On her bike to national championship

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Media Name: bike_sponsorship_1.jpg

Sarginsons apprentice Abbie Pittaway is set to compete in a national motocross event in Scotland – with a little help from here employer.

Abbie, 16, from Tile Hill, Coventry, will compete in the first round of the UK Girls Motocross Nationals event on April 28 and 29 at Duns Motocross Track, one of the most prestigious motocross venues in Scotland.

Abbie couldn’t compete in round one of the UK Girls Motocross Nationals 2017 at Duns Motocross Track due to still recovering from an accident in September 2016 whenshe broke her tibia and fibula.

After having just under a year off racing to recover from the accident, she impressed with a third place finish last September at the 2017 UK Girls Motocross Nationals tournament on an 85cc bike.

Abbie, an apprentice at Coventry manufacturing company Sarginsons, has now stepped up a class and will ride her new 2018 KTM SX125 at the event.

The company, which specialises in aluminium diecasting, is sponsoring Abbie’s sporting efforts and the Sarginsons’ name now adorns her new jerseys.

She said: “I have been racing bikes competitively since I was 12 but before that me and my brother used to race quads from a young age.

“I love the adrenaline rush you get in a race, I think that is my favourite part of it all.Other than competing in the UK Girls Motocross Nationals, me, my brother and dad go all over the country taking part in regular races, so I am always racing.

“Most of the time I am going up against more than 30 boys and it does get competitive, they don’t want to lose to a girl.

“The girls’ competitions are even more competitive because we all experience that every weekend and then we get to go up against each other.I just try and focus on myself and getting as close to the front as I can.

“It’s great to have the support of Sarginsons and the whole team here. Everyone takes a keen interest in what I do and I’m proud to have the company name on my kit.”

If Abbie performs well, the former Tile Hill Wood pupilwill travel to Brookethorpe for the final round of the UK Girls Motocross Nationals later this year – and she can count on the support of her colleagues.

Nichola Bonsor, accounts supervisor at Sarginsons, said: “Abbie is a great girl and we all support her with her racing.

“She was actually very quiet when she first came here until she opened up about motocross.

“We will be rooting for her when she travels to Scotland and I am sure she can do it.”

Anthony Evans, managing director at Sarginsons, said: “Our apprentices are extremely important to us and we are delighted to able to support Abbie both in a working environment and in a personal sense.

“We have been working hard to encourage more women to join the manufacturing sector and Abbie is a great example of that. We hope her experiences here help her continue to grow in confidence when competing in a male dominated sport outside of work.”

www.sarginsons.com

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