It was a strong FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship test for Beatriz Neila (Ampito / Pata Prometeon Yamaha) after the Spaniard ended the test inside the top four, finding huge time as the day progressed. The Spaniard’s best time came in the sixth session om Friday after spending the day working with Andrew Pitt, who ventured down to the test for the second and final day to speak to Neila.

Running the #36 machine, Neila had a strong test at Cremona, finishing the second and final day in fourth overall after setting a 1’43.124s in the penultimate session of the day. The Spaniard was just over a second away from pacesetter Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team), who edged closer to the 1’41s after setting a 1’41.446s in the final session that Neila set her best time in. Her time in the second session – the first she went out in – was a 1’47.431s, with the Madrid-born rider finding more than four seconds as the day went on.

Neila had a key WorldSBK figure by her side on Friday, with Andrew Pitt – a two-time WorldSSP Champion and now crew chief to Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) – with the 22-year-old at Cremona. The Spanish star explained the benefits of having Pitt working with her, emphasising his knowledge was a massive help. Neila is the Pata Prometeon Yamaha’s rider in WorldWCR, and the link was proven by having Pitt at the test.

Explaining how she felt working with Pitt, Neila said: “Andrew is a really good person. He’s a man that knows everything about the bike! I love working with him because he knows everything so he’s amazing. I hope to have him with me in the whole season so I can work with him. I’m super happy working with him. It’s the first time working together and it’s amazing.”

Pitt also gave his view on working with Neila, saying: “The idea today was, because I’m not so far away, to come over on one of the two days. Today was the best day because of the weather. It was to meet her, say hello. We could see how they were doing, just get a basic picture of where the bike is and just sort of make sure that it’s kind of where it should be, and the gearing and tyres are right.”

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While the FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship field were preparing for the start of their season, visitors from the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship were on hand to give their view about the new Championship. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) and Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team Motocorsa Racing) discussed their visit to the Cremona Circuit, with Rinaldi and Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) on track with the street Ducati V4 at the Italian venue which is set to host WorldSBK action for the first time next week.

Locatelli came to Cremona to check in on the action but also to provide support to Beatriz Neila (Ampito / Pata Prometeon Yamaha), who will run under the same Pata Prometeon Yamaha banner than ‘Loka’ does in WorldSBK. The 16-time WorldSBK podium finisher explained why he was visiting and previewed the inaugural WorldWCR season which is set to kick off at the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” next month.

Looking ahead to the season but also reviewing the test, Locatelli said: “Honestly, my visit is a little bit special. I was already close to Cremona, so I decided to come here, and it’s amazing. My focus and my target now are to win a race in World Superbike, but this Championship looks really interesting. To see the women on track and riding so fast is amazing. I also came to see Beatriz, because she’s supported by my team, so this is something good for us. I was close to Cremona, and my home, so I decided to come.

“I think this is only the first test and they can keep improving. I think the level of the competition with the R7 bike is quite high. In every race, we’ll see the improvement. It’s normal that when you start to ride a bike for the first time, you need to learn a lot of things, but when it’s coming easier, you can improve a lot and rider faster. I think we can say there’ll be a really good fight during the races.”

Locatelli was not the only Italian rider at the track, with Rinaldi dropping by along with fellow Ducati rider Bulega as they prepared for next week’s WorldSBK test at the Cremona venue with some laps on the road Ducati bike. The #21, who recently spoke about how difficult 2024 has been for him, explained how Friday at the circuit had been a good day for everyone.

The five-time race winner said: “It’s been a positive day for everyone. For us because we were training with the street bike and for the WorldWCR because I think it’s a good opportunity for them to try the bikes and the track and also to enjoy these days. It’s a beautiful day under the sun. Me and Nicolo are training to get ready for the test that’ll be in a week.”

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The FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship test at the Cremona Circuit concluded on Friday afternoon with Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team) leading the time sheets with a big margin over her rivals. The 2018 WorldSSP300 Champion posted the only 1’41s lap time of the test to finish seventh tenths clear of her rivals ahead of the Championship’s inaugural season starting next month at Misano.

TIMES TUMBLE ON DAY 2: finding huge gains…

Carrasco led the times at the end of Day 2, which featured a fully dry day after yesterday’s afternoon rain, but had to fight with Roberta Ponziani (Yamaha Motoxracing WCR Team) for top spot, with the pair pushing each other closer to the 1’41s. The #22 of Carrasco smashed that barrier with a 1’41.446s, which she set in the seventh and final session of the day, while Ponziani’s 1’42.121s came in the fifth session. Sara Sanchez (511 Terra&Vita Racing Team) was third and around half-a-second back from Carrasco. Times on Friday started in the 1’44s and 1’45s brackets but dropped rapidly during track action, with Carrasco finding more than four seconds as the day progressed.

NEILA STRONG, OURDENICKOVA QUICK AGAIN: an order starting to form?

With this test the first time riders were on track together for the WorldWCR, but at a circuit none of them had been on with the Yamaha R7, a pecking order might have started to form. Beatriz Neila (Ampito / Pata Prometeon Yamaha) improved consistently throughout the test to finish in fourth place, ahead of Adela Ourednickova (DafitMotoracing) in fifth. Just a tenth separated the Spaniard, who had Jonathan Rea’s (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) Crew Chief, Andrew Pitt working with her on Friday, and Ourednickova. Tayla Relph (TAYCO Motorsport) was one of several riders who used the final 10-minute session to full effect, moving up the order to claim sixth with a 1’43.571s

FOUR RIDERS, TWO TENTHS: a closely fought season in store?

Relph’s late surge meant Jessica Howden (Team Trasimeno) was demoted out of the top six and finished in seventh, ahead of Mallory Dobbs (Sekhmet Motorcycle Racing Team) who also climbed up the order. Running in 15^th until the final session, the American was classified in eighth after setting a 1’43.881s in the final moments of the test. Lucy Michel (TSL-Racing) was ninth with Isis Carreno (AD78 FIM Latinoamerica by Team GP3), one of the few riders whose best times didn’t come in either of the final two sessions, finishing the day in 10^th.

TOO CLOSE TO CALL: less than a second separate P11 and P15

Pakita Ruiz (PS Racing Team 46+1) finished just outside the top ten with a 1’44.147s, finishing the second day in 11^th place. She was just a tenth ahead of South Africa’s Nicole Van Aswegen (Andalaft Racing) in 12^th, whose best time of 1’44.213s came in the penultimate session. Ran Yochay (511 Terra&Vita Racing Team) was 13^th, setting her best time in the final session, with Ornella Ongaro (Yamaha Motoxracing WCR Team) and Chun Mei Liu (WT Racing Team Taiwan) completing the top 15.

JUST MISSING OUT: the barest of margins keep Madrigal out of the top 15

Just a tenth stopped Astrid Madrigal (ITALIKA Racing FIMLA) claiming a top-15 spot, with the Mexican rider’s 1’44.986s unable to move her into the top 15 places. She did, however, have a big margin to Lena Kemmer (Bertl K. Racing Team) in 17^th, with the Austrian rider around half a second back from Madrigal. Luna Hirano (Team Luna) came home in 18^th, two tenths back from Kemmer, with Iryna Nadieieva (MPS.RT) and Andrea Sibaja (Deza – Box 77 Racing Team) completing the top 20. Alyssia Whitmore (Sekhmet Motorcycle Racing Team), Mia Rusthen (Rusthen Racing) and Sara Varon (ITALIKA Racing FIMLA) were the final classified riders; Varon’s day ended early with the Colombian rider’s time – a 1’48.067s – coming in the third session of the day and she did not set any times in any later sessions.

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Times rapidly fell at the Cremona Circuit on Day 2 of the FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship as weather conditions improved and the 23-strong field got more mileage under their belt. Friday morning’s action was topped by Roberta Ponziani (Yamaha Motoxracing WCR Team) after she set the first 1’42s lap of the Italian venue in the fourth session of the day, with most riders finding a huge chunk of time as the day progressed.

With the sun shining in Cremona after yesterday’s rain, riders were finding plenty more time as they continued to adapt to the circuit, bike, and tyres. The majority were able to improve their team in the latter stages of the morning with more experience of the Yamaha R7 and Pirelli tyres under their belt, with the fastest time in the morning on Friday around three seconds quicker than Thursday’s fastest time.

Ponziani’s best time was a 1’42.438s, which the Italian set in the middle of the final 20-minute session of the morning action. She was the first rider throughout the test to set a time in the 1’42s bracket, finishing around six tenths clear of Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team) in second. Like Ponziani, Carrasco found time as the morning progressed, with her best time a 1’43.044s. Third place belonged to Czech rider Adela Ourednickova (DafitMotoracing) after she set a 1’43.374s, around three tenths behind the 2018 WorldSSP300 Champion.

German teenager Lucy Michel (TSL-Racing) put in a late lap in the fourth session to haul herself up to P4 overall, setting a 1’43.446s and demoting Sara Sanchez (511 Terra&Vita Racing Team) into fifth with just two hundredths of a second separating the pair. Beatriz Nelia (Ampito / Pata Prometeon Yamaha) completed the top six with a 1’43.847s, and she found her place in the top six under threat from Australia’s Tayla Relph (TAYCO Motorsport) with just 0.002s separating the pair.

Relph had to settle for seventh and she was around half a tenth clear of Jessica Howden (Team Trasimeno) in eighth. Her time, a 1’43.902s, was two tenths quicker than Pakita Ruiz (PS Racing Team 46+1) in ninth, with the Spaniard closing the morning with a 1’44.147s. However, her session was disrupted by a crash although she was okay and returned to the pitlane. Isis Carreno (AD78 FIM Latinoamerica by Team GP3) rounded out the top ten with a 1’44.494s.

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The first collective track action for the FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship took place at the Cremona Circuit in Italy, with Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team) taking advantage of dry conditions in the morning to end the day on top. With rain falling in the afternoon, times didn’t improve after the second session which allowed the Spaniard to secure P1 on Day 1 of the test. With the season starting at Misano in a month, the test will prove valuable for the grid to get accustomed to their Yamaha R7 machines and Pirelli tyres even with wet conditions impacting Day 1.

DRY RUNNING ORDER: Carrasco leads Michel and Ourednickova

The best times of the day were set in the morning as rain fell and thunder blared at around 14:00 Local Time (UTC+2), forcing everyone to swap from Pirelli’s slick tyres to the wet tyres. It meant Carrasco, the 2018 WorldSSP300 Champion, was fastest on Day 1 with a 1’45.949s, four tenths clear of 19-year-old Lucy Michel (TSL-Racing) in second. Third place belonged to Adela Ourednickova (DafitMotoracing), who set a 1’47.250s to round out the top three. However, the Czech rider was the first crasher of the test, coming down at the end of the straight in the fourth session.

NOT FAR BEHIND: impressing on debut…

Ran Yochay (511 Terra&Vita Racing Team) just missed out on a place in the top three when she set a 1’47.455s, just two tenths away from Czech rider Ourednickova ahead. It was closely-contested in the 20-minute Free Practice 1 session – the final dry session of the day – with the USA’s Mallory Dobbs (Sekhmet Motorcycle Racing Team) in fifth, a tenth behind Yochay, and Australia’s Tayla Relph (TAYCO Motorsport) in sixth. The Brisbane-born competitor was fastest in the 10-minute Warm Up session that started the day to start her campaign strongly at a circuit she was riding at for the first time.

NINE COUNTRIES IN THE TOP NINE: quick riders from all over the world

Chun Mei Liu (WT Racing Team Taiwan) secured a seventh-place finish on Day 1 after setting a 1’48.545s, finishing almost two tenths ahead of Jessica Howden (Team Trasimeno) in eighth. Just half a tenth separated Howden in P8 and Roberta Ponziani (Yamaha Motoxracing WCR Team) in ninth, with the Italian setting a 1’48.712s. Nine different nationalities were represented in the top nine on Day 1, showcasing the diversity of the inaugural WorldWCR field. Nicole Van Aswegen (Andalaft Racing) completed the top ten with a 1’50.086s, around 1.4 seconds slower than Ponziani ahead.

THE RAIN FALLS: times don’t improve in the afternoon

Despite rain falling, the WorldWCR field took advantage to test the Yamaha R7 in wet conditions. Michel was the first rider to head out in the third session, followed quickly by Ornella Ongaro (Yamaha Motoxracing WCR Team) and Nicole Van Aswegen (Andalaft Racing). The fastest time came from Chun Mei Liu (WT Racing Team Taiwan) in the fourth session as she posted a 1’54.139s, only 0.138s clear of Dobbs in second after she set a 1’54.277s. Third place went to Relph, who was a second away from Mei Liu’s time, but also almost 1.5 seconds faster than Astrid Madrigal (ITALIKA Racing FIMLA) in fourth.

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The two-day Cremona Circuit test for the FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship gives riders the chance to get used to their Yamaha R7 machines, in both dry and wet conditions after rain fell in Italy. Lucy Michel (TSL-Racing) was one of the fastest riders on track in the dry, and one of the first to test the wet conditions, and she reviewed her day after finishing second out of the 23 riders at the test.

19-year-old Michel was second in the combined timings for the first three sessions, which was composed of a 10-minute Warm Up session to start the day and then two Free Practice sessions which lasted 20 minutes. Her best time was 1’46.349s, lapping exactly four tenths slower than pacesetter Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team) who lapped Cremona in 1’45.949s. In the fourth session – another 20-minute Free Practice – the German rider was eighth fastest, posting a 2’00.034s as rain began to fall.

Looking back on her first day with the Yamaha R7, the bike all competitors will ride, Michel said: “It’s an amazing feeling. The track is so nice and I’m feeling so good on the bike. The wet conditions were very difficult for me. I learnt today more feeling about the bike and in the rain. It’s my first time riding the bike in the wet conditions. The plan for tomorrow is to keep learning, tomorrow should have good weather.”

Despite her young age, Michel has a vast amount of experience to her name after competing in German championships. She raced in the IDM Supersport 300 series last year, finishing in 21^st place, while she has also been a points scorer in the ADAC Junior Cup. She’s tasted podium success in the Yamaha R3 bLU cRU Cup in Germany, doing the double at Schleizer Dreieck in 2022 as a guest rider.

The Cremona test gave her the opportunity to try the Yamaha R7 bike that she’ll race with in 2024 as she competes in the first season of WorldWCR. It’s been a strong start for the teenager so far despite tricky conditions and limited running, but Michel will feel positive heading into Day 2 after securing a top-three spot so soon into her WorldWCR career.

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Tayla Relph (TAYCO Motorsport) made a small bit of FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship history on Thursday at Cremona as the Australian topped the first-ever session in the new Championship. She was quickest in Warm Up which started the two-day test in Italy and finished the day inside the top six at a track she hadn’t competed at before. After the action concluded, she spoke about her first day on track and explained why she’s competing in WorldWCR this season.

The first action started with a 10-minute Warm Up session which Relph topped, setting a 1’50.113s to write her name in the history books as the first rider to top a WorldWCR session. Although unable to keep her place at the top during the next session – a 20-minute Free Practice 2 outing – the Australian was able to secure sixth place with a 1’47.631s, lapping 1.6 seconds slower than pacesetter Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team).

Reflecting on her strong day and small bit of history, Relph said: “In my first session here, I definitely didn’t expect to be topping the timesheets. I’ve never ridden here before, never ridden the bike in Europe before and we only came here last week. To top the very first session for the history-making WorldWCR is a little bit of a dream come true. I didn’t even think about that! I’m loving this bike, feeling right at home in this paddock and you can tell it’s such a family environment.”

Relph, who has also competed in her native Australia in the Supersport 300 Championship, also went on to explain what her plan was for the second and final day of action on Friday. The 27-year-old also expressed how she hopes her participation in the Championship will help grow the sport for women, explaining that she didn’t have many role models growing up and how she would feel if just one more woman got involved in motorsport thanks to her competing on the world stage.

The rider from Warrnambool said: “The plan for tomorrow is to learn a bit more. I wish we had one more session in the dry. But when it rains it means you can work on the technical parts of the circuit. We’ve shown the pace in the dry and in the wet so now it’s time to put it all together for tomorrow. There’s not enough representation in Australia, we race against the men. I didn’t have a lot of role models in racing growing up, so if I can just convince one more woman to get involved in this sport in Australia, that’s a World Championship to me.”

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2024 marks the start of the FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship and the first glimpse of the field came at the recently renovated Cremona Circuit in northern Italy. 23 riders gathered at the circuit to mark WorldWCR’s track debut, with action kicking off on Thursday at midday local time (UTC+2). Check out the first images from the WorldWCR field’s first track outing in the gallery at the top of this page!

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The inaugural season of the FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship is just readying to get underway next month at Misano but there’s plenty of track action to look forward to until then. 30-year-old American Mallory Dobbs (Sekhmet Motorcycle Racing Team) has been racing in MotoAmerica’s Supersport category but this year will join plenty more in taking part in the first-ever WorldWCR season.

“IT’S SO MUCH OF AN HONOUR” – Dobbs set for world stage debut

Speaking about being a part of the Championship, Dobbs stated: “It’s so much of an honour; I didn’t think I’d be doing it! I am so stoked, I’ve been talking about it since the end of January even though some people were saying I didn’t seem that excited! I’m ready to go and ride like every racer is. We’ve been training on and off track, doing as much riding as possible. Obviously, the gym as well with running and other cardio. We haven’t been able to train much on the R7. We’ve been trying to acquire a testing bike in America which is obviously a bit of a hard thing. I wish we could be riding more but I’m excited.”

“WE’VE GOT A LOT OF GOALS” – can American star rise to the top?

Embarking on European soil for the first time also has its attraction: “I’ve actually never been to Europe; I’ve left the USA twice in my life and went to Mexico! It’s really exciting to go to Europe and see the places but also race on some iconic race tracks. Cremona is new but Misano, Portimao and all the places you see on TV; I get to go and ride them.”

Targetting strong showings from the start, will she be able to fight at the front? “We’ve got a lot of goals and set our sights pretty high. I raced in MotoAmerica last year for a full year on a Supersport bike, so I have expectations for myself. There’s not a lot of people who know about me and my expectations as I’ve never raced with any of these girls. My expectations are high for me personally but I don’t know. We’ll see when we get on the race track and start doing times.”

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