WorldWCR: Race 1 Highlights:
Polesitter and championship leader Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Racing Team) secured her sixth race win of the season at Jerez to extend her advantage over rival Beatriz Neila (Ampito Crescent Yamaha), third across the line today.
An action-packed Race 1 ensures that the WorldWCR title fight will go down to the wire. With everything still to play for in Sunday’s Race 2, Herrera and Neila are now separated by 15 points.
Rounding out Saturday’s podium in second place and now lying third in the standings, GR Motosport’s Chloe Jones celebrated her fifth consecutive top three finish.
In a race that was restarted and reduced to 9 laps following an issue with the start procedure, the three podium sitters and wildcard Paola Ramos (YVS Sabadell) all took turns out front today in what was a hard-fought battle.
18-year-old wildcard Ramos ran an incredible debut WorldWCR race on Saturday, running inside the top three from the very start. First across the line, she was subsequently handed a 3-second penalty for having made contact with Neila on the penultimate lap, which demoted her to fourth.
A determined Roberta Ponziani (Klint Forward Racing) snatched fifth after making a strong finish that allowed her to move ahead of French rider Lucie Boudesseul (GMT94-YAMAHA).
Australian Tayla Relph (Full Throttle Racing) crossed the line a solid seventh, ahead of a Spanish trio comprising Pakita Ruiz (PR46+1 Racing Team), Sara Sanchez (Terra&Vita GRT Yamaha WorldWCR Team) and Natalia Rivera (Terra & Vita GRT Yamaha WorldWCR Team), all of whom score valuable points on home turf.
Wildcard Ramos set the fastest lap of the race to assure herself of pole position for Sunday’s Race 2. She will be joined on the front row by Herrera and Jones, with Neila in fourth.
Turn 13 crash Jessica Howden (Team Trasimeno) on the opening lap unfortunately ruled the South African out of the race. The South African has been declared unfit for Race 2, having sustained a pelvic fracture.
Championship Standings:
- Herrera now holds 235 points, lying fifteen ahead of closest rival Neila (220) with 25 points still to play for
- Today’s podium sees Jones move up to third, with 153 points
- Ponziani now lies a very close fourth (147), separated from Jones by just 6 points
- Sanchez maintains fifth position overall (118)
Key Points:
- Pole position: Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Racing Team) – 1’51.572
- Race 1 winner: Maria Herrera
- Race fastest lap: Paola Ramos (YVS Sabadell) – 1’51.303 (lap 4)
P1 | Maria Herrera | Klint Forward Racing Team
“This is a very important result and one I didn’t expect. Yesterday we had a small problem and so I didn’t know how today would go. We made a setup change for the race, and I basically tried to manage the situation and avoid mistakes. The race was tough, as Bea, Chloe and Paola were all very fast, so I just focused on managing my position with respect to Bea, as the goal was important to finish ahead of her. We all battled hard today, but I think the battles were fairly clean to be honest, at least compared to some other championships – I think Paola deserved the win today. I’m very happy with today anyway, this is the result we wanted but I know Race 2 will still be tough.”
P2 | Chloe Jones | GR Motosport
“An interesting race; I was lying fourth for a good part of it and didn’t quite have the pace of the front three, so I’m really happy with the result. We had a few issues that we want to sort for tomorrow, so we’ll try something in warm-up, and then I’m excited to see what we can do in the last race of the season. The main goal is to finish third in the championship as rookie of the year, but I’d like my first race win too so if I can do both then that would be amazing. I’ll give it everything I’ve got and a bit more; I’ve got nothing to lose. I think we’re going to see a good fight between Maria and Beatriz for the title; may the best rider win!”
P3 | Beatriz Neila | Ampito Crescent Yamaha
“I had a lot of fun in Race 1 and know I did my best. I felt fast and crossed the line P4, but Paola’s penalty moved me up to the podium. That’s important of course, because it means I have another opportunity tomorrow as the championship is still open. I agree with the penalty Ramos received to be honest, because that kind of move is dangerous and if it goes unchecked, then everyone could start doing a similar thing. As for Race 2, my strategy remains the same, just to do my best and try to enjoy the experience.”
Race 1 Results
1. Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Racing Team)
2. Chloe Jones (GR Motosport) +0.291s
3. Beatriz Neila (Ampito Crescent Yamaha) +1.114s
4. Paola Ramos (YVS Sabadell) +2.686s
5. Roberta Ponziani (Klint Forward Racing Team) +5.503s
6. Lucie Boudesseul (GMT94-YAMAHA) +5.509s
Fastest lap: Paola Ramos – 1’51.303s, new lap record
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