A KNUTSFORD teenager breaking down barriers in male-dominated speedway is about to take her ride to the next level.

Katie Gordon, a Hooked on the Heath fish and chip shop employee who has just finished her A levels at Knutsford Academy, will be making her debut for the Great Britain women's speedway team in Germany on July 16.

The 18-year-old Redcar Cubs competitor is one of only a few female speedway riders, so she considers this opportunity to ride in an international meeting for her country as a testament to her dedication, drive and ambition to succeed.

"I have never had the chance to represent Great Britain before but as soon as the opportunity came along, I definitely wasn’t going to turn it down as it's something that I have always wanted to do," said Katie, who started racing 125cc grass track bikes in the Formula Grasstrack Association at the age of nine.

"It will mean the world to me being a female in such a male dominated sport, and now having the chance to meet more females in this sport and competing against them will be something I have never done before and a new experience that I'm sure I will learn a lot from."

She will represent GB in a women's open meeting during the FIM Flat Track World Championships in Diedenbergen.

In addition to the FIM meeting, Katie will also be racing in the Nora British Ladies Championships on the Isle of Wight in the first of three qualifying rounds on July 14.

With needing to make a mad dash to Germany after the qualifier, she has quite a logistical challenge to overcome but again she will be tackling her mission with full gusto.

"My schedule to get to the international event is going to be very busy as I'm racing in the Isle of Wight for the British Women's Championships and then need to be in Germany on the following morning to attend training sessions," she said.

"This means that I have to finish my meeting in the Isle of Wight then drive to London Heathrow to get a flight to Frankfurt at 6.30 am on Friday to arrive in Frankfurt for 9.05am to be at the track at 9.30am.

"My bikes are being taken to Germany by my mechanic earlier on in the week to make sure they are there on time for me to race."

Katie sat on her first speedway bike at 13 and progressed to a 500cc speedway machine.

She is now part of the Redcar Cubs in the Northern Junior League, riding in her second season with them, and explained how she first got involved with the adrenalin fuelled sport.

"I started racing grass track at the age of nine as I watched my dad for many years and always wanted to have a go myself," she said.

"I got my first 125cc bike and absolutely loved it. Then in my early teens I got my first 125cc speedway bike and went to Scunthorpe mini track to train as much as I could and get my technique before moving onto the bigger tracks.

"Finally at the age of 15 I moved on to a 500cc speedway bike and in 2021 I had my first season at Redcar Cubs.

"My greatest achievement so far is that I have been able to break down barriers to women in speedway, and that I'm part of the Redcar Cubs team."

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help cover the expenses of what is coming up, including making her GB debut at short notice.

Costs for her to meet include fuel, travel fees, insurance, bike maintenance, oil and tyres.

More than £2,600 of her target has been reached but she would be grateful for any further donations at https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-katie-ride-for-gb