Maria Herrera claimed her sixth victory of the 2026 FIM Women's Circuit Racing World Championship season with a commanding performance in Race 1 at Donington Park, extending her championship lead for the Terra&Vita GRT Yamaha WorldWCR Team. It was a more challenging race for teammate Natalia Rivera, who recovered from an unfortunate opening lap to finish 14th.
Starting from pole position, championship leader Herrera made the perfect launch and held onto the lead through a dramatic opening lap that included contact with Beatriz Neila (Ampito Crescent Yamaha). Although she was later handed a double Long Lap Penalty for the incident, the Spanish rider kept her composure, served the penalty, and immediately fought back to the front. Maintaining an impressive pace throughout the 12-lap contest, Herrera crossed the finish line in first place to secure another outstanding victory.
It marks her sixth win from ten races this season, allowing her to extend her championship advantage to 49 points with only three races remaining. Should she outscore Beatriz Neila by just one point in Sunday's Race 2, Herrera will be crowned 2026 WorldWCR Champion. Thanks to setting the fastest lap in Race 1, she will also start Sunday's race from pole position.
It was a frustrating afternoon for Natalia Rivera. Forced to take evasive action after a rider crashed directly in front of her on the opening lap, the Spaniard dropped to the back of the field before beginning an impressive recovery. Showing strong race pace, Rivera climbed back to 14th at the chequered flag and will line up 12th on the grid for Race 2, determined to fight closer to the front.
The Terra&Vita GRT Yamaha WorldWCR Team returns to the track on Sunday for the Warm-Up session before the final race of the weekend, scheduled to start at 13:00 local time.
Maria Herrera – P1
"It was a very intense race. My goal at the start was to keep the lead, and I managed to do that. I only found out that Beatriz had crashed when I arrived at parc fermé. I wasn't expecting the penalty, but once the team informed me, I focused on pushing as hard as possible to build enough of a gap. Fortunately, I had enough margin to stay in front after serving the Long Lap Penalty and take another victory, which is what matters most. I'm very happy because we're working really well together as a team. We'll keep the same approach tomorrow, and starting from pole position again is definitely another positive. We need to stay fully focused and aim to finish the weekend in the best possible way."
Natalia Rivera – P14
"The opening lap was really unfortunate because I think we had the pace to fight for a much stronger result. Unfortunately, I had to avoid a rider who crashed right in front of me, and that dropped me to the back of the field. I never gave up and kept pushing to recover as many positions as possible. In the end we managed to score a couple of points, which is still important, and we also showed that our race pace was competitive despite starting our recovery from last place. Tomorrow we'll start from 12th on the grid because of today's result, but we're confident we can fight with the leading group if we make a good start and have a bit more luck. I'm really looking forward to Race 2."
