Roberta Ponziani won Race One of the World Women’s Circuit Racing at Cremona Circuit, in Italy. Riding her Klint Forward Racing Team Yamaha YZF-R7 on Pirelli control tires, Ponziani won the 12-lap race by 0.150 second.
Her teammate, Maria Herrera was the runner-up.
Beatriz Neila was third on her Ampito Crescent Yamaha Yamaha YZF-R7.
American Sonya Lloyd finished 19th on her Team Trasimeno Yamaha YZF-R7 and American Mallory Dobbs crashed her Diva Racing Yamaha YZF-R7 on Turn 2.
Results WCR race 1
More, from a press release issued by Dorna:
Ponziani claims first WorldWCR win with dramatic last-lap overtake on teammate Herrera. Ponziani pipped Herrera in the final sector of the last lap to win her first WorldWCR race as she claimed victory on home soil
FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship action returned on Saturday for their Race 1 at Cremona. Roberta Ponziani (Klint Forward Racing Team) took home the lion’s share of the points for her first ever race win in the Championship during the Acerbis Italian Round, she was followed into Parc Ferme by teammate Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Racing Team) and Beatriz Nelia (Ampito Crescent Yamaha) for their P2 and P3 podium finishes respectively.
LATE DRAMA FOR THE #96: Ponziani takes her first race win from her teammate Herrera
Herrera, Ponziani and Neila had separated themselves from the rest of the pack, a 2.9 second gap had emerged by Lap 7 between Neila in P3 and Sara Sanchez (Terra & Vita GRT Yamaha WorldWCR Team) behind them in P4. Herrera looked like she was going to lock down another race win until a dramatic move in the final sector to claim P1 from her teammate, claiming her first WorldWCR win. While Herrera was shuffled down the order in the dying moments of the race, she can still hang her hat on the fact that she gained points on her title rival Nelia, who rounded out the podium behind her in P3.
MADRIGAL AND SANCHEZ LOCK HORNS: The Mexican rider earns best-ever P4
Mexican rider Astrid Madrigal (Pons Italika Racing FIMLA) clashed with Sara Sanchez (Terra & Vita GRT Yamaha WorldWCR Team) for most of the race at the front of the second group, emerging victorious in the duel to secure her best-ever WorldWCR result in P4. A quarter of a second behind her, Sanchez earned a P5 finish. Avalon Lewis (Carl Cox Motorsports) maintained her P6 position from the race start, another solid result for the Kiwi rider.
TOP 10 RIDERS: In P9, Carreno recoups six positions to tie second-best ever finish for the Chilean
Earning nine points with her P7 finish, Tayla Relph (Full Throttle Racing) will take home solid points from Race 1; behind her in P8, French rider Lucie Boudesseul (GMT94-YAMAHA) crossed the line just over half a second behind Relph, earning her best result of her rookie season. Chilean rider Isis Carreno (Pons Italika Racing FIMLA) charged up the grid from her P15 start position, displaying determination by climbing up to P9 and tying her second-best result in WorldWCR in the process. British rider Chloe Jones (GR Motorsport) crossed the finish line in P10, however after she was applied an irresponsible riding penalty by FIM WorldSBK Stewards, promoting Spanish rider Pakita Ruiz (PR46+1 Racing Team) to P10 as a result.
THREE RIDERS WIPE OUT OF RACE 1: Bondi and Dobbs collide early on
Early on, in Lap 2, Emily Bondi (ZELOS Trasimeno) and Mallory Dobbs (Diva Racing) collided on the entrance to Turn 2, the incident will be reviewed by FIM WorldSBK Stewards as the French rider collided with the rear of the American. A lap later, South African rider Jessica Howden (Team Trasimeno) wiped out on the high-speed Turn 1 entrance, her bike cartwheeling onto the gravel. She was taken to the medical centre for a check-up following the crash.
The top six from the WorldWCR Race 1: Full results here!
1. Roberta Ponziani (Klint Forward Racing Team)
2. Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Racing Team) +0.150s
3. Beatriz Neila (Ampito Crescent Yamaha) +0.397s
4. Astrid Madrigal (Pons Italika Racing FIMLA) +6.377s
5. Sara Sanchez (Terra & Vita GRT Yamaha WorldWCR Team) +6-616s
6. Avalon Lewis (Carl Cox Motorsports) +10.022s
Fastest lap: Roberta Ponziani – 1’40.496s – new lap record
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