Meet the British rider and her team boss who are taking on the world in 2024
History was made last weekend in Misano as 24 riders from across the globe took to their grid slots for the inaugural round of the World Women’s Circuit Racing Championship (World WCR). Running alongside World Superbikes, WorldWCR follows in the tyre tracks of Trials, Motocross, Enduro and Speedway by creating a top-tier championship for female competitors. Differing slightly from these series and the other classes in the World Superbike paddock, WorldWCR sees riders compete on identical Yamaha R7 machinery which, organisers say, is intended to create a more level playing field and better showcase rider talent.
Britain’s talent comes in the shape of Lissy Whitmore. The 19-year-old from Lincolnshire started racing mini bikes in 2017, before progressing through Superteens to British Junior Supersport in 2021. It was during Lissy’s time in the British Superbike paddock that she crossed paths with Maddi Patterson, a racing journalist and events specialist.
Fast forward three years, and together the pair have gone on to become rider and team principal of Sekhmet International Race Team in the first WorldWCR championship. Along with Lissy’s teammate, American Mallory Dobbs, Sekhmet’s goal – like any race team – is to get on top of the podium. But unlike other teams, Sekhmet want to race and win with purpose.
The bikes
Teams are allocated identical Yamaha R7s, all running on Pirelli Diablo Superbike Slick tyres or wet weather alternatives. The Genuine Yamaha Technology Racing (GYTR) kit fitted to each bike turns the R7 from a road-going sports machine into a real race bike. The 689cc parallel twin is allowed to breathe more easily via an air filter upgrade and full Akrapovic exhaust system, meanwhile the stock suspension is switched up with an Öhlins rear shock and Öhlins fork springs.
MEET THE TEAM BOSS
‘It’s good for our sport and it’s good for women’
Maddi Patterson, Team Principal, Sekhmet International Race Team
In little more than a decade, Aussieborn Maddi has gone from grid girl to world championship team boss, all while recovering from a life-changing accident. Now the Northern Ireland-based 28-yearold wants to help others follow their motorsport dreams.
“When you’ve got limited options available to you, you just take the ones you can and maximise them,” says Maddi as she recalls how she got a foothold in the paddock as a grid girl. After then starting her own motorcycle c
