| “For me it is the most normal thing to race between all the guys because that is what I have been doing my whole life,” she said. “Things that I love about being a female in this sport are seeing the reactions of riders when they lose to me because some guys can’t take it when they lose to a girl. But I also love seeing the reactions from the crowd when they are excited about a girl racing against all the guys.”
Coming from a family of motorcycle racers, Sijbesma – whose brother Jeffrey is also competing on Sunday – started racing Grass Track on a 50cc KTM before moving to a 125cc machine and gaining international experience at tracks including Morizès and Toruń in Poland.
Following two seasons racing Speedway on a 250cc machine, she graduated to a 500cc motorcycle when she was sixteen and currently divides her track time between Speedway, Grass Track and Long Track.
Sijbesma has not set herself any goals for Sunday and is approaching the competition with an open mind.
“I don’t have any big expectations from myself. My goal is to just score as many points as I possibly can and show everyone what I have to offer.”
While Long Track racing is completely gender-inclusive, Sijbesma is well aware that females make up a minority of competitors and she is hoping to set an example for other fast females to follow.
“My ambitions are to keep improving my racing so I can be competing in more events like the FIM Long Track Under 23 World Cup. This is also a way to inspire other females to try this sport out because I would love to see more girls and women in this sport.”
Racing for the 2023 FIM Long Track Under 23 World Cup will get under way on Sunday at 13:30 local time. |
