Tough going for Lara at Cadwell Park

Chesterfield racer Lara Small made excellent progress at Cadwell Park over the Bank Holiday weekend.

Sponsored by Via Moto Honda, Chesterfield, Lara raced her Honda CB500 around one of the trickiest circuits in the UK and earned a place in the Championship race, shaving off a few hundredths off her personal best in some of the hardest racing she’s ever faced.

Army reservist Lara, a 30-year-old semi professional motorbike racer, races in the Thundersport 500 category, is an Army reserve troop commander in Chesterfield and races with the British Army Motorcyle Racing team.

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After the fourth of nine Thundersport race meets this year, Lara said: “I battled so hard with two friends, swapping places and almost touching tyres – hard hard racing.

“Cadwell Park is probably one of the greatest tracks the UK has to offer and an absolute privilege to ride.”

In race one she finished 29thfrom a 34th place on the grid, and race two also saw her 29th.

After finishing 32nd in the warm-up race, Lara’s best result at the weekend was a 28th place in the Championship race, which saw her in the thick of the mayhem at the back of the grid.

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“There are 35 other riders swarming into the first corner, some popping wheelies, some missing gears,” she smiled.

“You have to keep your wits about you to avoid collisions. Racing was very, very close for the first six laps before everything settled. We were wheel to wheel, fighting for places.

“My brain screams at me to get on the power with my body refusing to fully twist the throttle out of self preservation.”

Her adrenalin-fuelled weekend almost ended in tears when she scraped the bottom of her bike on the floor.

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“I was so banked over the exhaust pipes were hitting the floor – you get a tell tale squeal at 60+ mph as metal makes contact with tarmac and you urgently readjust your riding position,” she said.

Fortunately, Lara was able to hold her own in the race and finish safely, thankfully not testing any of her sponsored Knox protective motorcycle clothing.

Lara holds the rank of captain and is part of 33 Engineer Regiment, 350 Field Squadron, Royal Engineers based in Nottingham. She has been racing for one season.

Lara, also sponsored by FUCHS Silkolene (Oils and lubricants), is now preparing for Oulton Park on July 1/2.

Follow her progress on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/larasmallracing or Twitter: @larasmallracing for the latest updates.