Carrasco Claims Victory in Thrilling WorldWCR Sprint at Portimao
Race 2 Highlights:
In a dramatic restart and shortened Race 2 at Portimao, Ana Carrasco of the Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team took the win, riding her Yamaha YZF-R7 to secure her second victory of the season.
Saturday’s race winner, Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Factory Team), finished third after being overtaken by both Carrasco and Sara Sanchez (511 Terra&Vita Racing Team) in the final moments of the race, delivering a heart-stopping finish.
The race was initially red-flagged after a first-lap crash involving Tayla Relph (TAYCO Motorsport), Nicole Van Aswegen (Andalaft Racing), and Jessica Howden (Team Trasimeno). After a brief pause, the race was restarted but shortened to just 7 laps.
Once again, the Spanish quartet of Carrasco, Sanchez, Herrera, and Beatriz Neila (Ampito / Pata Prometeon Yamaha) set the pace, building an early lead over the rest of the field.
Neila narrowly missed out on a podium finish, while Roberta Ponziani (Yamaha Motoxracing WCR Team) and Pakita Ruiz (PS Racing Team 46+1) completed the top six, running mostly solitary races.
Both Herrera and Carrasco emerged as the top points scorers of the weekend, each collecting 41 championship points with a win and a third-place finish.
Relph and Van Aswegen were taken to the circuit medical center following their Turn 3 incident. Relph sustained an injury to her left lower leg, while Van Aswegen was transferred to the hospital with a suspected right femur fracture, thigh wound, and right shoulder dislocation.
Championship Standings:
- Maria Herrera maintains her championship lead with 129 points, but her advantage has been cut to just seven points by Ana Carrasco, who now has 122 points after her Race 2 victory.
- Sara Sanchez holds third place with 108 points, while Beatriz Neila is fourth with 83 points.
Key Points:
- Race 1 winner: Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Factory Team)
- Race 2 winner: Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team)
- Race fastest lap: Sara Sanchez (511 Terra&Vita Racing Team) – 1’53.691 (Race 1)
Post-Race Quotes:
P1 | Ana Carrasco | Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team:
“I’m really happy to take the victory today, especially after yesterday’s Race 1, where I was a bit disappointed with some issues. My team worked hard to fix those for today, and I felt much better when Race 2 started. The red flag was unfortunate, but my strategy stayed the same. I knew the last sector was my strongest, so I aimed to get into second and then pass Maria just before the finish line. We’re now really close in points, so we’ll keep pushing as we prepare for the next round. It’s tough to gain a lot of points over one weekend, but we’ll do what we can to keep the championship alive until the final round. If we can perform well at Cremona and be in the mix to win races, then we’ll be in the fight for the title at the end.”
P2 | Sara Sanchez | 511 Terra&Vita Racing Team:
“Like yesterday, today was another tough race in very hot conditions. With only seven laps after the restart, we had limited time to make a difference. I’m happy with the second-place finish, but I know I need to improve my starts if I want to be in a better position from the beginning of the races.”
P3 | Maria Herrera | Klint Forward Factory Team:
“I think I ran a perfect race, but the straight was my weak point, and Ana and Sara timed their passes perfectly. I’m a bit disappointed with today’s result, but overall, I’m satisfied since we’re still leading the championship. Next, we head to Cremona, a track with another long straight, so we need to focus on improving in that area. I’m fast through the corners, but we need to work on those parts where we can still make gains.”
WorldWCR Race 2 Results
1. Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team)
2. Sara Sanchez (511 Terra&Vita Racing Team) +0.025s
3. Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Factory Team) +0.120s
4. Beatriz Neila (Ampito / Pata Prometeon Yamaha) +1.825s
5. Roberta Ponziani (Yamaha Motoxracing WCR Team) +15.837s
6. Pakita Ruiz (PS Racing Team 46+1) +19.082s
Championship Standings
1 Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Factory Team) 129 points
2. Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team) 122 points
3. Sara Sanchez (511 Terra&Vita Racing Team) 108 points
Round four of the WorldWCR championship will see the field take on the Cremona Circuit in Italy, on 20-22 September.
Official WorldWCR Press Release
