Lucy Michel: Racing and 40-hour weeks are hard to reconcile

Ahead of the next round of the Women’s World Championship, which forms part of the Superbike World Championship this coming weekend at Donington Park, Lucy Michel spent two days training hard in Most as part of a Bike Promotion race training session. This is certainly needed, as the 21-year-old from Schwarzbach in the Ore Mountains, who is currently only 24th in the World Championship (having finished 16th and 17th in 2024 and 2025 respectively) has some catching up to do, as the 21-year-old from Schwarzbach in the Ore Mountains explained in an interview with SPEEDWEEK.com. “Yes, it’s very, very difficult this year. The competition is growing and getting stronger all the time. Let’s hope things go better at Donington.”

That sounds a bit like a rallying cry, so a follow-up question is in order. “I can’t say what the reason is – I don’t know. In any case, I’m quite behind in my training. You can hardly compare someone who trains five times a week with someone who works 40 hours a week, like me. There are bound to be differences,” she began her somewhat more in-depth analysis.

Working hours are one thing, which is why testing or other motorbike training during the week is virtually impossible. On top of that, Lucy has recently been taking on extra shifts as a radiology technician, in addition to her one or two compulsory weekend shifts, so that she can swap shifts and free up time for the extended race weekends.

Hardly any days on the motorbike

Her dilemma is illustrated by the fact that, before the start of the season, she only managed to do two extra days of testing in Spain. Everyone was there anyway for the official pre-season test in Portimão. Between Portimão and the next race of the season in Assen, she squeezed in a test at Misano with her team, TSL Racing. That was it; since then – we’re talking early April – she has only been in the saddle of her Yamaha YZF-R7 at the races in Assen, at the Balaton Park Circuit and in Misano in mid-June.

Her most recent outing, as part of a race training session, was better than nothing, but riding on the track with amateur riders was only of limited use. Although Michel was placed in a theoretically suitable group based on her lap times, it was evident that she kept getting held up in braking zones and corners and lost ground again on the straights. “Still, it was really beneficial for me personally, just to get that flow back before the next race. But of course, it’s a different matter when you’re training on a track where you’ll actually be racing and where there are fewer people on the track. But what can I do?”

The fun didn’t go away

Is it still fun to take on the different challenges posed by better-equipped competitors, some of whom are professional racers? “Of course,” she replied without a moment’s hesitation. “I know I’m actually capable of it.” Consequently, she’s feeling positive about the coming weeks, as she won’t have to take on any more weekend shifts. “The shifts are better spread out then. We want to do a bit more testing, and I hope that will lead to better results. In the last two races of the season at Donington and the finale in Jerez, I want to go on the attack and score points regularly.”