Brent Sidwell is overtaking on his way to an international superbike career.By Glen Atwell
BRENT Sidwell is used to living life in the fast lane.
But the 22yearold motorbike racer from Tooradin said with a bit of help he would go even quicker.
After a bumper season racing in the Victorian Superbike Championship, where he placed second, the twowheel addict is looking to make the move to the big time.
With the help of sponsorship, Sidwell wants to enter the Australian Superbike Championship, the highest level of bike racing in Australia.
“I’ve got enough to get a new bike on the track, but it’s the ongoing weekly expenses and I’m looking for a sponsor to help out with them,” he said.
Sidwell operates privately, meaning he is responsible for all the different aspects of racing a motorbike.
“My dad (Garry) has always been there for me as moral support and my mechanic is Graeme Williams. We all work together,” he said.
But moving to a factory team, allowing Sidwell to solely focus on his racing ability, is the ultimate dream.
“That would be great, but you’ve got to go with what you’ve got,” he said.
Sidwell won the prestigious Hartwell Unlimited Superbike Championship this year, a title many riders base their racing season around.
“Hartwell is arguably the biggest bike club in Australia, so that was a major win,” he said.
Racing on his 2000 Honda CBR 929, Sidwell said it was time to update.
“I look through the grids and it’s clear my bike is becoming too old,” he said.
“At tracks like Phillip Island, I need the horsepower that a new bike would give me.”
Growing up on a farm, Sidwell had the luxury of learning to ride motorbikes from a young age and realised just how physically challenging it was to ride one.
“I’m constantly in training, doing weights and resistance training to stay physically fit,” he said.
Sidwell loves the excitement of the sport and said there was one corner at the Phillip Island circuit that stuck out in his mind.
“Coming out of Siberia, it’s the corner into the hayshed there is some very serious Gforce. It’s great,” he said.
Sidwell’s ultimate ambition is to race in England, where he said there was more of everything.
“More people, more tracks and more coverage,” he said.
The Australian Superbike Championship kicks off in March next year.
