Reigning FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Champion Maria Herrera joined the Terra & Vita GRT Yamaha WorldWCR Team for the 2026 season. Her mechanic is Lucrezia Vercelloni, one of few women working in a technical role in the WorldWCR series. In a special feature, the pair discuss working together, the current landscape and changing it in the future.
THE WorldWCR EXPERIENCE
Both Maria and Lucrezia have been a part of WorldWCR since its inception, in 2024. Discussing WorldWCR, Vercelloni said: “WorldWCR is a very interesting environment in which to work because we essentially all ‘share’ a garage so there’s a real collaborative spirit. It’s like we’ve created a small community of our own inside the WorldSBK paddock. It’s great to see how the women riders support each other too, offering advice and helping each other. The Italian and European championships are a great platform, but here you have a lot more eyes on you. There’s a lot of interest, also because it’s a relatively new Championship.”
Herrera added: “People sometimes think women riders are slower or less aggressive, but I’ve been very impressed. It’s a challenge every year. We’re at the limit with the bike in WorldWCR, and this year the level is incredible! The bikes are the same for everyone, which levels the playing field. So, you must fight harder and be more precise with certain details than is perhaps necessary in another category, like MotoE or WorldSSP.”
A NEW DYNAMIC
2026 brought a fresh challenge, as Herrera adjusted to a new team, while Vercelloni faced the pressure of working with the reigning champion. On this change, Herrera said: “I hoped to do a pre-season test to get to know the team, but it wasn’t possible and so we came to the first round without really knowing each other. But in the end, it was easy and I immediately felt good. It helped that I already felt fast at the first Portimao round, so I was calm and relaxed. And I’m still riding an R7 of course. Switching teams can be tricky, but I know I just have to trust myself and get on with it. I work with one mechanic and one technician, so it’s just the three of us, and I feel very comfortable.”
Vercelloni added: “Maria brings so much experience of course. There’s a little more pressure perhaps, but it’s normal to feel a little under pressure when you work with a high-level professional. You always try to do your best and know you’re being closely watched, but that also pushes you to do even better. I think she teaches us, just as we can teach her certain things. Maria’s very good at what she does, and the crew chief, a former rider, is able to steer her in terms of communication, to better understand what she’s feeling on the bike.”
CHANGING THE LANDSCAPE
Herrera and Vercelloni continue to break barriers in motorsport, but have there been challenges along the way?
Herrera said: “After leading the 2013 CEV Moto3 Championship, they didn’t give me the opportunity to step up to an official team. I just didn’t get that chance. I’d been leading the Championship, and everything was good, so I feel the lack of opportunity had to do with me being a woman rider; I believe we face more obstacles, at least in the beginning. But over the years, I’ve always got on well with my teams. One or two riders were difficult or might be overly aggressive in response to me overtaking them in a race. But generally, I’ve felt that other riders and paddock staff respect me. I’d like to see more female technicians of course! I think women can do any job they want, technician, mechanic, anything. Things are improving step by step, and there are now more female mechanics in the MotoGP paddock too. When I started racing, women only worked in organisational areas, travel or hospitality.”
Lucrezia added: “Fortunately, I’ve always worked on teams that welcomed me and were willing to teach me. We’re all here to work, to achieve a goal, and I’ve never come up against any walls. I would say it’s a very positive environment. Sometimes people offer help because they assume that, as a woman, I’m not physically capable of doing something, but that’s okay and I don’t really get offended. There are not many women technicians in WorldWCR, just me and a couple of others. I think some girls are self-conscious about working in this world, but if they see women carving a path here, maybe they too will have the courage to give it a go.”
BUILDING THE FUTURE
As they continue to develop in their respective careers, the pair share their goals for the future, from competing at the highest level to supporting the next generation.
On her plans for the future, Vercelloni said: “The focus is on my race work right now. I’m definitely open to working in another category in the future, WorldSBK perhaps. It’s another world, different bikes, different work rhythms, but would be a very interesting technical challenge. It’s a dream of mine to work on bigger bikes.”
Herrera explained her plans that go beyond being on track: “Next year, I hope to keep pushing in this Championship. Then, beyond WorldWCR, I want to help and support young women, also via the Spanish Federation. It’s something I already do actually, as my goal is to pass on everything I know to a new generation. This is very important to me.”
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