The first of the Estoril weekend’s WorldWCR races was another nailbiter, with championship leader Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team) and title contender Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Factory Team) battling tooth and nail for victory in a race that began in the dry only to conclude in pouring rain.
Herrera’s performance was particularly noteworthy considering she was forced to start the race from the back of the grid due to a technical issue. A lightning start and extremely impressive pace meant the Spaniard was back into the top three in the space of two laps.
Although the race began in dry conditions, rain returned with a vengeance with just five laps to go, the race red flagged on lap 8. Victory ultimately went to Carrasco, separated by just 0.082 of a second from Herrera. Snatching her fourth win of the season, Carrasco is the only rider to have reached the podium in every race held so far.
An impressive Beatriz Neila (Ampito / Pata Prometeon Yamaha) stuck close to the two frontrunners, crossing the line just 0.17 of a second from race winner Ana to secure her second podium of the season.
Sara Sanchez (511 Terra&Vita Racing Team) did well to finish fourth. Deemed responsible for causing the Cremona incident that saw both herself and Herrera crash out while fighting for victory, Sanchez was required to serve a long lap penalty during this first race at Estoril, nevertheless placing inside the top five.
Having proved at ease in full wet conditions, Australian Tayla Ralph (TAYCO Motorsport) followed up her recent Cremona podium with a solid fifth-place finish at Estoril today.
Pakita Ruiz (PS Racing Team 46+1) and Roberta Ponziani (Yamaha Motoxracing WCR Team) closed within a second of each other to place P6 and P7 respectively, while Mallory Dobbs (Sekhmet Motorcycle Racing Team), Mexican rider Astrid Madrigal (ITALIKA Racing FIMLA) and Adela Ourednickova (DaftMotoracing by Smrz) rounded out the top ten.
Spain’s Sanchez will be the Race 2 polesitter on Sunday after setting the fastest lap time in Race 1. Sara will be joined on the front row by Neila and Herrera, with Carrasco taking the fourth spot.
Championship Standings:
Another race win sees Carrasco extend her championship lead, the Spaniard now holding 188 points
Herrera is still very much in the fight, just 14 points behind Carrasco (174)
Sanchez (141) and Neila (123 points) continue to hold third and fourth in the general standings
Key Points:
Pole position: Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team) – 1’51.706
Race 1 winner: Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team)
Race fastest lap: Sara Sanchez (511 Terra&Vita Racing Team) – 1’50.402
P1 | Ana Carrasco | Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team
“This is a special win as I suffered a serious injury at Estoril in the past and had not been back since, so I really wanted a good result here this year. It’s been difficult with the weather of course, as we’ve had to keep adapting the bike to suit, but I’m very happy with this result. I thought when the rain came that the race might be red-flagged and so I started to push harder for that very reason. We did well today, but Maria and I are still very close in the standings and so although I’ve extended my lead, there is still work to be done. We’ll have to be ready for everything again tomorrow in terms of the weather, but in any case, I’ll be doing all I can to be back on the podium.”
P2 | Maria Herrera | Klint Forward Factory Team
“What a race, starting from the back of the grid and then battling for the win! Something happened on the starting grid which meant I had to start from the back of the field but in the end, I had good confidence and feeling and was able to make up eighteen positions in the first lap. I was just unlucky at the end because I was leading when they red-flagged the race but the results were based on the previous lap and so I had to settle for second. An important result anyway, and we’re in a strong position heading into Race 2, as I know I can improve in certain sections of the track, and we’ll also start from the front row, unlike today.”
P3 | Beatriz Neila | Ampito / Pata Prometeon Yamaha
“I’m super happy, an amazing race for me. I was a little confused by the track conditions at first but in the end, I was able to stick with Ana and Maria and reach the podium. It’s important for me to have been able to keep pace with both of them today, as they have so much experience and I know I can learn from them. I will start race 2 from second on the grid tomorrow and think I’m in with the chance of another podium.”
1. Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team)
2. María Herrera (Klint Forward Factory Team) +0.082s
3. Beatriz Neila (Ampito / Pata Prometeon Yamaha) +0.170s
4. Sara Sánchez (511 Terra&Vita Racing Team) +5.379s
5. Tayla Relph (TAYCO Motorsport) +5.458s
6. Pakita Ruiz (PS Racing Team 46+1) +9.150s
Championship Standings
1. Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros. Racing Yamaha Team) 188 points
2. Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Factory Team) 174 points
3. Sara Sanchez (511 Terra&Vita Racing Team) 141 points
For more info checkout our dedicated WorldWCR News page superbike-news.co.uk/WorldWCR/
Or visit the official World Superbike website worldsbk.com/en/news/wcr
©Words/Images are from official press release posted courtesy of WorldWCR
