Kayla Yaakov makes history at Daytona 200

18 year old becomes the first woman to stand on the Daytona 200 podium after a drama-filled race

The Daytona 200 has always been a race that rewards toughness as much as outright speed – and in 2026 it produced one of the most remarkable performances in the event’s long and storied history.

At just 18 years old, Kayla Yaakov etched her name into the record books by becoming the first woman ever to finish on the podium at the Daytona 200, bringing her Rahal Ducati Moto Ducati Panigale V2 home in third place after a dramatic race that seemed determined to throw every obstacle possible in her path.

For Yaakov, simply making the finish felt like a victory at times.

“I have no words to describe how insane my Daytona International Speedway 200 was… all I can say is we made HISTORY!” she said afterwards.

The build-up had been anything but smooth. Mechanical gremlins struck throughout the weekend, culminating in a frantic engine change just before race day. Then came more chaos during the red flag period when the team’s quick-fill fuel can malfunctioned, spilling petrol across the bike in pit lane and forcing the crew into a frantic clean-up.

If that wasn’t enough, further mechanical concerns surfaced during the warm-up ahead of the race itself.

“Honestly it felt like everything that could go wrong was actively going wrong,” Yaakov admitted.

Yet when the race finally settled into rhythm, the Rahal Ducati Moto outfit delivered when it mattered most. The team executed three clean pit stops and sent Yaakov back into the fight each time aboard a Panigale V2 that proved fast enough to run with the front group.

As the closing laps ticked down, the fight for the final podium position came to a head with former MotoGP rider Darryn Binder, the South African beginning his first MotoAmerica season. Yaakov refused to yield, stalking Binder before making the decisive move late in the race to claim third and ignite celebrations inside the Rahal Ducati pit.

The podium marked a historic milestone not just for Yaakov but for the race itself – the first time in the Daytona 200’s long history that a female rider had stood on the rostrum.

Her result also delivered an early statement for the Rahal Ducati Moto project, owned by three-time IndyCar race winner Graham Rahal and run by former World Superbike champion and MotoGP race winner Ben Spies.

Spies, in fact, had been watching Yaakov’s development for years before the team even existed.

Back in 2018 he stumbled across a video of the young rider practising on a bike in her driveway – a clip his daughter watched repeatedly.

“I could see she had a huge talent,” Spies said.

He contacted Yaakov’s father, David, offering advice whenever needed about her development and which machines she should progress onto as she climbed the racing ladder.

Those occasional messages continued for years.

Then, midway through 2023, Rahal called with an idea – build a new MotoAmerica team.

Spies already knew who his first rider would be.

“Kayla was the first person I said,” he recalled.

“Without hesitation Graham said ‘100 per cent, I love it.’”

Fast forward to 2026 and that decision has already paid dividends.

“Being a dad of two daughters makes our relationship naturally closer,” Spies said. “She wants to be the best out there – not just the fastest woman. She has the killer mindset you cannot teach.”

Yaakov’s rise through the sport has been nothing short of extraordinary. She first threw a leg over a dirt bike at the age of four and was racing MiniGP machinery by seven. By eight she had won her first championship – and another the following year.

At nine she made headlines by becoming the youngest American ever to race full-size road racing motorcycles and beat adult competitors in the process, breaking a record previously held by Nicky Hayden.

The wins piled up rapidly from there. By the time she was 12, Yaakov had accumulated more than 47 regional championships and over 390 race victories, along with AMA Grand National titles and the AMA’s Novice Racer of the Year award.

Her transition into professional racing proved just as impressive. In recent seasons she has claimed multiple MotoAmerica victories and podiums, becoming the first female rider to win a MotoAmerica race.

Now, in 2026, she lines up as the only female competitor in the MotoAmerica Supersport class – and one of its most promising young talents.

The Daytona podium is arguably the biggest moment of her career so far, but Yaakov was quick to emphasise that the result belonged to the entire team.

“I wouldn’t have been able to achieve this feat without my incredible Rahal Ducati Moto team,” she said, thanking Rahal, Spies, her crew and her father, as well as teammate PJ Jacobsen.

“I hope I did you proud with this podium, and I can’t wait to see what the rest of the season holds.”

Kayla’s performance at Daytona – the toughest, most unpredictable race on the American calendar – indicates that this historic podium might only be the beginning.

Josh Herrin also made history, continuing his remarkable Daytona 200 run by taking a fourth straight victory in 2026, further cementing his status as the race’s modern benchmark. The win was also Herrin’s fifth career Daytona 200 triumph, tying him with legends Scott Russell and Miguel Duhamel for the most victories in event history.

Tyler Scott completed the runner-up spot, turning pole-winning pace into a second-place finish for D3O M4 ECSTAR Suzuki.

2026 DAYTONA 200 RESULTS