International Dealer News IDN 144 August/September 2018 | Page 16

news ROOM SBS supports ”Girl Power” As is well known, female riders are one of the fastest growing segments of the motorcycle industry as we head towards the middle of the 21st century, and the number of women taking part in motorcycle racing is also growing rapidly. Danish disc brake pad manufacturer SBS Friction is “ahead of the curve” when it comes to championing the female champions and role models of today and tomorrow. “We have been in racing for more than 25 years”, says SBS Friction CSO, Christel Munk Pedersen. “When we started supporting motorcycle racing, this sport was purely for men, but this has changed. “Today we see a growing number of women who have discovered the fun and excitement that racing brings, and who have also found out that it is one of the sports where there are no biological barriers. Women can compete on their own merits just as effectively as men and therefore are just as demanding of and knowledgeable about the machines that carry their hopes to the finish line”. SBS has been aware of this development in motorcycle racing for some years and has supported and helped promote it by targeting sponsoring of female riders, who have shown the talent and ambition needed for racing and winning trophies. “We are Scandinavians, and in our part of the world we do not accept that being a woman should restrain your dreams and ambitions. Biking and racing is about freedom for women as well as for men, and this we are pleased to be a part of”. From a sales point of view, Christel sees obvious advantages in the growing female interest for riding motorcycles. “Women are 50% of the SBS Friction CSO, Christel Munk Pedersen: “We will see more girls in motorsport in the years to come. At SBS we are happy with this, and we will support the development as much as possible.” world population. Imagine what it would mean to this industry, including us at SBS, if the share of women riding motorcycles was as high as it is for men. Now that’s a significant potentia