LIEBMANN READY FOR BRITISH SPEEDWAY TEST

German racer Celina Liebmann insists she will only improve by taking on British speedway’s biggest stars as the sport’s first lady prepares to make more history this weekend.

Liebmann becomes the first rider in living memory to compete for a British professional club when she races for second-tier side Workington away to Scunthorpe in the BSN Trophy tonight, before heading to Berwick in the Border Trophy on Saturday and then making her Comets home debut in the return leg against the Bandits on Sunday. 

The 22-year-old became the first rider to compete in an FIM Speedway final series, when she raced in two rounds of the 2022 SGP2 series – the FIM Speedway Under-21 World Championship.

Her efforts have seen her rewarded with a dream opportunity at Workington and she also competed in the prestigious Peter Craven Memorial meeting at Manchester’s National Speedway Stadium on March 18.

While she did not score a point against a field featuring a host of Speedway GP riders and experienced internationals, Liebmann has no fears about taking on tough opposition as she bids to establish herself in the Cab Direct Championship.

She said: “If I just ride easy meetings, I will always wonder how I should improve. I need hard meetings and great riders against me.

“Of course, the Peter Craven meeting was really difficult. The line-up was just awesome, but I want to have such great meetings to help me improve. I don’t think my last two heats there were too bad – I was really near to the other riders.

“I showed everyone that I can do it. It was a bit too late because it was at the end of the meeting, and I struggled with the setup. But now I know what to do in Britain because it is different. I am looking forward to the season in the Championship. I showed everyone in Manchester that I can have the pace. I think the league is good for me and we will show everyone Workington is a good team.”

Liebmann joins the Workington team on an assessed 4.00-points-per-match starting average and she is determined to live up to this figure. 

She added: “I want to show that I can ride to a 4.00 average. I need to know the British tracks because I have never ridden on them, but I don’t think I will be too bad.”

Liebmann is set to be part of the FIM Women’s Speedway Academy at German venue Teterow in June, which will also feature the first-ever FIM Women’s Speedway Gold Cup on June 22. CLICK HERE for more details.