A longer-than-usual break has Tarzy discovering new ways to train, a new love of cycling, and just how much she misses the madness
This has been one of the weirdest periods of my racing career, mainly because I haven’t ridden around a ‘big girl’ track in what feels like sooo long!
I miss racing way more than I thought I would. If this longer-than-usual off-season has taught me anything, it’s to be grateful for my normally hectic life, because apparently when I don’t have it, I miss it more than ever.
Life has still been busy, just in a slightly different way. Fitness has become my main priority, both on and off the bike, while I’ve also been trying to save some money ahead of another massive season. My racing kicks off again in November at Shell V-Power Motorsport Park at The Bend, and I hope to see plenty of you there! For now, I’ve been keeping the seat time up on my naked spare Ninja 400 and, of course, the Ohvale.
Off the bike, I’ve started strength and conditioning training with Damien at Competitive Edge Performance and have become slightly obsessed with tracking my biometrics and nutrition. My weeks are filled with circuits, back squats, trap-bar deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts, core work and eccentric chin-ups.
None of it looks much like motorcycle racing, but every exercise has a purpose: stronger legs under braking, a more stable core through directional changes and better endurance when fatigue starts to set in.
Another completely new addition to my fitness routine has been cycling, and with this one I get to kill two birds with one stone.
I was connected with Maddy McNeil through my mate Loz from Cykel Products Australia, who has also played a big part in my racing – and is usually the person I call when I need some fresh Pirelli rubber. Maddy is a tandem endurance cyclist and para-athletics coach working towards her Paralympic goals. She has already achieved a podium finish in the Para-Cycling World Cup time trial at The Bend Motorsport Park, of all places!
Cycling is a really common training tool for motorcycle racers, but it has never really been within my budget. Maddy and I have now found a pretty cool way to help each other. I get to support her as a pilot while learning and training alongside an incredibly knowledgeable athlete.
There was only one small problem: I’d never ridden a proper road bike before.
Learning cleats, gears, group riding and everything in between has been a steep learning curve, but I’ve absolutely fallen in love with it. It’s definitely staying in my training routine and, who knows, maybe you’ll even see me lining up for a cycling race one day.
There are also two pretty exciting things coming up.
The first is something I’ve wanted to do for a while: a pre-season group ride and community get-together the weekend after the Australian MotoGP.
It’s still in the planning stages, but those of you reading my AMCN columns are the true Tarzy supporters, so I’m sure you’ll keep an eye on my socials for the final details.
The idea is simple: a relaxed group ride followed by food, raffles and plenty of time to hang out. Whether you’ve followed my racing for years, stopped by the pits for a chat or simply love getting out on two wheels, I’d love to get everyone together before another season begins.
The second bit of news is taking me slightly farther from home: I’m going to Brazil!
In December, I’ll represent FIM Oceania at the 2026 FIM Intercontinental Games, competing in the Supersport 300 class aboard a Yamaha R3.
Being selected for the team again is something I’m incredibly proud of. I’ll be lining up alongside an amazing group of riders from across our region and, when we arrive in Brazil, we won’t just be racing for ourselves, we’ll be representing FIM Oceania as a team.
The Intercontinental Games are a little different from a normal race meeting. Riders are selected from the different FIM Continental Unions, with results contributing towards the overall team competition. It makes for a pretty unique combination of individual racing and working together towards one result.
Last time the Games were held, FIM Oceania came away with a podium, so there’s definitely some unfinished business. This time, we want to go one step farther and fight for the win.
A massive thank you to Motorcycling Australia and FIM Oceania for giving me another opportunity to represent our region internationally. December can’t come quickly enough.
Away from training and racing, I’ve also tried to enjoy being Tara for a little while. Weekends have involved cheering Cameron on at rugby, catching up with friends and family, a few live music gigs and squeezing in camping trips whenever possible. Those little things have been a nice chance to switch off before life gets crazy again.
I even managed to sneak back onto a proper racetrack recently, although this time there were a few cameras involved.
I headed to The Bend for a private filming day with 7NEWS and The Bend’s media team. We transformed the garage into a simulated ASBK pit set-up before jumping into interviews about my championship season, what’s ahead and the return of ASBK to The Bend in November.
Then came the fun part: having the entire circuit to myself. Rolling out onto an empty track with drones overhead and GoPros covering the bike was pretty surreal. It’s not often you get an entire race circuit as your own film set, so I definitely wasn’t complaining!
We finished the day with a few more interviews before packing everything back into the van and heading home. Seeing the finished story come together afterwards made an already pretty cool day even more special.
After such a long break, things are finally starting to feel like racing again. Testing is getting closer, November is creeping up, and then before I know it, I’ll be packing my bags for Brazil.
I’ve enjoyed the chance to train, save some money and spend time with the people around me, but I think I’m officially ready to have my hectic racing life back.
Until next time!
