Phew! I can finally take a breath and share my experience from Round One of ASBK alongside WorldSBK at Phillip Island a few weeks back. In my first column last issue, I mentioned a career highlight, but now I can proudly say I’ve stepped up… literally… and I WON my first race! Even more exciting, I made history as the first female to win an ASBK race outright! YEW!

Leading into this historic moment, I was fastest in morning practice and qualified second, right at the front for Race 1 on Friday afternoon. It was intense but I played my cards just right. I was leading for a few laps and having a clean, fun race at the front, but when the last lap came around, I knew it was crunch time. I was in second place coming out of Honda, right behind Scott Nicholson. Then, over Lukey Heights, Jordy Simpson passed me, but I knew from previous laps that I could slipstream two bikes before the finish line. I put everything I had into it and nailed it! Braaaapppp!! YES, TOP STEP!!

Entering parc ferme was one of the best feelings of my career. I was greeted by my team and the crowd cheering me on. It was completely surreal. I gave everyone huge hugs as they congratulated me. Mum was filming the entire moment, Cam handed me a cold bottle of water, popped my bike on the stand, and dad had “dust” in his eyes. It was a moment I’ll forever cherish, and it wasn’t just mine – it belonged to my whole team too.

Saturday morning Race 2, things didn’t go as planned, and I ended up in fifth. But Sunday morning’s Race 3 brought chaos and drama. I was in the top five with four laps to go, battling hard in a tight group. I chose to go around the outside at Honda, but a rider on my right got stood up, causing me to stand up too. Before I knew it, I was off track, running onto the grass, and dropped back to 14th. Watching the bikes zoom past me, I knew I had to stay focused and fight to catch back up.

The field was so close and every pass was a battle. But I stayed calm and made my way back up to sixth, eventually catching the leading group again. I finished third overall for the weekend – tied for second! And, of course, it was time for some serious champagne popping. I had my fresh leathers ready, thanks to John at Monza Imports, but they ended up drenched in prosecco, haha! Fun fact: I don’t like racing in brand-new gear at race weekends. I always wear it on testing days first to break it in.

I received my first ASBK trophy and spoke on stage with Stephanie Redman – a moment that truly drove it home for me that, despite the welcome praise, I don’t want to be known just as the woman who beats the boys, but as a winner full stop.

But there was no time for rest! The following weekend, we were at The Bend Motorsport Park for Round Two of the Vic titles and Round One of the SA titles held in conjunction. I raced both my Kawasaki Ninja 400 and Yamaha R7. My 400 qualified on pole with a time fast enough to put me at the front of the previous ASBK round – pretty cool! Then, I put my R7 on pole by a massive 5 seconds. During our team meeting, we agreed that we were super confident with the K-Tech set-up on the 400, and the R7 was handling like it was on rails too.

In all eight races, I stayed smart and focused, sprinting in the first couple of laps to get a gap so I could cruise by myself for the rest of the race. I brought home eight wins across the weekend, and now I’m leading four state championships and sitting third in the Aussie titles. A great start to the season!

Just gone by was the Adelaide Motorsport Festival, held around the permanent Supercar circuit in the city parklands and briefly joining the street circuit. Riding on it was an absolute blast. Davo Johnson, Beau Beaton, Cam Donald, Scotty Stephens, Bob Rosenthal and Robbie Phillis, a huge follower of my Facebook page (@taramorrison95 if you want to say hi!), were all there riding as well.

I quickly learned that the “parade” wasn’t really what it seemed – 25 racers meant it was time to race! It was so cool to be right behind Cam and Beau doing wheelies on their Irving Vincents. Burning around with Robbie on his old ToeCutter, as he calls his 80s Katana Superbike. Davo, riding the Crighton rotary CR700W, had huge flames shooting from his exhaust. I was right behind, thinking my face was going to melt. Despite the heat, it was incredible to be surrounded by so many legends of the sport.

To say the last few weeks have been crazy would be an understatement, but worth every drop of sweat for that rewarding feeling.