Lucy Michel (21) fears for her racing career: search for a new World Championship team

Lucy Michel achieved her best results immediately after the introduction of the Women’s World Championship on Circuits (WorldWCR), finishing ninth and tenth at Misano and seventh in the second race at Donington Park. In half of her 36 races to date, the Saxon rider finished in the points, ending the World Championship in 16th, 17th and 19th place.

In 2027, the Women’s World Championship will undergo something of a fresh start. Instead of the twin-cylinder Yamaha R7, the three-cylinder 675SR-R from Chinese manufacturer CF Moto will be used, along with standard tyres from Michelin instead of Pirelli. Organisation of the championship is moving from the capable hands of former MotoGP team owner Luca Montiron to a partner who has yet to be named.

Lucy Michel would like to continue competing in the World Championship, but this is no longer possible within Stefan Laux’s team. “I’d like to continue helping Lucy, but for health reasons I can no longer run the team,” the Lower Franconian told SPEEDWEEK.com. “I’m having a bit of trouble with my heart and want to take a step back. I need to make sure I get my health sorted out; things are going well with beta-blockers and blood thinners. The heart valve no longer closes properly, the pericardium is enlarged and I have an aneurysm. I’m 63 now and need to take it a bit easier and be a bit more careful.”

The many changes for next season weigh particularly heavily on Lucy, as she cannot prepare in Germany in the same way as her rivals from Spain or Italy. “She feels at home in this championship, but she needs to do more,” Laux noted. “The others are brutally fast and are constantly testing. Lucy can’t do that. If she wants to go south for testing in the winter, it costs at least 5,000 euros every time, and we have to haul all the kit 3,000 km south and back. Tolls, fuel costs – it all adds up. On top of that, we’re not familiar with the bike; testing is difficult in such a short space of time, and the season starts again in March. I don’t know if we’d be able to get hold of a bike like that, and I don’t have any background knowledge either, because it’s all new to me. There are a great many uncertainties.”

If Lucy Michel doesn’t find a new team in the Women’s World Championship, a move to the IDM Sportbike series could be on the cards. She has already made a guest appearance there this year, but struggled at the time because she wasn’t familiar with the new Yamaha R7 model with its blipper system.