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With the first ever FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship well underway, riders from the 2024 season are being profiled to allow fans to get to know them better. This time, it’s the turn of Andrea Sibaja (Deza - Box 77 Racing Team) who is competing in WorldWCR while also working in the same team in WorldSSP300. Read more about her journey below.

FROM ANDALUSIA TO THE WORLD STAGE: Sibaja’s background

Experienced rider Andrea Sibaja from Cordoba, Andalusia, in southern Spain, is a dedicated and passionate racer who has fought long and hard to make it to the inaugural WorldWCR grid. Sibaja is not from a motorcycle racing family and having first fallen in love with the sport as a fan, she was already riding road bikes before she herself became a competitive rider. Having battled back from a long series of injuries over many years, she is proud to represent Spain and participate in the first season of the FIM Women's Circuit Racing World Championship.

FROM THE ROAD INTO RACING: fulfilling a dream

As a 13-year-old Sibaja began watching elite level races on television and started dreaming about one day becoming a professional rider herself. At the age of 16 she got her 125cc licence and took ownership of her first motorcycle, a Yamaha YZF 125cc street bike. Two years later she would enter her first race on a Pitbike, which she fondly recalls, saying, “It was an unforgettable day. I was fulfilling my dream and after I didn't sleep for days”. Despite crashing twice in that first race, she persevered and would not look back, only thinking about how to continue racing as frequently as possible. The following year she would enter the 125cc Andalusian Championship…

SOLID PROGRESS IN SPAIN: success in Andalusia leads to WorldSSP300 wildcards

As she pursued her career on the track Sibaja would become the Andalusia Series 600 champion in 2014 as the only female rider on the grid. She was runner-up in Spain's Women's 600cc Cup in 2015 and finished second in the Spanish national Women's Open 600 in 2016, 2020, 2021 and 2022. Sibaja was also the runner-up in the Andalusia Open 600 in 2020, competing against men, again as the only woman in the competition. Her results on the Spanish national scene earned her two wild card appearances in WorldSSP300 in 2017, at Aragon and Jerez.

BATTLING BACK FROM INJURY: 18 months without racing…

Sibaja has not had much luck with injuries in the last few years of her racing career. Her numerous setbacks have required her to undergo more surgeries than most riders and she has often competed whilst in significant pain, sometimes almost unable to get off her bike unaided after races. She spent 18 months without being able to compete, but after her last hip operation in August 2023, following months of recovery, physiotherapy and training she is back in the game.

CURRENT RACING HEROES: “Marc Marquez seems to me to be a great reference…”

“Marc Marquez seems to me to be a great reference in the MotoGP™ class. He has also overcome many operations and apart from valuing his talent and his way of being as a rider, which is so brave, I find his approach after such a complicated injury record incredible… his way of overcoming and growing in the face of adversity. In WorldSBK I admire many riders, like Alvaro Bautista. I think he also overcame difficult moments like those in MotoGP™ or in his first year in WorldSBK when it seemed like he would win everything, and he started to crash a lot. He has managed to come back and improve incredibly. Toprak Razgatlioglu is undoubtedly an incredible rider, and he is very well liked. Andrea Locatelli seems to me to be a very, very hard-working rider.”

THE ATTITUDE OF A CHAMPION: “Once I tried it, I was unable to get rid of that adrenaline…”

When Sibaja talks about her own journey into racing, it’s obvious that her energy and sheer force of will to become a World Championship level rider has been a key factor. She states, “I had no family history in racing or anyone close to me doing it. I was simply just passionate about it. It was the sport that I was most interested in and that I admired the most. Once I tried it, I was unable to get rid of that adrenaline, that addiction to speed, and that constant desire to improve myself and overcome the obstacles that this difficult sport puts in front of you every day.”

MOTORCYCLES 24/7: Sibaja’s life away from the track…

Race weekend or not, motorcycles are on Andrea’s mind 24/7. She works at a motorcycle team in logistics and organisation, as well as coaching the riders. She gives riding classes to children as well. When asking her what she likes to do in her free time, she laughed and gave an example of her previous night: she got into bed with her iPad, rewatching videos of races to study techniques until she fell asleep.

DOUBLING UP: riding and working within a team

Sibaja is in a unique position in 2024. She works for a team in WorldSSP300, for the DEZA-BOX 77 Racing Team outfit which has two riders: Ivan Bolano and Pepe Osuna. Of course, this is an extra challenge at the rounds where both WorldSSP300 and WorldWCR are in action, with Sibaja often jumping between her two roles.

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