Yamaha supporters here in the U.S. and also with the Yamaha teams in Europe. It was definitely a hard decision, but he supports me the entire way, and so does the Yamaha family. I think for all of the awesome results we got this year, it was great. Yamaha is such a great manufacturer, and I wish them all the best, but like I said, now is the time to move on and start this journey with Ducati.
Q:
Since I’m doing some name-dropping here, we’ve already spoken about your relationship with Ben Spies, and obviously the one you’ve had with Tom Halverson, but I also know that Eraldo Ferracci keeps an eye on you and knows what you’re up to. And it’s not just because you both live in Eastern Pennsylvania. He knows road racing talent when he sees it. Did he have any influence on this whole thing happening with Ducati?
Yaakov:
I’ve been talking to Eraldo for a long while and just kind of thinking about maybe a Ducati next year, or just kind of brainstorming things. But nothing ever really came out of it. They’re such a great team, the Ducati Warhorse guys. They won the past two seasons in Supersport. So, it was great to see that he had interest in it wih me. But, he also brought me in with Paolo Ciabatti and that played a huge role in it, as well. Paolo is one of the biggest Ducati people in the world. Just having him talk with me every once in a while over social media and seeing him at Laguna Seca, it kind of started to tie things together for me. And, with him back our Rahal Ducati Moto team, it’s awesome to see everything come together. I’m really excited for it.
Q:
I know Ciabatti talks to a lot of riders, and I had heard he had been in touch with you, so that’s pretty amazing. You’ve got a guy who’s known by everybody as the Ducati guy, and he’s having conversations with a 16-year-old, up-and-coming rider from Pennsylvania. That’s got to feel pretty good, doesn’t it?
Yaakov:
It’s awesome. When we’re watching MotoGP on a weekend, you see him in the background in the Factory Ducati garage. So it’s awesome to have those kinds of connections. Just a great guy to have in our corner.
Q:
So, you had mentioned that you’ve already been on a Ducati Panigale V2. I’m sure it’s not your actual racebike yet. They’re probably prepping that. Knowing the topnotch organization that Rahal Racing is and the way Ben handles things, I’m sure they’re going to have a pretty structured test program leading into Daytona. It’s not the first round of the Supersport Championship, but it’s the first race of 2023 and it is the Daytona 200. You’ll obviously be testing during the off-season? Where might you test? Do you know?
Yaakov:
We are going to get everything rolling probably in early January. Like I said, I have a practice bike right now that I’m riding just until we get to the actual bikes that have been prepared for us. Right now, we’re kind of just in full training and focus mode that way. As we roll into January, from then on into Daytona, we have a full testing schedule already kind of getting figured out. I don’t know exactly if I can disclose where it will be, but it will probably be down south or at least in the southern part of the United States. So we’ll be testing around there, me and PJ, with the entire team. I’m really excited for it.
Q:
You mentioned before that you’ve been around the road course at Daytona on a different bike, but not on a Ducati Panigale V2 racebike. But, you haven’t ever competed in the Daytona 200 before. Going into that race for the first time, have you set any specific goals for the 200 or for the season this year? Do you set goals for yourself at the beginning of each race season? Where you want to end up or what you want to do?
Yaakov:
Yeah. I feel like every rider wants to win, and that’s why we do it. We go out there to win races. But, realistically for me, I just want to see progression all year. That’s something I’ve talked to Ben about a lot. I think for me, towards the end of the season, I want to be consistently in the top five and fighting for podiums if I can. I think that team is fully capable of it. Having people like PJ around me, Ben, all the knowledge of the team that is going to be brought into the series, I think it will definitely be a realistic expectation. But, as for the 200, I’ve been advised not to go insane, or my pit stop will be sabotaged. We’re going to have fun, and we’re going to do what we can, but if I push over the limit, then let’s just say my pit stop will be pretty slow.
Q:
Even at only 16 years old, you’ve ridden a lot of different kinds of bikes, and I know you work on them, too, so you understand the mechanics of them. You’ve got to be pretty excited that you’ve got a single-sided swing arm for that pit stop at Daytona. Maybe that rear wheel will come off and on a little quicker than most bikes?
Yaakov:
It’s definitely a little bit of a competitive advantage. The only hard thing about it is getting it off the rear stand. But I’m excited. I think the entire Daytona experience is something that I feel like every rider looks for, especially in America. It’s one of the biggest races all year. So, I’m really excited to be a part of it.
Q:
Three years ago, you were racing in Mini Cup. Then you were in Junior Cup, and you got your first MotoAmerica podium, then your first win. Then, you got on the Supersport podium at New Jersey, and now you’re on one of the best-known motorcycle brands in the world and one of the best-known race teams in America, and it’s Kayla Yaakov from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Do you grasp how incredible that is?
Yaakov:
It’s really crazy, because I was actually just catching up with a friend the other day, and he was asking me, how’s everything going with racing? I told him I just signed with the Ducati team, and he kind of put it in perspective for me. It’s insane to think about. Like you said, it was just a few years ago that I was racing in Mini Cup. Not that I hadn’t been riding big bikes at all, but just to go from that to winning races in Junior Cup and doing well in points, and then going to Twins Cup and getting on the podium, and in Supersport, getting on the podium in that class, too. It’s crazy to see that progression. Also, in Europe, just being able to go over there and do well. It’s one of those things where you dream about it when you’re little and you’re going through it. It’s awesome.
Q:
I’ve never been to your house, but I’ve seen your videos. I don’t know how far it is from your house, but you have a racetrack and it’s basically right in your back yard. Am I right?
Yaakov:
Yeah.
Q:
That’s pretty incredible. You ride Supermoto on that track? Is that what you’re doing?
Yaakov:
Yup. I did have a Yamaha YZ125, but recently we just got the Husqvarna 450, which pretty much every is on now. So, it will be a lot of fun, I think, to have something like that to train on, and obviously everyone doing the new Supermoto movement. Everyone is on them now. So, it will be fun to ride around with some of those guys in MotoAmerica. But the track around the house, it’s awesome to have. Whenever it’s not snowing or raining, or whatever here in the bi-polar weather of Pennsylvania, I try to go out.
Q:
You mentioned your 450. As I understand it, you’re going to be going down to that one track that it seems like everybody from Ashton Yates, to Gus Rodio, to Ben Gloddy, to Avery Dreher goes to–Bushnell–and ride Supermoto around there and chirp the tires going into that downhill left turn. Are you going there, and are you going to have your 450? Then tell us what you’re doing right after that.
Yaakov:
We’ll be going down this weekend to Bushnell Motorsports Park and doing some Supermoto training down there. Try not to hurt myself doing one of those slides on the hill, but I’ll have some fun. But right after that, we’re going to go out to Jennings, do some track days, and then do a Ducati day that they’re going to have out there with Josh Herrin and my new teammate PJ Jacobsen. It will be a lot of fun. There’s going to be some one-on-one coaching and some regular track day riding with a bunch of Ducati enthusiasts. So, it will be a lot of fun. Rumors are, there’s going to be a big race between either Josh and PJ or all three of us, so hopefully, no one takes each other out.
