Under very cloudy skies but on a dry track, it is Spaniard Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team) who comes out on top in Superpole at Donington Park, setting an impressive 1’40.581 to snatch pole for WorldWCR Race 1
Demonstrating strong pace right from the outset, 27-year old Carrasco dominated the qualifying session, setting a series of very fast lap times that her rivals were simply unable to match
Misano race winner Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Factory Team) and Sara Sanchez (511 Terra&Vita Racing Team) set a best of 1’41.113 and 1’41.420 respectively to secure a place alongside Ana on the front row
In a repeat of her round 1 performance at Misano, Italian Roberta Ponziani (Yamaha Motoxracing WCR Team) places fourth, joined on the second row of the grid by Beatriz Neila (Ampito / Pata Prometeon Yamaha), fifth despite a crash in the early stages, and Australian Tayla Relph (Tayco Motorsport), sixth
Carrasco also finished out front during Friday’s free practice, setting a 1’43.134 on a damp track and closing ahead of Sanchez and Relph
American rider Mallory Dobbs (Sekhmet Motorcycle Racing Team) suffered no physical consequences after crashing through turn 3 during morning practice, while German Lucy Michel (TSL-Racing) sustained an elbow contusion as a result of a turn 3 crash in Superpole. Her condition will be reassessed prior to 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 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
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
