As expected, the two experienced Spanish riders Maria Herrera, who has raced in the Moto3 and Supersport world championships, and Ana Carrasco, 2018 SS300 world champion, are the most likely candidates to win the first women’s world championship, the WorldWCR 2024.
In the first round at Misano, Herrera had been… the Toprak of the situation, winning the Superpole and both races, with Carrasco second in Race 1 and outwitted by Sara Sanchez in Race 2.
In England, Ana was the first to cross the finish line on Saturday, with Herrera relegated to fourth place, and also overtaken by her compatriots Neila Santos and Sara Sanchez. On Sunday, Maria took back the top step of the podium, followed like a shadow by Ana. In the standings, the two are separated by just 7 points in favor of the Team Klint Forward rider.
The Spanish domination in this first women’s world championship is confirmed by the two riders currently in third and fourth place in the general classification: Sara Sanchez and Beatriz Neila Santos. The two have faced each other for a few seasons in the European women’s championship where Santos had always prevailed, winning the continental title for four years. This year, however, at least until now, Sanchez is ahead of her rival, who in the standings is 31 points behind the top and 11 from Sara.
After two rounds, the values on the field already seem defined, with Herrera and Carrasco playing for the victory and Sanchez and Santos fighting for the third step of the podium.
The only one who seems capable of overturning this situation is our Roberta Ponziani, who, with the exception of Race 2 at Donington where she was involved in a crash, has always finished close to the very strong Spanish riders, and in Race 1 at Misano she finished ahead of Santos. Today’s crash is a serious misstep for the 2023 Italian champion, who at this point can likely aim for fifth place in the final standings, but who in the race will certainly try to get into the fight for the podium, thanks to her talent and an unexpected determination for a girl who appears so calm.
At the moment, however, in fifth place overall is the Israeli Ran Yochay, who has always scored points and can boast a two-point advantage over our standard-bearer.
Contrary to what happened in Misano, no accidents characterized the two races. The girls are getting familiar with their Yamaha R7s and even those who don’t have much experience are quickly learning to know the tracks and to exploit the horsepower of their bikes.
Speaking of the two girls injured in the first round, Jessica Howden should regularly return to the track in August in the third round of Portimao, while the Norwegian Mia Rushten, back in her homeland, is in hospital and is being treated in the physical medicine and rehabilitation department, assisted as best as possible by an interdisciplinary rehabilitation team. Her recovery would be the best result of this first women’s world championship.
