In 2018, Ana Carrasco’s victory in the WorldSSP300 Championship made history: she became the first woman to win a world title in a pure speed motorcycle class. That victory sparked a debate — even more relevant in 2025 — about what women in two-wheel motorsport mean for brands, sponsors and companies seeking new ways to reach an evolving audience.

Seven years on, the landscape has changed structurally. This is no longer about a single symbolic event, but a real transformation involving championships, audiences, manufacturers and sponsorship strategies. For those working in sports sponsorships, this segment now offers concrete, fast-growing opportunities.

Ana Carrasco and the Pioneers of Women’s Motorcycling

Born in 1997 in Murcia, Ana Carrasco has proved that talent has no gender. After the 2018 world title, she suffered a severe back injury in 2019 — a vertebral fracture that could have ended her career — and chose to return to racing. That comeback made her a symbol not only for women in sport, but for any brand wanting to communicate values of resilience and determination through sponsorship.

Alongside her, Maria Herrera has flown the Spanish flag in WorldSSP and other international championships, confirming that the female presence at the top of motorcycling is not an isolated phenomenon. Both represent role models for a new generation of women riders entering two-wheel motorsport.

Carrasco’s result had not surprised those who had followed her career: from her eighth place at the 2013 Valencia Grand Prix, it was clear she had the potential to handle the pressure of international championships. Her WorldSSP300 successes confirmed that promise.

The FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship

The most significant institutional response to this transformation came from the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), which established the FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship: the first world championship dedicated to women in circuit racing. This initiative marks the shift from sporadic race entries to a structured competitive platform, with its own calendar, regulations and media visibility.

For brands, this championship represents a concrete opportunity. Entering in the early stages of a growing competition means associating with a project that still offers contained activation costs and strong narrative value. RTR Sports closely monitors the development of this championship as part of its analysis of emerging opportunities in international motorsport.

Women in the MotoGP Audience: the Numbers That Matter

Understanding the numbers is essential for evaluating opportunities. According to data from CSM International and Nielsen Sports, three in ten MotoGP viewers are women. With a global audience exceeding 400 million fans in 207 countries, that means over 120 million female spectators — a major demographic segment for any sponsorship strategy.

At the circuits, the data confirms the trend: of the more than 2.6 million people who attend MotoGP Grands Prix live every year, over 800,000 are women. This is not a marginal share, but a segment every brand should factor in when considering a presence in motorcycle racing.

Digital platforms are accelerating this trend. Short-form content on Instagram and TikTok has brought MotoGP to new audience segments — younger and with a higher female component — who are discovering the sport partly through the stories of riders like Carrasco and Herrera.

The Motorcycle Market and the Female Consumer

The shift extends beyond racing. According to a Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC) survey, women account for 14% of motorcycle owners in the United States — a figure more than doubled over a decade. The average age of a female motorcycle owner is around 35, compared to 49 for men: a demographic profile with purchasing power and a strong active lifestyle orientation.

Manufacturers have responded with models designed to make motorcycles more accessible to women — from the Ducati Scrambler to the Triumph Bonneville, from the Honda CB500 to the Yamaha MT-07 — and with increasingly inclusive marketing campaigns. This has created a virtuous cycle: more products designed for women, more women getting into motorcycles, more women in racing audiences.

Women, Motorsport and Sponsorship: Opportunities for Brands

The growth of women in two-wheel motorsport — as riders, as fans, as consumers — opens concrete scenarios for sponsorship strategies. Brands operating in sectors such as beauty, finance, fashion, healthcare and technology find motorcycle racing an unconventional but highly effective context for reaching a qualified female target audience.

It is not just about visibility on a helmet or a racing suit. The most effective activations build content, experiences and narratives that resonate with female audiences: authenticity, expertise, breaking limits. Working with a figure like Ana Carrasco, or with the FIM Women’s Championship, offers a storytelling platform that is hard to replicate in other sports contexts.

An often-overlooked data point: a large number of marketing directors, sponsorship managers and decision-makers at major international companies are women. Building a presence in motorsport that also speaks to this audience — and to those who represent it inside companies — is today a strategic lever, not just an image choice.

If you want to explore how to integrate the female target into your motorsport sponsorship strategy, our team is ready to provide a personalised analysis.