KRISTY BATTLES THE BOYS
Signing again with GMR Motorex KTM again this year, Kristy Gillespie has another big year ahead of her. Having scored a wildcard entry for the 2009 Australian MX Championship, Gillespie lined up for the first race in front of a home crowd at Albury. She has previous experience racing in Vic state events against her male counterparts.
Further extending her experience, Kristy will try her luck at Enduro again this year, both training and competing in Off- Road events. This adds to a growing field of female enduro riders. The first round of the Women's Off Road Championship at Port Macquarie in March, saw veteran champion Alison Parker, and regulars Wilson, Jones and Beattie line up in a field of 12 riders. A number of girls also entered the Junior event
TWO ROUNDS for 2009 WOMEN MX COMPETITORS
The 2009 Australian Women's MX Championship will be held over two rounds of the National MX Series. Round 7 at Lakes, NSW on July 26th, and Round 8 at Coolum, Qld, 1-2 August, will be when the women take to the track.
GILLESPIE, AUSTRALIA'S # 1
Lake Macquarie, N.S.W hosted the final round of the Yamaha Australian Women's MX series on June 22nd. World Champion Katherine Prumm was unable to attend due to overseas committments, which left a closely fought battle for the podium positions.
Ashlea Bates was a strong contender in the first moto, but mechanical problems meant she was unable to finish the race, leaving Adelia Barton to finish in first place, and Kristy a close second.
" I qualified fastest by two seconds, but come the first race, I made a lot of mistakes, " says Kristy. " I wasn't happy because I knew that I could do better than that. After speaking with Maca, we decided on going with 'sometimes you have to lose the battle to win the war'. We made some change to the suspension to make the bike track better and this definitely helped. In race two, I pulled the hole shot and took three seconds off my lap times from the previous race. After an early battle with Ashlea, I pulled a comfortable lead; on the second last lap I hit a kicker going up one of the hill sections and the bike stepped out sideways and I almost lost it! I decided to back it off a little knowing there was only two laps left and was stoked to take the win."
It was Kristy's determination and committment that saw her go on to win the second moto, and secure the 2008 title. Throughout a personally challenging year, Kristy has been consistently competitive, supported by her family, who are closely involved as part of her pit crew.
Congratulations also to Glenn MacDonald and the Motorex KTM team for their support of women's racing in Australia.
OVERALL 2008 RESULTS
Kristy Gillespie 129, Adelia Barton 109, Katherine Prumm 100, Ashlea Bates 96, Tahlia Neilson 90.
 
ANOTHER A4DE PODIUM FOR ROSIE
The 30th Annual Hogs Breath Cafe Australian Four Day Enduro was recently held in Warragul, Victoria over 17 - 20 th April and Yamaha WR250F rider Rosie Lalonde finished a sensational 3rd place in the Women's Class.
Of the eight starting females, only five managed to finish, as water crossings and bike failure haunted some. It was not smooth sailing for Rosie, however, as bike issues caused her to lose time on Day 4 and almost not complete the final moto.
"The river crossings were slightly daunting, but they just remind me of riding back in Canada. I just went as close to the rapids as I could and hoped for the best! Some of the other girls had problems, which made me start to worry near the end of the event, but I never went under so I was happy! This year was a lot harder for me than last; the trails were really rough and demanding, but finishing is the best feeling in the world! There were some really difficult down hills and rocky uphills that I got through and that gives me some satisfaction knowing I could do it."
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