Today, 28 March, Maria Herrera secured the first victory of the 2026 FIM Women's Circuit Racing World Championship season, launching her title defence in perfect fashion at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portugal. Starting from pole position, the Spanish rider delivered a dominant performance in Race 1.

The day began with the Warm Up 1 session, where the Terra&Vita GRT Yamaha WorldWCR Team riders gathered valuable data ahead of the race. In the 10-minute session, Herrera topped the timesheets with a 1’52.885 lap, while teammate Natalia Rivera finished 14th with a time of 1’55.757.

Race 1 got underway at 12:00 local time, officially kicking off the 2026 season. Reigning World Champion Herrera made a lightning start, immediately taking the lead and building an early advantage during the opening lap.

The 29-year-old continued to set a relentless pace, extending her lead to four seconds by lap five. Maintaining impressive consistency across the 11-lap race, Herrera controlled the gap to the chasing pack and ultimately secured her first victory of the season — the 13th of her WorldWCR career. After also recording the fastest lap of the race, she will start tomorrow’s Race 2 from pole position once again.

Teammate Rivera also delivered a strong performance. The young Spanish rider made a solid start, gaining several positions during the opening laps. Showing competitive race pace, she closed the gap to the group battling for fourth place and remained in contention until the final lap.

The 19-year-old eventually crossed the finish line in ninth position, taking confidence into Race 2. Having recorded the fifth-fastest lap of the race, Rivera will start from the second row on the grid, aiming to further reduce the gap to the riders ahead.

The Terra&Vita GRT Yamaha WorldWCR Team will return to action tomorrow morning for Warm Up 2, before Race 2 takes place at 12:00 local time.

Maria Herrera – P1
“What a way to start the season — I couldn’t have asked for a better beginning! I made a great start and was able to create a gap straight away, which allowed me to manage the race over the 11 laps. I expected a close battle, but lap after lap I was able to extend my advantage and secure a strong win. It wasn’t easy, as I had to stay focused and push throughout the race, but I’m happy everything worked out. Tomorrow will be another challenge and we need to stay fully focused, as the pack could be closer, but we’ve shown we’re ready to fight again for the top step.”

Natalia Rivera – P9
“It was a very intense race. After the start I managed to close the gap to the riders ahead and join the battle for fourth place, showing strong race pace. That’s definitely a positive step forward. Of course I would have liked to fight even more at the front, but that’s something we’ll keep working on. Tomorrow we have another race and there is still room for improvement. Starting from fifth will help us stay closer to the group from the beginning, so the goal will be a strong start and another solid race.”