Orewa’s Avalon Biddle has had another exciting a fruitful season of racing the European Junior Cup this year.

She contacted BikesportNZ.com as she sat at Barcelona airport, awaiting my Emirates flight home to Auckland, New Zealand.

“Wow, at the beginning of the season I couldn’t imagine saying that, but now another European season is officially done and dusted. How time flies,” she said.

“As you will know, this past weekend we were in Jerez, Southern Spain, for the final two races of the 2016 WIL Sport European Junior Cup. Of course it was also the final race ever for this championship and the European Women’s Cup. Honestly, it was an emotional weekend for all involved; however we had to put that out of our minds and simply make the most of it! Time to go racing!!

“After already wrapping up the Women’s Cup in Magny Cours two weeks prior, we arrived to Jerez focused on getting two solid finishes to round a positive year out.

“There were three Kiwis on track this weekend and Free Practice on Friday saw Connor London, Shane Richardson and I all very close in laps, time wise. It always amazes me how you can come to the other side of the world and end up battling with fellow countrymen.

“We searched to find a better bike set-up all day Saturday making many suspension changes. Some worked and some didn’t but that is just part of the game. Saturday was a very average day in my books, qualifying back in 23rd place on the grid. I struggled to come to terms with the bike set-up and low track grip, and ended the race in 17th position. Better than qualifying but unfortunately it was my first finish outside the top 15 all year.

“Sunday bought a new day and I was ready enjoy this amazing track and completion in the Spanish sun shine. Cheered on by a group of Spaniards in the crowd who were obsessively chanting my name and number on the starting grid (making themselves very hard to ignore despite my best efforts, ha) I got off to a wicked start making up many positions.

“There was the usual aggressive shuffling around on the first lap and I eventually had a great race with three other riders including Connor London. Another 15th place and one overall championship point wasn’t quite the way I’d imagined finishing the season, but it was a good salvage considering my pace over the weekend.

“Winning another Women’s Cup race was awesome as well, making it a clean sweep this year. The girls were determined to have one last shot at beating me this weekend so I was stoked to take home another two trophies in that category.

“We had a big awards presentation Sunday evening at the circuit where the top three overall and top three Women were presented with FIM medals and trophies. It was nice to be formally recognized for our efforts over the year, along with a photo of all the European Champions.

“Since leaving the circuit on Sunday, the past few days have been a good time for me to do some quiet reflection. I didn’t achieve all my expectations which were to finish inside the top 10 in the overall EJC this year, however, I exceeded my goals in other aspects.

“To finish every race except one inside the top 15 and win every Women’s Cup race was a great achievement, especially considering in a class well-known for crashes and carnage. I’m happy with the consistency I gained but also searching for that win-or-crash trying part of me that would have come in handy a couple of times! All about finding the right balance I guess.

“I need to say thank you to my mechanic James for everything this year. My bike has honestly been perfect every single time I went on track and it’s great to see his fine skills have been noticed by many others who are already trying to poach him for next year!

“Finally I would like to extend a massive thank you to everyone who made this year as special as it turned out to be. You all know who you are and I hope you have enjoyed being on this journey together, along with all my sponsors: WIL Sport, MTF Vehicle Finance, NGK Spark Plugs Australia, MNZ, Auckland Motorcycle Club, RST, Formula Fit, RynoPower, Arai Helmet Europe, Deepweb design, Spectrum Motorcycles, Carl Cox Motorsport Hyosung Cup, Pole Position Travel, Racesupplies NZ, Darbi Accessories, Sidi Boots, Nationwide Accessories, Ozzy Performance.

“I can’t exaggerate enough the fact that this wouldn’t have happened with the support from these companies above! Thank you!

“I look forward to catching up with you all again soon.”

© Photo by Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com

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