DAYTONA BEACH — Meghan Stiles-Ryan looked around Stall 14 in the Daytona International Speedway garage and identified the members of her family, all of whom have made their semi-annual trek here for motorcycle racing.
“There’s my grandfather and that’s my mother-in-law, my dad, my mother and my husband,” the 26-year-old racer from Delavan, Wis., said inside the busy garage area.
Both Meghan and her husband, Scotty Ryan, had just competed in the Championship Cup Series Expert GTU six-lap sprint over Daytona’s 3.56-mile road course Saturday afternoon.
Scotty finished sixth, losing ground on the last lap because his rear tire began to “chunk” or come apart. He was not happy. Meghan was 24th.
“We have been married about a year and a half,” Meghan said, as her husband cooled off. “We’ve been together more than six years now.”
How did they meet?
Way back when, Scotty suffered a nasty tumble in a Wisconsin club event. He sought out Jane Stiles, who was a certified ETM, for a quick diagnosis.
“One of my buddies recommended I go see Jane to check me over, and that’s how I met the family,” Scotty said. “I broke some ribs and she mended me.”
Jane’s husband Mark, 46, and their daughter, Meghan, were competing in the same weekend of racing.
“My daughters grew up at the track,” Mark Stiles said. “Meghan was a real track brat. She saw how much fun I was having and decided, ‘Hey, I want to do that.’ ”
Mark and Jane’s other daughter, Leiha Stiles-Johnson, doesn’t race, but she goes to the track to help the family when needed.
“She couldn’t make this trip,” Meghan said.
Jane, 46, not only makes sure the family has provisions, but she also fuels the bike as part of the pit crew.
“We all work together,” she said.
On Friday, Meghan and Scotty shared a bike in the Michelin Team Challenge and finished third overall. That finish propelled them to the Michelin Pro Series GTU championship.
The series-winning bike is owned by Stiles Racing and prepped by Scotty and his father-in-law at Mark Stile’s machine shop, which specializes in race bike suspensions.
The Ryans both enjoy the Speedway. Each have made Daytona 200 starts — Scotty in 2007-08 and Meghan in 2009. Scotty plans to enter again in 2012.
“That was a big accomplishment for both of them,” Jane Stiles said. “That was a dream come true.”
Scotty fits right into the Stiles’ family unit. He, too, is hopelessly hooked on motorcycle road racing. He caught the bug when he was a kid.
“Both Meghan and I, at a young age, started racing motorcycles,” Scotty said. “If you want to be in a relationship with somebody, you need to find somebody who supports what you do. We support each other tremendously.”
Scotty, 28, may be the lone Ryan wearing leathers when the family returns for Daytona 200 Week in March.
“We’re going to try and get pregnant,” Meghan said, giggling. “If I’m not pregnant at the start of next year, I’ll do some races.”
At this level of racing, competitors lean heavily on friends and family for support.
“I’m glad we all get along well enough that we can do this as a family,” Mark Stiles said. “We are one of the closest families I know because we spend so much time together.”