Motorcycle racing runs in the family when it comes to the Hasbells of Sparks. Dad Matt started racing as a kid and still races. Today, all three of his children - Hannah, Noah, and Emma - race as well.
“And you’ve even raced a couple, too,” Emma said, looking at her mother, Renee.
“I’ve raced two, but I need to stay unhurt. Somebody has to take care of everybody,” Renee said with a laugh. “But it’s fun. It’s a good family atmosphere.”
Perhaps it’s the racing in her blood that has helped Emma, 16, win as many titles as she has since she started racing at the tender age of 6. She competes in Enduro, which is motorcycle racing on crosscountry, off-road courses. According to the teen, most races last from an hour and a half to two and a half hours.
At her last race in Stanton, Alabama, on Oct. 29, Emma picked up three national titles - the 2023 NEPG National Women’s Amateur Title, the 2023 OverAll Short Course Title and the 2023 Beta Cup. These are her first national titles, and she was the first amateur woman to take the OverAll Short Course Title, which includes both men and women.
Other titles she’s won include first place in Women’s Advanced B for the year in the Blackjack Enduro Championships, six season championships throughout her career, and three first-place finishes in Bike Women’s Long Course with the Oklahoma Cross Country Racing Association.
Emma said next season, she’ll move from amateur to women’s elite class.
“Which is the pro, national and Euro series. So we’ll actually be getting money for being on the podium,” she said. “And then I would like to make the ISDE team, which is the world league, and you go compete for your country.”
All Emma has ever wanted to do is race. At least once a month, she’s on the road to a national race, she said, with some as far away as Pennsylvania or Alabama. In the inbetween, she fills her time with local races in Oklahoma and the surrounding states.
However, Emma admits that she doesn’t train every day on the threemile trail her family uses near the house. “I probably should,” she confessed with a smile. “I do try and ride a couple times a week, but here recently, it’s been really busy, so that’s why I haven’t gotten to very much.” She added that it’s important to stay healthy and be cautious. Getting hurt can ruin your entire season.
“Emma probably stays the busiest,” her mother, Renee, said. “We’re pretty active in our church, and she’s the lead singer on their youth worship team and stuff, so she goes to practices. I mean, she’s gone more probably than anybody.”
Being homeschooled at the very least helps, Emma said. She’s able to take her schoolwork with her on the road. She also makes time to train a younger girl and hopes to encourage more young girls to take up and keep racing. Emma said nowadays, fewer women are racing.
“It’s getting smaller, so I’m just trying to promote women in racing,” she said.
The most challenging aspect of Enduro racing, according to Emma, is endurance and being able to go for a long time at the same pace. She will definitely be put to the test on that aspect in her next race, the Gutbuster 24, which is an intense 24-hour race.
Emma will be riding on a team of five women, including herself and her sister, Hannah. The riders can stop if needed - they aren’t required to ride 24 hours straight. However, some teams have. It’ll also be Emma’s first time riding at night, which brings on new challenges.
“I bet the visibility is going to be challenging because I’m used to looking way up ahead, not right in front of me,” she said.
After that, Emma plans to wrap up this year’s racing season with two more races before the end of the month.