Woman's Quest for Speed Leads to Motorcycle Racing

By Judith Kahn

"Racing is about mental refinement. The fusion of spirit and matter represents focus and discipline. The mind is the pilot, the body is the tool, and the spirit is the engine; the racetrack is the challenge and victory is the goal." These are the words of Birgit Soyka of Stuttgart, Germany, one of the first female motorcycle racers.

She fondly remembers riding a Moped with her father in the German countryside at the age of three. While others aspired to own a car after high school graduation, Soyka longed to own a Honda 750-cc motorcycle. Soon, she had one, which allowed her more freedom and possibilities than a car. Throughout her life, she has pursued international adventure and has had a strong power of faith in herself, enabling her to realize seemingly impossible dreams. In 2001, Soyka achieved a black belt in the martial arts and said this achievement offered her an spiritual transformation.

At 22, she landed the perfect job as assistant to the editor of "mo," a purebred German motorcycle magazine, allowing her to turn her hobby into a job. Everything around and in the office was about motorcycles. She was in motorcycle heaven. As assistant, one of her duties was to pick up motorcycles from manufacturers all over Germany to clean and prepare them for photo sessions. She also managed the extensive motorcyclist clothing inventory. Sometimes she was able to keep the test bikes for a week, and often she had a new bike every day.

Outside the magazine, Soyka's biker friends looked forward to seeing what she was driving next and appreciated being informed about the newest bikes before they were released on the retail market. Soyka recalls she was "the test rider, model and very dynamic secretary all rolled up into one."

Within a short time at "mo," it became obvious to all that she was leaning toward racing, preferring test racers over cruisers. When the chance came to apply for the Yamaha Cup race, she did, racing actively in Germany in 1983-84. She was selected as one of 50 participants from 300 applicants.

The series consisted of 16 separate races over the course of one season, and the reward for winning the series was a contract to race on the national German racing circuit with a 250-cc purebred racing bike. According to Soyka, this was the dream of every racer.

Although she did not win the series, this was the start of her racing career, and despite some serious injuries incurred during its course, her passion for motorcycle riding and racing has never wavered.

Some of her most memorable races include her ninth position finish at the Circuit Hockenheim in 1984. In Germany, Soyka practiced on landing strips at small airports, which were converted into racetracks for the weekend. When practicing, the streets often became her tracks as well.

In 1986, she borrowed and rode a bike, racing for fun, with the Daytona Racing Club. That same year, she resumed racing against all male competitors in Los Angeles in the Southern California Club Championship, winning the championship in one class that year. She raced with the big stars of the time at Laguna Seca, a national race, finishing in 16th place after her bike broke down.

Soyka asserts that no other type of transportation gives you the adrenaline rush and freedom of riding a motorcycle; the only sport that comes close to it is skiing, with the wind in your face atop a mountain, maneuvering your way down a challenging slope.

Soyka had sustained multiple injuries and knew the time was approaching when she would become too old to race, but was exploring the idea of working in race team management and leadership. In 1988, at age 28, she forged a successful business dealing with international transportation and shipping in the logistics sector. She stayed with this business for more than 21 years. She felt quite lucky to get this position, since in Germany there is a rigorous three-year apprenticeship for such professions. The job took her to Mexico, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Africa and Alaska. She said her favorite country is Nigeria and Switzerland - for very different reasons.

In Switzerland, because of its landscapes and pure beauty. She loves the Lucerne Alps.

But it was on her to trip to Africa that she realized that international corporate life was suffocating her and she had to get out. Going back home after 21 years was not an option; she had to figure out how to create a holistic work life again, balancing yin and yang. So, she moved to the Sunset District.

Soyka is planning an expedition to cross California on an electric bike - a feat that has never before been attempted. The trip begins at the California and Oregon border and finishes in Tijuana, Mexico. That is roughly 1,200 miles traveling on freeways and surface roads. The logistical challenge is great, since the route must be planned in increments of 50 miles to accommodate the battery load of today's electric bikes. She hopes to foster awareness of emission-free transportation on two wheels.

Soyka's favorite motorcycles are the technically progressive Honda sport bikes, CBR models, for their power, elegance and speed. The Yamaha R6 model is also a favorite for its style, fierceness and racing personality.

Her efforts to support the electric motorbike brought her to two new companies, Zero and Vectrix, which she believes are the forerunners in emission-free transportation and research in clean motorcycle technology.

Her motorcycle hero is Barry Sheene, who was at the top of his game in 1979. Internationally famous, he won several world championships and dominated the 500-cc class, racing just seven weeks after a terrible crash at the Daytona 200 race, in which he sustained six broken bones.

Soyka's decision to follow her passion leads her to different types of books, such as Jeff Brown's "Soulshaping" and Stuart Wilde's "Infinite Self."

Now, Soyka has produced a book of her own, "To Drink the Wild Air," which tells about her exploits in the motorcycle racing world and her journey afterward.

The book can be purchased at www.Amazon.com. As well, Soyka will have a book signing at Rezerv.it, 524 Union St., on Saturday, May 7, from 3 - 7 p.m.