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"I started racing in March 2003 on a Honda
CBR400, the bike was a Christmas present from
my boyfriend Nathan and my family. I raced the
year with EMRA doing virtually a full season in
Formula 400. It was soon apparent that my bike
was not competitive enough, but 2003 was a great
learning curve for me and I managed to get a few
top 15 finishes which I was pleased with. At the
end of 2003 I decided to move to a 600cc (that
suits me much better) and brought a Suzuki GSXR
600k2. In 2004 I entered both the Roadstock and
Formula 600 championship with EMRA but concentrated
mainly on the Roadstocks with the Formula class
giving me much needed track time. I had two podium
finishes in the Roadstocks and finished 4th in
the championship, I also had several top 10 finishes
in the Formula 600 championship." |
How long have you been biking?
Much to my parents disapproval (to begin with) I brought
a scooter at the age of 16 to get to and from college,
at 17 I had a Cagiva 125 and at 18 without having
a bike licence I brought a Honda CBR 400rr, luckily
I passed my test first time and still have my 400
today, all though I am looking to get a bigger bike
soon.
What inspired you to start
racing? I have loved bikes from before I can
remember and always wanted to ride on the road, I'm
not sure where this came from as no one else in my
family is really interested in bikes. Once on the
road I felt I needed more speed and excitement and
after going to watch a couple of club races I told
myself that I would go racing the following year -
so I did.
Have you managed to get
any sponsors? I have 5 sponsors, the main one
being my boyfriend Nathan's family business STREFFORD'S
OF WORCESTER. Nathan is a motorbike mechanic (that
tends to come in handy) and without his and his parents
(Jim & Heather) help I would not be able to go
racing at all. My work RIGIDAL SYSTEMS LTD also sponsor
me and have agreed to sponsor me for a few years to
come which is fantastic. I also have MORRIS LUBRICANTS
who supply all of my oil, EXPRESS FACTORS a car parts
supplier, and SIGN CRAFT a local company that do all
of my stickers free of charge. I would just like to
say a BIG thanks to all of them.
What are your plans after
the 2004 season? I am currently in the process
of rebuilding my bike and adding a few extra bits
to it. I aim to enter the Roadstock 600cc and Formula
600cc championship again in 2005 with EMRA, but also
do some races with other clubs to gain experience.
What are your ambitions?
To win or finish on the podium in the Roadstock championship
next year, depending on how well I do I would like
to step up a few classes, but it all depends on funds
and sponsorship as I will not be able to afford it
on my own.
Who are your mentors and
who do you look up to in racing? I look up
to Neil Hodgson as I think he is a good smooth rider,
many people think he has had things easy but I disagree.
I think he has work really hard for everything, and
at the end of the day he's British too. My biggest
hero is David Jefferies, he was a fantastic rider
and proved it with he's amazing talent on a motorcycle
- what a great loss to bike racing.
What do you do in your spare
time? In my spare time I try to go to the gym
as often as possible. I spend a lot of time with Nathan,
my family and friends and go out clubbing every so
often, but try and save all my spare cash for racing.
Who's your favourite racing
hunk? Ben Bostrom is very pleasing on the eye,
but Neil Hodgson seams like a real gentleman to me.
"I would like to mention my Mum and Dad who
are always really supportive, (even though they were
a bit unsure to begin with) and my brother Nick. All
of them come to watch me race without fail and are
a real help to me. They are like my own pit crew.
Looking at my 2004 season, I feel I have stepped
in the right direction, I have made real progress
and I think this is down to having a competitive bike
and people to support me. 2003 was a learning curve
for me, but I did find not having a competitive bike
a struggle and it almost felt like my efforts were
going to waste. I am glad that this year has been
successful and I have proven to myself (and other's)
that racing and beating the blocks is defiantly possible."
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