On October 30, 2024, Chinese rider CHEN Shiyu (陈诗瑜) made history by becoming only the second female rider to be selected for the full-time line-up of the Asia Talent Cup (ATC) and the first-ever Chinese female rider to be selected. By the time the 2025 season of ATC starts, it would have been 11 years since Thai rider Muklada Sarapuech made her debut in ATC, and 10 years since Chinese riders CHEN Yuanhang (陈远航) and CHEN Pengyuan (陈鹏远) started the last ATC season with Chinese riders in the full-time line-up. After Shiyu came back to her home in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, we had a quick chat with her about her career and expectations of ATC, here is her story.
© All photos provided by CHEN Shiyu’s family
Born in 2011, in the first 11 years of her life, Shiyu wasn’t really aware of motorsport as a form of competition. Then just as a practice to build characters, Shiyu’s father sent her and her younger brother to learn to ride minibikes. They were quickly discovered by their current team Super26 – the team under the riders academy that trained the first generation of Chinese riders to have competed in ATC back in 2014 and 2015. “My family has no racing background. At first, my dad wanted to train my younger brother to be a brave person so he sent him to learn to ride bikes. I went along with my brother. When our team was trying to recruit young riders, they saw our potential and invited me and my brother to join and train with them. This is how I found out about racing.”
From the very beginning, the team and Shiyu had very clear objectives – get into the ‘Road to MotoGP’ series starting with Asia Talent Cup (ATC). To quickly improve her technique and gain experience, Shiyu and the team went training in Malaysia and participated in as many races as possible in China and abroad, including competing for a full season in the FIM MiniGP Malaysia Series last year. “I’ve lost count of how many races I’ve started in. The team plans it for us. We go to as many races as possible and every race has been quite memorable for me. I’m always happy on the bike whether it’s in training or racing.”
This year, Shiyu’s training included more specific aspects aiming at better preparation for the selection. The team also invited coaches from their Malaysian partners to come train the young riders in China during the winter. “We started training on 250cc bikes and going to more races at proper circuits instead of karting circuits. During the summer break, we went back to Malaysia for a month of training.”
All the hard work finally paid off in the two-day selection event at Sepang Internation Circuit on October 29 and 30. After being evaluated on- and off-track, Shiyu’s dream came true. She joined nine other riders from six other nations as the selected ATC class of 2025. She’s the first Chinese rider selected since the 2015 season, the first Chinese female rider and only the second female rider ever selected. “All the track action was in one day. They eliminated some riders after the morning session. When they were announcing the final result, I was really really nervous.”
Being selected for the 2025 season is only the start of a very long journey. The journey can be quite fruitful and rewarding, as we welcome the class of 2014 rider Somkiat Chantra and the class of 2015 rider and Moto2 World Champion Ai Ogura (小椋藍) into the MotoGP class next season. The sky is the limit, but wherever you go from ATC depends on your efforts and the result you achieve in your season. “I’m aiming at consistent top 10 finishes in the races and getting into the top 10 in the championship. More important than the result, I want to learn as much as possible in the process.”
The 2025 ATC calendar hasn’t been officially announced, but it will very likely be kicked off at the MotoGP season opener – Thai Grand Prix – at the end of February. Throughout the season, she will have many opportunities to race during the same race weekend at the same circuit with her racing idol 3-time World Champion Pecco Bagnaia. The clock is ticking for all riders selected. Shiyu’s preparation has started with training in China. “We are training at the circuits in China that will stay open in the winter. There isn’t much time left before the official training camp at the first race.”
At the tender age of 13, Shiyu is still an 8th-grade middle school student. Schoolwork is still very important for her, her family, and her team. Luckily, the school has also been very supportive of her racing career and has given her flexibility in how her classes are taken. “I can only go train after I finish my homework. My teachers will let me take the classes in advance or let me catch up after the race.”
When we asked her whether she ever thought about giving up motorcycling, Shiyu gave a very decisive and firm answer – how’s that ever possible? With a family and a team dedicating all their support, we believe Shiyu can take this journey one step at a time, steadily riding on till all her dreams come true.
* We would like to thank Kim CHEN Ling and BrokeBros破产兄弟 for all their support in making this interview happen.
Paddock Sorority 
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