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The FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship got underway for its maiden season a few months ago and, since then, riders have been profiled to bring fans even closer to the competitors who deliver exciting action. This time, it’s the turn of Nicole Van Aswegen (Andalaft Racing), who details her experience and racing journey to this point.

NEARLY TWO DECADES OF RACING EXPERIENCE: a domestic series star

Nicole Van Aswegen proudly represents South Africa in the WorldWCR and she is a former international gymnast whose family helped her find her path in racing. She has been a competitive racer for 18 years and to date most of her career has been on the domestic South African scene, in addition to a few international races.

NICOLE RECALLS: her first memory involving a motorcycle

“My dad came home with my first motorcycle, a Yamaha TZR 50, as a surprise for me on the back of his red bakkie (pick-up truck). When I was younger my parents used to do drag racing. I was doing gymnastics, and I was the cheerleading captain at school, so I wasn’t really allowed to even do drag racing. With the gymnastics I competed for South Africa and with the cheerleading it was always busy. I did do a bit of drag racing, but it wasn’t in a national series or anything, it was just club racing. My friends at school used to race superbikes and we always used to go watch, every weekend. I said to my dad I really want to do this; I really want to start. He said ’finish school first and then we will start.’”

THE LONG JOURNEY: started racing in 2006 to WorldWCR now

Van Aswegen first started racing in 2006 and has been diligently pursuing her dream ever since, with just one year away from racing when she first became a mother. She was the first female ever to race in the South African national 600cc championship and the first female in the country to ever podium in a national championship on a Supersport 600cc. In 2010 she won the South African Female 600cc championship and she has finished as high as second overall in her regional 600cc championship, as well as third overall in her regional superbike Championship. Making her way up through the 300cc and 400cc South African national championships to the 600cc class, she has been a frontrunner and a podium finisher competing against men at a national level in her home country and is now ready for the challenge of the WorldWCR. For a long time during her racing career, she was selling motorcycles and parts as her daytime job, but this was hard to combine with her race schedule. The solution came when she met her husband; he owned a welding company that was closed during the weekends. She joined the company, allowing them both till this day to spend their weekends at the racetracks.

REPRESENTING SOUTH AFRICA: proud to represent her country

Van Aswegen feels very proud to be representing South Africa on the world stage. She wants to show everyone in her country that with hard work and dedication, you can be at the top. "You have no idea how hard it is here," she tells us about the financial struggles most racers face in her country. She’s therefore extremely grateful for everyone who has helped her get to this place.

NICOLE EXPLAINS: who she’s learned the most from in racing

“As a person I think from myself really. Racing is more mentally challenging than it is physically. You have to be so mind-strong. Especially now going to race against these girls. I come from South Africa and I’m the quickest here. Everyone’s telling me, ‘you’re going to go there and you’re going to win’. I knew in the back of my mind there’s no chance, not against the girls there, they are training, they live for this. But you still have that feeling that you want to. Going there and seeing that you’re ninth or tenth, it is soul destroying and you have to find it within yourself to carry on fighting. It teaches you to be mind-strong. That also relates to business and working. You get some people that don’t want to go to work every day, because they are a little bit sick or they have a headache. With me I’m at work even if I’ve got broken bones. You have to be strong, you have to be dedicated.”

THE MOTHER-DAUGHTER RELATIONSHIP: inspired by her daughter

Apart from being a strong person herself, Nicole is inspired by her daughter. She continues to tell us: “My daughter has also taught me to be mind-strong. Think about me going racing and leaving her behind the whole time. Crashing. She’s seen me crashing. When she was a baby we would have to leave her in the pit with someone and then go on track. You have to be mind-strong, knowing that this little one is looking up to you, you need to make sure you are coming back to them and make sure that they are happy. One weekend is for her, one weekend is for me. I also think she’s taught me to find balance in life.” Her now seven-year-old daughter started riding motorbikes when she was only two and has her own PW50 now. She rides with her parents on the weekends, but for now, doesn’t want to race. Still, being a young gymnast, she takes after her mother.

NICOLEANSWERS: quickfire questions

Who is your favourite motorcycle racer? “Marc Marquez. I love how motivated he is and he is very humble. He doesn’t come across as a show off. He trains really hard and then with all the setbacks that he has had. He crashes, he breaks his arm and he just comes back and gives it his all again, then crashes again. I just feel that fight of his is something special. Everyone says ‘oh you should support Brad (Binder), he’s South African’, but I supported Marquez before Brad even started in MotoGP™. I love Brad but Marquez for me is something special.”

Who is the female athlete that inspires you the most? “Simone Biles. She is the oldest female gymnast to still compete and win. Just like myself I am one of the oldest female racers, but I strive to still win.”

What challenges have you faced as a woman in the world of competitive riding, and how have you overcome them? “One of the challenges that comes to mind straight away is competing in a male dominant sport is tough and especially if you beat them. They hate being beaten by a female so the mind games they would play would always affect me, and another challenge was my size. I am a short, petite woman who raced 1000cc, so against the men it was a struggle as they are physically stronger than women.”

What does it mean to you to be competing in the inaugural WorldWCR season? “It is more than an honour. I am blessed to be part of this Championship and really excited. I have been waiting for years for a women's championship. I do want to thank everyone who has made this possible for me. Here in South Africa, you don’t know how hard it is financially, it’s a struggle, a big struggle. I’ve had people I didn’t even know come onboard and help me. I’m just grateful, I want to say thank you to them all.”

What message do you have for young girls and aspiring female riders who may be watching WorldWCR? “My message to every single young girl around the world is that we are strong and we are equal, and we can achieve anything if we believe in it. With hard work, determination and mindset we can be the best. If you put your mind to it, it can be done. Hard work and dedication is all it takes to achieve your dreams.”

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