Hi, welcome to my website. Being a 15 year old girl, people do not believe me when I tell them that I ride a speedway bike with a laydown 500cc JAWA engine running on methanol with no brakes. So here is the proof! For the 2000 and 2001 seasons I was asked to be the Ipswich Witches mascot and was allowed to ride at the start of every meeting before the riders took to the track. The Ipswich Supporters club kindly sponsored me with a set of Club Kevlar’s. I made a few brief appearances on Sky Sports, was interviewed for Polish TV, met Suzie Perry and also took part in Colin White's testimonial at Arena, two brilliant seasons. I also met and received a letter of congratulations from the Mayor of Ipswich in recognition of my achievements. 2002 was a quiet year, regular practice at Sittingbourne, a few Saturdays at Eastbourne mini track and a second half at Wimbledon. At the start of 2003, I went to the Wimbledon Dons Press & Practice Day and then managed to get to 26 Dons home matches, for pre meeting or second half rides, as the PLC would allow. During August and September and October I also recommenced rides after the meeting at Ipswich. I also took in a training school at Peterborough. During 2003, Sittingbourne also looked after me where I took part in the second half events during their five public meetings. Highlight of 2003 was appearing on the BBC1 programme "Inside Out" being interviewed by Gina Yashere, the presenter of the programme who then borrowed my bike for her ride around Plough Lane. For 2004, I started off learning to ride an ex Jarek Hampel chassis (the one that still holds the Foxhall track record) with a 350 laydown 897 JAWA engine and was upgraded to Youth 350 first time out. I took part in the under 15 Second Half racing at Wimbledon which continued most weeks on the 185, if the curfew allowed, plus going to all the training and practice days at Sittingbourne. In November 2004 I started going to the new track at Scunthorpe when it did not clash with Sittingbourne and really enjoyed the track giving my confidence a real boost. The 185 took a real hammering! Into 2005, I started the year with one of Scott Nicholls GP Ham racing rolling chassis’s with an RTN tuned JAWA 884. We went over to the training track at Reading on regular occasions as well as Scunthorpe and Sittingbourne when they ran. On Tuesday 29 the March 2005, we made the long trek up to Buxton for the BSPA assessment day and came away with an upgrade to youth 500cc. So that made the 125 and 185’s redundant. For 2005 I continued to do second half’s on Wednesday nights at Wimbledon, sing the 185, keeping the 500’s for the weekend practice sessions and training schools plus the excellent ABC meetings at Kings Lynn. In 2006, I started the season with two freshly rebuilt RTN tuned 500cc JAWA 884’s and continued using the ex Scott Nicholls and ex Jarek Hampel chassis’s plus a complete brand new JAWA bike arrived during August. I practiced at Sittingbourne and Scunthorpe most weekends and did a few after meeting practices at Mildenhall at the start of the season. I was very pleased to be invited by Peter Oakes to ride in the British Under 15 championships and on 18 th July 2006 entered the record books as the first female ever to ride in an official British championship (500cc) in round 1 at Buxton. Riding as no. 4 in the meeting I unfortunately looped at the start in heat 1 and that was round one over with severe bruising on my back and a wrecked bike. I then rode in round two as reserve at Scunthorpe on the 9 th July, in the meeting as No. 4 in round three at Plymouth on the 21 st July, as reserve in round 4 at the Isle of Wight on 17 th August and again looped at the start in the first heat and wrote off a diamond, forks and the fibreglass. I was silly enough to get back on my spare bike for the hastily re-arranged parade but the paramedic advised me to not ride anymore that night with another back injury similar to that suffered at Buxton, plus my right leg received a nasty knock from the bike as I went off the back. Dad rebuilt the bike for Round 5 at Somerset on 8 th September where I was reserve but did not ride in the meeting. Overall, I finished the 2006 British U 15 championship in joint 14 th place from 17 – the only girl against 16 boys. I also rode in the U 16 British Academy league match at Ipswich on 31 st August and scored 1 point from two rides. There were only four heats due to the time curfew. That was another entry in the record books – the first female to ride in the U 16 academy league. I was also at Kings Lynn for the British Academy league match on 6 th September but major bike problems prior to the first heat put paid to that. I rode in four rounds of the Sittingbourne Summer Tournament with some success beating a few of the of the guys who were riding in the southern area junior league events and conference league and are on the 2006 CL gradings ! In the individual, I managed three race wins and went into the last race as joint leader, got third place and third overall in the meeting. For the start of 2007, I’ve been practicing at Sittingbourne and at the ABC sessions at Scunthorpe and will be looking to do some practices at Mildenhall. See you at the Speedway! Amy You can contact Amy at the following e-mail address: amy@amycarpenter.co.uk |