News

LEWIS’ SPEED AND SPIRIT: "I think we’re going to see more fast women come out of New Zealand in the future."

Thursday, 24 July 2025 07:03 GMT

In her exclusive feature interview with WorldSBK.com, Avalon Lewis delves into her prior experiences as a rider, her feelings from the Championship, and what motivates her to perform at her usual high level.

So far in 2025, Lewis’s (Carl Cox Motorsports) pace has been on clear display once again. She has finished within the top eight in every race she has completed, and even in the two races where she retired after crashing, she was running in P4 in the final lap of Assen’s Race 2 and P9 before her Lap 6 crashout at Donington Race 2. Had it not been for these two unfortunate tips to the gravel, she would be higher up the current Riders’ Championship standings, where she currently sits with 41 points in tenth place behind Tayla Relph (Full Throttle Racing) and Lucie Boudesseul (GMT94-YAMAHA) tied for ninth place with 46 points.

A VETERAN’S APPROACH: “I’ve been riding motorbikes since I was six, and road racing since I was 13 years old, so well over 15 years now racing, nearly 18 years”

The 32-year-old rider hails from Auckland, New Zealand. Throughout her career as a rider, she has competed across continents and in various competitions to pursue her dreams. Her commitment and her passion for motorcycle racing have made her one of the most experienced riders in the WorldWCR paddock. She spoke about her excitement when she first heard about WorldWCR. Although she had recently become a mother, ruling her out of full-time competition in 2024’s inaugural season, she was able to secure a 2024 wildcard appearance, in which she instantly impressed, finishing 5th and 8th.

On her experiences before WorldWCR and initial feelings about the Championship, Lewis said: “I’ve been riding motorbikes since I was six, and road racing since I was 13 years old, so well over 15 years now racing, nearly 18 years. I’ve competed in New Zealand and Australia, as well as in the WorldSBK paddock, the European Junior Cup, and the Italian Championship. I had my eyes on WorldWCR ever since they announced a Championship for women, but I had a young son at the time. He’s 20 months old now, but he was just a small baby at the time, so I was unable to compete in the full season last year. I was able to do a Wildcard at Cremona, however, and really loved it, so I pushed hard to find some sponsorships and a team to be able to compete this year.”

DOUBLE-SHIFT: “My son Nash is coming to most of the events, it’s really special to have him here, but it's hard work”

Lewis's son, Nash, gets to call his mom one of the fastest women on the planet. While she tries to go as fast as she can on the track, off the track with her son, she brings him along to savour every moment. Balancing the two, as she states, can leave her with a full plate, but in a world where every rider dreams of being alone at the front, it’s likely a welcome change to be surrounded by family close by.

Lewis expanded on what it means to her to have her nearly two-year-old son around the paddock, cheering her on: “My son Nash is coming to most of the events, it’s really special to have him here, but it's hard work. He wants his mom a lot of the time, so it can definitely make finding the balance hard at times, but it’s awesome having him here. He loves helping out on the bikes and being part of it.”

DREAM WEEKEND AT THE CATHEDRAL: “I knew I needed to believe in myself at Assen…It was great to be there battling with the front group”

Lewis wasted no time in showing her pedigree to the rest of the field and confirmed to the world that her 2024 WorldWCR wildcard appearance at Cremona was no fluke at the WorldWCR opening round at Assen’s ‘Cathedral of Speed’. Lewis opened her season with an impressive fourth-place result after a strong Tissot Superpole performance placed her in the same position. Just 1.372s from Sara Sanchez's (Terra & Vita GRT Yamaha WorldWCR Team) pace, she nearly bagged her country’s first WorldWCR podium in her first ride as a permanent grid rider.

On her 2025 debut at Assen, Lewis said: “I had high expectations coming into this season. I really like that in this class; everyone is on the same bike. It makes you put a bit more pressure on yourself because you know it all comes down to you as a rider. I knew I needed to believe in myself at Assen, and it turned out to be a great weekend for me. I love that track, it’s so fast and flowing. It was great to be there battling with the front group, despite it not ending very well for me in Race 2. Other than that, it was a great weekend and really showed me what I’m capable of as long as I stay confident and put my mind to it. I found the limit of the front end of these bikes. My crash was probably a little bit of a silly mistake on my end, but I learned to stay outside and make sure I’m winning points. Obviously, I’d love to win some races, but I need to get on the podium first. Getting inside the top three would be a great achievement for me for the time being.”

BLAZING A TRAIL: “Representing New Zealand here in WorldWCR is a really great honour, and hopefully it paves a bit of a path for more female riders to come”

Lewis, at the time using the #50, rode in a single event last season at Cremona and, in doing so, made history as the first female rider from New Zealand to compete in the Championship. Now in 2025, Lewis has received reinforcements in the form of fellow Kiwi and teammate Billee Fuller. Both are excited about the opportunity to make history for their country, as New Zealand has a strong tradition of WorldSBK success from its male riders, such as Aaron Slight, who earned 87 of his country’s 97 podiums. Riders from New Zealand sit at the ninth-most in the world by WorldSBK podium count; yet in the short two-season history of WorldWCR, a Kiwi rider is yet to taste the prosecco.

Lewis spoke on what it means to her to represent her country alongside her fellow countrywoman, saying: “Representing New Zealand here in WorldWCR is a really great honour, and hopefully it paves a bit of a path for more female riders to come. My teammate Billee Fuller is much younger than me, and she is here racing from New Zealand as well. I believe we have a strong foundation and a robust support network in New Zealand. I think we as females competing always get treated equally. I think we’re going to see more fast women come out of the country in the future.”

Keep up with Lewis and the other riders in the WorldWCR Championship battle by following WorldWCR on X (formerly Twitter)Instagram and Facebook, and watch every race FREE on YouTube!