I always tell myself what I do is dangerous
but I do it anyway.
It’s way beyond the danger.
Motorcycle is my love,
it’s my life.
My motorcycle is my therapy.
This is my daily life.
I don’t mind getting my hands dirty a little bit.
My name is Harmony Lucy Wanjiku Kibunja.
I am a racer, a professional racer.
The first time I saw a motorcycle race,
I was in high school.
I did not tell anyone.
The bikes would be, wa, wa.
You're like, “What’s this?”
The spectators are just screaming.
I was like, “This is it.”
Guys used to race
and there was not any woman or a lady on the track.
Why can’t I be the first lady?
Nobody’s willing to risk it, but I am willing.
My dad is very protective.
He taught my brother how to drive,
but he did not train me how to drive.
I’ll show you I’m strong and I’m tough just like you.
I would place my biking gear
where he would see like intentionally.
I would not utter a word.
I would make sure he noticed it every day.
After a month, he realized the jacket is still there.
He was like, "Whose jacket is this?"
"Dad, that’s mine."
He’s like, “You can never do motorcycle.”
I was like, “Okay, sure.”
We wanted her to pursue what we had agreed.
She wanted to be a fashion designer.
So I took my motorcycle, rode home.
He got even confused, he started mumbling.
I was like, “Yeah, it’s me. Hello.”
I also wanted to know where
this idea on motorbikes came from.
She told that this was the only thing
that she had in her heart
and that is what she has been thinking about.
Let me adjust the shoulder there.
And it’s hot so it’s already tight inside.
Oh, it will be fine.
-It will be fine, perfect? -Perfect.
Very good. Now zip up.
Zip up so that we can do the other shoulder.
Here you go.
Growing up, my mom did not limit me what to do.
Go find what you love
and when you find what you love,
come back, tell me what you find,
I’ll support you all the way.
And then I went into my first race.
I was scared but I was like, “You know what?
It’s a male-dominated sport, they’ll push me off,
but I still have gas on."
One lady approached me and she was like,
“You’re really psyched up about this thing,
but you’ll get bored.
I’ll give you a year
and you’ll not do this anymore.”
And I was like, “You do not know me.”
Three.
Two.
One, go!
I didn’t have a racing team.
It was all solo.
Me and my buddy who gave me the bike.
So, the support is there, why not?
I think I was fourth or fifth on that race.
I was like, “Oh, okay.
I can change this.
The men mentality, we can change the stereotyping.”
Traditionally, super biking was considered to be a male sport
because of the dangers associated with the sport
and how aggressive it is.
People would not think that a girl could race.
Now they know that’s not true
because they’ve seen women race
and they’ve seen women win.
I’m trying to get people for practice
but they’re not answering my calls.
Let’s call one more time.
-Hi. -Hello.
How are you?
I'm okay.
Sleepy head.
I called you last night, you were sleeping.
I always sleep in late.
Yeah. What time are you leaving to work?
We need to go for a ride.
I can't, it couldn't do it today.
Sorry?
I’m not well about...
Oh, okay.
You know, I have zero energy right now.
Okay.
I understand. I understand.
You don’t feel like doing anything.
-It’s okay. -Yeah.
All right. See you, bye-bye.
I thank God I found motorcycle.
I would be into drugs for sure.
Because where I was brought up,
you see people drinking Chang’aa.
You know, injecting themselves with drug.
I’ve seen my classmates go astray.
But I was like,
"I want to do something different."
I had an option. Drink or take the bike?
I chose the bike.
I’m asking you if you can remember these things?
Mhh?
We are not that old to forget them.
How about that one?
Where did you win it, South Africa?
If it’s possible to just be there with our eyes closed,
we would do that.
With her, she kept on winning awards.
She received a lot of awards.
But I asked her,
I only see you coming with medals.
Is there anything else you’re given? Money?
Apart from medals?
She told me that it was...
it was just the beginning.
I don’t own a bike yet but very soon, I'm hoping to own one.
The sport is still largely self-funded.
The Kenyan team of 10 superbike racers
will be traveling for the championships in South Africa.
The day she went to...
when she said she was going to South Africa.
I realized that my child,
my child,
is now a pro in motorbike racing.
In my opinion, I didn't think she'd get there,
to rise and become
a professional biker.
Going out of the country to represent Kenya,
it was one of the proudest moments
I've ever felt in my life.
Having my flag on my shoulders, taking pictures.
Now everybody wanted to take pictures with this Kenyan lady.
My mom, she supported me like nobody else has.
So as her child, I ride for my mom.
This is my beautiful mother.
She was called Margaret Wanjiru.
I used to call her Maggie.
I never called her Mom.
She succumbed to breast cancer.
It was really hard and it is still hard to accept that she,
she’s gone because it's like a house and it's just crumbled
and everything is on the floor which you need to start again.
Her shoes are quite deep to be filled, yeah.
I'm very strong whenever I see this.
So in her beautiful memory, I try to be strong,
and not to show this face to my siblings,
because when the moment they see this, they're going to cry.
I don’t want to show them that I am not strong.
So in her beautiful memories,
that’s why I do what I do, to support
any other kid out there
that lose their mom at an early age like I did.
And they just know they're not alone.
Before I started the cancer foundation,
I used to go out for charities.
I learned from the best.
My late mom would go to different students on December.
In her memory, I still do this.
I support the less fortunate,
I support the cancer patients who cannot afford.
And the hand that gives is the hand that receives.
My sister, I think everything she does,
but especially her bike stuff and how well she is in heart,
she's a giving lady.
Yeah, that explains a lot.
She's tough, really tough.
What people see is a trophy as success.
They do not know the disappointments,
the tears, the depression,
the stress, all that they don’t see.
When I was going through the trauma of my mom being sick,
the motorcycle, this was my therapy.
I wanted my racing career to go to another level.
I prayed about it and I told God I need sponsors.
We were out looking for talented young people
that could join us actually,
people who are obsessive with what they were doing.
That’s when we came across Harmony.
Would you prefer a track like this
to take off clockwise or counterclockwise?
Both, so that we can switch
depending on the kind of race we will have.
We've never had an either anticlockwise or clockwise
track in Kenya, so this will be interesting.
Now the main track will have to be done in two phases
because of budget, and because of time.
we want to open the track before the end of the year.
Okay.
This part here is the main building.
It’ll be longer than this
but the pit will be on the opposite side.
So we will have to build a bridge for people to cross,
if they want to cross.
And it's going to be lit.
Of course, anything with you is always lit.
No, no. Not lit.
Not lit in that way. Actually with lights.
With lights, so people can race at night.
-Oh, yeah? -Yeah.
So we can do like the proper endurance at night?
-You can go 24 hours, yeah. -That would be cool.
Joining the Beth Mobility squad really changed me.
Raul and Philip, they coached me,
they taught me how to fix a bike.
Now I’m their part-time mechanic,
I'm their salesperson,
and in a few months’ time, I'll be opening my dealership.
I am saying, you've really made me proud.
We have so much respect as a family,
because of you.
Wow, it's really humbling to know
he's that proud, wow.
Thank you.
It's good to have such interviews so that...
he had never told me that part, now I know.
Super biking to me is about freedom.
The freedom to be anywhere, to do anything.
It's been my biggest escape, my biggest love.
But you need to be strong in this industry,
and you have to stand up for yourself.
It's good to challenge your dream.
The thing is, are you passionate about it?
Are you willing to do it despite the circumstances?