Chesterfield's Lara Small sets new personal best at Donington Park

Back on her local track, Lara was determined to make the eighth race meet of the season another opportunity to chunks of time of her previous laprecords.

With five races this weekend, two which were back to back, Lara worked hard to get her times down. 
Her best results have come from being in the thick of it.

Lara said: “it was the last race of the day and I could see how I was gaining on the group in front.

“I kept myself relaxed and maximised every ounce of corner speed to take chunks out of the group ahead of me.

“I was braking later than I ever have before, and crucially, getting off the brakes to maximise my corner speed through the

Esses chicane.”

“I remember telling myself to be brave, clipping my knee on the left kerb, flipping the bike quickly from left to right, and driving hard on the right hand chevrons on the way out.

“I was really squeezing all the grip out of the front tyre as I locked on the anchors into the tight hairpins – I even

stuffed two people up on the inside!”

Lara almost had a scary moment at the track in the second race of a back to back challenge on the timetable.

Lara finished the British Military Interservices Challenge in 18th place, a fair effort as she was on a 50bhp bike against 100bhp+ bikes.

This race is for any serving personnel on any bike.

Lara added: “I was really pleased in this race as during the first lap, before any of the bigger bikes could escape on the straights,

“I kept my corner speed high and overtook a 600cc bike on the climb from the bottom of craner curves to the top of coppice – the rider even came to shake

my hand for doing so well on a smaller bike.”

However, disaster almost struck a few laps into the second race, where during some heavy braking into the hairpin, her bike wouldn’t stop.

Lara races with Thundersport GB, a race meet organizer for tracks all over the UK.

Lara is a Troop Commander in the Army Reserves and races with the British Army Motorcycle Road Racing Team.