Title contender Herrera triumphs in WorldWCR Race 1
Race 1 Highlights:
Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Factory Team), one of the title contenders, achieved her goal by claiming a dominant victory in the penultimate WorldWCR race of the season, setting up an exciting finale for tomorrow where everything remains at stake.
From the moment the race began, Herrera pushed hard to take an early lead, battling against championship leader Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team), Beatriz Neila (Ampito/Pata Prometeon Yamaha), and Sara Sanchez (511 Terra&Vita Racing Team). This leading quartet, separated by no more than half a second, traded positions throughout the opening laps of this thrilling 11-lap race.
As the race progressed, Sanchez took control in the latter half, setting the pace and expertly defending her lead from both Herrera and Carrasco. However, a dramatic final lap saw Sanchez crash out of the lead, costing her a certain podium finish. Herrera capitalized on the situation, taking the lead and securing the win. Meanwhile, Carrasco and Neila fought fiercely for second place, with Carrasco narrowly beating Neila by just 0.021 seconds at the finish line.
With this result, Carrasco now holds a 13-point lead over Herrera in the championship standings, with 25 points still available in tomorrow’s race. The inaugural WorldWCR title will be decided between these two riders in the final race.
Although Sanchez is now out of title contention, she remains third in the overall standings and will be aiming to defend that position in Race 2, especially as Neila is just 14 points behind her following today’s podium finish.
In fourth place, Roberta Ponziani (Yamaha Motoxracing WCR Team) continued her consistent season, securing her eighth top-five finish of 2024, which helps her maintain fifth in the standings.
Fifth place was claimed by Pakita Ruiz (PS Racing Team 46+1) after a close battle with wildcard Chloe Jones (GR Motorsport). Jones impressed on her WorldWCR debut, finishing just 0.2 seconds behind Ruiz in sixth.
Tayla Ralph (TAYCO Motorsport) took seventh, followed by Jessica Howden (Team Trasimeno), Mallory Dobbs (Sekhmet Motorcycle Racing Team), and Isis Carreno (AD78 FIM Latinoamerica by Team GP3), with all three finishing within a second of each other.
Sanchez, despite her crash, set the fastest lap of Race 1 and will start from pole position for tomorrow’s season finale, with Herrera, Neila, and Carrasco close behind on the front row.
Unfortunately, the race also saw crashes from wildcard Sonia Lloyd, Emily Bondi (YART Zelos Black Knights Team), and Adela Ourednickova (DaftMotoracing by Smrz). Thankfully, none of the riders sustained serious injuries.
Championship Standings:
- Ana Carrasco leads with 228 points, just one race away from securing the title.
- Maria Herrera is 13 points behind with 215 points.
- Sara Sanchez holds third place with 166 points.
- Beatriz Neila is in fourth with 152 points.
- Roberta Ponziani rounds out the top five with 122 points.
Key Points:
- Pole Position: Sara Sanchez (511 Terra&Vita Racing Team) – 1’51.671
- Race 1 Winner: Maria Herrera | Klint Forward Factory Team
- Fastest Lap: Sara Sanchez (511 Terra&Vita Racing Team) – 1’51.533
Rider Reactions:
P1 | Maria Herrera | Klint Forward Factory Team:
“I wasn’t sure I’d be able to win today, but I knew I had strong pace and good cornering speed. I followed Sara for most of the race, but I knew that if I wanted to close the points gap to Ana, I had to try for the win instead of settling for third. Honestly, the bike still feels slow on the straights, so we need to work on that for Race 2. The plan for tomorrow is to attack through every corner, and if Sara can get between me and Ana, even better! I’ll be starting from the front row, so let’s see what we can do.”
P2 | Ana Carrasco | Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team:
“I expected four or five riders to be fighting at the front, and that’s exactly what happened. I tried to push early on to reduce the group size, but the wind made it almost impossible. I saw Sara pushing hard, so I decided to stay in third and wait for the final lap to avoid unnecessary battles. I felt great on the bike and had strong pace, but on the last lap, I went wide at turn 6, and Maria passed me. I recovered quickly, but another mistake allowed Beatriz to pass. From there, I just pushed to retake second place, and I’m happy with that, especially for the championship.”
P3 | Beatriz Neila | Ampito/Pata Prometeon Yamaha:
“Racing at home in Jerez, I really wanted to do something special this weekend. I didn’t know how the race would play out, but finishing third is incredible. I fought hard, but I was also mindful of the championship and didn’t want to cause any issues for Maria or Ana. I’m proud of the clean race we had and thankful to my team and family. I think we have a good chance for tomorrow, and I’ll give it my all!”
WorldWCR Race 1 Results
1. María Herrera (Klint Forward Factory Team)
2. Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team) +0.585s
3. Beatriz Neila (Ampito / Pata Prometeon Yamaha) +0.606s
4. Roberta Ponziani (Yamaha Motoxracing WCR Team) +14.322s
5. Pakita Ruiz (PS Racing Team 46+1) +19.733s
6. Chloe Jones (GR Motorsport) +19.974s
Championship Standings
1. Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros. Racing Yamaha Team) 228 points
2. Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Factory Team) 215 points
3. Sara Sanchez (511 Terra&Vita Racing Team) 166 points
WorldWCR action resumes on Sunday with Warm Up from 9:45 (Local Time), followed by Race 2 at 11:50.
Official WorldWCR Press Release
