First All-Ladies Outfit

[laird387]

Hi,

What is believed - unless you know better, that is - to be the first all-female sidecar team is getting ready for their serious debut in the Isle of Man.

Here are some details:

Saskia Baxter is 24 (riding her 9th Manx 2 Day - first in 2006 when she was 16) and Ealish Baxter is 21 (she passengered her first 2 Day aged 14 in 2007).

Pretty sure Saskia was the youngest Solo participant (16 years and 3 months) and Ealish the youngest participant (14years and 8 months) in the Manx 2
Day. Ealish is currently an accountant (manager of team).

Their Mum dreamed about the girls doing the sidecars together in the Manx 2 Day for many years but it all seemed a bit unrealistic in their younger days, especially as Ealish actively disliked bikes until a month before her 14th birthday when she said she'd like to try passengering! A week later Jake Kelly asked Ray if he knew of a young fella interested in passengering!

Ealish took to it like ducks to water and has a lot of success with Jake (they've competed in UK events) and others.

With Saskia preferring Solos (thinking sidecars a bit too scarey - having to trust another person not to make a mess of things!) and Ealish preferring riders with decent sidecar experience, it seemed unlikely that they would pair up for the Manx 2 Day until they announced last November in a pub full of trials people that they would go for it in 2014.

Local rider, Martyn Kissack lent them Juan Knight's old Gas Gas (a three year old 280) for their first trial. Martyn is organising a Scorpa outfit
for the 2 Day (bike from their cousin, Craig Baxter, coupled with Martyn's Scorpa chair).

The family can't thank the IOM Trials community enough for the help and support they've given the girls over the years, especially in the last year and a half, since
their parents 'escaped' to live in Malta!!

Special thanks to Michael Owen (Station Garage, Castletown), Martyn Kissack and Alan and Shaun at Road & Track.

Photo: R.Humstone.

Edited August 3, 2014 by laird387

[aawil]

hi deryk you have missed jennie and judith who i built a l/weight panther outfitf for a few years ago,based on a 1954 mod 75 overbored to 400ccand one of my chairs, it goes great i rode it in the talmag to test it out , the girls after a few spills decided a lighter outfit would be easier to pick up have bought a montesa 348 , to contest local trials in derbyshire,but have kept the panther for long distance trials, as such have won the ladies class of the beamish trial a couple of times,even beating me last year.both are avid panther club members and jennies normal mount is a 600 sloper with commercial box which she rides with lots of aggression, will