CRUMP EXCITED FOR COACHING ROLE AT ATPI FIM WOMEN'S SPEEDWAY ACADEMY IN MANCHESTER

Triple world champion Jason Crump can’t wait to coach the sport’s top female riders at the ATPI FIM Women’s Speedway Academy in Manchester on August 4 and 5.

The inaugural FIM WSA took place in Deidenbergen, Germany in 2022, but this year’s event is set to be bigger and better with 15 to 20 girls aged 16 or over travelling from across the globe to take part.

The group includes German trailblazer Celina Liebmann, who featured in the 2022 FIM SGP2 series, and Britain’s Katie Gordon. They will receive expert coaching from Crump and his former Speedway GP rival Greg Hancock, plus FIM race director Phil Morris.

Crump can’t wait to see the sport’s brightest female talents in action on one of the world’s top racetracks as he prepares to give them the benefit of his vast experience, which saw him finish in the world’s top three for a record-equalling 10 straight seasons from 2001-2010.

He said: “First and foremost, it’s great for speedway and it’s great for the girls involved. It will start to develop into a global academy for the female riders. We have riders coming from as far away as Australia, so we have had a lot of interest from the girls around the world.

“I think this year we are coming to undoubtedly one of the best tracks in the world, and that will be a huge help to the girls as well. 

“Hopefully with having Greg and myself there as coaches, we can pass a bit of our knowledge on to them. Greg and I have spoken about it a little bit and we are both very excited for it.”

Crump believes the Women’s Speedway Academy event can help female stars of all abilities. He added: “From the racing side of it, when you get some raw talent come through, you can start from the beginning and get the basics into place. I am sure with some of the girls it will be like that. 

“We have some established riders as well, though, which is also helpful.  You can hear the passion Katie Gordon has when she talks, and she wants to compete at Celina’s level. I think it’s also really important that the girls have their own role models to look up to.”

Gordon is excited to continue her progress on the shale at the WSA. She said: “I think it will be really beneficial to the sport, especially now. We didn’t have many girls at the last event in Germany. Now we are bringing 15-20 girls over to Manchester.

“I know people have put in a lot of effort to arrange classroom things as well as giving us track time. We are learning a lot more about the sport in general and how different things can benefit us. I think it will push more girls to try speedway.”

Gordon believes working with Crump, Hancock and Morris is a huge opportunity for all the women involved. She said: “Tuition isn’t something we get very often. It is something you have to look for a lot of the time and maybe make friends with people who may provide you with tuition.

“Having people so high up in the sport and so well-known and with the knowledge they have is going to be so beneficial for us.”

FIM Track Racing Commission director Armando Castagna is confident the Manchester event will prove a real success.

He said: “This year’s WSA in Manchester will surely have a big impact. With so many women from different countries, with such great trainers and the overall professional organisation at such a venue, it will be tremendous for sure. 

“The FIM Women in Motorcycling Commission has been on our side to develop this project and together we will focus on future projects that hopefully will take off next year. Thank you to all our partners involved in the past months to make this possible.”

Janika Judeika, FIM Women in Motorcycling Commission (CFM) director, commented: “The FIM Women's Commission is proud to support the 2023 edition of the ATPI Women's Speedway Academy, which will be held in Manchester in partnership with the FIM Track Racing Commission. 

“The CFM is devoted to making motorcycling an open, inclusive and benevolent environment for all, and it is great to see the ATPI FIM Women’s Speedway Academy gaining momentum in such a short space of time thanks to the professional team behind the event.

“The goal of our commission is to develop sports and activities for women – talented riders, motivated organisers and dedicated colleagues make working for this goal a real pleasure! 

“I would like to thank everyone involved in this project and especially sponsors, without whom this event would not be possible and I look forward to seeing it come to life in August.”