Page 62 - Australian Motorcycle News (January 2020)

JENNY ANDERSON

Anderson’s story is a testament to the joys of
finding an interest when you’re young, following
your heart and investing yourself into doing what
you love.
“Obviously I love data – it’s my job and it’s my
passion,” says Anderson, the 33-year-old from
Woking in Surrey in the UK. “And one of the things
I love most about bike racing is the fact that you
never really know what’s going to happen one lap
to the next.
“In cars, there are so many things you can
understand a lot easier, because all the vehicle
dynamics are much clearer. They’ve been
researched for many years, the equations exist
to explain almost every situation and you can
simulate a lot more because there’s no variable you
can’t control. The biggest thing on a bike is that
you have a guy that weighs 60 to 70 kilos and you
have no idea where he is on the bike when you’re
looking at the data – it’s a mystery!
“In bikes, the rider makes a massive difference,
the rider is everything – his confidence, his ability,
his talent. I noticed this when I started racing
bikes – on two different days my lap times could
be very different depending on my mentality, my
feeling, my confidence.”
Anderson’s racing journey began when she was 1 2
nine years old, racing 60cc kiddie karts.
“The data thing started when I was a teenager,
racing 250cc superkarts. Sensors were becoming
more commonplace and it was just curiosity –
what can we learn from this? Superkarts have
a proper engine and gearbox, so we got an rpm
sensor so we could play with the gearing.
“Then we found all the other stuff you can buy:
steering sensors, brake-pressure sensors, lambda
probes to check fuelling and jetting, wheel-speed
sensors... it all evolved from there.”
Anderson wasn’t a particularly geeky kid.
“My favourite things at school were music,
woodwork, and art. And at that age I never thought
that data was something that could lead anywhere
or be a job; it was purely a hobby.
“When I finished A-levels I became a postman, “MOTOGP WAS ANOTHER
to get fit and get paid at same time, then go racing
at weekends. All I wanted to do was race – work, WORLD FROM CARS”
save money and spend it on tyres, that’s all I cared
about. When Anderson got her first paid data job with
“Then at some point you realise you’re not Lewis a car team she started racing bikes, on her rare
Hamilton and it’s time to find a proper job. I was weekends off.
a bit lost, I had no real direction, so I was looking “I’ve always been a massive bike fan and
at night courses at a local college. They did a MotoGP fan. When I was growing up I was 1. KTM’s MotoGP team is
on the way up
foundation degree in motorsport engineering and watching Valentino Rossi and screaming at the TV!
I thought, maybe this could be interesting. It was another world from cars – these guys were 2. Anderson, right, has
“That opened my mind to what’s possible.” like gladiators. become a key player
Anderson did a foundation degree in motorsport “In 2013 I bought an SV650 for £4000 and I had 3. It doesn’t always work
engineering, then got a bachelors and a masters at ten grand of datalogging stuff on it, which I’d out as planned...
Oxford Brookes University. taken off my car. I struggled a lot coming from 4. Pol Espargaro has
“I did my masters dissertation on an F1 cars to bikes because when you start something become one of MotoGP’s
sidecar; I don’t know why! I was going to a few when you’re very young you learn subconsciously, star racers
bike races at Brands Hatch and I met these guys you don’t realise you’re learning. So not only did 5. Anderson learned her
Matt MacLaurin and Ade Hope from the AMR F1 I have to learn new cornering lines for bikes I had trade by racing herself
sidecar team, and I said, do you mind if I stick to unlearn my car lines. Also you need a lot more 6. ... on Proddie bikes
some sensors on your sidecar to try and learn feeling for the limit of the tyres and there’s more 7. ... after starting off in
something? They were ace and I owe them a lot.” bravery required.” kart racing

62 amcn.com.au