Who is Adam Senior? We chat with the Western Australian ASBK Superbike privateer who has firm goals for the 2016 season

Western Australian Adam Senior who has competed in the Yamaha Motor Finance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul Pirelli for 10 years and has recently switched bikes, has his eyes firmly set on a top ten placing come the end of the year. With round four of the championship being held in his home state, we get to know the young racer/mechanic who has devoted his life to racing motorbikes nationally, and is not afraid to let his hair down and have fun doing it!

Tell us how you got in to racing and how you got to be where you are now?

I only started racing when I was 17, the first time I rode a road bike was on the race track. Dad was racing when I was young, but it wasn’t until he finished racing and I had finished school before I started. I just raced locally in Perth for a while, historic bikes and everything else with two wheels that I could. In 2006 that was the first time I went interstate, I went east and since then for the last ten year’s I have raced along the east-coast doing the national series on and off. I wasn’t been able to compete in the full series every year until in 2012 where I started competing at every round of the ASBK. This year marks my third year on a Superbike and have now switched to racing the new 2016 Yamaha R1. I didn’t have the bike for the first round so I was riding my old Suzuki with my first ride on the Yamaha being at round two at Wakefield Park, which was a steep learning curve. New bike, new track! It’s been a lot to learn but we are slowly getting there.

You are part of a privateer team and you’re currently sitting 14^th in the overall championship standings, can you tell us about your support and who has helped you get to where you are now?

At the moment sitting in 14^th I am happy enough with that. The last couple of years I have finished inside the top ten but obviously we haven’t had the competition from the manufactures like we do this year. I am happy but I am still aiming for a top ten finish. However, I recognise that it’s a tough field, and to get anywhere in the top 15 is a good effort. As for behind the scenes, until this year it’s been a family effort. Dad works on the bikes, my mum supports us and my sister comes along and is the team manager, she tells us all what to do which is so helpful because I am too laid back. Now this year we have a bit more help with the guys from NCB Sport, a local team here in Perth, Anthony is the owner and Aaron is the mechanic. They have jumped on board to ease the load which has been a great help. It’s a bit of an adjustment for us, we aren’t use to having so many people around the bike, but it has been such a good thing. They offer a lot more knowledge and for myself, I don’t have to work on the bike now so I can take the time off the track to concentrate on my riding and preparing myself to go out on track again. It’s early days yet, I have only ridden the bike 2-3 times and it’s a new team so we are all just getting use to each other, and working together. I am enjoying it and looking forward to the rest of the year.

How good is it going to feel to be able to sleep in your own bed, with round four of the ASBK being in Western Australia?

I think it’s absolutely unreal! My house is only about 15 minutes from the track so it is an ideal situation for us, not traveling. It’s so funny sometimes you come home from a meeting and you see these social media posts saying ‘8 hours, long drive home’ and I’m just like I’ve driven 8… I’ve got another 40 to go! It is a long trip and we have been doing it for a long time, we are getting used to it, however it also becomes quite tiring at times. I don’t have a choice the way I see it, I am based in Perth, and if I want to go racing this is what I have to do! For us to have one trip where we don’t have to travel is great, I think it’s nice that the others have to experience the long trip at least once.

Why do you continuously come back to racing, what’s the draw card for you?

Sucker for punishment (laughs). I guess racing is in my blood. I race here in Perth as well, on historics and I do a bit of speedway in the off season. At the end of a long season of travelling and racing it’s tiring but by the time you have had a few weeks off the bike you can’t wait to get back and it all start again! While I am enjoying it and can keep being reasonably competitive I just try and make it happen. Each year with the financials it gets harder and harder but while I can still make it happen I will keep doing it!

What’s your favourite part of the track at Barbagallo?

That’s a hard one! There is a really important section of the track where you can easily lose time. Basically, turn 4 and 5 is a good, fast, fun part of the track and I find I always manage to have a little bit of extra time compared to a few people, and I can usually manage to pull off a pass in there, so that’s my favourite part. I enjoy the whole track though, there is a lot of undulation, and it is quite physically demanding, there is no rest at the circuit. A lot of other tracks you get to have a bit of a break, a little bit of a breather, but there is no time for a breather at Barbagallo, even the front straight is over a hill and your wheel standing. It’s ‘all go’ the whole time bit it’s a really exciting track!

Who is you biggest rival out on track?

It seems to be, each round, I end up racing Ryan Hampton from New Zealand. We always seem to end up pretty close most race meetings. To be honest though, anyone in front of me has to be my biggest rival. No matter who it is out there we all aim for the front of the field no matter whether it’s achievable or not! But I am going to aim to be competing against the fast guys this round. I am realistic but I also have some strong goals that I want to achieve and I am going to keep pushing until I achieve them!

What are the biggest differences from your Suzuki to your new Yamaha?

Being on a Suzuki last year and now jumping onto a completely different bike has been a very big change. The biggest thing for us (The team and myself) I guess has been getting use to the different electronic set up. On the Suzuki we had no electronics basically, it was just like an old school bike in a way, so this has all been very new to me. The Yamaha is a lot smaller bike and handling wise it’s a fair bit different. Basically we got help from YRD which has been a big contributing factor in making the switch. Prior to that we had no sponsorship from a manufacturer, so previously we could choose any bike we wanted, which is why we chose the Suzuki. Switching to the Yamaha has been a good opportunity, the new bike seemed to be going well and once we decided to go with the Yamaha, YRD came on board and made our decision a lot easier to make the switch.

At the end of the year where do you see yourself and what’s your ultimate goal?

The ultimate goal is always to finish inside the top ten. For a privateer with the budget or lack of budget that we have I think top ten is a good achievement for us. As I get use to the bike more, and spend more time on the Yamaha I don’t see us having a problem getting there. It’s never going to be easy but its achievable, and if I finish inside the top ten this year I think I will be happy!

How do you train in preparation for a race meeting?

The hardest thing for me, as I am sure is like a lot of riders, is trying to fit training in amongst working for myself. Generally, each morning I will train for an hour, or an hour and a half and my routine varies each day whether it be a run or cycle or going to gym. I train at least once a week with Sam Clarke (Motul Supersport competitor, also from WA) and we do an intense training session together. It’s probably not enough but it’s all I can fit in at the moment. Whenever I have free time I always like to jump on the Motocross bike as well, every bit helps.

Who is Adam outside of racing, hobbies, interests?

That depends who’s asking I guess (laughs). I think you’ll find, like most of the guys, I like to get out and have a good time and a bit of a party. But outside of racing I have a lot of other hobbies. I like snowboarding, which is pretty hard from Perth, and I love the ocean, I scuba dive quite a bit too. I have a lot of other hobbies other than motorbikes, coming from Perth anything to do with the ocean I try and get involved in. I just try and keep myself busy and I like to have a good time doing it!

To keep up to date with Adam and the rest of the ASBK field don’t forget to ‘Like’ ASBK on Facebook or ‘Follow’ @ASBK to keep up to date with all the latest news on social media or for more information on the championship head to www.asbk.com.au.