( CNN ) -- In the largely male-dominated world of the motorsport , South African super bike racer Janine Davies is an anomaly . `` They still ca n't seem to grasp the concept that 'hey listen , we are as good as you , '' laughs the 26-year-old Cape Town native . `` We 're all there to achieve the same goal : Get to the checkered flag , and beat you . '' So far , Davies ' ambition has served her in good stead . She is currently the first South African woman to compete at the South African National Championships on a 1000 CC motorbike . That first taste . Despite her many accomplishments , Davies ' introduction to bike riding was n't smooth . She actually crashed in her first race at the Derby Development Series . But then , she 'd only learned how to ride the week before . Still , she was n't put off by the accident -- which fortunately only resulted in a few scrapes . `` It was actually hilarious because the first race went amazing . I loved it , '' she recalls . `` I came back to the pit and was like 'Oh my first crash , look at my scratches ! ' '' Davies was less fortunate in 2007 , when she crashed into a tire wall during a race that nearly ended it all . `` It was my first race for the season and my mum was very nervous , '' recalls Davies . `` The tire wall is there for safety , but unfortunately I tried to protect my bike . So it was kind of like : tire wall , me , bike and I was just lying there . '' The titanium woman . As a result of that accident , Davies fractured her neck , ribs , sternum and hand . When she was rushed to the intensive care unit , doctors also found blood in her lungs . She needed a lot of patching up . `` I 've got titanium all over my body , '' she concedes . During that time , she admits she started to rethink her career . `` I said to my parents : 'No way , I do n't want to go through this again , ' '' she says . When her doctor came in to explain one of her surgeries , however , she found she could n't focus on his words . `` Racing came on the TV , so I said to him , 'just wait , I want to watch this . ' '' Despite the seriousness of her crash , Davies found her passion for the sport was too strong to let her quit . `` You forget about what you 've gone through and you just kind of want to go back to it , especially when you have n't done what you want to do yet , '' she says . Helping the next generation of riders . Today , Davies is back on her super bike and soaring up the ranks . She 's competing at the national level . This year , she debuted in the SuperM championship series , and won third place at the Phakisa Freeway in March . She is also trying to open the sport up to women . Her ambition is to one day manage a team that includes more speed-racing femmes . `` There are a lot of young women in racing at the moment at a regional level . I want to grow them , '' she admits .
Janine Davies is a superbike racer from Cape Town , South Africa . She is the country 's first female rider to compete on a national level . A horrific crash landed her in intensive care with nine broken bones , nearly ending her career . But she got back on the bike and now mentors women in the sport .