Saturday’s Race 1 in Assen is in the books as the FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship took to the track for the first point-scoring opportunity of the season. The second-ever season in WorldWCR history was inaugurated with a win by Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Racing Team), who battled all race with Beatriz Neila (Ampito Crescent Yamaha) hinting at what might be a battle in the season to come for the Riders’ Championship.

HERRERA VS NEILA SHOOTOUT GOES DOWN TO THE FINAL CHICANE: Neila overtakes for P1, but track limits violation shuffles her to P2

Herrera’s pole position start helped her to a quick start out of the gates, taking the holeshot into Turn 1, she had a tougher time defending P1 than she did in Friday’s Superpole however, as Nelia clung to Herrera’s shadow, looming nearly within striking distance for most of the race. She gave Herrera a run for her money from Lap 9 on, trading overtakes in consecutive laps; culminating in a final sector duel, where Neila overtook Herrera for P1. However, she was given a one position penalty for exceeding track limits on the final lap at Turn 17, demoting her to P2.

LEWIS AND SANCHEZ DUEL FOR P3: New Zealander stakes her claim on P3

Rookie Avalon Lewis (Carl Cox Motorsports) jumped up from the second row to take P3 into the first corner, from there, Lewis, Roberta Ponziani (Klint Forward Racing Team) and Sara Sanchez (Terra & Vita GRT Yamaha WorldWCR Team) entered a protracted battle for P3, repeatedly overtaking each other as none of the three riders could pull away until Ponziani fell slightly behind the pair of Lewis and Sanchez, going on to finish in P5. As Sanchez and Lewis separated themselves from the pack behind them, they locked horns and battled for P3 until Sanchez in turn pulled away from the New Zealander rookie who impressed in her first career WorldWCR race, earning P4.

ROOKIE JONES’ STANDOUT RESULT: British rider earns P6

British rookie Chloe Jones (GR Motorsport) distinguished herself in her first WorldWCR race, earning P6 ahead of second-year Australian rider Tayla Relph (Full Throttle Racing) in P7. Mexican rider Astrid Madrigal (Pons Italika Racing FIMLA) worked her way up from a P11 start to finish P8, just 0.064s behind Relph. Emily Bondi (ZELOS Trasimeno) was the best performing French rider in Race 1 charging up the grid from a P12 start to finish P9. Isis Carreno (Pons Italika Racing FIMLA) logged a top-10 finish in Race 1, almost rising to P9, just half a tenth slower than Bondi.

MICHEL AND BOUDESSEUL CRASH OUT: Turn 11 and Turn 7 respectively

Lucy Michel (TSL-Racing) crashed out of the race in Lap 5 on the long righthanded Turn 11, ending her day early from P11. In the medical centre she was diagnosed with a chest bruise, to be reevaluated tomorrow before the Warm Up. Lucie Boudesseul (GMT94-YAMAHA) crashed out in Lap 9 on Turn 7, taken to the medical centre where she was fortunately assessed to be fit with a left thigh contusion.

The top six from WorldWCR’s Race 1: Full results here!

1. Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Racing Team)

2. Beatriz Neila (Ampito Crescent Yamaha) +0.133s

3. Sara Sanchez (Terra & Vita GRT Yamaha WorldWCR Team) +8.976s

4. Avalon Lewis (Carl Cox Motorsports) +10.348s

5. Roberta Ponziani (Klint Forward Racing Team) +16.455s

6. Chloe Jones (GR Motosport) +20.015s

Tune in this afternoon and Sunday to catch the rest of the action in Assen via the WorldSBK VideoPass!