Nora Naraghi, Iran's first woman motocross champion

It isn’t always easy being a women who wants to ride motorcycles, even in open minded countries women on a motorcycles get the once over, but what happens if the country you live in prohibits you by law from obtaining a motorcyle licence or being allowed on the country’s main track only because you are female? You turn to motocross and become that country’s first woman MX2 champion and that’s what 20 year old Nora Naraghi from Iran did.

On the last day of October, Nora and eight other women including her mother, Shahrzad Nazifi, competed in Iran’s only motocross race in the MX2 category, set up by Xanyar motorbike club.
She beat her mother, who was stiff competition.
Nora’s mother, who is 38 years old and has biked for 22 years, said: “Of course she is younger and has more potential; she is also more technical than me and that is why she won.

” Nora, together with her mother and father, brother and husband managed to conquer the 3,900 metres summit (12,800 foot) of Mount Toochal, near Tehran, on trial bikes, another first in Iran.

Nora’s dream is to promote motocross among Iranian women.
“My mum and I, as pioneers of this sport in Iran, want to spread it as an exciting sport for all through the Xanyar club, where both of us are in charge of training women.
I am currently training three other women.
A lot of women do not know that this sport exists,” Nora said.
“I would really like to race outside Iran, and the Americans are the best in this sport.
My role model is Ashley Foilek, I like her style and like me she is young.
But I do not think that my racing with her will happen soon.
”