Steve English on WorldWCR: A New Chapter for Women in Motorcycle Racing
- alicejukes
- May 20
- 5 min read
Updated: Jul 28
A Voice from the Heart of the Paddock
The world of motorcycle racing is driven by speed, skill, and spectacle – but for decades, it offered very few opportunities for women to compete at the highest levels. In 2024, that began to change with the launch of the FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship (WorldWCR), the first all-female world championship in circuit motorcycle racing.
Steve English, a veteran commentator in the World Superbike paddock, was front and centre as one of the voices of this new series. In an exclusive interview, English shared why he jumped at the chance to join WorldWCR’s commentary team and offered a candid look at the championship’s inaugural season – from its ground-breaking significance to the challenges that lie ahead.
Putting WorldWCR on the Main Stage
As the WorldSBK World Feed commentator for the past ten years, Steve English was an obvious candidate to help launch WorldWCR. Yet the opportunity wasn’t just handed to him – he actively asked to be involved when he learned an all-women’s championship would run alongside World Superbike. “When I saw the championship was starting up, I asked to be involved. I said that it was something that would be quite interesting… just to see how it went,” English recalls. For English, more racing is always intriguing, and the chance to help usher in a new era for women riders was too important to miss.
English’s eagerness was matched by Dorna (the series organiser), who recognised the value of having their lead WorldSBK commentator on board. In English’s view, his appointment signalled that Dorna was taking WorldWCR seriously. “Considering that I've been their commentator for 10 years, for them to ask me to be involved showed how serious they were taking [it]… they were putting their resources into [the championship]." By placing WorldWCR on the WorldSBK event schedule – rather than shunting it to junior or support weekends – Dorna ensured the all-female series would enjoy a big audience and prominent stage. Fans, teams, and sponsors at WorldSBK rounds suddenly had front-row seats to history, watching women from around the globe compete at a world-class level.
A Platform, Not a Finish Line
The concept of an all-female championship wasn’t shocking to English, who notes that he approached covering the WorldWCR with the same preparation as other series such as WorldSSP300 when it was introduced. The novelty of a women-only grid was less important to him than the quality of competition and the question of what it could become in the long run. Still, he appreciated that WorldWCR created a new platform for female racers. “It’s nice to have a platform where you've got enough female riders lined up,” he says, emphasising that the true measure of success will be the long-term opportunities it generates.
From day one, English believed that the purpose of WorldWCR should be as a stepping-stone rather than an end goal. “The long-term goal shouldn’t be to win the [WorldWCR] Championship,” he explains, “It should be where you're using that as a step to move on.” In an ideal scenario, a young woman might shine in WorldWCR and use that momentum to springboard into mixed-gender categories like World Supersport and eventually World Superbike – the pinnacle of production bike racing. WorldWCR’s greatest value, in English’s view, is showing female riders that “there’s a chance to progress” through the ranks.
Raising the Bar: Herrera, Carrasco, and Sánchez
Crucially, the inaugural WorldWCR season attracted two proven talents, Maria Herrera and Ana Carrasco, both of whom had extensive Grand Prix and World Championship experience. English calls them “two known commodities”. Their presence set a performance benchmark and gave the other women someone tangible to measure themselves against. If a less experienced rider could run with or beat the likes of Carrasco – a former World Supersport300 champion – or Herrera – a MotoE Grand Prix veteran – it would instantly validate that rider as world-class material. “We know the level that Ana and Maria are at – so to have someone that can be at their level shows that they're also a World Championship level rider” English says.
One such revelation was Sara Sánchez, a Spanish rider who came into WorldWCR with a modest resume in junior championships. “I didn’t really know much about her… she had done Italian 300s and a couple of World 300 rounds – but then suddenly you're able to see that she's a good rider,” English notes. Sánchez emerged as a standout performer in 2024, finishing on the podium nearly every weekend. She frequently battled wheel-to-wheel with Carrasco and Herrera, even clinching a victory in a bar-to-bar duel by season's end. Every time Sánchez matched the established stars, it underscored WorldWCR’s role as a showcase of genuine talent rather than a token sideshow.
Calling It as It Is
Even as he enthusiastically champions WorldWCR, Steve English is careful not to let sentiment cloud his commentary. Known for his straightforward and objective broadcasting style, he treats the women’s championship with the same journalistic integrity he brings to any WorldSBK race. “My job is to be honest to the viewer,” he says simply. That means giving praise when it’s due – but also not painting an unrealistic picture of the racing level. “I can’t say that the WorldWCR was great racing last year, because it wasn’t [across the whole field],” English admits.
English’s commentary strikes a balance: he celebrates the intense battles at the front – which “were as good as anywhere” in racing – while transparently acknowledging the work needed to elevate the rest of the grid. This candor is not negativity, but a commitment to credibility. “If I come out and say everything's amazing… the viewers will look at the gaps and say, ‘I don't think I can trust everything that Steve is commentating,’” he explains. By contrast, calling the action honestly ensures that when English does hype a performance, the audience knows it’s truly earned. “So that [the viewers] know that whenever I'm giving praise to a rider, that they deserve it, and… I'm not there just to big up a rider because I'm getting paid to be in the championship,” he says.
Looking Back to Build Forward
Integrity isn’t just a personal principle for English; he sees it as part of helping WorldWCR grow the right way. “For me, my integrity is to make sure that in three years' time, in five years' time, I can look back at a race and know that at that moment in time, that was what was being said in the paddock,” English reflects. By telling the full story of WorldWCR’s first chapter – the good and the bad – English is laying the groundwork for a narrative of real, measurable improvement. And in doing so, he’s ensuring that the women riders get fair and genuine recognition, not patronising platitudes.
In Part 2, English turns his attention to what comes next — including physical barriers, rider development, and why he believes WorldWCR is just one piece of the bigger picture for women in motorcycle racing. Stay tuned!
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