Check out MotoSport sponsored rider Stefano Mesa this weekend at the Portland International Raceway. Stefano is in 3rd place in the 2013 AMA SuperSport East standings. Come watch a pro and enjoy some great road racing. Until then, learn a little more about this up-and-coming star when we caught up with him this season.
Age: 18
Years riding pro: 3
What age did you start riding and on what: 5; KTM 50
What do you ride now? Yamaha R6
Hometown: Boca Raton, FL
Career highlights:
- 2012: AMA SuperSport Class East division; finishing 4th in points standings. Breakout year accounting for 12 top 5 finishes. First AMA pro win in Road America.
- 2011: AMA SuperSport Class East division; finishing 7th in points standings and earning a best finish of 2nd place in Race 1 at Daytona. CCS Championship cup series 3rd place Expert GTU, 3rd Experts GTO, 2nd Expert middleweight Supersport, 1st Experts SuperTwins
- 2010: CCS Florida Championship Cup Series
Other hobbies/interests: RC cars, GoKarting, Cycling, and rebuild cars
- What got you started?
My racing background goes back when I was five years old. At Christmas, I was given a KTM 50. I raced motocross for a while on my KTM but quit because I suffered a moped accident with my father. The fall scared me and scraped my face and arms. Time went by and my dad bought me a 4-wheeler to use on a leisure farm outside of the city of Medellin, Columbia. I got my confidence back and then the 4-wheeler fever started! There were so many that they began racing different classes and I joined. Lots of fun! Won three championships. I also went back to motocross riding a Yamaha-80, but motard started so I entered to race these and road racing on a "Colombian" type 125 until we made the decision to move to Boca Raton, Florida where my older sisters lived and went to college. We were also looking for a better opportunity in racing. Here I started racing 125s, motard, and then bought a Moriwaki and did the USGPRU championship. I've since moved on to 600s.
- If you weren't racing what would you be doing now?
If I wasn't racing motorcycles, I'd still be going to school to finish up my last year of high school, which I'm doing at the moment. Then go off to a mechanical school.
- What advice would you give a younger rider?
The advice I'd give a younger rider is if you like racing and have a passion for it, go out and race and look for the opportunity to fulfill your dream.
- What's your favorite racing moment?
I think that my favorite racing moment was last year in Road America when I won my 1st PRO RACE. That race was so much fun and exciting and a special moment.
- Is there a past or present rider you study to improve your race?
Yes. I'm always looking after the fast guys to study so I can improve my racing. Martin Cardenas is my mentor. His knowledge and way of being is just incredible and impresses me every time out.
- What's your pre-race ritual?
My pre-race ritual is going to the trailer to just relax, listen to some music, little prayer, which all together gets me ready to race.
