Leslie Porterfield. Photo by Coby Almond
No one could ever accuse Leslie Porterfield of living life in the slow lane — literally or figuratively. The Lakewood resident holds the impressive title of Fastest Woman in the World on a Motorcycle. She also owns High Five Cycles in Dallas, and she recently became the proud mother of twins. Oh, and she rescues dogs. “If I do something, I do it big,” she says, laughing. She started riding motorcycles at 16 for logical reasons: Everyone told her she couldn’t. By 19, she was racing, and eventually she became determined to go to Bonneville Salt Flats, a densely packed salt pan in Utah, to break a record. “For gearheads, Bonneville is paradise,” she explains. In 2007 she made it to Bonneville, but instead of breaking records, she broke seven ribs in a crash at 110 mph. In 2008 she went back and became the first female member in the Bonneville 200 MPH Club. Then, by going 232 mph at Bonneville, she set the record for Fastest Woman in the World on a Motorcycle (racers must maintain a speed for one mile both ways and the speeds are averaged). Her highest speed was 246 mph. Her most recent achievement was having a beautiful set of boy-girl twins, which has made her a little more cautious in her pursuit for speed. “I always get asked if I plan to go back and go faster, but having twins has definitely changed that,” she says. So for now, she’s sticking to mentoring other young female riders. “Who knows, I may just end up helping out the next person who will break my record,” she says, “but that’s all right. Records are just on loan; they’re made to be broken.” She has also rescued and found homes for more than 50 dogs, and she’s pretty convinced there’s a doggie Craigslist somewhere that leads them to her house or shop. Her own three dogs, including Freeway, her constant companion, are rescues.
