Saturday saw history being made, with the maiden FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship Race 1 taking place at Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli”. In a day which saw several red flags, the fans were ultimately gifted the finish that such an occasion deserved, with Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Racing Team) beating rival Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team) during Race 1 for the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round.
THE BEGINNING: race red flagged after Rusthen crash
There was drama as soon as the lights went out for the original start, with Ornella Ongaro (Yamaha Motoxracing WCR Team) and Tayla Relph (TAYCO Motorsport) colliding at Turn 2, while wildcard Beatrice Barbera (Team GP3 AD11 by Tirso) crashed at Turn 4, with all three riders retiring from the race. Relph was taken to the medical centre for a check-up, while the incident will be investigated by the FIM Stewards after the race.
Herrera grabbed the holeshot from pole position, leading through the first half of the opening lap, but Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team) didn’t let her have it all her own way. Through the high-speed sector three, the #22 tried to pass Herrera but the #6 was able to resist her challenge over the initial running before trying to build a gap with the 2018 WorldSSP300 Champion leading across the line, although Herrera was able to respond quickly. Carrasco didn’t let her get away, keeping the pressure on, with less than a second separating the top four. On Lap 6, the race was red flagged for a crash at Mia Rusthen (Rusthen Racing) at Turn 16, when she came down at the end of Lap 5. Rusthen has suffered a head concussion and is receiving treatment at the Bufalini Trauma Centre in Cesena; her condition is stable.
RACE RESTARTED: Second red flag of the day
The race was eventually re-started, and then immediately red-flagged again for a crash that involved Jessica Howden (Team Trasimeno). Howden ultimately suffered a concussion but was onscious following the accident. Following the accident, the remaining riders on the grid followed the quick start procedure and rolled back out onto the track for a five-lap race.
THRILLING ENDING: Herrera and Carrasco duel to the finish
With five laps to be completed, it ultimately proved to be Herrera and Carrasco that would fight it out to determine who would make history as the first ever race winner in the WorldWCR Championship. Herrera spent four laps monitoring Carrasco, matching her pace through every sector and turn. In the last sector, Herrera made her move, sliding the bike under Carrasco to take a lead that would ultimately prove to be the win.
The top six from WorldWCR Race 1, full results here:
- Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Factory Team)
- Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team) +0.067s
- Sara Sanchez (511 Terra&Vita Racing Team) +0.986s
- Roberta Ponziani (Yamaha Motoxracing WCR Team) +1.454s
- Beatriz Neila (Ampito/Pata Prometeon Yamaha) +1.591s
- Isis Carreno (AD78 FIM Latinoamerica by Team GP3) +7.127s
Watch WorldWCR Race 2 on Sunday at Misano at 11:50 Local Time (UTC+2) on the WorldWCR YouTube and WorldSBK VideoPass!
Source: WorldSBK.com