My heart’s pounding, threatening to explode. Adrenalin’s surging through my veins. My throat’s dry, my tongue’s like cardboard and my brain ignites with a nervous fire as the bike erupts with a prehistoric roar. The deafening howl rips through the air and hot anticipation surges through my body. This is it. The ride of my life. The one I’ve been waiting for. I cocked a leg over Rizla Suzuki’s Moto GP GSV-R and took a long, deep breath.
Five laps. That’s all. Five mind-blowing laps. I’d never ridden at Valencia before (Play station doesn’t count!) and the Bridgestone slick tyres were also a new experience for me. And then there’s Chris Vermeulen’s 240 bhp, 220 mph, GSV-R bike. It’s priceless. It’s a piece of history. And I’m about to throw it into the last, long left hander before the start finish straight. Gulp.
My knee kissed the track, fleetingly. Breathe. Don’t crash. Relax. Hold on. Look up. My mind was racing. The track disappeared at warp speed as I tucked in and sneaked though the gears. I catapulted down the straight, hanging on for dear life. Third, fourth . . . . The Pit board flashed past me. Rizla blue uniforms hung over the pit wall. Time to brake. Now!
Chris Vermeulen’s advice managed to find space in my swirling mind. The carbon brakes needed to be much hotter than steel ones in order to work well. I squeezed with the usual two fingers, not knowing how much or how little to give. My speed halved in an instant. Down the gearbox to third, grateful of Chris’ road-shift set up as opposed to the ‘upside-down’ race-shift that his team mate John Hopkins runs, and I’m back on my knee as the GSV-R drives hard to the next turn.
Nothing could’ve prepared me for just how utterly magnificent this ride would be. How does it feel against my road going GSX R1000? It’s extraordinarily easy to ride. Everything feels natural; (once you’ve fought the nerves and pressure of the day) It’s just more honed, more refined and a lot, lot faster. At a healthy pace, it’s kind and unbelievably manageable. The power delivery felt smooth and progressive, but also endless. Did I hold the throttle back to the stop, heck- where’s the stop!
Somehow, I’d expected a peaky power that would scare me witless. But that simply wasn’t the case. . not at journalist speeds anyway. Wind it up to a Moto GP pace and I’m pretty sure it throws off the sheep’s clothing and becomes a wild animal that only a GP rider like Chris can control.
As I pulled into pit lane, I heaved an emotional sigh of relief. I’d managed to keep the GSV-R bubble side up whilst under the watchful eye of the entire Rizla Suzuki team and the world’s press! But I was also disappointed that it was all over so damn fast. I’m the only woman in the world to have ridden this bike and I will never, ever forget the experience, every mind-bending second of it!
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