The X Factor

PHOTO BY DAVE VELDKAMP.

Bronti Verbeek

BY PATRICK LAMBIE

The list of requirements needed to become a successful motorcycle racer can be intimidating all by itself. In addition to the basic skills and coordination that are necessary for the basic operation of a motorcycle, a racer needs to have the natural ability and capacity to take their riding to a level that continually challenges the limitations of motorcycle and rider alike – but that is just the beginning.

The racers who truly succeed all share a series of attributes that include a desire to continually learn and improve, a commitment to both physical and mental fitness, and a determination to excel, even when faced with adversity.

There are those who are fortunate to grow up in households where a shared passion for everything on two wheels sees their earliest memories filled with riding motorcycles and competing on the racetrack several years before they are even old enough to get a driver’s licence. Then there are those with the X-factor whose natural athletic ability and drive to succeed elevates them to the top of the podium even though their pursuit of racing glory began decades later in life.

While her natural humility may prevent Bronti Verbeek from acknowledging it, she definitely possesses the X-factor. Despite waiting until the age of 23 to embark on her two-wheeled adventures, this award-winning racer has already built a resume that holds its own against some of the best in the country.

Looking back in hindsight it’s often easy to see how fate intervened in the paths that we end up taking. Following the decision to buy a motorcycle, an unexpected birthday present and a chance meeting with a road racing coach led Bronti to the racetrack and she hasn’t looked back since. As she recounts, “Halfway through the season in 2016 I got my motorcycle licence and rode a bike for the first time. Next I did a school with On Track Performance (OTP) in August 2016 at Castrol in Edmonton. A friend actually bought me the spot with OTP for my birthday and that’s why I ended up going. But before I went to OTP, I actually met Brad Gavey who is one of the instructors. We rode together on the street and he was impressed at how I was hanging in there with him pace wise and told me I should go to the track.”

If she wasn’t already hooked after the OTP school, watching the final round of the 2016 Edmonton Motorcycle Roadracing Association (EMRA) season left no doubt that racing was going to be a big part of Bronti’s future. With her GSX-R750 prepped

PHOTO BY DAVE VELDKAMP.

PHOTO BY BRAD GAVEY.

for the track and race school completed, Bronti moved from the spectator side of the fence and on to the starting grid in 2017, picking up the Women’s Open championship in her first season. More success followed, including another Women’s Open title and multiple class lap records as well as the 2020 Intermediate Sport Bike championship where Bronti was the only female in an otherwise all male class. She also came within one point of winning the Intermediate Superbike championship in 2020.

Moving into the Pro ranks in 2021, picking up her third EMRA Women’s Open championship along with new class lap records at both Castrol and Stratotech Park, and finishing in second place in the Sportsman Championship earned Bronti the coveted Pro Rookie of the Year award, which ranks among her favourite accomplishment to date. “Getting Pro Rookie of the Year meant the most to me. It’s a really big award to get, all the names on that trophy are really fast guys and to be included is amazing.”

Five more race wins in 2022 brings Bronti’s career wins to 32 and counting and by all accounts her performance continues to reach new heights as evidenced by the new Sportsman class lap record she set by joining the select few who have managed to navigate the tight two-kilometre Stratotech circuit in under a minute.

PHOTO BY ANETT MESZAROS.

For Bronti a big part of her focus includes physical fitness: “To be able to do this sport well, being physically fit is a must. I cycle three or four times a week as well as weight training four times a week. I also go dirt biking on the weekends and play ball hockey four times a week during the winter months. I found for myself that I have to have good cardio to be able to last the whole race, especially in Expert Superbike when I’m doing 16 laps at pace at Stratotech or Castrol it makes it easier. If you’re thinking about how unfit you are, you’re not thinking about racing and what you need to do it that moment. I work on balance exercises too, on the Bosu ball or a wobble board, it helps to train the muscles needed for stabilization on the motorcycle.”

Of course, crashing and injuries are a reality of motorcycle road racing and Bronti’s mental strength has helped keep her career on track. “That’s been the hardest thing for me to overcome in this sport. I’ve had six injuries from crashing in the five years I’ve been racing motorcycles. Being mentally strong has been something I’ve had to develop in order to keep racing, it really just comes down to, for me, that I want to succeed and I love the competition. It came to a point I wasn’t enjoying it because of the injuries and Brad asked me if I wanted to continue on and I decided I wanted to and ever since then it helped my focus. The thought of quitting just doesn’t work for me.”

In addition to racing, the evolution of Bronti’s racing career now includes the role of instructor at OTP where she continues to inspire the next generation of racers. “I first started as a student with OTP. Brad is a long-time instructor with OTP and has been coaching me since the beginning and it was a natural progression to start instructing. I realized that I could articulate well to students about riding and I really enjoy it. I love watching people gain more confidence and overcome previous limits that they set for themselves. It’s a really rewarding sport and to be able to help people enjoy riding more and to do it better and safer is awesome.”

With her sights firmly set on winning an EMRA Pro Superbike race in the near future as well as the Pro club championship, Bronti also envisions racing at the national level. The combination of natural abilities with exceptional focus and determination have already proven that Bronti is a force to be reckoned with on the racetrack, so it is just a matter of time before these goals and many more become reality. IM