In a restarted and shortened WorldWCR Race 2, it was Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team) who powered the Yamaha YZF-R7 to victory to secure her second success of the season.
Saturday’s race winner Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Factory Team) was relegated to the third step of the rostrum after both Carrasco and Sara Sanchez (511 Terra&Vita Racing Team) were able to pass her in the final seconds in an edge-of-the-seat finale.
After Tayla Relph (TAYCO Motorsport), Nicole Van Aswegen (Andalaft Racing) and Jessica Howden (Team Trasimeno) crashed on lap one, the race was red-flagged and restarted a few minutes later, though reduced to just 7 laps.
In a repeat of Race 1, it was the Spanish quartet comprising Carrasco, Sanchez, Herrera and Beatriz Neila (Ampito / Pata Prometeon Yamaha) who again built an early lead over the rest of the pack in the restarted race.
Neila just missed the podium today, while Italian Roberta Ponziani (Yamaha Motoxracing WCR Team) and Spaniard Pakita Ruiz (PS Racing Team 46+1) placed P5 and P6 after each running a relatively solitary race.
Herrera and Carrasco were the weekend’s top points scorers, each banking another 41 championship points with a first- and a third-place finish apiece.
Relph and Van Aswegen were taken to the circuit medical centre following their Turn 3 incident. The Australian has sustained an injury to her left lower leg, while the South African has been transferred to hospital with a suspected right femur fracture, thigh wound, and right shoulder dislocation.
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)
P1 | Ana Carrasco | Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team
“I’m really happy to take the victory today, particularly after yesterday’s Race 1 when I was a little disappointed to have a few problems. My team worked hard to solve those issues for today though, and I felt much better when race 2 got underway. It was a shame about the red flag, but my strategy remained the same when the race restarted – I knew the last sector was my best, so my goal was to get into second and then try to pass Maria just before the finish line. We’re now really close in terms of points and so we’ll try to continue in this way as we prepare for the next round. It’s difficult to gain a lot of points over any one weekend, but we’ll do what we can to keep the championship alive to the final round. If we can be at a good level at Cremona and be in the mix to win races, then we can be in the fight for the title at the end.”
P2 | Sara Sanchez | 511 Terra&Vita Racing Team
“Like yesterday, we had another very hard race today in very hot conditions. We also only had seven laps in which to make the difference after the race was restarted. I finished second in the end, a result I’m very happy with of course, but I know I need to improve my starts if I want to be in a better position right 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 so Ana and Sara chose the right moment to pass me. I’m a little disappointed with today’s result, to be honest, but I have to be satisfied overall as we’re still leading the championship. Next we go to Cremona, a track that has another long straight, so we need to find the way to tackle that. I’m fast through the corners but I we need to focus on those areas where we still have room to improve moving forward.”
