We find out what drives this racer to spend as much effort on behind-the-scenes administration as actually competing.
Ken Young interviews Karen Webb about balancing racing, and race administration.
What started your interest in motorcycling?
Back in the early 1980s my husband, Wayne, decided that a motorcycle would be a good idea. I’d never been on a bike before that, so didn’t know much about it. We ended up doing lots of rides with me being a pillion. I progressed to riding in the late 80s and spent the next 15 or so years road riding. Wayne then started racing in 2003 and before the end of that year, I was racing too.
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- Karen’s been racing GSX-R750s since 2012
You were born in Victoria, so what brought you to Tasmania?
We bought a shack at Low Head a few months after doing a lap of Tassie on a pair of Honda CBR1000RRs in 2003. After visiting a few times a year for about six years, we decided to move permanently, and planned to move as soon as we sold our house in Victoria.
I started looking for work and was fortunate enough to get a job before we sold. I moved a few months before Wayne did. We’ve been here for 11 years now.
You do a lot of work outside motorcycling. Tell us a bit about it.
I am currently retired from full-time work but do a bit of casual work for my previous employer. I’m on the Board of Motorcycling Tasmania and Beaconsfield Park Incorporated, a not-for-profit residential organisation. I’m also on the Tasmanian Motorcycle Club committee.
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- The competition CV has covered a variety of makes and models
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- Competing or wearing an officials’ hat, Karen is a massive asset to the road racing fraternity
Did you still ride on the road or only race? And what is the order of the bikes you have raced?
I did a lot of road riding on a variety of bikes, mostly 1000cc sportsbikes, but not now. I started racing on a Honda CBR400RR until I totalled it in the sweeper at Winton in Victoria. I rode Wayne’s CBR400RR for a season after that until we decided to sell them. Then we converted Wayne’s Triumph Daytona 675 into a racebike, and I raced that for a season. Then, for the next couple of years I rode a Yamaha FZ6. I had a couple of years off to get a hip replacement and that’s when we moved to Tassie. In 2012 Wayne built a pair of Period 6 Suzuki GSX-R750s, and I’ve been racing GSX-R750s ever since.
Do you look after the race preparation on your own bikes?
No, Wayne does all the preparation, I’m in charge of catering!
Fast femmes: at a race meeting in 2018
You’ve got quite a resume of racing at various tracks. What are some of the highlights?
I’ve raced modern bikes at Phillip Island, Broadford, Winton in Victoria, Sydney Motorsport Park (SMP) in New South Wales and McNamara Park (Mac Park) and Mallala in South Australia.
I’ve raced Period 6 at all of these tracks plus Collie in Western Australia and Baskerville here in Tasmania. I’ve raced at the Island Classic at Phillip Island, the International Festival of Speed at SMP, ASBK Masters at Philip Island and SMP, support races at the World Superbikes at Phillip Island, Australian Historic Road Racing Championships, Victorian Road Racing Championships, Hartwell Club Championships, including the Seniors Meetings, Victorian Interclub Series, the Stars of Tomorrow at Phillip Island, Australian FX Superbike Championships and Pirelli Road Race Series. Then there is the Tasmanian Road Racing Championship, Tasmanian Motorcycle Club Championship and the Sports Riders Club of Tasmania Club Championship.
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- Officially speaking: Karen’s also a tireless worker behind the scenes
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- In the 2021 Tassie road racing series
You seem to be as busy off the track as actually competing. Tell us about the positions you hold on both the Tasmanian Motorcycle Club Committee and at race meetings.
I’m currently the secretary, treasurer and competition secretary of the Tasmanian Motorcycle Club Committee. I’m also a Level 4 Race Secretary and hold a number of Level 2 Officials accreditations.
Is it difficult to get officials as race officials?
It is always difficult to get officials. The same core group of people do most of the work, and it’s usually the same volunteers that put their hands up as flag marshals at every meeting, too. It’s a difficult problem to solve, and I don’t think that our club is on its own in that regard.