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