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As the second round of the FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship draws nearer, one of this year’s competitors, in her first year as a full-time rider, looks to take a further step forward and carve out a niche for herself in the front positions of the grid. Avalon Lewis (Carl Cox Motorsports) earned her sole WorldWCR appearance at Cremona last year, and this coming Acerbis Italian Round will be an opportunity for the #21 to put the pieces together and claim her first WorldWCR podium.

ASSEN SUMMED UP: P4 in Race 1, crash from the podium battle in Race 2

Last time out, at Assen, Lewis twice missed out on the podium, finishing P4 in Race 1, then suffering a DNF due to a last-lap Turn 17 crash. Regarding her crash she stated how she was frustrated from losing a bit of time earlier in the lap, attempting to push hard and make that time back in order to capitalise if any of the three riders ahead of her were to run wide or run off the track. She unfortunately tucked the front and crashed out of the race.

“I’m living in Brisbane with my husband and child… flying back and forth is a massive effort” – Lots of travelling for Lewis

After her single-event appearance in last year’s inaugural WorldWCR race at the same circuit, Lewis will return to Cremona a more experienced rider in WorldWCR, having raced at Assen and tested at the Italian venue before the 2025 campaign started. She narrowly missed out on a podium spot in Assen, but the result seems close for the Kiwi rider as she looks to bring home glory to her family currently living in Australia.

Discussing her goals for the season, and how her Assen performance was a bit of a surprise, Lewis said: “I came back this year to battle for podium positions, I probably wouldn’t be here if I didn’t believe I could do that. It’s a massive effort. We’re travelling over from Australia; I’m living in Brisbane with my husband and child at the moment so flying back and forth is a massive effort and a costly exercise. We’re putting a lot on the line to be able to do this, so for me the goal is to be battling for the podium. What surprised me was that I didn’t perform too well at the preseason test, so to improve within the space of a week from finishing 8^th at the test to battling for the podium at Assen probably exceeded my expectations.”

“To get that last 5% out of the R7 is really hard, I think that will be my challenge of the year”- Lewis on where she wants to improve

Even in Lewis’s first and only race last season here at Cremona, she found herself in the heart of the pack, finishing top 8 in both races. Now she has proven that she can not only compete with the peloton, but she can fight for the podium. Across both of Assen’s races, the #21 held P3 for multiple laps, even maintaining the position for the first half of Assen’s Race 2 before a move by Sara Sanchez (Terra & Vita GRT Yamaha WorldWCR Team) shuffled her off of the rostrum, before the final chicane fall.

Talking about her hopes and challenges for the year, Lewis said: “I’m definitely hoping to be up in the top three and hoping to be getting on the podium. I’m just really enjoying the experience, it’s obviously a challenge and I’m not saying it will be easy or that it’s a given, I’ll be there battling, it’s a huge challenge to be there at the front there. They are such great bikes too, the R7 is nice to ride, but to get that last little 5% out of them is really hard, I think that will be my challenge of the year, but I’m really looking forward to it.”

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