The FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship returned to track at the Pirelli Portuguese Round to kick off another unpredictable weekend. It was perfect conditions at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve with a red-hot pace in Free Practice from Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Factory Team), who topped the timesheets. Herrera had an impressive 1.254s advantage over the field after improving on her final flying lap to become the only rider inside the 1’54 bracket.

Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team) finished in second place, setting a strong 1’56.208 on Friday morning. The #22 will be aiming to add to her win tally this weekend, after finishing ahead of Beatriz Neila (Ampito / Pata Prometeon Yamaha). Neila began to find time in the final 15 minutes of the session to jump to third after spending some laps behind Carrasco.

Meanwhile, fourth place went the way of Sara Sanchez (511 Terra&Vita Racing Team), with the Spaniard continuing to impress so far this season. Sanchez was ahead of PS Racing Team 46+1’s Pakita Ruiz, who rounded out an all-Spanish top five. Behind the #46 was the returning Jessica Howden (Team Trasimeno), who put together an impressive performance to finish sixth.

Chun Mei Liu (WT Racing Team Taiwan) suffered a technical issue early in the session, before rejoining for the remainder of Free Practice – finishing in 16^th. Meanwhile, there was a new face in the paddock with Jamie Hanks-Elliot filling in for the injured Alyssia Whitmore at the Sekhmet Motorcycle Racing Team.

The top six from WorldWCR Free Practice, full results here:

1. Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Factory Team) 1’54.954s

2. Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros. Racing Yamaha Team) +1.254s

3. Beatriz Neila (Ampito / Pata Prometeon Yamaha) +1.323s

4. Sara Sanchez (511 Terra&Vita Racing Team) +1.610s

5. Pakita Ruiz (PS Racing Team 46+1) +2.746s

6. Jessica Howden (Team Trasimeno) +2.895s

Make sure you don’t miss the WorldWCR Superpole session at 15:25 Local Time (UTC+1) on the WorldWCR YouTube and the WorldSBK VideoPass!