WorldWCR: Superpole Highlights: In the heat of Donington Park, Beatriz Neila (Ampito Crescent Yamaha) clinches her first pole in the final stages of a sizzling Superpole.
Setting a best of 1’39.687, the Spaniard also sets a new Superpole record at the British track.
Chasing less than two tenths of a second behind, championship leader Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Racing Team) finishes a close second, having led the way for almost the entire session.
Spain’s Sara Sanchez (Terra&Vita GRT Yamaha WorldWCR Team) worked hard to improve her position throughout the session, doing enough to join Herrera and Neila on the front row, in third place.
The top three qualifiers all reached the Donington podium in 2024, a result they are eager to replicate this weekend.
The battle for a spot on row two of the grid was equally hard-fought, with French rider Lucie Boudesseul (GMT94-YAMAHA) putting in a strong performance and setting a time that translates into a solid fourth on Saturday’s starting grid.
Keen to do well in front of her home crowd, local rider Chloe Jones (GR Motosport) made a convincing start to the weekend, qualifying a very strong fifth for Race 1, just ahead of Cremona race winner Roberta Ponziani (Klint Forward Racing Team) who rounds out row two.
Team Trasimeno’s Jessica Howden opens row three of the grid, just ahead of Pakita Ruiz (PR46+1 Racing Team) and Australian Tayla Relph (Full Throttle Racing).
New Zealander Avalon Lewis (Carl Cox Motorsports) rounds out the top ten, setting exactly the same lap time as Natalia Rivera (Terra & Vita GRT Yamaha WorldWCR Team), eleventh.
Italian Denise Dal Zotto (Affinity Sports Academy Rokit Rookies) and Australian Tara Morrison (Tara Morrison Racing) are competing in this UK Round as one-event riders, the pair qualifying fifteenth and twentieth respectively.
Karol Bezie from Mexico substitutes for Chilean rider Isis Carreno (Pons Italika Racing FIMLA), who is unable to take part in this round following a recent surgery.
P1 | Beatriz Neila | Ampito Crescent Yamaha | 1’39.687
“This is my very first pole position, so I’ll definitely enjoy starting Saturday’s race from the front. I’m really happy, because I’ve worked hard in recent weeks to prepare for this round. After morning practice, we made a few changes to the bike, which allowed me to improve on my lap times in qualifying. As I started my fastest lap, it was quite stressful because I could see I was losing a little to Maria, but when I got to the second and third sector, I realized I could do it. I’m happy we can start from the front tomorrow and will be out to do my best, as always. I think Maria and Sara will be up there too, but I’m ready to fight.”
P2 | Maria Herrera | Klint Forward Factory Team | 1’39.827
“It’s always fun to come and race here at Donington – it’s a great track. It’s been two months since I rode the bike, but I’ve enjoyed myself today and did my best to improve throughout the day. I thought I’d be able to do a little more in qualifying, but I had a problem with the brakes that prevented me from doing more. It was good to battle for pole anyway. I want to check the data and see what we can do for tomorrow; for sure we need to solve the technical issue, as the braking is very important here. Beatriz is strong here this year, she’s impressive, so I need to see what we can do to be ready to battle in the race.”
P3 | Sara Sanchez | Terra&Vita GRT Yamaha WorldWCR Team | 1’39.928
“Today was a very good day for us and I’m happy to be back on the front row again, close to Maria and Beatriz. I’ll do my best to stick with them in Saturday’s race and will be aiming for the podium. I’m pleased because the Cremona round was a tough one for us, so I’m glad we’ve been able to bounce back with this result today.”
Superpole Results
1. Beatriz Neila (Ampito Crescent Yamaha) 1’39.687
2. Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Racing Team) +0.140s
3. Sara Sanchez (Terra & Vita GRT Yamaha WorldWCR Team) +0.241s
4. Lucie Boudesseul (GMT94-YAMAHA) +0.659s
5. Chloe Jones (GR Motosport) +0.974s
6. Roberta Ponziani (Klint Forward Racing Team) +1.121s
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
