(9 Jun 2015) LEAD-IN:
A dare-devil Iranian woman is bidding to become the country's next high-flying motocross champion.
Despite not being legally allowed to ride a motorcycle on the road, Behnaz Shafiei is hoping one day to represent her country in a competitive motocross team.
STORY-LINE:
Flying through the air and a crash landing... it's the school of hard knocks for this brave Iranian motorcyclist.
26-year-old Behnaz Shafiei isn't afraid of a bit of pain and after dusting herself down she's back on her beloved bike to try again.
This time she lands perfectly.
Racing around the dirt tracks of this amateur race club in Iran, Shafiei looks no different to the men tearing around the course... that is until her helmet comes off.
Shafiei lives in a society where women are not allowed to ride motorcycles and there are only a handful riding off road as sport.
But this woman is trying to prove women can compete on the same level as men, if only they are given the chance.
Shafiei practices motocross twice a week in the winding off-road circuits in Hashtgerd, about 45 kilometres (28 miles) west of the capital, Tehran
By profession Shafiei is an accountant - and she likes to let her hair down and get adrenaline kicks from her motocross bike.
She says: "When two days pass and I do not ride my motorcycle, I really get ill. Even the thought of not having a motorcycle some day gives me an awful feeling and feels as if I am missing something. Sometimes I think to myself how would people of past times live without a motorbike? Is life without a motorcycle possible?"
She is the youngest of her family, with two elder brothers and two sisters.
When she was on a family outing in a western Iranian city 11 years ago, she came across a rural woman who was running daily errands on a small motorbike.
That was the moment she fell in love with bikes and took up some basic riding courses with the help of her brother. She proved a natural on two-wheels.
At first Shafiei tried her hand at road racing (sports bikes on smooth, tarmac circuits). There were no suitable race tracks in Iran so she travelled to UAE and Thailand to practice.
However, in a large and mountainous country like Iran, it's natural she should feel more at home off-road on a high-flying motocross bike.
It is illegal for women in Iran to ride a motorcycle in public or even to have a motorbike licence, so Shafiei's achievements are even more impressive.
Nevertheless, unlike some Muslim countries such as Saudi Arabia, women can get a driver's license and also women are allowed to ride pillion on a motorcycle.
Women were also banned from the race tracks, away from the public road.
This situation made Shafiei determined to chase attaining the necessary permissions from Iran's Motorcycle and Automobile Federation allowing her to go to the circuits.
Her efforts eventually paid off. Now she and five other girls now have official ID cards from the federation.
Iran still does not have a national motocross team for women.
Shafiei would like to be a role model and inspiration for other Iranian women and get them united to push for this sport to be recognised by the authorities.
"My goal is to be a pioneer to inspire other women and make them motivated to take up this sport. Together, we can convince the authorities to recognise women's motorcycle racing and Iran could have a women's team of its own in the world. Like Qatar, European and American countries that have women motorcycle teams, we could also have one and train some best racers here," she says.
In addition to motocross riding she practices Ninjutsu, Taekwondo and Parkour.
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