I Want to Have Fun on the Bike – Interview with Justine Pedemonte

Justine Pedemonte is currently racing in FSBK SuperSport. Last year, Justine made a wild-card entrance in the WorldWCR at Magny-Cours. This year, she’s making two more appearances replacing the injured Lucie Boudesseul. We had the opportunity to talk to Justine after the Misano round of WorldWCR, here’s her story.

© All photos provided by Justine Pedemonte

At the tender age of nine, Justine Pedemonte’s passion for motorcycling was ignited by seeing other kids on minibikes, knowing that this could be something fit for her as well. “My dad was a rider when I was really young. He entered a lot of races, including twice in Bol d’Or. Once I went to see him in this road race, like the Tourist Trophies, and there was this little girl riding a PW50. I said I wanted to do that as well! That was how I got onto a PW50 and started riding. I didn’t know how to ride bicycles, but I was really good on the bike. It was incredible.”

Justine started enjoying successes in motorcycling very soon. From becoming the 25 Power Occitanie Champion, Justine laid a solid foundation for her journey toward FSBK. “After I started riding, I did my first competition. I finished first. So I thought, I have to do this all my life! A year later, I won my first championship. I was the only girl in the championship that year.”

In the early days, her father naturally stepped into the role of coach. As she climbed the ranks, she attracted the attention of professional riders who offered their guidance. “My dad was my first coach. When I was 13, I met Florian Marino (former Moto2 and WorldSBK rider). I was a big fan of him. One day he came to see me and we started chatting. He saw me on the bike and he thought I was talented, so he started coaching me. He really helped me a lot.”

In 2021, Justine made her debut in FSBK in the 300cc category. After two years of intense learning and perseverance, all that effort culminated in a breakthrough 2023 season. “I had a lot of podiums and victories and lap records in 2023, and I came in second in the championship. I still remember my first win in FSBK. I had a lot of crashes in my first two years, and I worked really hard. When I finally won for the first time in 2023, I thought I finally did it! I started winning a lot from there. When you work really hard, the result will come one day.”

Following her stellar 2023 campaign, and with the launch of the WorldWCR in 2024, many anticipated Justine’s entry into the new world championship. But she had other ambitions. “I had always been riding with men. When people encouraged me to enter WorldWCR in 2024, I didn’t go, because I wanted to fight against men. So I moved up to the SuperSport class in FSBK in 2024.”

While enjoying her success in her last year in FSBK 300, Justine was actually riding with an injury in her shoulder. Once she moved up into SuperSport, the injury started to become an obstacle for her in chasing her next success. “I broke my shoulder in 2023 in the first round, and I was riding with this injury all season. It was OK when I was riding the 300cc bike. But in 2024, when I moved up into 600cc, it became more complicated. So I had a surgery. I couldn’t do anything for six months. I really wanted to do well in my rookie season, but I couldn’t because of this injury and surgery. But when I came back, I was stronger than before, and I started to have podium finishes.”

Though Justine chose not to commit to WorldWCR as a full-time rider, she remained open to wildcard appearances. Last year, as the highest-ranking female rider in FSBK, she received a wildcard entry at Magny-Cours. “Thanks to the Fédération Française de Motocyclisme (FFM), it was a really great experience. Even though I didn’t know the R7, which is very different from my 600cc bike. I still really liked it! That’s why I wanted to do it again this year. When Lucie Boudesseul was injured, I got to replace her in Misano and later in Donington Park.”

The riders in WorldWCR are really cool, and the championship is at a really good level. I think the championship will get better and better. The girls are nice. You can fight with them on the circuit and then still be friends in the paddock.

Last year, Justine’s wildcard entrance was at a circuit she’s familiar with. This year, whether it’s Misano or Donington Park, they are circuits new to her. “I prepared mentally watching a lot of videos to analyze the track. I’ll take the first session to analyze and learn all the corners. At Misano, in the second session, I already knew the track.”

I want to have fun on the bike. When I have fun, normally it’s good.

For now, Justine remains fully committed to FSBK, determined to prove herself in that fiercely competitive arena. Looking ahead, she envisions using WorldWCR as a stepping stone to reach mixed-gender categories in the world championship. “I wanted to ride with men because that’s what I’ve always been doing. I want to prove that girls can fight with men. Last year, I finished fourth in the FSBK SuperSport with four podiums. FSBK is very competitive this year; we are 2 seconds faster than last year. The guy leading the championship, Mathieu Gines, is an EWC champion. Valentin Debise used to be really fast in FSBK SuperSport, and now he’s winning in WorldSSP. I’ll continue to work to be fast in FSBK so I can be competitive in the world championship too. I want to do the WorldWCR next season, and then step into WorldSPB or WorldSSP from there.”

We wish Justine all the best of luck in Donington Park and beyond! And we hope to see her as a full-time rider in the world championship paddock (in any category!) soon!