Shayna Texter is part of the KTM factory-backed American Flat Track Singles team in 2019, alongside teammate and defending champion Dan Bromley. She’s a fierce competitor in the class, taking third in the championship in 2018, scoring three wins and five podiums along the way. Second or third best isn’t going to cut it for Texter in 2019 however, and she’s been hard at working getting her physical and mental training in order so she can to take the title this year.

Following graduation from California University in Pennsylvania, she and boyfriend Briar Bowman headed to Florida to get to work with legendary trainer Aldon Baker.

“I’ve been working with Aldon and just trying to get physically and mentally as prepared for the start of the season,” Texter explains. “Aldon’s trying to help me accomplish some of my goals and make sure that I’m as good as I can be going into the start of the season.

“Obviously I want to win the championship, and in order to do that you got to win races and podiums. It’s no stranger to anyone who follows the sport—I’ve been so close to winning the championship so many years.”

One big problem area in Texter’s arsenal has been TTs, and it’s something she’s working hard to remedy.

“So Aldon’s been working with me with the TTs and just trying to get comfortable. I don’t have to win the races, but you certainly got to be out there scoring points. So we’re trying to attack it as best as we can in baby steps, and hopefully we can get the job done this year.”

That hasn’t always been the case, but a few bumps along the road have impacted Texter and made TTs quite daunting.

“As an amateur I did pretty well and then I had a couple accidents on TTs and some pretty big crashes and just kind of mentally got worn out. When my dad passed away in 2010, I was just kind of like, dude, I’m not riding these anymore. I hate them. I took five years away from them. In 2017 I was leading the championship and it was like, holy cow, I got to go ride these TTs. So it was a little bit of a struggle, and now I’m trying to make up for that lost time. It’s a little bit of lost time and then it’s a little bit of the mental game as well, just being confident, riding loose, and not being terrified of the jump. So it’s just that whole little other side of racing that sometimes you have to face.

“TT racing is a lot different than ovals. They have right-hand corners. They have a front brake. They have a jump, if not more than one. So there’s a lot more variables. Then to add to that, we race a lot of other guys that just race TTs only that come from other forms of racing, whether it’s hare scrambles, motocross, supercross, off-road. They come in and just race our TTs only because they do so well at it. Then we’re faced with the challenge of racing with guys that we’re not necessarily used to racing with. That’s a whole other uncomfortable setting as well. I think it’s just that whole total package. I needed to go out there and attack a TT like I attack a short track, half mile or mile.”

Baker’s already been a big help in this regard, getting Texter’s training schedule on point and incorporating special flat-track training areas into his compound and boosting her moto skills.

“He actually built me a TT track around the supercross tracks for me to get some laps in. He actually is in the process of building a flat track, but with all the rain out there on the East Coast, and the West Coast included… It’s actually underwater right now. So he built me a temporary one around the supercross track so that I can still get my laps in.

“I’ve actually been doing quite a bit of motocross as well. One of my struggles is just being confident over the jump, so I’ve been kind of cross-training a little bit over there. Just trying to get that obstacle out of the way. So a lot of us do motocross. Then of course we do flat track when we can. It’s a lot harder for us to train flat track during the week because there’s not a whole lot of facilities around that just have open trackdays.”

Baker’s notoriously hard process hasn’t bothered Texter one bit so far, largely as a result of her desire to get that title in 2019.

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“He’s no joke, and obviously he’s worked wonders on the supercross guys. Our sport’s a little bit different than supercross. It’s not as strenuous as it is in supercross. But he still has a fitness plan for me and a riding schedule throughout the week that he expects me to adhere to. He wants the best out of me and I of course want the best out myself. So if you want to win races and championships, you’re going to be self-motivated anyway. So it makes it easy.”

And that’s Texter’s plan for the coming season and beyond, to get more wins and finally score that title. The 27-year-old isn’t ruling out a possible move up to the Twins class in the future if the opportunity arises either.

Her drive has already served as a huge inspiration to many, especially as an example to women riders who face the pressure of contending in a hugely male-dominated industry. Never giving up is her mantra, and so far it’s served her well.

“If you have a dream or a goal, you need to go out there and attack it and push. The easier route is quitting, but the hard route is of course not giving up. For me, if I had given up 19 years ago or nine years ago or whatever, I wouldn’t be where I’m at today. So you got to keep pushing when the times are hard and enjoy the moments when they’re good.”

Dan Bromley is the defending American Flat Track Singles champion this year, coming off a season with four race wins and nine podium finishes. It marked the first professional title for Bromley since he joined the pro ranks seven years ago. Now, the 23-year-old Pennsylvania native is back with even more support from KTM to defend his number one status in 2019, a position he remains humble to hold.

“It’s definitely an honor to be able to have this championship,” Bromley explains. “It’s definitely kind of mind-blowing to me. I never thought I’d be in this position. It’s great. I really want to be able to cherish it.”

You might imagine a defending champion spending the entire off-season with a focused training regimen, nutrition schedule, and curfew. That’s not Bromley. Rather, he got back to the 9-5, fitting in rides whenever possible.

“This off-season I worked full-time as a carpenter. We build houses from the concrete all the way up to the roof, all the way to the trim. Pretty much do that Monday through Friday. Then I try to get a lot of Fridays and Mondays to be able to travel and ride. Back home we got about an inch of snow still, so it’s kind of hard to ride with the snow on the ground and everything, but we make the best of it.

‘We do a lot of off-road riding, motocross, and cross-training. It helps out a lot. Today, you can see when the track gets a little sloppy or dry, you have to be able to think fast and react. It’s the same thing in the woods and on the moto track. You have to react because the track’s always changing. So I haven’t really had the chance to ride a lot of flat track this off-season, but had a lot of opportunities to ride motocross and off-road. Definitely been trying to take every opportunity I can to be on the bike.”

Motocross is especially helpful for Bromley during the off-season since it keeps his senses on the bike sharp.

“Moto helps a lot because the tracks are always changing and you always have to adapt to the tracks. The lines are changing. The ruts are changing. The faces are always different. Same thing on a flat track, just a little bit differently. Pretty much it’s always flat. So it’s not that that’s changing. Some parts get a little drier. Some parts get a little more slick, a little wetter. Sometimes you get a groove that forms that wasn’t there the lap before. You always have to be adapting and trying to make not only yourself work on the bike, but the bike work itself.”

Bromley has had plenty of training over the years, however. Flat Track is in his family’s blood, starting two generations ago.

“I got into flat-track racing because a long, long time ago my grandfather, he started doing it and then he opened up a motorcycle shop back home by me in Pennsylvania. Then he got my father and two uncles into it. They raced their whole lives. They didn’t have the opportunity to go professional, so when I had the opportunity they definitely supported it fully and really wanted me to take advantage of it.”

He joined the pro ranks when he was 16 years old, the year after winning the Horizon Award.

“I was 16 turning 17 when I turned professional because the years kind of overlapped. I wanted to start in Daytona. I didn’t want to start halfway through the season, so I wanted just to start fresh. I was able to win the first year I was professional in Springfield. Then in ’13 and ’14 I rode, and then in 2015 I finished second in the championship. Then in ’16 I moved up to the Twins class where I was able to earn my national number and many main events. Then in ’17 I rode half the season in the Twins, and in one of them finished fourth place just off the podium.

“Then I moved down to the Singles after. Kind of wasn’t feeling it anymore. Didn’t have the love for racing anymore. Kind of turned into a job almost, which is hard to see. It wasn’t enjoyable for me and I wanted to find my love for racing again. Being able to go to the racetrack in the back of my van, just do it myself, and just do it on my own terms. It definitely helped changed my mind and it helped me out a lot.

“Before I was on a strict schedule where I had to eat at certain times. I had to train at certain times. I had to do certain things at certain times, and it got a little out of hand for me. I don’t think at the time I was quite ready for it. Being able to go back and kind of relax and just do it how I wanted to do it, I feel now that I’m more prepared to be able to take this opportunity I with Red Bull KTM and Roof Systems. To be able to make it a benefit for me to be able to be more structured and to be able to use it to my advantage.”

Up to this point, Bromley’s been largely a privateer. There was some bike support earlier on, but nothing like what he has with KTM in 2019.

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“Previous to this, I was on a Kawasaki-supported Twins program. It wasn’t a factory team. I got no money out of it, no nothing. But all the bikes were supplied and I just had to show up at the track. Where here, it’s a lot more easy for myself. I get a little bit more help getting to the tracks. Get a little bit more help being able to live my life and train and do all that. It definitely helps out a lot. It’s the first time ever having full-factory support where I have my own mechanic. I have any resource I need to be able to win. It’s pretty awesome.”

And as for the bike, he’s no stranger to the KTM 450 SX-F.

“I raced the first three rounds of the series on a 2018 KTM, and then KTM helped me out with a dealer demo. They were helping me out with purchasing a 2019—it was an ’18 and a half. 2019 frame, all-new frame and everything. They helped me out with that and I was able to race that for most of the season. Then toward the end of the season they helped me out with a second motorcycle, which had a little bit more parts in it that I didn’t have the resources to get. It definitely helped out a lot on the miles.”

Miles aren’t exactly where Bromley’s heart is. He’s more of a TT guy, which is understandable considering his off-season training approach.

“I love TTs. I won two out of the four last year. I’m not going to say I’m hoping to win all four this year, or all five, but I’m hoping to be in the top five and hopefully on the podium at all the rounds. I want to be able to be consistent. Last year I was on the podium 13 times. I missed the top five four times. So if I’m able to make top five every round this year, I’ll be really happy. I know that one way to win a championship is to be consistent, and hopefully I have a consistent 2019 season.”

That approach will pay dividends to his future plans if he’s able to pull it off.

“I hope to defend my championship this year. Then for 2020, I’m really looking forward to hopefully moving up to the Twins division. I would be really excited for KTM if they come out with their Twins program. As of right now it’s unclear. They are definitely working at it. I’m really excited to work with them and hopefully have them build their Twins program. For the 2020 season, I’d like to be on the Twin and hopefully be a top contender in the class.”