Life’s been absolutely wild lately, and I’m writing this somewhere over the Indian Ocean, on the last leg of a 13 hour flight from the UK back home to Australia. Since my last column, my first wildcard round in the WorldWCR has wrapped – and what an experience it was!
I spent three weeks in the UK. My boyfriend Cameron flew in before my second ride day at Donington Park, and our first adventure together took us north to Knockhill, Scotland. Rainy? Absolutely. But the British Superbikes were electrifying. We even managed a 13 hour coach ride just to soak up the paddock atmosphere, and along the way met legends like Lee Johnston, Josh Brookes, Fraser Rogers and of course, Billy McConnell.
We squeezed in a whirlwind tour of Edinburgh before heading back to our Derbyshire ‘home’ which, hilariously, felt just like Melbourne. I used the downtime to study Donington’s layout, keep up my training, meal-prep protein-rich dishes, and prepare for social media and sponsor commitments. Then, finally, my wildcard weekend at Donington Park arrived.
Thursday morning we rolled into the WCR paddock and got straight to work on my designated Yamaha R7. Pit spot empty, adrenalin pumping, I won’t lie, I felt every bit the rookie. Everyone there had been racing all season. But we were ready.
Then Steve Martin arrived! A WorldSBK polesetter and suspension guru who, thankfully, is fluent in Italian. That was clutch with most Yamaha mechanics and riders. We tweaked everything: rearsets, clip-ons, shifter placement, suspension – based mostly on my R7 at home. It wasn’t perfect but it felt like mine going into practice.
A track walk with Levi Day (my first-ever was back home at Mac Park) boosted my confidence. Media shoot: tick. Scrutineering: tick. Rider briefing with fellow first-timers: tick.
Practice felt like glue; longer, slower sessions than I’m used to, followed by Superpole. A mid-session tweak to the front suspension paid off as I put in a lap 0.8 seconds quicker, securing 19th on the grid – a satisfying lap with the world’s fastest women riders, I even had a chat with Maria Herrera, who gave me some tips for the circuit.
On the Saturday, Steve and I dissected every corner for hours before choosing a suspension update. In warm-up, I confirmed the change was spot-on. Huge grid moment – standing by the bike as Cameron held the umbrella, cameras out – it felt factory, official… real.
Race 1 delivered a killer start, tight bunch through Craner Curves, then I used the slipstream to push through the mid-pack, feeling strong in the flowing sections… but drifted off the group late in the race. Still, a massive confidence booster.
On the Sunday, during a sector-by-sector telemetry session breakdown, we honed the suspension yet again. Race 2? Again, a strong start, clean bike and I nailed another personal best time. If I’d qualified with my best time of the weekend, it would have put me on the fifth row of the grid.
Racing alongside the world’s best with a bike dialled in for me was surreal. I raced to 18th and 20th finishes; no podiums yet, but 2.4 seconds shaved off over the weekend proves it was worth it. More importantly, it cemented that I belong here.
Donington is now my place. The fast drops, the flowing esses, Melbourne Loop’s bite. The paddock? Warm, helpful, elite. A massive thank you to Cameron, Steve, Levi, Billy and everyone who cheered me on or lent a hand.
I’m heading home with renewed belief, a bike that fits my rhythm and a hunger for more. This wildcard might just be the beginning. And I can’t wait to see where the next chapter takes me.
Thanks for riding along. Next stop, full season push. Until then, keep the throttle wide and the spirits high.
