EPIC PODIUM BATTLE AND FASTEST LAP FOR BEATRIZ NEILA IN FIM WOMEN’S CIRCUIT RACING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FOR AMPITO / PATA PROMETEON YAMAHA

Spanish racer Beatriz Neila fought hard for the podium in both races at the opening round of the FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship at Misano in Italy, on her #36 Ampito / Pata Prometeon Yamaha R7, this weekend.

In a rescheduled five-lap WorldWCR Race 1 re-start on Saturday afternoon, Neila capitalised on an excellent start from fourth on the grid to run third until the last lap. The 22-year-old only lost out in the closing stages as two riders were able to take advantage of her slipstream on Misano’s long back straight to conclude an exciting battle for the final podium position.

Sunday was a new opportunity for all the riders in the first motorcycling world championship exclusively for women, and Race 2 was held at full 12-lap race distance in front of a packed crowd by the Adriatic Coast. Neila was determined to fight for the podium once again against her fellow compatriots – Maria Herrera, Ana Carrasco and Sara Sanchez.

It looked as though Neila would have the better of Carrasco, as the group of four kept in close contact and swapped positions throughout, but the final lap battle saw Neila cross the line fourth by a tiny margin of 0.047 and less than 1.5 seconds from the winner. Despite the disappointment of missing the podium, Neila picked up the Best Lap Award for the fastest lap of the weekend on Lap 11 with a 1'47.961.

The WorldWCR series continues in just a few weeks’ time at Donington Park in the UK, from 12-14 July.

Beatriz Neila – SP: P6 / Race 1: P5 / Race 2: P4

“This championship is amazing, it’s really good to make a start and it is a dream come true to be part of it. My race weekend in general was a bit difficult, in the first start of Race 1 I did a great start but with the red flag and race restart later in the day it made me quite nervous. In the restart I finished P5 which was not a good result for me after holding P3 for most of the race, but I was ready to fight again on Sunday. Today, the race was hard but at the same time it was super fun because I learned a lot and also the start was good! Finally, I did also the fastest lap of the weekend, honestly faster than I expected, and I am super happy for this. Also, thank you to Ampito and all my team because everyone – Jonathan, Andrew, Locatelli, Paul, Alessandro, Sarah – everyone supports me and gives me the best! It was also amazing to have my family here supporting me. I have never visited Donington Park, so I am excited for the next race and again I will do my best!”