From New Taipei City to Misano and beyond
Chun Mei Liu proudly represents Taiwan in the WorldWCR’s historical first season and she’s an inspirational figure for many young riders from her country and region. The 42 year-old from New Taipei City is an experienced rider and is also a trained motorcycle mechanic and technician, who is comfortable working on her own bikes. The WT Racing Team Taiwan rider confesses to loving all kinds of motorcycles and it is now on the Yamaha YZF-R7 that she is enjoying racing with the fastest women on the planet in 2024.
How it started
Liu describes her initial forays into the world of motorcycling, commenting, “I first started riding when I was 17 years old and the Yamaha Cygnus was my first bike. I immediately felt excited and thought about being able to ride long distances.” She continues, “I also played basketball, tennis and badminton when I was younger, but it was motorcycles that I was most into. This has always been my passion and something that’s in my blood. Compared to other sports, motorcycle racing is the only one I can be truly focused in and concentrate on.”
Recent racing activity
Over the last five seasons between 2019 and 2023 Liu has ridden in the Asia Road Racing Championship building up her experience in China and Japan, racing against male competitors. She also competed in the 2021 Taiwan Motorcycle Road Race Championship and the 2022 Taiwan Superbike Series, enjoying great success along the way. She started competing on 50cc and 125cc bikes, making her way onto more powerful machinery as her experience increased, riding on bikes such as the Yamaha R3 and Kawasaki 250cc.
Increasing the sport’s popularity in Taiwan
Liu explains the local racing scene in her home nation saying, “We don’t have so many tracks for racing like in Europe. Even compared to China or Japan, we’ve only got three or four motorcycle tracks. It’s still hard for people here, the fans, to get into contact with motorcycle races. I feel like I’ve made a good contribution to motorcycle racing in Taiwan, because I was really the only one to go overseas for so many races and represent Taiwan. So now my fans and most fans of motorcycle racing in Taiwan have got to know how racing works because of me.”
She continues to describe how more Taiwanese riders are themselves becoming more interested in racing due to the increased presence of more powerful bikes on the road in the East Asian country. “Motorcycles are a very frequently used mode of transport in Taiwan, not everyone has a car but most people have a motorcycle, like a 50cc or 125cc, both men and women,” she explains. “Now interest in the sport is increasing because more people are intrigued and there are more heavier bikes around. In the past the bigger capacity bikes were more restricted, but now more people are riding bikes of 500cc or more, so it’s developing.”
Compare and contrast
In terms of the differences between what she has experienced in the Asia Road Racing Championship, compared with what she is seeing this year in WorldWCR, she comments, “Racing in Asia is almost like you are at school, but not yet at university. In Europe it’s like you get the racing qualifications so you get into university! With WorldWCR, once you land there the weekend schedule is pretty tight and it’s a mindset of ‘you have to get ready for competitive racing’. With ARRC it feels like you have more time to prepare, you have time to go through free practices and correct your mistakes, whereas I feel like riding in WorldWCR in Europe you just have to be ready.”
The Taiwanese rider says she’s already been made to feel welcome in the WorldSBK paddock, stating, “I’ve quickly made some friends from other teams and they’re really nice. I found it totally different to ARRC, where the relationships can be a bit more tense between the riders because of the competitiveness. I was always in contact with the same riders in the same teams, so it was harder to make friends in the Asian championship. I hope the WorldWCR will come to Asia some day. I like Misano and the tracks in Spain. I’m looking forward to the last round at Jerez. Misano is good because it is tight and twisty like some of the tracks we have in Asia, not with big straights and big sweeping corners.”
A dedicated motorcyclist
When it comes to her riding habits away from the race track, Liu admits, “I’ll ride every type of bike I can get my hands on! I mostly ride around Taiwan because it’s a small island and it’s easy to get around. Usually I take four to five days trips, just riding around. I go onto mountain roads and explore as well as riding on the expressways, all kinds of roads. I hope to ride more on the roads and explore in Europe too, but for now I’m too busy with racing and work.”
“I ride motocross for training but I’ve never ridden dirtbikes competitively because there is no organised motocross racing in Taiwan. I don’t think I’ll ever really race motocross competitively because I just don’t have the level,” she comments humbly.
Credit where credit is due
Acknowledging the role her biggest motorcycling influence has had on her career, Liu reveals, “My manager and coach is really the person who has taught me most in racing. Every time I make a mistake in training he doesn’t go easy on me! That’s one of the reasons why I’ve developed in the sport. He has made me one of the best riders in Taiwan. In fact he is my manager, my coach and my mechanic! We’ve been working together for 23 years.”
Chun Mei answers our quickfire questions…
What does it mean to you to be on the inaugural WorldWCR grid? “It means a lot to me because it’s what I grew up looking for. I’m really grateful for the opportunity to be in WorldWCR, it’s an amazing experience. I get to bring that experience back and share it with the people, explain to other motorcycle racers in Taiwan what it’s like to compete in Europe. This is definitely one of the most significant milestones in Taiwanese motorsport history. I can encourage and inspire more people from the next generation to participate in this sport and pursue their dreams. WorldWCR has such great potential for riders all over the world.”
Who are your favourite ever riders? “Casey Stoner in his prime was just riding the Ducati so well. He had some pretty unique skills and he was one of those top, top racers you can learn from. Of the current riders it’s Marc Marquez. At his best he was unbelievable, he was at the top of his game for a long time. When he’s had crashes and injuries, after his recovery and rehabilitation it’s amazing that he is still one of the very best riders in the world. That’s what makes him so special.”
Who is your favourite sports star outside of motorcycling? “Probably Shohei Ohtani. He is Japanese and is one of the best baseball players in the world. His energy, physicality and performances are out of this world. He’s one of the very best players in Major League Baseball and that’s really impressive for a Japanese player to reach that level. I love watching baseball but I can’t play it well myself!”
Who is the female athlete that inspires you the most? “Tai Tzu-ying, a Taiwanese badminton player. Before she became competitive at the world level not that many people were so interested in badminton in Taiwan. She’s inspired so many more Taiwanese people to get involved in these kinds of sports. That makes her special for me.”
Do you have any pets? “Yes, I have a dog. He comes with me when I go running and that makes me feel relaxed. I actually adopted him because he was on the streets and he had a broken leg. So I took him to the vet to get his leg fixed and gave him a home. I’ve trained him to swim, he comes hiking with me and now we’re always together over the last three years.”
