The FIM and Dorna WSBK Organization (DWO) are launching the FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship (WorldWCR) this year. The inaugural season of the championship will kick off in Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli and comprise six rounds (two races at each round) integrated within the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship. On May 16 and 17, an official test took place at the Cremona Circuit with 23 riders participating. We caught up with some of the riders on the entry list this season, today we give you the seventh installment in this series, the story of German rider Lucy Michel.
Photos © Lucy Michel
Lucy’s motorcycling career didn’t start as a family tradition, nor did it start as a surprising encounter with a motorcycle. She had always wanted to try riding a motorcycle, and her parents signed her up for training when she was almost eight years old. “I was briefly shocked by the power of the bike. Being a rider, for me, is just freedom!”
Very soon Lucy started racing training at Sachsenring and started competing in races. In 2014, she arrived in the ADAC Pocket Bike Cup and took her first victory in her debut season. Then in 2016, she moved up to the ADAC Mini Bike Cup.
Since 2020, Lucy has been competing in the IDM SSP300. But in 2022, she had to take a break from the championship to focus on her studies. She always tries her best to balance her racing and study, but sometimes it’s simply impossible to do both at the same time and excel in both. “I am training to become a medical technologist in radiology. During the competition weeks, I of course have to catch up on the learning material from the training and work on it on the race track. Sometimes it’s quite difficult to get everything under one roof.”
There were many difficult moments, but you should always make the most of such moments, learn from them, and never give up!
Even though she had to step away from IDM SSP300, she did make a wildcard entrance in the Yamaha R3 bLU cRU Cup and took double-victory during the weekend! “My best memory is my victory in Schleiz in 2022 in the R3 bLU cRU Cup.”
Now with the opportunity to compete on the international stage, Lucy took on the challenge of WorldWCR. “I wanted to see how I rank among women worldwide and I am looking forward to the new challenge. I will know my strengths on the weekends when we all face each other and compete. I want to learn a lot of things in this new environment and to constantly improve.”
Being on the younger end of the field, with no previous experience on any of the circuits on the calendar, Lucy’s season will start with a lot of difficulties. But on Day 1 of the Cremona test last week, she claimed second place and showed she was a force to be reckoned with. “I know that the motorcycle is a bit big for me, and all the circuits are new and unknown to me. The biggest challenge for me will be all the new circuits and my limited track time. I’m currently training with the R7 as often as possible. I also practice a lot with the PS4 in order to quickly get familiar with the circuits.”
Outside of her racing, training, and studying, Lucy does a lot of other sports, enjoys reading, and hangs out a lot with her friends. We hope she maintains her great form from the testing and continues to succeed in the season!
The 2024 WorldWCR Calendar
1. Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round, MWC “Marco Simoncelli” – 14-16 June
2. Prosecco DOC UK Round, Donington Park – 12-14 July
3. Pirelli Portuguese Round, Autódromo Internacional do Algarve – 9-11 August
4. Hungarian Round, Balaton Park Circuit* – 23-25 August
5. Acerbis Italian Round, Cremona Circuit* – 20-22 September
6. Prometeon Spanish Round, Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto – 18-20 October
* Subject to homologation
In our next installment of this series, we give you the story of French rider Emily Bondi.
Paddock Sorority 
Leave a comment