SHE is described as the Rocky of the motorcycle racing world.
Now 24-year-old Jodie Chalk is to take her battle to conquer the male-dominated Thundersport GB 500 circuit into cinemas as the star of a documentary about her life.
Jodie, from Glenrothes, has been racing since the age of ten after getting the bug from dad Garfield, a retired firefighter and ex-Scottish Classic champion who is now part of “Team Jodie”.
Short film The Racer, which gives viewers a trackside view of her two-wheeled feats, will premiere at the Edinburgh Filmhouse this summer. Filmmaker Alex Harron, from Kirkcaldy, is already working on securing the cash to turn the 13-minute movie, which was funded by Creative Scotland, into a full-length documentary.
Harron said he was inspired by the strong relationship between the father and daughter and compared the true-life tale to classic boxing movie Rocky.
The film favourite stars Sylvester Stallone as an outlier who fights his way to sporting glory.
Harron told The National: “There’s an element of Rocky about it. They come from a working class background and they are underdogs because other people have bigger budgets, and she’s a woman in a male-dominated world. She’s had to overcome prejudice.
“It’s a universal story of someone having a passion for something but having all of these obstacles in the way.”
Jodie was just four years old when she first rode a motorcycle.
She has chalked up lap records at both Knockhill and East Fortune circuits, as well as winning the Donington 500 Grand Prix. She is also the first woman to win the Straiton Trophy, previously held by Hawick-born racer and 11-time Isle of Man TT champion Steve Hislop.
Competing at her current level costs around £20,000 a year.
Garfield, 57, said: “She’s an amazingly talented rider. People are starting to notice her.
“I don’t see why Jodie couldn’t be world champion.”
In the teaser trailer for The Rider, Jodie is seen wearing her blue-and-white leathers as she speeds around the track. Describing the sport’s attraction, she says: “You’re flying round corners at crazy speeds and you’re going hanging off a bike at ridiculous angles so your body’s kind of actually telling you ‘this is not the best place to be’. You have to fight that instinct constantly, which is a massive, massive rush. It’s almost like your blood is on fire.”
Garfield says safety dangers are very real, despite the low level of financial reward. He said: “At our level there’s nothing but a plastic trophy, even though she’s quite literally putting her neck on the line.
“In Scotland it’s pretty impossible to raise the amount we need to run her at that level. There hasn’t been any funding in Scotland for years.”
The high costs of competing saw Garfield work 80-hour weeks at one point, with Jodie doing two full time jobs, one a day shift and one at night.
Alex said: “In football, if you have a pair of boots and you’re good enough, eventually you will rise to the top. Motorsports aren’t like that. With them coming from a working class background, it’s a barrier.”
Jodie is preparing to race at next weekend’s Scottish Bike Racing Championships. More than 120 riders will take part and tickets are currently on sale.
On competing in the male-dominated sport, Jodie said her success “can be a shock” to some.
She went on: “Once you’re on a bike, you’re a racer and it doesn’t matter what colour you are, what gender you are.”
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