Round 2 of the FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship season provided one of the most thrilling races of the season so far, featuring a three-rider battle for the race win between Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Racing Team), teammate Roberta Ponziani and Beatriz Nelia (Ampito Crescent Yamaha) at the Cremona Circuit. The three riders are currently the top three in the Riders’ Championship, Herrera leading with 90 points, Neila in second place with 77, and Ponziani in third with 69 points.

Race 2 saw Herrera lead the first 17 laps of the 20-lap race; however, she was being doggedly pursued by Neila, Ponziani, Sara Sanchez (Terra & Vita GRT Yamaha WorldWCR Team) and Avalon Lewis (Carl Cox Motorsports). The trio in the front three positions pulled away from Sanchez and Lewis as the laps piled up, culminating in a thrilling sequence in the final corner of the last lap. Neila lunged past Herrera on the outside, braking late to try to cut back across her nose. Herrera however, cut inside, seizing the space Neila had left to take back the lead. Ponziani then snuck through behind Herrera to finish shuffling Neila down to P3.

“I saw Beatriz overtake me, I thought, ‘I don’t know where, but I need to overtake her’” – Herrera on the last-minute heroics at Cremona Race 2

Maria Herrera’s late overtake on Neila to retake P1 was important for Herrera to be able to extend her lead over the rest of the grid. Her and Neila flew home from Assen tied for the Championship lead at a P1 and a P2 apiece, Cremona saw Herrera grow her lead to 13 points, and 21 points above Ponziani. She will bring momentum into Donington, a circuit that she topped the podium at last year.

On her Race 2 win, Herrera said, “I’m happy because I pushed to the limit and feel really comfortable on the bike. I tried to make a gap but when I looked at the pit board and it said there were still 4 or 5 riders close behind, I didn’t understand how they were all still there! The girls are very very fast and they tried to push me to the limit and make me make a mistake, but I knew I had to be calm and relaxed and do my best until the last corner. When I saw Beatriz overtake me, I thought, ‘I don’t know where, but I need to overtake her’. I was able to brake later than her, and the impact when we touched was difficult, but I managed to stay in control and ended up winning.”

“I expected to see Herrera try something when Beatriz was trying to get past her because I know Herrera is aggressive” – Ponziani after Race 2

Ponziani was in the right place at the right time Sunday afternoon in her Race 2; she was able to hang with the group at the front as they pulled away from Lewis and Sanchez, maintaining the gap at about a quarter of a second of Neila. She stayed in her slipstream, and after Neila made her move but was forced wide by Herrera, Ponziani saw her moment and took it well through the final sequence of corners.

On the closing moments of Race 2, Ponziani said: “It was good that I was able to get P2, but I was struggling on the turns. I made a mistake on the last lap, on the corner before the final straight. I wanted to get the slipstream, but I braked late, and the rear tyre slipped a bit. I expected to see Herrera try something when Beatriz was trying to get past her because I know Herrera is aggressive, and Beatriz was going to try to pass her. In the end, Neila tried, but Maria closed the door, and I just tried to get through as well on the inside.”

“I tried again to pass Maria, but right then, Roberta arrived at the corner” -Neila on the final sector of her Race 2

Neila's weekend at Cremona was a tough break for the Madrid native. She continues to show exceptional speed, and courage in spades when it comes to trying to complete overtakes. At Cremona however, her late attempt to overtake Herrera backfired as she was boxed off the racing line, and in the space left behind Herrera on the inside, Ponziani slipped by, leaving Neila with a pair of P3s on the weekend. Her Happy-go-lucky nature took this misfortune in stride however smiling as much as ever as she broke down the conclusion of Race 2.

Neila broke down how she saw the conclusion of Race 2, saying: “I overtook Maria on the outside, but Maria cut inside, so I tried to brake hard, but Maria hit the brakes on the racing line, so she won the position, and I tried again to pass Maria, but right then, Roberta arrived at the corner, so she overtook me on the last corner too, so I took third. I’m happy because my feeling in Race 2 was better than in Race 1 so I’m happy and proud of the job we did here.”

Stay tuned for more racing action next time out at Donington Park for the Prosecco DOC UK Round July 11^th-13^th. Keep up with the latest news by following WorldWCR on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook, and watch every race FREE on YouTube!