Motorsport: Biddle heading off to Europe on a high

NZ Herald

20 Mar, 2015 04:00 PM4 mins to read

Avalon Biddle won the NZ Superlite's championship in Taupo this month on the R450. Photo / Desmond Hunt

National title-holder set for tilt at inaugural dedicated women-only series.

Recently crowned New Zealand Superlite champion Avalon Biddle is on her way to Europe this weekend in preparation for her assault on the European Women's Cup (EWC) motorcycle championship.

The dedicated women only series (for 17-23-year-old riders) is in its first year and is part of the European Junior Cup (EJC) series, which races at a number of the World Superbike Championship events.

The 22-year-old from Orewa will be campaigning on a Honda CBR650F, the same for all the other riders, and as her specific series is part of the EJC, she will be eligible for points in both title races. Biddle flew out of Auckland today brimming with confidence having picked up a national motorcycle racing and New Zealand TT title in the past three weeks.

"Finally being able to win a national championship is very satisfying," said Biddle. "I've been trying for so long ...

"Racing in Europe has helped me as you quickly learn you have to race at 100 per cent all the time and keep pushing yourself, and riding the bike at the limit all the time.

"I'm really looking forward to the season and being able to race in two championships [EJC and EWC]. It'll be the first time World Superbikes have had any focus on female racers so it's a big turning point for women in motorcycling."

Biddle has been in Europe the past three seasons and has tasted some success, most notably finishing second in the Italian women's championship in 2012. Last year she was racing and helping to develop a Moto3 bike in the local series for the Rumi factory team in preparation for the Italian manufacturer moving into the world championship.

New Zealand motorcycle racers have a pretty good record contesting the EJC, most recently with Jake Lewis who won the title in 2013.

The series is one of the hardest in Europe to win as all the machinery is exactly the same, and the racing is pretty cut-throat with no quarter given or taken regardless of who you are.

The riders will be going wheel-to-wheel in front of crowds up to 30,000 in countries such as Great Britain, Italy, Spain, France, the Netherlands and Portugal.

"This championship is pretty big as it's part of the World Superbike paddock. If you want to go anywhere [racing career] you have to impress people and most of them are at these meetings. The bikes are all the same so it's down to talent. If you're not running at the front you soon realise you're not good enough. I'm a bit nervous, as there are some very good riders in the championship. At least it will be a challenge and I feel I'm ready for it," said Biddle.

"It helps I suppose that I've been at a few of the tracks watching Jake [Lewis] race so it's not like I'm going into the series completely blind. I've also raced on three of the circuits in the past so I only have to learn five of them. I don't mind going to new circuits, but we don't get a lot of time on track before each race. You have limited practice on Friday, one qualifying session on Saturday and then the race on Sunday. The pressure will be on to learn them quickly."

It costs upwards of $35,000 to do the eight-race series and with the help of a successful crowd funding effort Biddle has reached her target so everything is good to go. The young woman is no stranger to going up against the blokes, having also raced in the Italian Honda Trophy series in 2012 and 2013 and regularly finishing inside the top 10 with the odd foray into the top five.