Marais ready to dazzle home WA crowd

Western Australian rider Michelle Marais is looking forward to racing on home turf, as the third round of the 2015 Yamaha Motor Finance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul Pirelli heads to Barbagallo Raceway.

 

The round will take place from 22-24 May, and Marais will be looking to build on her Production class win at the second round of the series that was held in Queensland in April.

 

Looking ahead to the round, Marais said she is hoping that the racing is more intense and action packed than at the second round, where she finished on top of the podium.

 

“I am looking forward to the next round, and hopefully it will be a really good battle amongst all of us,” she said.

 

“Obviously a win is a win, but it would have been much better if there was a bit more of a battle at Morgan Park.

 

“So I am hoping that at this next round there will be a bit more elbow racing.”

 

Marais admitted that racing in front of family and friends would provide extra motivation when she takes to the track next weekend.

 

“It is going to be pretty exciting to perform in front of friends and family, and also to show that Western Australia has a lot of quick riders in action,” she said.

 

“It will be a lot more relaxing – I get to sleep in my own bed, and not having to travel means I will be much more comfortable and that will provide a bit of an advantage also.

 

“I have only been in Australia for about a year, and within the year Barbagallo has been the only track that I have had the privilege to ride at, so in terms of track edge I definitely have some of that.”

 

But while she says that the round clearly presents some obvious benefits, she is expecting to the racing to be tight and fast-paced.

 

“It might be a bit of an advantage, but if I take a look at all of the riders that took part in Morgan Park, most of us had never ridden there before and we were all pretty close.

 

“So it will definitely have a bit of an advantage, but the riders that I compete against have a lot of talent and they will definitely pick up on some of the tricks as the weekend progresses.”

 

For more information on the third round in WA and the 2015 series thus far, head to the ASBK website (www.asbk.com.au) or follow the ASBK Facebook page. game online real money