The FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship season has featured a host of talented riders putting on a show round after round to provide some of the best racing action seen across all of the race weekend’s Championships. Now at the halfway juncture of their season, the first and second place riders, Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Racing Team) and Beatriz Nelia (Ampito Crescent Yamaha) find themselves separated by just nine points ahead of Round 4 at Hungary’s Balaton Park Circuit after having have battled race in and race out. Will Herrera’s experience prove decisive and claim the Title after finishing a close runner-up last season? Or will Neila’s blazing one-lap speed make the difference and see her crowned Champion?

PUTTING THE HAMMER DOWN: “I had to push in order to win and create more of a gap in points for the Championship”

Herrera took Race 1’s holeshot after starting in P2; the #6 tailed closely behind by Jones and Neila. She held the lead until Lap 7, when the #36 took P1. A lap later, home rider Chloe Jones passed her to shuffle Herrera down to P3. The current Championship leader was not going to be denied, however, and by the outset of Lap 11, she had retaken first place, a position she would go on to hold until she passed the chequered flag for her third win of the season.

On her Race 1 win, Herrera said: “The race was difficult, I tried to do a gap at the beginning, but I saw on the pit board that my gap wasn’t growing. I couldn’t separate myself, so I tried to manage the brakes, which had been giving me problems all weekend, making it difficult to push every lap. I tried to watch Neila in front of me and relax on the brakes until the last lap when I pushed. That’s what I had to do, but we need to address the issue with the brakes. It was fun racing with different girls, Chloe Jones (GR Motorsport) was up at the front, and I think the home fans wanted her to win, but I had to push in order to win and create more of a gap in points for the Championship.”

NEILA TRYING FOR A COMEBACK: “I feel good about the Championship picture from here”

After leaving Assen tied on points, Neila’s pair of P3’s compared to Herrera’s pair of race wins at Cremona put the current Championship runner-up 13 points behind. Now, with the dust having settled on WorldWCR’s Round 3 at Donington, Neila gained five points on the #6 who remains leading the Championship. With the season at its halfway point, every point is crucial for the pair as only six races remain.

On her Race 2 win and her perspective looking ahead, Neila said: “I’m happy, this victory means a lot, I worked super hard these last two months and this win provides extra motivation to continue in this manner. The race was challenging because there were a large number of riders in the same group. We didn’t do very well early on; my time was slowed by the presence of other riders right there with us. With two laps to go, I created a mini gap, setting the fastest lap and winning the race for me, so I’m super happy. I feel good about the Championship picture from here, now the Championship is super close, closer than ever, I have to work hard to arrive at Balaton and Magny-Cours better than ever. I have a lot of work to do. I’m excited for Balaton, I like the chicanes, and it has a lot of them; I think it will be a good circuit for me.”

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