Li Ruei-yun, who rides for China's only all-women motorcycle team the New Bee Females, has found fame not only on the race track, but also in front of the camera as a stuntwoman. Photo: Courtesy of Li Ruei-yun

With her fringe swept over her forehead, piercing mascara-lined eyes and delicate poise, Wang Yan looks like any other young Chinese woman. But when she wears her leathers and climbs onto her 150cc Zongshen motorcycle, she undergoes a fierce, competitive transformation.

Wang, 32, used to get her thrills burning rubber along winding roads in Beijing's mountainside outskirts. All that changed, however, on one fateful ride in 2010 when she crashed and veered perilously close to the edge of a cliff.

Rather than steer her away from her high-octane hobby, Wang's accident only strengthened her resolve to stick with the sport. Shortly after hobbling out of hospital, Wang joined the newly formed New Bee Females (NBF) motorcycling team, China's first and only professional women's team authorized by the Chinese Motor Sports Association.

The group's name is a homophone of the colloquial Chinese term niubi, which refers to an attitude and lifestyle that lacks any concern about what others think. It's an apt description for NBF's 15 motorcyclists, who are shaking up a sport dominated by the men they compete against in professional competition.

Eight NBF riders regularly participate in national motorcycle races. In 2013, the team won five trophies to earn a reputation for being more than just "babes on bikes." Although no strangers to injuries suffered on the track, away from it Wang and her teammates face a tougher challenge to secure sponsorship and prove to the public they can match it with the men. 

Wang Yan applies makeup with the help of a motorcycle rear-vision mirror. Photo: Li Hao/GT

From newbie to New Bee

Wang's 2010 crash left her with a broken left leg that today is fitted with steel pins. An engineer at the time, Wang said her parents believed she would hang up her motorcycle helmet once and for all after her accident.

But it would take more than a near-death experience to deter Wang from her hobby.

"My passion for motorcycling faded for a while when I was hospitalized. But after I recovered, I watched a motorcycle race and couldn't resist the feeling to ride again," said Wang, who runs a diving club when she's not on two wheels.  

Wang was one of many Beijing motorcyclists to hone their skills riding freely in the city's outskirts, far from the urban ringed-road congestion.

Some are content for motorcycling to be just a weekend hobby, but others like Wang decide to kick-start their professional dream by training at race tracks in an environment that is safer and more controlled than the open road.

"I measure my riding performance based on my results in competition," said Wang. "The more I practice, the faster my [lap] times. I'm satisfied that my performance is always improving."

New Bee Females team riders Song Donghua (standing left), Wang Yan (standing right) and Li He (seated). Photo:Li Hao/GT

Riding into danger

But no matter how skilled any motorcyclist becomes, the threat of injury and even death is a lingering concern. Wang is used to hearing concerns from her family and boyfriend, but most pressure comes from herself.

In 2012, NBF rider Kao Ling-chih died from severe head injuries after a crash on Tai Po Road in her native Hong Kong. Kao's teammates, who had been expecting her to participate in a charity ride to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, were shattered to learn of her death.

"Crashes happen frequently in motorcycling," said Wang. "I have to be extremely cautious and do my best to avoid injury, otherwise my parents will be heartbroken."

NBF rider Sun Donghua, who co-owns a wine-importing business, was so aware of the risks of her sport that she finalized her will before setting off on a more than 2,000-kilometer ride from Chengdu, Sichuan Province, to Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, in 2010. Sun often participates in long-distance charity rides organized by the NBF.

Sun puzzled her mother, who didn't know her daughter participated in the Chengdu-to-Lhasa trip until she saw a TV report, ahead of the ride when she told her the PIN to her bank cards.

"When I decided to go to Tibet, my company had just secured a big investment. I had to consider who to designate my share in the company should anything happen to me," said Sun, who doesn't compete in Grand Prix events.

Li Ruei-yun competes in a race. Photo: Courtesy of Li Ruei-yun

Defying gender stereotypes

Although many people imagine bikini-clad pit lane and grid girls when they think of women and motor sport, NBF team manager Li He said the group is eager to challenge gender roles within motorcycling. 

"When women are linked with racing cars and motorcycles, many think they are just showing off. But we are using our achievements to prove that we are serious competitors, not show girls," said Li.

"Male motorcyclists are stronger in terms of physicality and mechanical maneuvering, but women often prove mentally tougher in competition. They tend to be calmer and more concentrated."

Li Ruei-yun, 27, is one of the most recognizable riders in the NBF. At first glance, it's easy to think she is "too pretty" to be a motorcyclist. But she has already cemented a reputation on the race track as a speed demon.

Li Ruei-yun bagged seven trophies in national races last year, with her biggest win being at the China Road Racing Championship's (CRRC) Shanghai event.

Li Ruei-yun's victory, which helped the NBF rank second in their division, was made all the more sweeter because some male competitors had attempted to "run her off the track" during the race, Li said.

A model and actress in her native Taiwan, Li Ruei-yun's career in Moto Grand Prix began modestly at a local motorcycle club in 2006.

"I was intrigued by hearing the roar of engines each time I walked my dog nearby the club," she said. After being introduced to the club's owner, she quickly showed great potential in the sport.

"There is a tiny number of women in the motorcycling world. I want to prove that I can do it well," she said.

"There are many racers vying for victory, but the only real rival is yourself. You just need to concentrate on clocking the best time at every circuit."

Combining good looks with the ability to pull off daredevil motorcycling stunts has even unlocked opportunities for Li Ruei-yun in the entertainment industry. She is in regular demand as a stuntwoman, and has starred in action blockbuster Black and White (2010) and romantic comedy All About Women (2008).

High price for passion

Ahead of the start of the 2014 CRRC season in May, Li is preparing her team for five races in cities including Shanghai, Chengdu and Sanshui, Guangdong Province.

Part of this preparation involves training in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province. The racing culture is more developed in South China than in the country's north, said Li, explaining that there are no CRRC fixtures in Beijing.

Race tracks in Sanshui and Zhuhai are also where Li started to pursue her dream in racing. Born in 1979 in Beijing, Li took up motorcycling in 2006.

"Having experienced ups and downs in life, I decided to try something reckless," Li said of her introduction to motorcycling. She spent her early years in the sport racing in Beijing's rural districts before she eventually settled down and became an apprentice to an experienced Hong Kong rider based in Sanshui.

Li came up with the idea of founding China's first professional all-women motorcycling team in 2009, when she and her friends were planning a charity ride to Tibet.

In China, most motorcycling teams are self-financed. Those boasting riders who earn podium finishes in races are often sponsored by auto and motorcycling companies that fund their training, but the road to earning stable sponsorship is rocky for newcomers to the sport.

Since establishing the team four years ago, Li has invested all her personal savings into financing the NBF's operations in lieu of adequate corporate sponsorship. She even mortgaged her house to raise 2 million yuan ($327,140) to keep the team going.  

"We are still battling to survive as a team. My 2 million yuan will eventually run out, so we need to find business partners and sponsors," Li said.

"I have to consider too many things for the team," Li said. "The first thing I think about after a race is how to load and ship our motorcycles and luggage. It can be really stressful."

Li hopes to find a full-time team manager in future to allow her to keep her sights firmly on the road ahead as a racer. "I currently can't enjoy racing too much, but it's too early to give up. I want to continue until I'm 40," she said.