Kayla Yaakov Shatters Records in Daytona 200 Triumph!

Brian J Nelson / MotoAmerica Brian J Nelson / MotoAmerica On March 7, Kayla Yaakov did what no female rider in motorcycle road racing had ever done: She stood on the podium in the prestigious Daytona 200. It was not Yaakov's first "first", and undoubtedly will not be her last. In 2022, Yaakov became the first female to win in the MotoAmerica series, beating Joseph LiMandri, Jr.

in Race 2 of the Sportbike Junior Cup that weekend ; she also stood on the podium in Race 1, giving her a weekend sweep. With 15 years of experience, the 18-year-old was already well-prepared to enter the Daytona 200. Climbing up the ladder, she amassed more than 400 regional race wins and 47 championships, but none of those garnered as much attention as Yaakov's 2026 Daytona 200 podium.

That race has been held 84 times, dating back to 1937, with a few years off during World War II. "The Daytona 200 is probably our craziest race all year," Yaakov told NBC Sports. "It's very unpredictable.

Really, anything can happen, and a lot of people will say, which I completely agree with, it's not really a rider track, so you kind of go there not really knowing where you're going to stack up. " Kayla Yaakov beat Darryn Binder to the line for third with a thrilling last-corner pass. Brian J.