WOMEN RIDERS ROCK
RACERS It all started with a little Honda Z50 when Jody Perewitz was just a kid. “I was on it as soon as I could walk,” she told American Motorcyclist, “and I’ve been on two wheels ever since.” After college, Jody started working for her father — Hall of Famer and renowned custom builder Dave Perewitz — who she calls her biggest supporter and inspiration, helping out at the shop. But everything changed when she gifted her father a trip to the Bonneville Salt Flats. “He’d never been there” she said, “so I gave him the trip for Christmas that year. He said, ‘Well, we can’t go and not race,’ so I said I’d ride the bike. We had a bunch of good people and manufacturers behind us, built a bike, and got out there in 2011.” “We don’t build race bikes,” she continued, “so this was a whole new ballgame for us. We were complete rookies to racing and the salt, but so many people helped us out. I still get
goosebumps talking about it. The salt flats are like no other place, but on our first try we set records and got in the 200-mph Club. I was the first female to go over 200 mph on an American V-twin… such a humbling experience.” After that successful initiation she continued doing land-speed events, and now holds 16 records. She’s also tested her chops in endurance riding, becoming one of three women to complete all the miles on the Cross Country Chase and competing in the Motorcycle Cannonball aboard a 1936 Harley-Davidson. “The Cannonball was on my radar for some time, and I like challenges. It was female versus machine, and I did it!” She’s also taken her love for old bikes to the track, racing vintage bikes at Sons
Brian Helm
Custom painter, vintage racer, and the first female to top 200 mph on an American V-twin
of Speed. “It’s is like boardtrack racing with no brakes and no gears,” she told us. “You’ve got to stay aware of the other racers and the bikes and banks and corners, and you’re on rickety 100-year-old motorcycles with no suspension going 70-75 mph.” When she’s not setting records or taking off on cross-country endurance rides, she continues to work in her dad’s shop, helping with marketing but also doing her own paint work. “My dad’s been known for his paint, and I’ve started painting on my own,” Jody said. “My dad pushes me. He’s my biggest supporter, and I am his!” — Joy Burgess
When she’s not setting land-speed records or taking cross-country tips, Jody races vintage bikes in the Sons of Speed vintage series. Above, taking the checkers after a lap around the New Smyrna Speedway.
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AmericanMotorcyclist.com
Michael Keegan
Jody Perewitz
