By Al Smith - Pistonlife

The 42 year-old from Northamptonshire finished in a stunning 12th place in the Bennetts Lightweight TT in her 20th year of racing at the Isle of Man – testament to her dedication and determination to remain competitive in one of the world’s most challenging road races.

With a new Nova gearbox fitted thanks to SB Tuning, Maria made the best use of that in her Metzeler-shod NGK Spark Plugs/ESM backed Kawasaki ER6 Supertwin as she recorded laps in excess of 112mph in final practice.

With everything in place for Wednesday’s race, Costello started from 31st on the road but rode a superb opening lap of 112.656mph (from a standing start), to place her 13th in a field of over 50 riders.

Lap two was even faster and, despite having to slow for a pit stop to take on fuel, she lapped at 113.128mph to hold onto a strong 15th place.

Costello's pit crew of Kev, Seth and fuel man Liam Beckett, produced one of her best pit stops and refuelled the Kawasaki in great time to send the only female solo competitor out for the two remaining laps.

Another scintillating lap put her into an excellent 11th place, but, as she started the final lap, clutch problems hindered her progress slightly and, as she crossed the finishing line, she lost out on 11th place by 0.065 seconds.

A new personal best finish of 12th place along with another treasured bronze replica was a welcome reward for the Queen of Bikers.

“I was so delighted with that finish and to claim my best ever result at the TT,” she said. “It means the world to me, especially as this is my 20th year racing on the IoM. I don’t think I could have ever dreamed that I would still be competitive this many years after my first time racing on the TT course.

“I’ve trained hard, worked hard and managed to put together a great team at the last moment to pull off something so special. The atmosphere in my team was amazing and I think that went a long way to me producing my best result.

“Kevin is always my rock and knows what I need before I even have to ask, I can’t go racing without him. I met Seth while racing in New Zealand and having his help and positive attitude was fantastic. Jon McClean is an incredible motorcycle valet and I’ve adored having one of the best turned out bikes at the TT, while the final member, Liam Beckett, is a road racing legend and having him was the icing on the cake as he filled the awning with motivation and laughter with all his experience and stories. I’m happy and proud, although my thoughts also lie with all those who didn’t make it home. My most heartfelt and sincere condolences go to the families who will not see their loved ones again.”

Costello paid tribute to her team for her success, saying: 

“I need to thank my right-hand man Kev and the rest of my 2016 TT team of Seth Devereux, Jon McLean and Liam Beckett. I also need to thank Nova Racing, Metzeler tyres, Simon and Tony of SB Tuning, K-Tech Suspension, Mark Arnott, Lloyd Mister, Richard Freeman, Steve Taylor, Grant and Team Traction Control & William Dunlop for the loan of the pit lane clothing, Catherine Davis at Rex Physiotherapy, iomttbreaks.com, Ben at the IM1 Car Centre Douglas, Sarah, Beth and Liv for the hospitality, Arai & their amazing helmet service here at the TT and all of my incredible sponsors. Finally, a special mention to all of the organisers, marshals, medics and those who make the event possible.”


For more details on Maria’s racing and other activities, including upcoming events, her women only track days and opportunities to support her racing efforts, please visit her website here.

If you're female and want to be part of Maria's 'Woman on a Motorcycle' Facebook group you can join here.



2016 Sponsors: The European Shoe Machinery Company Ltd, NGK Spark Plugs, BMW Motorrad UK, Kawasaki UK Ltd, Wollaston BMW, Nova Racing, Rock Oil, Metzeler Tyres, Arai, Knox, Hel Performance, Wilbers, Vmtek Suspension, Jap4Performance, CPL Print Ltd, Premier Bodyworks, Hol-Taj, Radicool, EBC Brakes, Signs2Wraps, GBRacing, Racebikebitz - Samco hoses, Pro-Bolt, Daytona Boots, Pipercross, Isle of Man TT Breaks, Wet Paint Ltd, Christian Baker, DnG, Trilogy Gyms, Bespoke Injury Management, Progrips, Promach, Skidmarx, The Joseph’s Experience, Towergate Insurance, http://www.hellomarket.co.uk, Complog Performance, IM1 Car Centre, Raceprint Artwork & Design, Ymark Paintwork, Sparkes Management Support, Motorcycle Valet NI, CHI Fire Solutions Ltd, Wiz knee sliders, ThompsonLeisure.com, Stomp Grip & SKINS.