Celina Liebmann made yet another entry into the sport’s history books when she raced to victory in the first-ever FIM Women’s Speedway Gold Trophy (WSGT) in Teterow in her native Germany this evening.
Cheered on in the immaculate Bergring Arena by the passionate home fans, the twenty-three-year-old won all four of her Heat races and when the Grand Final was red-flagged following a crash in the first corner and not restarted her maximum score assured her of the top step of the podium and the WSGT title.
Having already made history as the first female to race an FIM Speedway Under 21 World Championship (SGP2) event and the first female to sign for clubs in Great Britain and Poland, Liebmann’s victory cements her reputation as the world’s fastest woman Speedway rider.
“I’m so grateful and happy that we have the FIM Women’s Speedway Gold Trophy,” said Liebmann. “I’m very proud to have won and made history again. I have never been so nervous, but now I’m over the moon.”
A landmark event for women’s racing that followed the day after the third FIM Women’s Speedway Academy (WSA) staged at the circuit on Thursday and Friday, the WSGT is just one of the initiatives resulting from the ongoing collaboration between the FIM Track Racing Commission (CCP) and the FIM Women’s Commission (CFM) intended to promote gender inclusivity and encourage diversity.
Contested by riders from six countries and three continents, all eleven competitors had attended the WSA where they had been tutored by American four-time FIM Speedway Grand Prix World Champion Greg Hancock and FIM Long Track Race Director Glen Phillips.
Starting as one of the pre-race favourites, Liebmann defeated her compatriot Jenny Apfelbeck and multiple British women’s champion Katie Gordon in her opening Heat after Australia’s Anika Loftus had beaten Dutch racer Nynke Sijbesma, Micaela Bazan from Argentina and Rachel Hellowell from Great Britain.
Germany’s Hannah Grunwald also started the night with a win ahead of lone French rider Audrey Dupuy, but after the second block of Heats only Liebmann remained on maximum points as first Sijbesma and then Hellowell stepped up to claim a victory, but Grunwald added just one more point to her total and Loftus failed to score.
Liebmann and Sijbesma both won again in their third Heats and with Hellowell also adding another victory and Apfelbeck claiming her third runner-up finish, there was a clear top four occupying the qualifying positions for the Grand Final with just the last block of racing to be run.
Maintaining her momentum, Liebmann completed a clean-sweep of her Heat races and in the process opened up a two-point advantage at the top after defeating Sijbesma. Following two disqualifications and a no score, Germany’s Mascha Schwend demonstrated what she is capable of by winning her final outing, but Hellowell’s hopes of progressing to the Grand Final ended in her last Heat.
With a place in the top four at stake, the twenty-nine-year-old needed a solid result, but trailed home last after German racer Patricia Erhart claimed a consolation victory ahead of Loftus and Apfelbeck who both picked up enough points to book their places behind the tapes for the night’s deciding race.
Following a first-turn crash in the Grand Final, the decision was made not to hold a rerun and the final positions were taken from the scores after the Heats which gave Liebmann a clear and deserved victory from Sijbesma and Loftus.