Round 1 of the WEM Australian Women’s titles was held yesterday at Tivoli raceway in Queensland.

27 women from all around Australia lined up for their chance to secure points for the title chase.

Husqvarna Racings 17 Year old Husky Chix rider Ashlea Bates put in a courageous effort riding injured to finish 2nd behind current World Champion Katherine Prumm.

In the first race, Bates recovering from wrist injuries established herself in a comfortable fourth position and concentrated on bringing her Husqvarna TC250 home to earn valuable points.

In the second race, Bates fought her way through to 3rd position on first corner but by the 6th lap Bates aggression kicked in and she pushed her way into 2nd spot.

Bates mechanic Brett Bull, advised her there was a lot of crashes in the first race and considering she was injured, consistency was what mattered, but Bates had to prove to her self that she could override the pain and picked up the speed in the latter part of the race to finish a very creditable second and secure second for the day.

"Wow I didn’t expect to finish second overall. My Team Manager Sue Feeney instructed me to just go out there and collect points due to my injuries. It was my first time on my Husqvarna TC250 race bike, so I wasn’t sure how it would compare to my practice bike.

The power of the Husqvarna and the grip of my Metzeler tyres all made it easy on the trying track conditions. I knew I had to keep my self up right and gather valuable championship points and hopefully I will be able to go one better this year and collect the National number 1 plate." Round 2 for the WEM Women’s Australian Titles will be held in Victoria at Newry on the 25th May.

Husky Chix Ashlea Bates will now have little time to rest as she heads off to Port Macquarie for her first Enduro and joining the Husqvarna Enduro team for round 1 of The National off Road Championship.