WSB: FIM Women’s Motorcycling World Championship entry list unveiled

The inaugural entry list for the FIM Women’s Motorcycling World Championship has been unveiled with Lissy Whitmore flying the flag for the UK with the Sekhmet International Motorcycle Racing team.

More than 40 rider applications was whittled down to 24 for the 2024 season, which sees 18 nationalities represented. All 24 riders will race Yamaha R7s, with the series taking place within the World Superbike Championship paddock.

The 2024 season will consist of six rounds, beginning at Misano on June 14-16. The calendar is as follows:

• Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round, Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” – 14-16 June
• Prosecco DOC UK Round, Donington Park – 12-14 July
• Pirelli Portuguese Round, Autódromo Internacional do Algarve – 9-11 August
• Hungarian Round, Balaton Park Circuit* – 23-25 August
• Acerbis Italian Round, Cremona Circuit* – 20-22 September
• Prometeon Spanish Round, Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto – 18-20 October

Yamaha teams from the WSB grid are present in the Women’s Motorcycling World Championship – Yamaha Motoxracing and Pata Prometeon Yamaha.

Whitmore will race alongside American rider Mallory Dobbs for the new Sekhmet International Motorcycle Racing team, founded by Maddi Patterson. Whitmore competed in the British Junior Supersport Championship with OMG Racing in 2022, before racing at Oliver’s Mount and club meetings throughout 2023.

“A lot of work has gone into Sekhmet Racing, and I have sat and watched and hoped and wondered,” Whitmore said on her Instagram account. “When Maddi called me to tell me that I was in, I cried. I couldn’t tell anyone – I actually just really wanted to tell my Nan, so of course I told her. But I couldn’t actually believe that this was happening!

“This will be a challenge for me, for sure. But I’m ready to face it and give it everything. I’ve got a team that I have seen be built from the ground up. I’m excited to have this team, the support, the chance, and it will make all the difference.

“This is an incredible opportunity for not only me, but others like me and others who will watch from TV or the track wanting to be like us. I feel privileged to be part of this new journey, for me and for them.”

Dobbs joins the world championship having spent 2023 in the MotoAmerica paddock, competing in both the Supersport and Super Hooligan championships. The civil engineering project manager only made his MotoAmerica debut in 2022.

“Sekhmet, an Egyptian Deity, was born from fire – a symbol of strength and resilience,” Patterson explained. “And therein lies the reason for the team naming; I endured and recovered from sixty percent burns to my body only three years ago.

“Sekhmet is known as the protector of friends and the leader in battle – something I embrace in my own life. I am incredibly honoured, excited and aware that my role is to lead my team and more than that, support, inspire and create the chance to do something different.

“To be the difference. And when the visor goes down, nothing else matters. This is racing.”