Nothing beats the excitement of the racetrack, the hoards of ez-ups, the smell of gasoline, the racers all lined up for tech inspections and the riders meeting to get the day started. Nothing can top visiting with friends, who are family at this point, as we all get ready for the upcoming weekend. There is a camaraderie that I’ve never experienced anywhere else, but we are all there to race fully knowing that your friend could be your stiffest competition. It is a strange dynamic, yet at the end of the day we all come together and recount the days events, the records broken and the personal accomplishments we conquered. The fact that you get the opportunity to be around talented racers who are more than willing to help you, loan you what you may have forgotten or even give you advice and encouragement is a plus coming into this as a novice this year. This was my last race of the season, I had made plans to get my bike fully equipped for next year so it was bittersweet. My goal was focused on coming in with a time I could be ultimately proud of and build upon that next year.
I started this year with a bike, minimal knowledge and a passion to do what very few women would attempt. My hopes were to show women just beginning or even those who had been riding for a while, that if you had passion, you could accomplish great things. I’ve had my share of spills, very lucky ones at that, but with those mistakes came a knowledge an understanding and respect for the machine that you man. Truth be told, your machine doesn’t make the mistake that causes you to crash, you do, whether it is a poor decision to pass, too much throttle, whatever it may be you are the reason…it makes you accountable each and every time. It is interesting to say that it translates to things in your life, I relive each and every crash in my mind for days to recount the decisions I made and what I could have done to avoid them. We are all in search of the perfect feeling…the lap around the track where everything seems to fall into place, where your body and the bike feel as if they are one and working in perfect harmony…it keeps us coming back for more.
Anyone who has had the opportunity to ride my bike has said it is a solid and happy bike and I tend to agree. I also understand that there are changes I must make on my bike in the off season to even be competitive, things that I honestly had no idea about until I took the leap to racing. Equipment, feel, knowledge, hard work and determination are key to being competitive and just the desire to race doesn’t make everything else work in your favor. However, having a trust and bond with your bike, as odd as that may sound, is very important. I’ve ridden bikes before that make me nervous (break out in a sweat), that you just get this strange feeling that something isn’t right and you can’t wait to get off of it. My little R6 has given me some very happy memories even before it came to the track and to have those to take into racing is an awesome experience, with that being said, my season ended with my best lap time to date at 2.01 with no upgrades made to it whatsoever. I have plenty to work on for next year as I came hoping to break under 2.0, but with the improvements I hope that I can do that within the first two races. Keep checking in this fall and winter as I will continue to post the improvements on the bike, the new design and sponsorships for the upcoming year. Come join me sometime next season at the races to cheer us gals on or a track day…I am looking forward to seeing you out there!
