German star Lucy Michel rides for TSL-Racing in the inaugural 2024 FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship season, having started her career after seeing an advert for junior racing at Sachsenring. As an 8 year-old Michel had seen motorbikes at a local fair and persuaded her family to take her to the Grand Prix track for a pocket bike ride, having seen a promotion in ADAC magazine.

START SMALL, DREAM BIG: “I can’t describe the feeling”

Recalling that first contact with racing machinery Michel says, “I can’t describe the feeling it was just crazy. I love that adrenaline rush on the bike.” That prompted her to go racing in the ADAC Pocket Bike Cup, after which she rode in the ADAC Minibike Cup and then the ADAC Junior Cup. She achieved podium success in the Yamaha R3 bLU cRU Cup in Germany, doing the double as a guest rider at Schleizer Dreieck in 2022. Once she graduated from the ADAC Junior Cup - in which she was a points scorer - she went into the Supersport 300 class in the IDM, further honing her racing skills, finishing in 21st place in 2023.

WorldWCR AWAITS OUR OWN MEDICAL STUDENT: a balancing act

For 2024 Michel has made it to the world stage and she is looking forward to challenging in the first ever WorldWCR season. Before the competition began, Michel had only previously ridden at Misano and Cremona, meaning that it will be a steep learning curve when she races at Donington Park, Portimão, Estoril and Jerez for the first time. The 19 year-old already demonstrated her speed in the pre-season Cremona test, where she was in the top three on the Yamaha R7 on the first day and after the first WorldWCR round, she stands in P9 with 13 points. When she is not training or racing Michel is also a dedicated undergraduate, studying medical technology for radiology. She explains, “My college is very good and they give me time off for riding and then I have to catch up with the studying, so my friends support me with the school stuff.”

FACING CHALLENGES: bigger bikes bring new obstacles

Speaking about her experiences coming through the ranks and racing against her competitors, Michel spoke of positivity and inclusion, whilst also going on to say what it means to represent Germany in WorldWCR: “I actually always felt welcome by the boys and I have had no problems. When I moved up into the Junior Cup I was smaller than I am now and it was difficult to get to grips with the big bike and the new tracks. Those were the biggest challenges for me. I‘m very proud that I’m the only rider from Germany in WorldWCR and I’m very proud to represent my country.”

For the first season of WorldWCR action, there will be plenty of new tracks for the #16 to learn but how can she get a feeling for the track she’s never been to? “I play the PS4 WorldSBK game. Just before the race itself, I look at the track on the plan, where to give it gas and where to brake. Then I listen to music on the grid, usually some techno.”

What advice would Michel give the future generations of girls looking to get involved in the world of motorcycle racing? “If you dare to do it, you can do it and you should never give up.”

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