A Feature by Calvin Wellman
Bonni Washington is the furthest thing from what you imagine a math teacher to look like. Everyone has that mental image, reinforced repeatedly by cartoons, movies, and television, of a stern math teacher, their expression frozen in an unshakeable grimace and dressed in cardigans, with shoulder-length gray hair and long rulers, ready to pounce on your desk when they catch you on your phone. Washington is markedly different. She’s young; their hair dyed a bright red that you could spot in a crowd, and their septum pierced. She always has an infectious grin plastered on their face, like she’s ready to get into trouble, and she has a hearty laugh that makes you want to laugh along with them. Washington has taught College Prep Math here for the past four years, and their room is also uncharacteristically colorful to match. Posters and drawings by students spout math-related quotes beside characters from popular shows and movies. A poster taped to their cabinet reads “To the Power of 2!” beside a drawing of the character Power from the Manga/Anime series “Chainsaw Man.” A cardboard cutout of Wonder Woman hangs on their wall, and hand-drawn sticky notes with Batman symbols and paraphernalia plastered on them litter their desk. On the opposite side of the room is their desk, beside which is a wall of stickers she hands out for questions answered correctly or randomly; it’s hard to tell. But that’s part of their charm; you can never tell what you’ll get next. It’s easy to sense their confidence through their attitude and appearance. However, I didn’t know that beneath this exterior was a thrilling secret – their passion for racing dirt bikes. It was a revelation that left me pleasantly surprised and intrigued because you never really imagine your teachers having a life outside school, let alone a hobby as exciting or metal as dirt bike racing. But what does it take to be a successful math teacher and a dirt bike racer?
In 2019, Washington started teaching at Taft and began racing in 2020. She has worked as a Mathematics Teacher for Northside since August 2019 and as a Sign Language Interpreter for Deaf Interpreter Services, Inc. from July 2017 until January 2023. Washington earned their Associate’s Degree in American Sign Language, specializing in Sign Language Interpretation and Translation. In class, she signs to students who are in the ASL program as a way to keep their signing skills sharp.
When she was ten, Washington started riding Dirt Bikes, being convinced by their father to try it, and she ended up loving it. But when she turned 16 and started driving, she stopped riding them until she met their husband. For context, Washington’s husband participates in motocross racing involving jumps and other obstacles. On the other hand, Washington races Enduro, which is endurance racing that commonly occurs in the woods or along long stretches of road. They would go out to his races, and she would be his ‘Moto-Wife,’ an expression common in the Motorbike/Dirt Bike racing community and something she takes great pride in. “It’s a fantastic experience! Having a hobby that we both share, even at different levels, though, is something I am still stunned by. Most couples at races only have the husband racing; it’s not the norm for both of us to be out on the starting line.” Washington says. One day, after a race, their husband’s friend/boss invited him to go and be his mechanic at a TORCS race, which stands for the Texas Off Road Champion Series. Washington didn’t go with him to that race, but he returned and said, “I think I want to race TORCS with Texas.” Washington thought it was an excellent idea, so they agreed to race Torcs. Six months in, she convinced him to let them race in the beginner class. It was the first time she had raced motorbikes, though she had been riding them forever. When joining the racing community, drivers have two options to identify themselves on the track. They can either choose a random number assigned to them or select a three-digit number of their choice. Since the choice of number is entirely up to the racer, they usually pick a number with significant meaning. For Washington, she chose the number 303 to pay tribute to their late father. This was his badge number, so she included a blue line on all the graphics she designed for their outfits. You can easily spot this blue line on their customized helmet, a birthday gift from their husband. The top of the helmet has an image of their dad’s badge number, and the back has his handwriting.
At first, there were only two other women in her classes. “It was pretty much a guaranteed podium every race, which didn’t leave much incentive to improve,” Washington admits. This was right before COVID struck, and here’s where it’s essential to understand how the classes are structured. There are four classes: A, B, C, and Open. A is for experts, B is intermediate, C is for novices, and Open is open; anyone can enter. She started in the C class and quickly shot up to B, where she raced for a while. For the first year it was typical for less than ten women in total to be racing in the Torcs series when she started. Now, there are ten per class every weekend.
Despite the increase in women riding in TORCS classes, Washington noticed a common trend among the women in the Moto-Moms and Moto-Wives community. They showed up to support their husbands or children but didn’t participate themselves. Bonni wanted to know why. She talked with them and quickly realized why they weren’t competing. “It’s not cheap; Dirt Biking is not a cheap hobby.” Race fees were a significant portion of the cost, with an average of $70 per person to enter a race. From Washington’s own experience, the cost of getting there, including race fees and camping costs, was close to $200 for just two days of racing and camping with their husband. Despite being competent riders, these women put their families first. “They would always say ‘I’m a Moto-Mom and a Moto-Wife before I’m a rider.'” Washington believed they could be both and wanted to do something about it. So, she created the TORCS Futures Calendar – a personal project for women and kids in the program. She took pictures of their racers, made various backgrounds, and built a fundraiser. The project was remarkable, exceeding all expectations by reaching its goal in record time. As a result, they could collect enough funds to finance the holeshot awards for women’s and kids’ classes until the year’s end.
Furthermore, a portion of the funds was allocated to sponsor four teams of five girls each to participate in a 24-hour race. Women from all over Texas and a few girls from New Mexico joined them, including a championship motocross rider from Pennsylvania who had just returned from competing in Europe. She finished in the top ten of all women in that European Circuit. Despite none of the sponsored teams making it to the podium, Washington considers the event an enormous success. “It provided these girls with a fantastic opportunity to prove themselves in the competitive racing world, and many women from the Dirt Bike/Motorbike community supported the all-girl teams.”
When I asked Washington about the benefits of riding, she shared that it has positively impacted their mental and physical well-being. Initially, she participated in 30-45 minute races on accessible courses in the B and C classes. Still gaining more experience, she moved up to the expert class. She even participated in 24-hour races and credited their mental toughness and ability to push through discomfort to their riding experience. “The feeling of being at your limit, but finding a way to be able to give more is amazing,” she says. In addition to the mental benefits, she has also explored some fantastic places through riding. She has raced chiefly in and around Texas. However, she and their husband were able to participate in a Vegas-Torino race. Their [Washington’s] ultimate goal is to take a group of girls on the same trip and race with them from Vegas 2 Reno. For them, riding has been a form of therapy that has helped them combat depression and improve their physical fitness. “It’s not just a physical workout – it’s also a great way to connect with nature and a supportive community that I love,” she shares. Being in shape is also essential for riding, as it helps prevent injuries and makes one a more competitive rider. Finding an activity to share with their partner can be challenging for many people. When asked how racing is a uniting force for her marriage, she said, “It’s something we can do together without necessarily competing against each other, which is something that I really like.” When they aren’t racing, they’ll spend a day or two and go down to a property in Floresville, where they’ll have a ride day. It also allowed them to meet some incredible family friends, specifically through the TORCS community, whom they view as a second family and with whom they always race.
In conclusion, Washington is a passionate and dedicated math teacher who has found a way to balance her love for teaching and dirt bike racing. Her unique approach to teaching has earned her the respect and admiration of her students and colleagues. She is also a trailblazer in the motorbike racing community, empowering women to ride and compete on an equal footing. Washington’s story reminds us that we should never judge a book by its cover and that we can achieve anything we set our minds to with passion and determination.
*Washington uses the pronouns She/They.*