Carrasco triumphs at the end of a nail-biting WorldWCR ‘sprint’ at Portimao
Race 2 Highlights:
In a restarted and shortened WorldWCR Race 2, it was Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team) who powered the Yamaha YZF-R7 to victory to secure her second success of the season.
Saturday’s race winner Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Factory Team) was relegated to the third step of the rostrum after both Carrasco and Sara Sanchez (511 Terra&Vita Racing Team) were able to pass her in the final seconds in an edge-of-the-seat finale.
After Tayla Relph (TAYCO Motorsport), Nicole Van Aswegen (Andalaft Racing) and Jessica Howden (Team Trasimeno) crashed on lap one, the race was red-flagged and restarted a few minutes later, though reduced to just 7 laps.
In a repeat of Race 1, it was the Spanish quartet comprising Carrasco, Sanchez, Herrera and Beatriz Neila (Ampito / Pata Prometeon Yamaha) who again built an early lead over the rest of the pack in the restarted race.
Neila just missed the podium today, while Italian Roberta Ponziani (Yamaha Motoxracing WCR Team) and Spaniard Pakita Ruiz (PS Racing Team 46+1) placed P5 and P6 after each running a relatively solitary race.
Herrera and Carrasco were the weekend’s top points scorers, each banking another 41 championship points with a first- and a third-place finish apiece.
Relph and Van Aswegen were taken to the circuit medical centre following their Turn 3 incident. The Australian has sustained an injury to her left lower leg, while the South African has been transferred to hospital with a suspected right femur fracture, thigh wound, and right shoulder dislocation.
With 129 points to her name, Herrera retains the championship lead but now has just a seven-point advantage over second-placed Carrasco, whose Race 2 win boosts her points total to 122
Occupying third and fourth place in the standings are Sanchez (108) and Neila (83 points)
Key Points:
Race 1 winner: Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Factory Team)
Race 2 winner: Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team)
Race fastest lap: Sara Sanchez (511 Terra&Vita Racing Team) - 1’53.691 (Race 1)