Valley racing team has two very fast women

PHOENIX (KSAZ) - A lot of people love to ride motorcycles in the valley, and some of them like to race. Not on the street, but in wide open spaces where they can push their bikes to the limit. Two of those world-class riders are women, and say their gender isn't a big deal; they just love to go fast.

Lisa Taylor of Kerry Alter Land Speed Racing was riding at 226 miles per hour at the Mojave Magnum Speed Event in California. She joined the 225 mph club and got a t-shirt to prove it. She's a retired Scottsdale Police motorcycle officer. She used to stop people for driving too fast; now she's the one doing the speeding.

"So for me I am having to pay attention to the clutch and throttle and RPMs and wind shift. So I find myself focusing on those things so much I don't know how fast I am going until I pull up to ticket window at the end, and they hand me my timing slip with my speed on it," said Lisa Taylor.

So what was her reaction when she set a personal record of 226.

"When I saw that speed 226 mph, I was just ecstatic," she said.

Twenty-four-year-old Loretta Flores races for Kerry Alter too. She's from Tempe and is training to become a motorcycle mechanic.

"I would like to be one of the fastest women in the world, I like when people work on their own motorcycle do what they want and set it out see what they can do with it," said Loretta Flores.

Loretta reached 204 miles per hour and won a t-shirt to prove it. At that speed, you're doing a mile in a little over 17 seconds.

What is it like going that fast?

"It is kind of hyper-focused I would call it. The flags are going by, parts of the road go by, you sort of recognize but can't put it together because it is very, very fast," said Flores.

Kerry Alter runs speed racing from his home in Ahwatukee, so why does he do it?

"It is fun. Have you ever thought about going on the street and going as fast as you can go? You will get in trouble. But we can go to these events; half mile, mile, and mile and a half events and we can see how fast this thing will go," said Kerry Alter.

What matters on his team is talent and determination, not gender.

"I am open to anybody coming to the team, it is just by chance that we have two talented girls racing with me," said Alter.

World-class racers are gearing up for their next big test. The famous Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah this summer. Both Taylor and Flores don't think of themselves as role models, just racers. But if they inspire young girls to believe they can ride as fast as any guy, that's so much the better.

They do give this advice to anyone riding a motorcycle: wear a helmet. It's a no-brainer because proper safety gear can save your life.