Prosecco DOC UK Round Carrasco on pole for WorldWCR Race 1 at Donington Park
Superpole Highlights:
Under very cloudy skies but on a dry track, Spaniard Ana Carrasco of the Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team emerged victorious in Superpole at Donington Park, clocking an impressive 1’40.581 to secure pole position for WorldWCR Race 1.
From the start, 27-year-old Carrasco displayed strong pace, dominating the qualifying session with a series of rapid lap times that her competitors could not match.
Misano race winner Maria Herrera of the Klint Forward Factory Team and Sara Sanchez of the 511 Terra&Vita Racing Team posted best times of 1’41.113 and 1’41.420, respectively, earning them spots alongside Carrasco on the front row.
In a repeat of her Round 1 performance at Misano, Italian Roberta Ponziani of the Yamaha Motoxracing WCR Team secured fourth place. She is joined on the second row of the grid by Beatriz Neila of Ampito / Pata Prometeon Yamaha, who placed fifth despite an early crash, and Australian Tayla Relph of Tayco Motorsport, who took sixth.
Carrasco also led Friday’s free practice, setting a 1’43.134 on a damp track and finishing ahead of Sanchez and Relph.
American rider Mallory Dobbs of the Sekhmet Motorcycle Racing Team experienced a crash in turn 3 during morning practice but suffered no physical injuries. Meanwhile, German rider Lucy Michel of TSL-Racing sustained an elbow contusion from a turn 3 crash in Superpole, and her condition will be reassessed before Saturday’s warm-up.
P1 | Ana Carrasco | Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team | 1’40.581
“I’m very happy because I felt good right from the start of practice this morning, and we’ve been able to demonstrate good pace across both sessions. I hadn’t ridden here for five years, so I’m quite surprised, but I was able to continuously improve and think we even have the potential to do a little more tomorrow. My pace is good, to be honest, and so I expect to be in the fight for the win tomorrow; if I find I have a free track, perhaps I can even try to build a gap. I didn’t really expect to have an advantage over Maria and Sara, also because they know the track too, so I’m pleased with today’s outcome. Now we just hope it stays dry for the races.”
P2 | María Herrera | Klint Forward Factory Team | 1’41.113
“I’m very happy with second also because I’m not feeling very well today, so it wasn’t easy to ride. I think it’s important to start on the front row in order to be able to follow Ana, also because she knows the track well. I have raced here before but back in 2018, so I didn’t feel that I had any references when we started out this morning. I was able to improve on my lap times and manage the pace anyway, and I think we’ve worked well as a team. We can battle with Ana tomorrow I’d say, although I think she has an advantage along the straight that we will need to compensate for. For now I’m pleased, also considering my condition, and I’m confident I’ll feel better tomorrow.”
P3 | Sara Sánchez | 511 Terra&Vita Racing Team | 1’41.420
“This morning was a little tricky because the track was still damp, but we didn’t make a bad start and were not too far off in terms of pace. The important thing is to have qualified on the front row so that we can be in the mix with Ana and Maria tomorrow. Ana set an impressive qualifying time, but I don’t think anyone has a huge advantage in terms of race pace; I guess we’ll see tomorrow. I only saw the track for the first time a few weeks ago and was basically starting from scratch this weekend, so I think we can be pleased with our performance today.”
WorldWCR Provisional Tissot Superpole Results
1. Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros. Racing Yamaha Team) 1’40.581s
2. Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Factory Team) +0.532s
3. Sara Sanchez (511 Terra&Vita Racing Team) +0.839s
4. Roberta Ponziani (Yamaha Motoxracing WCR Team) +1.147s
5. Beatriz Neila (Ampito / Pata Prometeon Yamaha) +1.179s
6. Tayla Relph (TAYCO Motorsport) +1.433s
Tune in to see the WorldWCR Race 1 on Saturday at 12:20
WorldSBK WorldWCR Official Press Release
