WorldWCR: Herrera signs, seals and delivers in Race 2 at Misano
WorldWCR: Championship contenders Herrera and Neila battle it out for victory in Sunday’s race, joined on the podium for the first time by Thai rookie Sarapuech.
Race 2 Highlights:
Championship leader Maria Herrera (Terra & Vita GRT Yamaha WorldWCR) rounds out this fourth WorldWCR round with another convincing win to leave Misano with an additional 50 championship points.
Straight into the lead through Turn 1 in a repeat of Saturday’s race, Maria soon built a gap, with only Beatriz Neila (Ampito Crescent Yamaha) able to pose a threat. A dominant performance by the two Spaniards, who crossed the line more than 13 seconds clear of the rest of the field.
Already a force to be reckoned with in her rookie WorldWCR season, Muklada Sarapuech (EEST NJT Racing Team) fought tooth and nail for a top three finish, battling her rivals all the way to the line to secure third. The Thai rookie celebrates her first podium of the season and becomes the first Thai rider to achieve such a result in the WorldWCR championship.
Polesitter Roberta Ponziani (Klint Racing), for whom this was a home round, held third for the best part of this 12-lap race but just missed out on a podium by 0.1 of a second, placing P4 today.
Third in the championship and eager for points after crashing in Race 1, an impressive Paola Ramos (Klint Racing) worked her way up the field to final fifth position after losing significant ground early on.
Fourth in Race 1, 2026 rookie Yvonne Cerpa (MotosCerpa-Gradara Corse) boosted her points tally with a solid sixth place finish in Race 2.
A confident Sara Sanchez (Hadden Racing Team) went one better than her Race 1 result, crossing the line in seventh position today.
A positive eighth place finish for Natalia Rivera (Terra & Vita GRT Yamaha WorldWCR), while wildcard Josephine Bruno (Team Trasimeno) did well to place P9 after having to serve a long lap penalty for her involvement in a Race 1 incident.
On the podium in Race 1, Chloe Jones (Monster Energy Crescent Yamaha) was running a solid sixth but unfortunately received a long lap penalty for a jump start, which meant she ultimately crossed the line tenth.
Championship Standings:
- The Misano double win sees Herrera’s points total climb to 181
- Now separated from Herrera by 24 points, Neila maintains second position with a tally of 157
- Rookie Ramos continues to hold third position (97 points)
- Ponziani clings on to fourth place (89), now just 6 points ahead of Sarapuech (83)
Key Points:
- Tissot Superpole: Paola Ramos – 1’52.264
- Race 1 winner: Maria Herrera
- Race 2 winner: Maria Herrera
- Race fastest lap: Roberta Ponziani – 1’47.564 (Race 1)
P1 | Maria Herrera | Terra & Vita GRT Yamaha WorldWCR
“I’m really pleased to win today as it’s the first time I’ve won Race 2 for a long while. I prepared a lot for this round, even losing 2 kgs in order to be faster along the straight. It was a difficult race, in very hot conditions, and I pushed from the start, because I expected more of a group. In the end, only Beatriz stuck with me. I expected her to try and pass me, which she did, but I was able to get back in front and take the win. I felt a lot of pressure from the team to do well this weekend, so we can be happy with the results, I think! And we can head to Donington feeling confident, though we will also keep working hard to carry on like this.”
P2 | Beatriz Neila | Ampito Crescent Yamaha
“Today’s race was similar to Race 1, a battle between me and Maria. I tried my hardest until the end and am happy but of course I wanted the win. We finished P2 anyway, which goes some way to repay the team for all their hard work this weekend. We will keep working hard in preparation for Donington and do our best to improve, as the championship is still open.”
P3 | Muklada Sarapuech | EEST NJT Racing Team
“I am super happy to be on the podium for the first time today; I’m the first Thai rider to finish top three in WorldWCR! In Race 1 I was unlucky, finishing third but then receiving a penalty. So today I knew I had the potential to do well and did my best to stay focused. I worked hard from start to finish, analysing my closest rivals and pushing at the end to be sure of third. I’m really, really happy and want to thank the EEST NJT Racing Team, my family, my fans and everyone who supports me.”
Race 2 Results
1. Maria Herrera (Terra & Vita GRT Yamaha WorldWCR)
2. Beatriz Neila (Ampito Crescent Yamaha) +0.075s
3. Muklada Sarapuech (EEST NJT Racing Team) +13.072s
4. Roberta Ponziani (Klint Racing Team) +13.223s
5. Paola Ramos (Klint Racing Team) +13.427s
6. Yvonne Cerpa (MotosCerpa-Gradara Corse) +13.530s
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