The first-ever FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship has been wrapped up on the final day of the season by Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros. Yamaha Racing Team), seeing her claim a second World Championship but forever in the history books. A remarkable season that saw her finish every single race on the podium, Carrasco demonstrated outright speed coupled with startling consistency, making sure that she had ball in her court in Race 2 at Jerez to bring the #22 home.
WHERE IT ALL BEGAN: the first test at Cremona
When WorldWCR launched into life at the start of 2024, Carrasco’s name was shining on the entry list and was an instant preseason favourite. The rider from Cehegin in Murcia, Spain, was straight on the pace and finished the two-day test on top. Shrugging off the ‘preseason favourite’ label and remaining focused on the task in hand, Round 1 at Misano was soon on the horizon but with Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Factory Racing) now on the entry lists for a full season, the two heavyweights of women in racing were the clear target and benchmark for the rest of the WorldWCR to aspire to.
CARRASCO VS HERRERA: elbows out from the start
A thrilling battle in the opening race of the Championship at Misano went down to the final lap, where both left it all out there. Contact in the final sector at Turn 14 saw Herrera force her way through ahead of Carrasco and just hold on as they drag-raced to the line; Carrasco was defeated in Race 1 and then P3 in Race 2 but the consistent start and put her right in contention from the start. The next round came from the United Kingdom and Donington Park at the start of July, a venue the 2018 WorldSSP300 Champion knew well from her time in the class, having won there. In 2024’s WorldWCR season, she repeated the achievement in Race 1, notching up a first win of the season before moving on to another battle in Race 2, although this time Herrera beat her in the final lap. However, Carrasco was right in contention as the season approached its halfway point at Portimao. A solid third in Race 1, she was right back in the mix in Race 2 and timed her slipstream to the line to perfection, beating Herrera who was then passed by Sara Sanchez (Terra&Vita 511 Racing Team), helping Carrasco’s title hopes. With six races done out of 12, the #22 was nine points behind Championship leader Herrera.
SECOND HALF OF 2024: luck, timing and raising the bar
Back to where WorldWCR all began, Cremona called for Round 4 and what a round it was. Carrasco lost a further nine points in Race 1 to Herrera who completed a majestic last corner pass, meaning that she was 16 points behind going into the final race of the weekend. However, major drama awaited. Another battle with Maria down the backstraight saw Carrasco deploy all the tactics to get back into contention. She was strong on the brakes but the battle brought Roberta Ponziani (Yamaha Motoxracing WCR Team) and Sanchez into the mix. Sanchez outbraked herself and hit the back of Herrera, taking both of them out of action and leaving the coast clear for Carrasco to take 25 points and become the new Championship leader for the first time. This was a major shift that would remain for the next two races and into the final round of the season. As the paddock ventured to Estoril, Carrasco finished ahead of Herrera in both races to hand her the initiative heading to Jerez. P1 and P2 for Carrasco and P2 and P3 for Herrera meant the #22 held an 18-point advantage going to Jerez, with the title fight going to Race 2. Herrera closed the gap in Race 1, with 13 points between them heading into the final race of the season, and it went down to the wire. A crash for Herrera at the final corner on the final lap meant Carrasco was crowned Champion after a strategic Race 2, where it had looked like, at times, Herrera might steal the title.
Congratulate Carrasco on her success using #ANAgain on social media and join the WorldWCR community on Instagram, X and Facebook, whilst watching all races on YouTube!
Source: WorldSBK.com