BAD ASS BIKER BABES: Women tear it up at Morgan Park
THESE track junkies show just how tough women riders can be.
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THE blood pumping adrenaline of racing around bitumen curves is more than a thrill for the bad ass biker babes of Morgan Park Raceway: It's an addiction.
When Willowbank rider Sharon Betts first hopped onto the back of a bike four years ago, she was sure it would be a one-off experience.
"I'd started dating a man who was into bikes and he organised a ride with an instructor," she said.
"But when I was on the track I was so concerned with staying safe, and my brain became so full of adrenaline, that it gave me a break from having chronic pain."
Ms Betts said she was shocked to discover the debilitating pain that had plagued her for more than two decades completely disappeared when she raced.
"Because it was so dangerous I became 100 per cent focused on what was happening and I didn't feel it anymore," she said.
"I could finally escape.
"It was like a magic pill and I just got addicted."
Since then, Ms Betts began to visit Morgan Park every two weeks, working admin in the office and helping out around the track.
Not even a devastating crash last year, that required three plates, 20 screws and knee surgery to fix, deterred the adrenaline junky.
"At first I thought that might be the last time I rode," she said.
"But after I started to recover in February, I realised I couldn't give it up.
"It must have just been the concussion talking."
For Yatala rider Maria Bromley, it's been more than 15 years of making the journey up to Warwick to race.
"I really want to move here," she said.
Ms Bromley said Morgan Park provided feeling of camaraderie she couldn't find anywhere else, where the men respected her ability and included her in their camaraderie.
"It's an even and level playing field here," she said.
"As a woman I don't feel disadvantaged, I feel embraced."
Another regular is self-professed "track junky" Libby Hogan from Brisbane, who began riding bikes six years ago.
"It was just always something I wanted to try," she said.
Mrs Hogan said the welcoming community kept her coming back, time and again.
"It's really addictive to just get out there and ride in a safe environment," she said.
"I'm not really about the speed, I just want to become a better rider and be safer on the roads."
The unique curvatures of the Morgan Park track enable Marsden rider Jackie Marks to work on her technique and perfect her lean.
"I've only been riding four years but I just love it," she said.
We need to see more girls out on bikes!"
"Girl power!"
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