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| HER MOTO IN LIFE. Jamie C. Pamintuan, one of the world's top women motocross riders in the 90s decade. Her father, Remy Pamintuan of Angeles City was also an ace motocross biker in his time. Photos courtesy of Terri Cui Pamintuan. |
Before Hidilyn Diaz and Margielyn Didal made waves in
Weightlifting and Skateboarding respectively—sports that were generally
considered as men’s domains, there was an audacious, daredevil
Kapampangan sportswoman who conquered the sports of motocross racing—rising to
the ranks of the world’s best female
riders in the 90s decade.
Jamie Cui Pamintuan, born on 3 January 1979, has the adventurous streak in her genes, Her
father, Remigio “Remy” Pamintuan of Angeles City, was a former ace motocross
rider himself, winning the Philippine National Motocross championships from
1969-1976. He was a contemporary of the motorsports legends Butch Chase
(Russian-American born in the Philippines) and Ken Falco, who went on to head
the National Motorcycle Sports and Safety Association. Her mother, Theresa
“Terri” Cui was a USAF daughter who grew up in Clark.
At age 2, Jamie, along with her family migrated to the
U.S. Growing up she was involved in various activities, (dancing, martial
arts, skating, etc.). She even played softball in high school (Polytechnic
Senior High School) on the Jr. Varsity Team. But none of those pursuits really
held her interest for very long—except riding her BMX bike. Her father sought
out a bike for her, but was appalled at the prices.
”Mas mura pa and
motor kaysa sa bisikleta”, he would say.
So he went out and bought a used RMZ 80cc. Jamie taught herself how to ride and shift
gears—right in their own backyard, as there was no proper venue to practice in
the city where they lived. Her father kept watch as her skills improved, so, he
too, got a bike so he could guide her in riding,
Jamie was inspired even more when she went to watch races at De Anza MX
track in Moreno Valley, California, There, she
saw Mercedes Gonzalez, a pioneering female biker and Jamie's idol--race against
men. With confidence high, she tried to register to race in the 80cc class,
only to be told that she was too young for that class.
Undeterred, she practiced even more, riding at different
tracks and clubs: Perris Raceway, Glen Helen, Barona Oaks, CRC-Palmdale. Jamie
would ride against the boys and at times would beat them. It was in these
practice rides that she caught the attention of Tami Rice, promoter and
president of the Women’s MX Team, and who would become Jamie’s mentor.
With her parent’s permission, Rice signed her up with the
Women’s Class, at the age of 11, but she was tall for her age. Once she moved
up from riding 80 cc. to 125 cc. bikes
at age 12, Jamie quickly rose through the ranks, often
competing against young men.
1992 was a turning point in her budding career. Just 13,
she was asked by the Women’s Team head to fill in a slot for an international
competition in Italy. But she had just suffered an injury 2 weeks before ( she
broke her clavicle), and was still recovering. It was an opportunity of a
lifetime not to be missed, and so with her parents’ blessing, Jamie went to
race and place 12th overall, an incredible finish for the youngest racer of the
competition.
The following years, women races were still few and far
between, so Jamie would race against men in local races to push herself, and
continued to race nationally with women at various AMA Outdoor Nationals. She
started building her winning credentials starting in 1994, with a 1st place
finish at the Adelanto Grand Prix
(Women’s Open Class) and 7th place overall at the Ladies’ Invitational
World Cup in Oklahoma.
Other local series races where she triumphed in 1995
include: Anaheim Supercross (Women’s Stadium cross- main event, 3rd place); San
Diego Supercross (Women’s Stadium Cross main event, 4th place); GNC @ Lake Whitney Texas (Women’s
Pro Class, 3rd Place); Women’s West Coast National (1st ); Mammoth Mountain
Motocross Women Pro ( 3rd) and Barona Oaks Ladies World Cup (7th in Pro 125cc ,
3rd in 250cc ). In 1996, Jamie qualified for the highly competitive Loretta
Lynns Motocross in Tennessee, one of the most sought after for amateur races
where all factory scouting occurs. Unfortunately, her old shoulder injury
prevented her from finishing her race.
That summer while recuperating from her injury, the
Philippine Shell Yamaha invited Jamie to come out to the Philippines and ride
with the team. She came out and rode as a guest rider in Tacloban, Leyte. She
was also invited to come to Batangas where she captivated the crowd in a sponsored exhibition race. Pitted against
ace pro-riders Glen Aguilar and
Jing Leongson, she matched the men’s double and triple jumps on board a Suzuki
RMC 250 motorcycle. The adoring fans could hardly
believe that the helmet-wearing person in front of them was a woman.
Jamie took time-off from racing in 1997 to have surgeries
on her problem shoulder. But while convalescing, she was approached by a stunt
rider to perform a daring stunt for the Guinness World Record: a
building-to-building jump, 14 stories high. She successfully performed the
heart-stopping jump stunt in downtown L.A.
Due to her injury, Jamie also tried “dragonfire racing”
on street bikes, where jumps were not
required. She continued to race until 2004/2005 when a crash in motocross left
her temporarily paralyzed for 2 months. She recovered from that serious
accident, but her doctors advised her against racing again.
To this day though she still misses the adrenaline rush
that racing brings. She would come out and ride when there are reunions or
anniversary events for Women’s Motocross. The last race was in 2014 for the
40th year celebration of Women’s Motocross at Glen Helen, California. Whenever
the history of women’s motorsports is recalled, the name Jamie C. Pamintuan is
always mentioned with awe and respect, for helping blaze the trail for women to
in a male-dominated sport, giving them another platform to excel, break
barriers and stereotypes. It comes as no surprise that this Kapampangan
trailblazer is regarded today as one of
the most influential Women of Motocross.
MY GRATEFUL THANKS TO:
MR.S TERRI CUI PAMINTUAN, Jamie’s mother,
for co-writing this article.
MIKE PAMINTUAN, for leading me to Jamie
Pamintuan and her amazing motocross achievements.
Amazing woman.
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