Carrasco, first ever Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship
Six years after Ana Carrasco dropped a major milestone in international motorcycle racing, the Spaniard returned to even more prominence when she aced the inaugural FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship on home turf in Jerez.
The 27-year-old wrapped up the WCR title with a brace of podium finishes in the two outings at the famous Andalucian circuit. The first-ever Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship is a dedicated high-level category that ran for six rounds and at European World Superbike events this summer.
Carrasco was one of the stars of the series and arguably the most high-profile racer after her 2018 WorldSSP300 win marked her name in the annals of the sport as she took on her male counterparts and triumphed. Ana, the first female to score Moto3 Grand Prix points when she was part of the MotoGP paddock in 2012, had battled back from broken shoulder, leg and vertebrae injuries in recent years to assume the role as chief pacesetter in WCR.
The series dropped into WorldSBK fixtures in San Marino, UK, Portugal (twice), Italy and Spain and with all 25 runners on the grid steering the same Yamaha R7 kitted race machinery. There were two races at each event. Carrasco found tough opposition in the form of countrywoman Maria Herrera. Ana finished on the podium every time: 12 trophies, four of which were wins. The third triumph allowed her to rise to the top of the standings by round four of six and she grasped the ultimate gold medal watched by family, friends and fans at Jerez.
“I’m so happy to be world champion again,” #22 said. “It was a fantastic season and I’m really happy for that. I’m also really grateful to all the Monster family for the support during all these seasons and really proud to achieve this title for all of you.”
“Maria made it really difficult for me today,” Ana said. “She passed me on the limit a few times so I decided to stay behind and play it safe. I attacked more in the last corner because I needed that 3rd position but she crashed and that was it. I’m happy and so proud to be on the podium every race: it’s the first time in my career I achieve something like that.”
“I had to really fight for this one,” she added. “I had to manage a lot of difficult situations during the races and the championship was so close. This meant I had to focus every single race on my job. This win is important because I came from a few tough seasons and two injuries. Not everybody can be world champion: it’s a bit crazy…I proved I am still a winning rider and now it is time to party.”
Carrasco will deservingly scoop the WCR praise, but winter rest will be short. The 2025 championship will accelerate fast again in April 2025 and with increasing speculation that WCR will soon join the MotoGP support card.
