Lucia Menendez works within Honda HRC as an Applications Engineer in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, and she has spoken candidly about her role, her journey to working within WorldSBK and more, including how she’s always looking to grow professionally to ensure she does the best job possible analysing a huge amount of data that gets collected in every session of a race weekend, and during every test.
ENGINEERING A CAREER IN RACING…
On her journey into following motorsports, Menendez said: “I've always been interested in sports. As for engineering, my grandfather was one influence; he was in the field of CNC machine building, so some of my interest in technical subjects came from him, and my uncle, who is a big motorcycle fan and an engineer, albeit in a different field. I grew up watching the racing on TV every Sunday, especially when we went to my grandmother’s house. We’d have lunch as a family and I’d watch the races, mainly MotoGP. Though I followed the sport on TV, it felt like something distant and out of reach, so I initially put it to one side. I worked in an engineering office that focused mainly on aeronautical components. Then in 2016 I was involved in MotoStudent, a contest where universities around the world each develop a motorcycle and compete against each other. I was involved for two years and enjoyed it so much, I realised I wanted to give it a go as a career. I moved to Barcelona to do a master’s degree in motorsport and that involved an internship in the Spanish championship. From there, things moved fast. After one year I was working in the European Championship and then I had the opportunity to jump to the Moto2 World Championship. I was there for three years, and now I’m in my fifth year in the WorldSBK paddock.”
JOINING HONDA
After several seasons working with prototype machines, both at World and European Championship level, Menendez made the switch to Honda in WorldSBK: “In 2022, I had the chance to join Honda, the company of my dreams, as data acquisition and analysis engineer. I had been working in Moto2, with a team running Kalex machinery, so for me to go from that to a Superbike, I had a feeling it would be an opportunity for me to learn a lot, and I was right about that! The difference was night and day when I arrived in WorldSBK that season. My role now is FI Applications Engineer and, honestly, I enjoy every aspect of my job! I enjoy being with my colleagues. I truly feel that I am learning and growing every single day that I am here. And this very much fits my way of thinking, as I love to learn. It’s a dream come true to be working here, it really is.”
STAYING AHEAD OF THE CURVE
Expanding on her current role, Menendez said: “My role relates to the management of strategies inside the ECU, so I manage the engine brake setting, torque setting, traction and wheelie control, all the strategies relating to performance. People on the outside might underestimate the importance of the electronics. The numbers and sheer quantity of data we are dealing with is incredible and only grows year on year; I’m sure people have no idea what we are doing! Last year I completed a master’s degree in Big Data and Data Science for this very reason, because I think this is where the future of the sport lies. There’s so much data and I think those who can effectively manage this quantity of data will be the ones who continue to play a role. You always need to grow, and this has always been my way; I don’t like to be ‘stuck’. As an engineer, I’d say you need to be a well organised person and be able to simplify things. Stress management is also a factor, and something I think I was already good at. Even if I’m stressed on the inside, I’d say I always maintain a very calm exterior. This is just the way I am, I think. I would say the job is 50% preparation and 50% problem solving in the moment, because we do a lot of preparation at home, preparing for all the possible scenarios we might face, but when you get to the track there will always be something you didn’t think about or plan for, but that’s normal, it’s a part of racing. You just need to be able to adapt to any situation.”
FINDING THE RIGHT BALANCE
Speaking about when she first joined the WorldSBK paddock, Menendez said: “I came to WorldSBK from the MotoGP paddock. At first, I wasn’t sure whether I was going to like it, but I'm now in my fifth year here and can say that I’m super happy. I think the goal for many young people when they start in this world is to work in MotoGP, but there are other things in life that are also important. I’m a mother now, and the MotoGP calendar would be tough to handle! Since I became a mum, everything’s changed. Aspects of life that I saw as being super important in the past are no longer a priority. My daughter is still very young, and it’s hard when I’m far away of course. But my wife is very supportive; we make a good team. She appreciates that this is my lifestyle and she respects that.”
VISIBILITY CREATES POSSIBILITY
Menendez also spoke about being a woman in a technical role, as well as potentially being a role model not just for her daughter, but for other women and girls who aspire to work in motorsport: “I’ve never had an issue as one of few women working in a technical role here. The problem is more that when I was a kid, I didn't have any female references. And if you don't have a reference in your mind, perhaps you don’t think it’s an option for you. I think some young women perhaps think it’s not possible to work here. But it is! I’ve never had any issues, and I got to where I am today quite fast. When I was studying engineering, there were just four girls in a class of 90. So that goes someway to explain why there are so few women working in technical roles in this paddock! I don’t like doing interviews if I think I’m only being asked because I’m a woman and not because of what I do. But on the other hand, I think it’s super important for people like me to do these things, because if we don’t, young people, young girls, just won’t know what’s possible. I think it’s important for young women to have role models; I hope my daughter will have good role models.”
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