Eighteen year old backs up her groundbreaking Daytona 200 podium by taking the first ever female AMA Supersport pole position at Road Atlanta
Kayla Yaakov has made history for the second time in a breakout 2026 season, becoming the first female rider to take an AMA Supersport pole position. The milestone came at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, where the 18 year old from Biglerville, Pennsylvania put her Rahal Ducati Moto Ducati Panigale V2 on top in qualifying with a 1:28.096.
“It’s crazy. I’m gonna be a little bit confused when I get to the grid because I’ve never seen a clear track in front of me in all of my Moto America races. I’m really excited, super happy with the progress of the bike. Yesterday was really positive. This is actually a track I struggle with a little bit. So to come in and to keep pole position, my first ever poll with Moto America, it’s awesome and super excited for the rest of today. I think we have a good bike under us and the pace will be fast.”
The pole is the latest headline in a season that already delivered a landmark moment at the Daytona 200. At just 18, Yaakov became the first woman ever to finish on the Daytona 200 podium, bringing her Rahal Ducati Moto Ducati Panigale V2 home in third place after a dramatic race weekend that tested the entire team.
“I have no words to describe how insane my Daytona International Speedway 200 was… all I can say is we made HISTORY!”
That Daytona performance was followed by another step forward at Road Atlanta, where Yaakov not only topped qualifying but continued to show she belongs in the thick of the Supersport fight. Her offseason work has been intense, and she believes it is now translating into results on track.
“Yeah, it’s a lot of hard work paying off, it seems. I’m really happy that it’s transferring, right? Like I’ve been really killing myself this offseason. I got hooked up with one of Ben’s old trainers, Simon, and we’ve been training a lot throughout the weeks and then obviously mentally I’ve been training. I hired a mental coach as well, so that’s been really helpful, and then obviously PJ’s been like my little uncle the last few months and staying at his house for training every day, going to the car tracks, pushing each other, and it’s pretty crazy. You kill yourself out and we’re going on these long runs and you just want to give up and it stays like this where it really pays off and it makes it feel worth it. I’ve put in a lot of work and I’m glad that we’re in this position now.”
“We’ve said it before and I’ve said it before, like I’ve never seen myself as a different competitor. It was always brought to me that I was kind of different. I hear it and it’s great, and it’s awesome because I feel like I’ve seen so many women that have been inspired by what I’ve done and it’s really, I hope, making a change and really helping boost those women so that they can do what they love, ride a motorcycle and there’s really nothing holding you back and I hope that I can help prove that, and I feel like I’ve done that, last few races and I hope I can continue to do that this year and just keep going.”
In the races, Yaakov came close to adding another podium to her growing list of firsts. After starting from pole in race one she finished fourth, just 0.2 seconds off third place, spending much of the race recovering after a slower launch. Race two was another fourth place finish, with Yaakov again running at the sharp end early and even briefly taking the lead with a double draft move down the back straight. Those two results leave her fourth in the AMA Supersport standings on 42 points, and with pole pace already proven and race speed that has kept her within reach of the front group all weekend, her first Supersport win cannot be far away.
