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Interview: MotoGPs hottest grid girl - Bikes, beauty and bunnies

AUSTRALIAN model Lauren is most famously known in MotoGP for wearing an eye-catching bunny costume. With Playboy as one of LCR Honda’s main sponsors, it’s part of the job description and certainly not for those with inhibitions. “The bunny suit is such a fun thing to wear. Some people say ‘How can you wear it?’ or ‘You must have hang-ups about yourself in that outfit’,” says Lauren.

“But you can’t take yourself too seriously when you’re wearing bunny ears and a tail. You have got cameras around you all the time: there’s no time to be shy.”

Standing tall at 5ft 11in, Lauren may be aptly nicknamed ‘Legs’, but her genuine passion for motorcycles is clear to see.

“I had a Yamaha R6 back home in Australia which I rode on track days and really enjoyed it. Bikes have always been the ultimate for me. I don’t know if it’s the element of danger, or the atmosphere, but it’s really thrilling. You don’t know exactly how these [MotoGP] guys feel, as they are completely off the wall, but having ridden I can appreciate it a bit more, that amazing feeling of free­dom you get when you’re on the bike.

“I originally started as a fan of MotoGP, and I used to go to the Phillip Island race circuit each year to watch it. Then one year, one of my pro­motional agents said: ‘We need a grid girl at Phillip Island, are you in­terested?’ I said ‘yes, that sounds great!’

Moving on up

“I did that for a while and it was really useful to make some contacts. I already spoke Italian, which helped me a lot. I then did a few races for the Hayate team in 2009 [Marco Melandri aboard a Kawasaki ZX-RR] and then I met Fabio Alberti, LCR Honda’s commercial director.

“I wasn’t even in my uniform, I was off-duty, but he asked to have a photo with me. I spoke to him in Italian, since I knew that’s where he was from, and he was really impressed. He offered for me to come and work for the team for a few races. I had an absolute blast, so I asked him what he thought about having someone who travels with them to all the races. As I had been doing this sort of work for a while, I knew I could get them a lot of exposure.

“It worked out really well, so I requested a contract for the whole year, so I now go to every race on the calendar. I do my best to get them the maximum amount of media attention. It helps when you have bunny ears!”

So how did the girl from New South Wales end up in the competitive modelling world?

“I was really young when I got into modelling: I was just 11 years old. I’m very tall now, but when I was 11, I was already 5ft 9in and super skinny as I hadn’t developed curves yet, so I was perfect for fashion.

“I did it for a few years but then got a bit sick of it. When I was 18, I started doing it again, as I was a bit more mature. You need to be thick skinned so as not to let it stress you. However, it’s a really cool industry because you can be a chameleon, a whole new character for the day. It’s helped me a lot in MotoGP: if you have a rare ‘off’ day where you’re not feeling great, you can put on your uniform, get into character and just work it.”

Living out of a suitcase from April to November would be difficult for most people, but Lauren likes her fast-paced lifestyle.

“It’s pretty amazing. Obviously, this life isn’t for everyone. We say around here [in MotoGP] that we live the life of a gypsy, albeit luxury gypsies. It’s a bit hard for relationships and stuff like that, but I love what I do. All other things in life can wait: I’m only 23. The team are all really sweet, they are teaching me more and more Italian each day. Learning the languages helps me within my job and means I can liaise with our Italian guests. I can also speak passable French and all the TV people in the paddock are teaching me to say little bits of each language, as they want me to greet the cameras.”

Attention all men: not only is this brunette devastatingly beautiful and a firm lover of bikes, she can cook!

“I have an obsession with baking.

I make cookies for everyone. I cook up a storm. If I ever stop being a gypsy, I’ll make a great housewife someday.”

Future plans

Lauren’s having a fantastic time right now, but when the time comes for her to fold up her umbrella for good, what’s next?

“Obviously I can’t be a grid girl and model forever. I’m very realistic in that fact. I want to make the most of this while I can and network. Then I would really like to continue within motorsport, as it’s always been a big passion of mine, ideally, going into a more of a PR/marketing role. This is a good environment for me, as I’m so close to all the people in the team and people doing that work already. I’ve learned how it works from sponsors saying they are interested, to actually having their name on the bike. There’s a really big process in between and not a lot of people realise that. I find that quite interesting as you get to bring all different types of people together.

The most success I’ve had in life comes from going out and getting it for myself.

My life is one of the most interesting lives I know, and I have so many more fun challenges still ahead.” Catch Lauren on the grid at the Indianapolis GP, 29 Aug.

Words & Pics: Leandra Graves