Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round – Herrera just beats Carrasco across the line in an historic first WorldWCR race at Misano

Race 1 Highlights:
Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Factory Team) wins the inaugural five-lap WorldWCR race at the Misano World Circuit, setting a blistering pace and crossing the line just 0.067 of a second ahead of fellow Spaniard Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team)

Sara Sanchez (511 Terra&Vita Racing Team) came out on top in the exciting battle for third, closing half a second ahead of Roberta Ponziani (Yamaha Motoxracing WCR Team), fourth, and Beatriz Neila (Ampito / Pata Prometeon Yamaha), fifth

It was Spaniard Carrasco who set the fastest lap of the race, a 1’48.594 (lap four). This result means that she will start Sunday’s Race 2 from pole position

The race came to a premature end for Lena Kemmer (Bertl K. Racing Team), Iryna Nadieieva (MPS.RT) and Mallory Dobbs (Sekhmet Motorcycle Racing Team), all of whom crashed but sustained no serious injuries

It was a race of three parts, the original race red-flagged on lap six due to a serious incident for Mia Rusthen (Rusthen Racing) through Turn 16. Norwegian Rusthen has suffered a head injury with concussion and is currently receiving treatment at the Bufalini Trauma Centre in Cesena. The patient’s condition has been stabilised

A second ‘heat’ was also red-flagged after Jessica Howden (Team Trasimeno) crashed on lap one. The South African rider has been diagnosed with concussion and was transported by helicopter to the Bufalini Trauma Centre. The rider is conscious

Championship Standings:
Herrera’s maiden WorldWCR victory means that she takes an early championship lead with 25 points
Carrasco and Sanchez follow close behind, having banked 20 and 16 points respectively

Key Points:
Pole position: Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Factory Team) – 1’49.390
Race 1 winner: Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Factory Team)
Race fastest lap: Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team) – 1’48.594

More on worldsbk.com
P1 | Maria Herrera | Klint Forward Factory Team
“I’m so happy, not only to have won the first ever WorldWCR race, but also because we have been able to achieve this result after so much hard work over the last month. I didn’t even ride the bike until yesterday but I really wanted to win, so I pushed hard in every session and was also able to set pole, which came as a nice surprise. I had a great battle with Ana in the race; it was tough, and I was on the limit, but I was strong on the brakes. I still need to understand the bike more in order to be faster, but I’m working well with the team and am really pleased with what we’ve done so far.”

P2 | Ana Carrasco | Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team
“I’m pretty happy with today’s result, especially after the red flags earlier in the day. A race made up of only five laps is always difficult to manage and, in the end, I wasn’t quite able to win, but it was very close. I’ll try to improve a little ahead of tomorrow and go for the win in Race 2. This is my first race since last October so Maria has definitely had more race experience than me this season, and perhaps the sprint format suited her better today. Our pace was almost identical though, so I think we’re in for a similar race tomorrow. I think there were some nerves among the riders today, with this being the very first race in a new championship, but that’s to be expected I guess; I was nervous too!”

P3 | Sara Sanchez | 511 Terra&Vita Racing Team
“Today was not easy, not least because we started the race three times. I’m very happy to have reached the podium, also because the level is very high, but I want to keep improving so that I can try to win tomorrow. I lost time off the line today and then only had five laps in which to make up the lost ground. It was great to be there battling with Neila and Ponziani, but I think with a longer race tomorrow I can be more competitive, as long as I make a better start than I did in Race 1.”