Rising like a phoenix rising from the ashes , New Zealand ’ s Roma Edwards has hit the international scene big time , being crowned the British Women ’ s Motocross Champion for 2022 . That ’ s a truly remarkable comeback and meteoric rise for the young woman , who , after a huge motocross crash at a provincial event in the South Island nearly three years ago , had been told she ’ d never walk again . Edwards was seriously injured in November 2019 , breaking both ankles while racing at the Marlborough championships .

Tauranga ’ s Roma Edwards ( Honda ), No . 1 women ’ s motocross rider in Britain this season . Photo supplied

She was then given heartbreaking news by her doctor : Both her ankles were broken , her racing days were over and she could lose her left foot . Edwards was forced to watch racing from the sideline , propped up on a pair of crutches , as visiting Australian Charli Cannon won the women ’ s class at the Honda-sponsored Woodville GP in January 2020 . A year later , in January 2021 , Edwards had fully recovered and she impressed in becoming the women ’ s champion at the 60th annual Woodville GP event ... her comeback was complete . But then , soon afterwards , the bike world was “ put to sleep ” by the COVID-19 pandemic . The pandemic caused a halt to a lot of the racing community ’ s activities in the months that followed , with the NZ Motocross GP at Woodville cancelled for January 2022 . However , in early April this year , the 19-yearold travelled from her home in Tauranga to the United Kingdom , accompanied by her mum , Lisa , excited to compete in the British Women ’ s Motocross Championships , an eight-round series run over five months . Blue Wing Honda in New Zealand had already shipped out a Honda CRF250R for her to race . In between the racing , Edwards trained hard both on and off the bike , under the guidance

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Kiwi Rider October Vol.2 2022 | Page 14

LIKE A PHOENIX FROM THE ASHES , EDWARDS HAS RISEN