News & Outreach
22 September 2024 - Race visit in Cremona - WSBK and World WCR
Second race visit, this time for the World Super Bike Championship and the Women's Circuit Racing World Championship in Cremona. Travelling by train and electric rental car from Milano already was an adventure, which prepared my somewhat already for the acceleration from my normal life to the circuit life.
This time equipped with a media accreditation, I arrived Friday morning at the circuit, curious and enthusiastic to discover how a “normal” racing weekend which is not an endurance competition would look like. However, without any specific team affiliation I soon felt frustration coming up, not being able to stay in the pits.
In the pits with the Petronas MIE Honda Racing Team
I don’t know how and why suddenly came this idea to my mind to send a photo of her teams’ truck to Midori (it was her idea that I should visit Cremona) and a few moments later she texted me; hey, go and see Sandro, the team manager. Which is what I did and a few moments later I was invited to stay in the Petronas MIE Honda Racing pit for the entire weekend.
WOW, it felt like the sun was breaking through the clouds and the Weekend was saved for me.
From then on, I spent as much time as possible in the pits and noted down all the impressions, which will later serve as specific type of chapter: the live broadcasts from the circuit.
On top of this rich observations, Sandro, even put me in contact with the HRC Team and I found to other interviewees like this, thanks also to the coolness of their media manager, accepting me in the pit just before the race started.
Discovering the Women's Championship World WCR
Finally, the excursions in the Women’s area and watching the women racing, was also very insightful. As a woman it is of course even more thrilling to see other women racing 😉 And it is soo encouraging to see how the Paddock shows always also include the female racers. A first glimpse of how racing will look like in the future.
It however shocked me, to see the discrepancy in the paddock: On the one side the huge trucks and high-level pits of the male teams on the other side the tiny tents in which the women were located, without any privacy, having to walk and to push their bikes all the way to the pit lane.
Things change and that’s great, but they still also must change…
Thank you, Midori, thank you, Sandro and Adrian for your kindness and hospitality. This weekend gave me tons of new insights and impressions!
08 September 2024 - The search for a publisher started
This summer I was able to take the time to write an application proposal for a publishing house.
It contains not only the book structure and previous milestones of the project (interviews conducted, presentations, crowdfunding, etc.) but also two test chapters. These text chapters show the writing style and the different types of chapters I am planning.
I will mix the biographies of the women with reports and information about the industry so that they appear in the factual context of the professional motorcycle sport sector, the women represent.
It was a super exciting trip to the future and the next step of the project: From February 2025, I have taken a 6-month sabbatical and will be devoting myself exclusively to writing books. The manuscript should be ready in summer 2025.
01 July 2024 - alpha Racing sponsored the Bikeberufene project
Sebastian and the alpha Racing team supported the book project since it’s very first hour. Sebastian provided me with contacts, with inputs and ideas, he was always there for all my questions and together with BMW Motorrad, he invited me to the 24heures de Moto in Le Mans.
But then, something really extraordinary happened: Out of the blue, I received a mail saying: «Suse, the money we collected with this year’s alpha Racing tire exchange action is yours! We will sponsor the Bikeberufene project with 1500 EUR !!!»
It took me a long time to realise that this really happend !
It’s such a wonderful sign. It’s not just the money, it’s that a whole team really believes in the project and it’s value for the motorcycle sector.
Taking Anne’s legacy to the next level.
Thank you Sebastian, thank you alpha Racing team!
30 April 2024 - The Bikeberufene Logo is out
Chantal, the Bikeberufene graphic designer, created the Bikeberufene Logo which we will be using for communication, merchandising and of course also for the book!
22 March 2024 - First race visit "Les 24 heures Motos du Mans"
Live from the pit experience
As a first step after completing the crowdfunding, I was able to attend the 24 Hours of Le Mans last weekend. Invited by alpha Racing / BMW and with the incredible hospitality and openness of the Bolliger Team Switzerland, I was able to follow the race live in the paddock and directly from the Bolliger’s pit. Qualifying, pit stop practice, the famous Le Mans start and the various phases of the actual race - I was able to experience all of this close up. And it gives even a laywoman goosebumps to see how the drivers are supported by the team, how the team works together with 100 % precision and how everything has to happen within seconds.
Cooking Papet vaudois au Mans
As a small thank you, I cooked the Vaudois «national dish» Papet vaudois on site together with the kitchen crew for the Team Bolliger, using the original swiss ingredients «smuggled» in my suitcase. (It was only thanks to the compassion of the french security men at the entrance that the original bottles of Swiss Chasselas also ended up at their destination.)
As always in the Bikeberufene project, somehow everything went well and the Team Bolliger finished in an incredible 7th place as a purely private team! With their spirit and professionalism, they have been challening the factory teams for decades and are on top of that cool enough to accept spectators like me in the pits.
Meeting Markus "reiti" Reiterberger
Finally, this very rich weekend allowed me to better understand and feel the world of the women I interview in all its facets. You can’t read about it or ask about it, you have to experience it. And that was possible thanks to the crowdfunding!
Finally, it was also quite an emotional and special moment to be able to meet Markus Reiterberger. A true professional of international calibre, whose Bavarian dialect is very down to earth in the global racing circus.
21 March 2024 - The crowdfunding succeded
18 March 2024 - The First Bikeberufene webinar - Professional exchange and networking
A second aspect of the project that quickly emerged during the interviews was the networking aspect. The women I interviewed were all very curious to get to know each other, exchange professional expertise and thus expand their professional network.
Monday, 18 March 2024, we therefore organised a first webinar in which all the women presented themselves and their professional projects, exchanged ideas and got to know each other better. It's about an exchange of expertise. At the same time, a format like this also creates a better network for women in the industry.
14 March 2024 - First newspaper article on moto.ch
Following the MotoFestival presentation, the first article about the project was published this week.
A super portrait in German.
3 March 2024 - First presentation of the project at the MotoFestival Bern
I have been invited to present the project at the Motofestival in Bern, the largest swiss bike event on the big stage for half an hour each time. I will have one of the interview partners on stage in a live interview and I will show excerpts from the interviews.
In addition, Anne's motorbike, which a friend of hers has now taken over and beautifully restored, will also be displayed at the Moto Center Thun stand (KTM dealer) on Saturday, 2 March 2024.
You can watch the recording of the presentation at the Motofestival Bern online in german: Link to the video (you don't have to download the file, you can watch it directly in your browser)
27 February 2024 - Bikeberufene live on air at Rouge FM
This evening (February 27th, 6 pm), I had the chance to present the project briefly at a well-known radio station in western Switzerland - Rouge FM.
You can find the podcast here
10 February 2024 - Status quo of the interviews: The 10 mark has been reached
To date, I have been able to interview 10 women from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the UK and Spain. Two more interviews are scheduled for this month, including one with a data engineer from the USA.
They are working in development, software development or as mechanics or racing suit developers (!) in the motorcycle industry, at companies such as alpha Racing, KTM, Harley Davidson, ... some of them were or are part of racing teams. A few are at the beginning of their careers, many have already established themselves somewhat and a few already have a lot of experience.
It's slowly becoming a super exciting mix and I'm learning fascinating new things interview after interview. It's just incredible fun.
You can find the preview on the website: The women