The women

Emilie

Data engineer for Microlise Cresswell Racing

Former race mechanic in the Moto Rapido Ducati British Superbike team

Yamaha FZR 400RR | Ducati Monster | Street: Suzuki GS 500

"My grandfather was a Grand Prix racer in the 1950s, racing at circuits like the Isle of Man TT, the equivalent of MotoGP. That was my mom's father. She's had this crazy motorsport upbringing, and it's kind of just filtered down, I guess. So yeah, it felt like that's where I should be."

"As a mechanic it's really important to have a good relationship with your rider, because you don't want to be a distraction at all. You almost want to be invisible for them."

"I am a real believer of “if people can see it, they can be it”, and that’s why I try to volunteer as much time as I can to really promote women in engineering."

"I will never stop until the job is done. I would just stay there, making sure it was done and check stuff meticulously, because I never wanted something that I oversaw to be a problem. I guess is probably why I've become an engineer now."

Interviewed in January 2024

Säri

Construction Engineer, Breaks and Wheels, Research and Development, KTM

Track: Suzuki GSXR 600 | Street: Suzuki Gladius SV 650

"When I arrive at the racetrack with a beer, nobody thinks I'm an engineer. I always say something, like saleswoman. I just enjoy making fun of people because it's this typical cliché that you can't be a woman, know engineering and ride a motorbike."

"I'm someone who doesn't like to give up. If I put my mind to it, I have to finish it."

"There are just a lot of people here who love the smell of petrol & are oily-happy and just enjoy life"

"I've known since I was 14 that I wanted to study mechanical engineering and it's always been a bit of a dream to work in the motorbike sector. I also said as a child that I would move to Austria one day."

Interviewed in January 2024

Lucie

Former Race mechanic, Hess Racing

"Passion is a mixture of emotions - the emotions that make me feel alive."

"I don't really care what people think, it was so natural for me to go this way. I just do my thing."

"Riding a motorbike is not something I discovered by chance one day, it's something that's always been in me."

"When you see your rider pull into the pits during the race and you hear the engine rattling, you have to accept that. It's part of the game."

Interviewed in December 2023

Michelle

Independent Suspension Mechanic, Stäger Suspension

Cross: Yamaha 250 4T Cross | Honda 250 2T CR | Suzuki 250 2T RM

"Suspensions is a topic in itself. You have to know your way around it and I think that's cool, you know, you just need the experience and you only get that over the years."

"When someone comes in with a problem and they go out, they go on a ride and come back and say hey, that's world class. This joy, this happiness in the heart. That's why customer feedback is important to me, whether it's positive or negative, you can always learn from it."

"I've been passionate about motorbikes since I was little, I learnt to ride when I was six, I don't know any other way, I couldn't imagine being without a motorbike."

". ... and I was sitting there at the racetrack and I realised, hey shit, I really missed it!"

Interviewed in November 2023

Nina

Mechanic and Tech-Talk Speaker, Motohall, KTM

Cross: KTM 250 SXF Factory Edition

"If I enjoy and like something and I realise "Oh cool, I want more of that!", then I just ask for more of it in my life and then it actually turns up."

"I enjoy riding, it's actually an addition and new knowledge for me to get better as a technician."

"I never have the same two days in a row because there's always something new and that's what makes my job so exciting. I'm probably also partly to blame for the fact that it doesn't become a simple routine."

"You make 35,000 decisions every day and can change your life so easily. You just have to want to."

Interviewed in November 2023

Ronja

Functional Developer Bodywork, BMW Motorrad

Track: Suzuki GSX R 57 K6 | Off-piste: Beta RR 2T

"I deal with motorbikes every day and I celebrate it so much."

"This way of working is super cool, that you think about something, change something, experience and test it and in the end you really feel the result and that you have achieved something."

"There is really nothing better in my life. I can't do anything or I haven't done anything yet in my life, whether it's holidays, sports, social contacts, that fulfils me as much as riding a motorbike"

"My mother always said that motorcycling was my drug. I never really drank alcohol or did any other crazy things, didn't party excessively and then she always said: Yeah, you have to drive 300 km/h on the road for that."

Interviewed in September 2023

Anna

Working Student at FEV (Drive development), motorcycle division, engine application

Bike: Honda CBR 600RR PC 40

"I'm a person who likes to know exactly what's going on and I think the more you get into it, the more interesting and exciting it is."

"I don't think there are many people who have decided to go into motorbike development just to spend their days in the office. They all have a passion for the product and the lifestyle somewhere."

"You also have to do things that are not in your comfort zone, simply try things out, make your own decisions and see things through yourself."

"Although I feel very comfortable in a male environment, it would actually be really nice to have a few more women in the profession who are also passionate about the subject."

Interviewed in August 2023

Jenny

Mechanic,alpha Racing

Street: Husqvarna NUDA 900 / Husqvarna 510 SM - Track: Yamaha R6

"... she's got the transponder from her boyfriend anyway - yeah, if that's the case then my boyfriend would have to take the transponder from me"

"I try to be as sensible as possible in my life and also in the race, I always try to calculate everything 100%, what pays off and what doesn't? If I see the risk is too high, I don't do it"

"Apparently, I'm a person who brakes very little. Well, according to my brake pads, that's really the case, because I've had them in my racing bike for three years and then only throw them out because of my conscience."

"I just have the riding style, I don't leave the throttle open for so long and I brake less. But I carry a lot of speed into the bend. I have so much confidence in the front wheel that I can do that."