German rider Smilla Göttlich delivered a stunning performance in the ADAC Junior Cup last year, securing ten pole positions and ten podium finishes – winning five of them – across ten races, ultimately clinching the championship title. This year, the 14-year-old will step up into the Moto4 Northern Cup (formerly known as the Northern Talent Cup). We recently had the opportunity to ask her a few questions. Here’s her story on two wheels.
All photos © Smilla Göttlich
Smilla Göttlich’s passion for racing runs in the family. Her grandfather competed in the European and World Sidecar Championships. However, when it comes to Smilla’s generation, two wheels proved more captivating than three. Following in the footsteps of her brother Lennard, she has quickly emerged as one of the promising young talents in circuit racing. “When I was growing up, I was always with my brother Lennard at his races. I loved watching him race. He introduced me to the sport and taught me everything when I started racing.”
Her family influence is also reflected in her racing number. “I picked 24 as my racing number because it’s my mother’s favorite number.”
Since 10 years old in the ADAC Minibike Cup in 2021, Smilla has been racking up successes. Last year, she made her biggest breakthrough by becoming the ADAC KTM Junior Cup Champion in a dominating fashion. “My favorite moment was in Hockenheim in the first race, where I clinched the title, and in Most in race 1, because that was the first race where I finished in P1 and my brother in P2.”
I’ve learned that I need to stay calm and have confidence in myself throughout race weekends.
In addition to her full season in the Junior Cup, Smilla also gained valuable experience with wildcard entries in the Northern Talent Cup at Sachsenring and Brno last season. She was able to stand on the podium in Race 1 at Sachsenring, giving the world a promising preview of what’s to come. “The Sachsenring weekend was fantastic. On the one hand, the podium finish, but also just the atmosphere and the fans at my home Grand Prix – it was amazing. This will help me this year because I was able to get some experience of what it’s like to race in this cup.”
This season, the Northen Talent Cup has been rebranded as the Moto4 Northern Cup, and Smilla is set to join 23 other riders in the full-time line-up to start a new chapter in her career. As a rookie, Smilla knows there will be hurdles, but she’s ready to embrace them. “I want to learn from race to race and maybe finish in the top 10 of the championship. Maybe the hardest part will be that I don’t have as much experience on the Honda as some other riders.”
As her career is still in its early stages, Smilla keeps her focus grounded in steady progress rather than distant ambitions. “At the moment, I don’t have a huge goal. I’m just seeing what develops over the next few years. I think I’m quite good at following faster riders and quickly learning from them and what they are doing differently. I can strengthen my mental side a bit so that I don’t lose my composure on weekends when things aren’t going well.”
There have been weekends where things didn’t go well, but I think that’s just part of this sport.
At 14 years old, Smilla’s day revolves around classes, school work, gym sessions, and cycling. In the winter, she would go to track sessions in Spain. Now, as she embraces the spring in Germany, training on track on her motorcycles can resume closer to home. We wish Smilla all the best of luck in the Moto4 Northern Cup this season and beyond!
Paddock Sorority 
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