Maria Costello MBE started her 2015 road racing campaign in scintillating fashion, scooping an eighth place finish in the Supertwins class at the prestigious Vauxhall International North West 200.

The Northamptonshire racer arrived at the event armed with her European Shoe Machinery Co. Ltd/Hol-Taj backed Kawasaki ER6 and ESM/Wollaston Bikes backed BMW Motorrad UK S 1000 RR to race in the Supertwin and Superstock classes respectively, after a pre-season collaboration with the Ice Valley Racing team didn’t come to fruition.

The fast Northwest road circuit is often exposed to extremes of weather and Tuesday’s qualifying sessions were no exception. With Costello completing only minimal laps in either wet or extremely windy conditions.

Thursday brought drier weather and Costello qualified in 16th place on the Supertwin, recording a 5m23.124s (99.937mph) lap, which would see her start in the second wave of riders come race day. A small electrical issue caused Maria to miss vital qualifying time on the BMW Superstock bike. Lacking some laps and still finding her feet, she qualified at the back of the grid.

Costello commented:

“It was a real mixed bag for qualifying, I know the fierce winds were the same for everyone but I struggled, so I was glad when come Thursday they had died down. It was good to get dry laps in on the Twin, it’s the first time I’ve ridden it this season and I knew I’d have more to give come race day. Loosing some of the session on the big bike was frustrating but my team resolved it and we did make good progress with the set-up. It’s such a capable machine, I can’t wait to get more laps under my belt in the race.”

Thursday evening’s races kicked off for Costello with the Supertwin race. After reaching 11th place her Kawasaki ER-6 came to a stop on the 4th and final lap of the race, leaving Costello to hitch a ride back to the pits in time for the Superstock race. Which unfortunately, after numerous attempts and red flags, was cancelled and added to Saturday’s race schedule.

Race day arrived and so did challenging and changeable weather. The re-run Superstock race was beset with incidents and after three attempts was finally cancelled.

So Costello’s first race would be on her Supertwin and starting in 16th place, in the second wave, she immediately edged into 9th position by the end of the first lap. Rising to an overall 8th position by the fall of the chequered flag on lap 4, recording a best lap of 5m20.498s (100.756mph).

The Superstock race was delayed due to further incidents and finally got underway in the early evening. Costello ran with the third wave runners and improved with every lap to secure her first ever race finish on a litre bike around the NW200 course and her first competitive outing on the BMW, in 28th position.

A smiling Costello concluded:

“I’m delighted with eighth place on the Supertwin especially after the retirement on Tuesday. It’s a great way to start the season and I can’t wait to race it at the TT. I loved my Superstock NW 200 debut. I know I’ve so much more to learn on the BMW, it’s a challenge to race one of these on real roads, but I’m relishing every moment, and although I’m totally disappointed that my TT entry for it was not accepted, I’m looking forward to working hard and improving on it next time out.”

She added:

“This has been a challenging but brilliant start to the season. I always get such a warm welcome here at the NW200 and I’m so pleased I could repay the amazing fans and spectators with some racing this time. Claiming a top ten finish is a great way to go in to my next event but first I need to thank my team of Craig, Craig and Kevin, my amazing sponsors, especially BMW Motorrad UK, Wollaston Bikes & ESM, Kurt Bock, Mark Arnett, the NW200 team, and all those who helped me get to the Northwest 200 grid. Now roll on the TT!”

“I know that some of the incidents in the red-flagged races resulted in injuries and I hope everyone involved makes a full recovery.”

For all of the latest news on Maria, including sponsorship opportunities, her Donington track days for women and other events, please visit her website at http://www.costelloracing.com.

Images: Costello tackles the Magic Roundabout on her Supertwin. By Johnny Sweeney Photos.

Maria makes her Superstock 1000 debut at the NW200. By Philip Kilpatrick.