By Jules Lavallee
Stefy Bau is one of the fastest women motocross racers in the world. Born and raised in Italy, Bau won three world championships, holds two WMX (USA) championships, and a title from the prestigious AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship at Loretta Lynn’s. In addition, she has also won seven Italian Championships.
During her career, Bau wasn’t afraid to take chances or to challenge herself against the top racers in the world. She earned an AMA Pro Racing license and signed up for several Lucas Oil Pro Motocross and Monster Energy Supercross events, and has also raced the FIM Motocross World Championship events against the men. She came close to making the show several times, and proved that women could be competitive with the men.
EO of Fantic Bikes USA. Fantic is an Italian company that has a deep history as a motorcycle manufacturer. We have been in business since 1968 and were mostly known as a trial and enduro company. We have won many FIM World Championships over the years. But three years ago, Fantic decided to get involved in the pedal assist bicycles and they started a new division for the company. For me, it was one of those things, I was in the right moment at the right time. They offered me the position to start and run the company in the USA. So I have been doing this since August 2016.
You’ve had a remarkable career as a 3-time motocross world champion. When did your desire for sports begin?
At the age of 4, I asked my parents for a motorcycle as a Christmas present. My mom and dad are (still) fans of the sport, so we used to have a motocross magazine in the house. When I asked for my own motorcycle they got me a real one for kids, with all the protective equipment that goes with riding. We had a corn field in front of our house in Italy and when they put me on the mini motorcycles I immediately knew how to ride it. A couple years later we learned that there were races for kids and we decided to enter one. In my first race of my life, I finished 3rd overall and after that I won every race I entered, that year. I was the only little girl racing too!
At 6-years-old, I looked at my parent’s eyes and said: “one day I will become the best female motocross racers in the world and moved to the US”. The rest is history.
You have spent over 30 years in motorsports, e-mobility, and esports. What initiatives have been at the forefront?
During my racing career I broke many glass ceilings for women in the sports of motocross. I had a career ending injury at the age of 28 years old and moved from one side of the track to the other. My desire was still the same and continued to break the glass ceiling for women in motorsports. I became the General Manager of the FIM Women World Motocross Championship, I was part of the FIM Women Commission, opened my own strategic consulting company to facilitated European motorcycle brands to establish themselves in the US and vice versa, became the CEO of the US division of an Italian historical motorcycle and e-bike brand, to now focusing in bring women and diversity into motorsports leveraging the digital world. Init Esports, that spearheaded Screen to Speed and Sim 4 STEM, to Sim Expo, the most comprehensive simulators expo globally, to Legends Network Group which is going to create a fully interactive and digital inspired motorsports complex in the US. I’m also on the board of the Global Esports Federation.
Tell us about Init Esports and Init Sports. What events are coming up?
Init Esports is the only women-led company in sim racing, globally. We produce and organize sim racing tournament for women and minorities globally. With the Sim 4 STEM and Screen to Speed programs we have created a full pathway to participation for the motorsports industry, grabbing the interest of kids in school, to develop them to be part of sim racing teams and global competition and eventually to enter the world of motorsports. Init Esports manages the TEAM USA sim racing team for all global competitions including the Esports Olympics. Init Sports is the consultancy agency arm and also manages my speaking gigs.
What is the Sim 4 STEM program?
Sim 4 STEM was born with the intention to bring motorsports in school with a STEM hand-on curriculum. Kids appy what they are learning in simulators, which become experiential learning. Sim 4 STEM is important to me, because we can reach a very young demographic and give them a chance to see what it will look like to be part of a motorsports team. Because of the many years of connections with the Motorsports world, with Sim 4 STEM we are able to provide career opportunities in motorsports. The goal is also to identify female sim racers to foster a rooster of talent to eventually put them in real racing cars.
What would people be surprised to know about you?
That I am a character in 2 video games!!!
Share your topics as a global speaker.
I just spoke at during Georgia Games Week at the Esports Summit (talked about the Esports Olympics), at the Lioness Summit (Talked about empowering women in esports), I had an interview with NBC News about Sim 4 STEM, I will be on a panel in Germany to discuss the current state of women in motorsports, I will be speaking at Lucca Comics in Italy about Diversity and Inclusion in Gaming. I love doing speaking engagements and my topics are all around empowering women to follow their passion, showing what I learned in my career and offering advice on how to be a boss in male dominated industries. As far as organizations, it seems that I have requests often, but I tend to announce them just before they happen, so stay tuned.
Tell us about your vision for the future. (Collaborations?
Goals for the Middle East). I’m working with the Saudi Kingdom already and would like to continue on that trend. I was invited by Price Faisal Bin bandar bin sultan to speak at the New Global Sport Conference this past August at the tail end of the Esports World Cup. As one of the gloabl leader on sim racing I’d like to continue to bring my expertise to the Kingdom and the entire MENA region in support of the 2030 vision and the Esports Olympics.
Please share your social media.
It’s a new world for me on the electric bike side of things. I learned a lot very quickly, and for sure, it is the future. The motorcycle community is getting ready for this and we are also here in northern California and close to Tesla and Alta.
General manager of FIM Women’s World Championship for Youthstream. I then moved to become an FIM official with the women’s commission. I then opened a consulting company that helped brands establish a global footprint. And by that, I mean that some companies had very good products, but were having a hard time to open themselves to new markets overseas. So given that I know both America and Europe very well, I was able to help with this. I basically opened a bridge between Europe and USA. Some of the clients included Golden Tyre and Evans Cooling System. I even did some work in Japanese market. I also worked closely with UFO, as they were always a sponsor of mine when I was racing. But as things went I always tried to put business on one side of my racing, but that helped me to shape my skills once my racing is done.
Take us down memory lane.
With her seven Italian Championships, three US national titles, and three Women’s World Championship titles, motocross rider Stefy Bau is one of the fastest female riders the sport has known. After her racing career she used her experiences as a woman in a male-dominated sport to help other women and girls find their place in that world. In 2019, Stefy co-founded Init esports, an esports agency with a focus on diversity and inclusion.
When asked about her racing highlights, Stefy answers, ‘One of the best things that has happened to me in my career is the fact that I achieved what I set out to do, meaning that when I was a little girl, I looked my mom and dad in their eyes and said, “One day I will become a professional Motor Supercross rider in the United States and be the best female motocross rider in the history of the sport.” I ended up doing that. I was incredibly proud.’
In 2005, Stefy became the first woman to compete against the men in the Motocross World Championship. She had always dreamt of this, but she could have achieved this years before she actually did, if it wasn’t for the Italian Federation’s interference when she was 18 years old. A trial in which the top five fastest drivers would be granted an entry to the World Championship resulted in a third place. Stefy was over the moon.
‘Then a couple of days later I received a phone call from the Italian Federation and they told me, “We decided not to send you because you are a woman.” At that point, because I’m a very self-driven person, I said, “Okay, I’ll do it my own way.”’
And so she did. Stefy packed her bags and moved to the United States. With a small English dictionary as her only companion she was ready to make a name for herself on the other side of the ocean. She immediately started winning races, got herself a pro-license, and ultimately that entry into the World Championship.
‘In 2005 I got a phone call from the FIM World Championship. They asked me, “Now we would like for you to come and become the first woman to race against the men.” I thought, “Wow this is so cool”, but it’s sad in some way because I had to leave Europe and my country to prove myself in America before being considered serious enough to [enter the World Championship],’ Stefy said.
Stefy’s story is one about never giving up, and about confidence. ‘I am a person that puts myself in that spot, meaning that I talked with many people and I always lead my life convinced that whatever I was doing, I belonged there. I was a woman racing in a male-dominated sport. For me it was totally normal, no different whatsoever. So by leading in that way I got many opportunities because nobody ever questioned it. I refused to be put in the box where society puts you in too often. I just say, “this is me”.’
She continues, ‘I really didn’t have any big issues to be who I am, also as a lesbian. Nobody ever questioned it. I think a lot of it is self-motivation but also confidence, to be able to really be authentic to who you are. I have this energy inside me of: “I’m Stefy, you either like me or you don’t. But if you don’t like it, it’s not my problem.” So I lived life like that.’
Stefy stresses the importance of role models and sees social media as a way to create them.
‘Having a lot of possibilities with social media and being truly more connected, I feel that we live in the era right now where it’s a little bit easier to be able to have your voice heard,’ she says. ‘So right now I do feel that every girl that is participating in motocross or motorsport as a whole has a very good opportunity to be a role model, much more because of the opportunity to connect in the world. So if you are somebody from the LGBTQ+ community, it’s incredibly important to use this technology, to be out there and tell your story, because I feel that the more there are role models out there, the more other people are going to feel inspired.’
