From an office chair to a cross-country motorcycle

Zhanna Makarova from Minsk is a programmer by profession but in her free time, she is a motocross racer. According to the results of last year, she is the fourth in the top of novice athletes in Belarus and the best among girls. We have learnt how the IT specialist has moved from static virtuality to extreme reality. And why?

There is only you, the track, the motorcycle and the opponents

July, heat, Vetka [Gomel Region]. Even mobile phones refuse to work at +40C. The national motocross competition has been held on the race track — the only one in Gomel Region — for the second year. Among the riders in the Beginner class is Zhanna Makarova — one of the few amateur girls in Belarus who are passionate about this sport. By the way, ladies have to compete with men, because there are simply not enough girl athletes to participate in the women’s race.
Among the cohort of almost equally equipped athletes, we spotted Zhanna by her blonde pigtails sticking out from under the helmet. The motorsport conversation took place in between the races, under the deafening roar of engines. To the question why she chose not a typical street motorcycle but a racing cross-country one, Zhanna responded without hesitating, “For the sake of emotions. Imagine: before the race, the heart starts beating very fast, and as the starting gate falls — that’s it, you get into another world where there is only you, the track, the motorcycle and your opponents. It is an indescribable feeling.” 

You want it more than you are afraid of it  

The Beginner class at the Vetka stage of the national motocross competition turned out to be the most massive, with 15 novice athletes participating. Hard acceleration off the start line, tight turns, breathtaking jumps from springboards… It is clear to any layman — passing this race is not a piece of cake. You need to be in shape, even if you are an amateur.
Zhanna is not a fan of illusions in this regard. She has always been friendly with sports and was professionally engaged in basketball, and did amateur weightlifting, which she still has not given up until now. According to the girl, it would be difficult for her in motorsport now without such a strength reserve. “It is unlikely that you will be able to change your office chair for a cross-country motorcycle without a good physical shape. Otherwise, you will ride for five minutes and that’s it — you will be exhausted. Taking up motorsport was a spontaneous decision, but I am in favour of a professional approach in everything. So I enrolled in the DOSAAF Republican Sports and Technical Centre, the Enduro Legion School for motocross and enduro. Coach Aleksei Aleksandrovich Moshok instilled a love both for motocross, which is cross-country motorcycle racing on a closed track, and for enduro — off-road motorcycle competitions that involve overcoming obstacles and challenges. I remember my first training session. They explained to me basic things, like where the gas and the brake are. I got on the bike, made one move — and it took off at breakneck speed! It was stressful and very exciting at the same time, like on the rides, where you scream, you are afraid but want to relive this experience again and again. Since then, my life has been divided. One part is work, the other is motorsport. This is the balance I have.”  
“Do you seek adrenaline in sports?” the question was meant to find solid arguments in favour of extreme sports. “Speed, competitiveness, overcoming, atmosphere — that is what motorsport gives me. However, there is also enough adrenaline in my work. IT and motorsport are similar in key ways. When you design some system, write code, you need to know every detail of what, where and how it works in order to get the desired result. After all, any seemingly little mistake can lead to uncontrollable negative consequences. The same applies to motorsport. When preparing a motorcycle for a race, it is crucial to double-check whether everything functions well. If a breakdown happens during the race, you will not just miss the prize-winning place but you can also fall and get injured,” the motor lady clarified.

Vetka-2024 National Motocross Competition, Gomel Region

Extreme is never too little

Watching the motorcycle racing, it is impossible to keep calm — dizzying speed, flying jumps from a springboard high above the ground look mesmerising. At such moments, a spectator has one dominant wish in the head for the athletes to avoid falls and stay injury-free. Zhanna agreed that it is a high-injury sport. There is never too little extreme in it. Therefore, it requires good preparation, regular training, proper motorcycle maintenance, professional equipment and a cool head. The girl explained without any bravado, “Of course, everyone has fear. It is okay. If you do not have it, everything can end very quickly. When you practice consistently, gradually master the elements, work them out under the guidance of a good coach, you get another kind of fear — a rational one. Extreme or unexpected situations arise almost constantly, both in training and in competitions.”
Zhanna recalled one of those where she and a friend were practicing high jumps at a motorcycle school, “It so happened that we entered the springboard together. At some point I realised that we were flying too close to each other, we even came into contact with our rudders. We were lucky, though. The contact was not very strong, we landed and rode on. Everything ended well for us, but I have seen similar situations at races. The consequences of such collisions can be deplorable.” 
In two and a half years of studying at the motorcycle school, Zhanna has earned a reputation as a promising beginner. She boasts leadership positions in various competitions. To enter the top novice athletes in motocross is a good foundation for moving forward. The girl does not hide it that she wants to succeed on the track, despite the existing risks, “It is true that motorsport is likely to cause injury. However, the possibility of this decreases as your skill level grows. I take my training and professional development very seriously. Although I do not have big sporting ambitions, I would still like to become one of the leaders among the beginners at the end of the year and rise to the podium.”  

By Violetta Dralyuk

Photos by Ivan Yarivanovich