{"id":6237,"date":"2026-04-19T18:06:36","date_gmt":"2026-04-19T16:06:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.grtracingteam.com\/?p=6237"},"modified":"2026-04-19T18:07:22","modified_gmt":"2026-04-19T16:07:22","slug":"worldwcr-assen2026-sunday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.grtracingteam.com\/en\/worldwcr-assen2026-sunday\/","title":{"rendered":"Maria Herrera Secures Strong Second Place in WorldWCR Race 2 at Assen, Extending Championship Lead"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Terra&Vita GRT Yamaha WorldWCR Team concluded a positive weekend at the iconic TT Circuit Assen in the Netherlands, with Maria Herrera delivering an impressive second-place finish in Race 2, extending her championship lead to 13 points at the end of the Dutch Round.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following the morning Warm-Up session, Herrera and her teammate Natalia Rivera lined up on the grid at 12:00 local time. Light rain created uncertainty around tyre choice until the final moments, but as the race got underway, conditions proved to be dry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Herrera made an excellent start, immediately taking the lead and building a gap to the chasing pack. She soon formed a leading duo with Beatriz Neila (Ampito Crescent Yamaha). Mid-race rain drops added further complexity, making race management particularly challenging. Despite this, the reigning WorldWCR Champion maintained her lead until a last-lap battle, ultimately crossing the line in second place. The result capped off a strong weekend and allowed her to further extend her championship advantage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Race 2 proved more difficult for Rivera. Starting from 11th on the grid, the young Spaniard faced a demanding opening lap. Despite pushing hard throughout the 12-lap race, she encountered some on-track contact that cost her positions and complicated her recovery. Showing solid pace, the 19-year-old ultimately finished in 11th place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Terra&Vita GRT Yamaha WorldWCR Team will return to action in two weeks\u2019 time for Round 3 at Balaton Park in Hungary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maria Herrera \u2013 P2
<\/strong>\u201cIt was a very intense and tricky race to manage. Conditions were unpredictable right until the start, and even during the race we had some rain, which made everything more complicated. Physically, it wasn\u2019t easy either, so overall we can be satisfied. I tried to create a gap, but I knew the last lap would be a battle. It\u2019s a shame we couldn\u2019t secure the double, but looking at the bigger picture, it has been a very strong weekend. We know our potential is at the top level, so we head into the next round with confidence.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRace 1 was tough, but overall I think we can be satisfied. We made good progress with our pace, and I was consistently faster, even improving on my qualifying time. Most importantly, I stayed with the group fighting for sixth until the end. It\u2019s all valuable experience, and now we\u2019ll keep working to make more progress tomorrow and in the future, because we\u2019ve shown we have the pace to improve further.\u201d
<\/strong>\u201cIt wasn\u2019t the Sunday we were hoping for. Race 2 was complicated due to the weather and the difficulty of moving through the pack. That made recovery harder, and I couldn\u2019t push as much as I wanted. Still, we take the positives from the weekend. We know our potential is much higher, and I\u2019m eager to show it in the next round in Hungary.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n