Sara Sánchez and Natalia Rivera wrapped up their Balaton weekend with a solid performance in Race 2 for the Terra&Vita GRT Yamaha WorldWCR Team, finishing fifth and 13th respectively.
The day began with a wet warm-up session, where both riders put in valuable laps to improve their feeling in tricky conditions. By race time at 12:20 local, the track had dried enough to allow for a fully dry race.
Sánchez launched well from P2 on the grid, but a tough entry into Turn 1 forced her to drop positions. Despite this, she pushed hard to close the gap to the leading trio, clocking fast laps on her own. Ultimately, some technical issues prevented her from fighting for the podium, but she held strong for fifth at the chequered flag.
Rivera, starting from 10th, had a complicated first lap that cost her some ground. Still, the 18-year-old showed good pace and consistency throughout the 11-lap race, finishing 13th and scoring more valuable points in her rookie campaign.
Sara Sánchez – P5
“It wasn’t the race we were aiming for, but we try to take away the positives. We were fast and nearly closed the gap to the lead group while riding alone with a good pace – that proves we have the speed. Unfortunately, some issues held us back from fighting for more, which is a shame. Anyway, we know we’re competitive and we’ll use the summer break to come back stronger for the final two rounds!”
Natalia Rivera – P13
“Unfortunately the first lap was tricky and I lost the group because of that. Still, I managed to ride consistently, but we want to fight for more – and that’s a good sign, because it means we have potential. Friday’s sessions and lap times were strong, now we need to convert that into races, like we did in Donington. The summer break is a great chance to train hard and be more ready for the final two rounds.”