The FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship test at the Cremona Circuit concluded on Friday afternoon with Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team) leading the time sheets with a big margin over her rivals. The 2018 WorldSSP300 Champion posted the only 1’41s lap time of the test to finish seventh tenths clear of her rivals ahead of the Championship’s inaugural season starting next month at Misano.

TIMES TUMBLE ON DAY 2: finding huge gains…

Carrasco led the times at the end of Day 2, which featured a fully dry day after yesterday’s afternoon rain, but had to fight with Roberta Ponziani (Yamaha Motoxracing WCR Team) for top spot, with the pair pushing each other closer to the 1’41s. The #22 of Carrasco smashed that barrier with a 1’41.446s, which she set in the seventh and final session of the day, while Ponziani’s 1’42.121s came in the fifth session. Sara Sanchez (511 Terra&Vita Racing Team) was third and around half-a-second back from Carrasco. Times on Friday started in the 1’44s and 1’45s brackets but dropped rapidly during track action, with Carrasco finding more than four seconds as the day progressed.

NEILA STRONG, OURDENICKOVA QUICK AGAIN: an order starting to form?

With this test the first time riders were on track together for the WorldWCR, but at a circuit none of them had been on with the Yamaha R7, a pecking order might have started to form. Beatriz Neila (Ampito / Pata Prometeon Yamaha) improved consistently throughout the test to finish in fourth place, ahead of Adela Ourednickova (DafitMotoracing) in fifth. Just a tenth separated the Spaniard, who had Jonathan Rea's (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) Crew Chief, Andrew Pitt working with her on Friday, and Ourednickova. Lucy Michel’s (TSL-Racing) time from the fourth session was good enough for her to finish sixth with a 1’43.446s, despite lots of riders improving as the day went on.

FOUR RIDERS, FOUR TENTHS: a closely fought season in store?

Jessica Howden (Team Trasimeno) claimed seventh, with Tayla Relph (TAYCO Motorsport) in eighth after she used the final 10-minute session to full effect, moving up the order to claim P8 with a 1’43.571s. Mallory Dobbs (Sekhmet Motorcycle Racing Team), who also climbed up the order, was ninth. Running in 15^th until the final session, the American was classified in eighth after setting a 1’43.881s in the final moments of the test. Isis Carreno (AD78 FIM Latinoamerica by Team GP3), one of the few riders whose best times didn’t come in either of the final two sessions, finished the day in 10^th.

TOO CLOSE TO CALL: less than a second separate P11 and P15

Pakita Ruiz (PS Racing Team 46+1) finished just outside the top ten with a 1’44.147s, finishing the second day in 11^th place. She was just a tenth ahead of South Africa’s Nicole Van Aswegen (Andalaft Racing) in 12^th, whose best time of 1’44.213s came in the penultimate session. Ran Yochay (511 Terra&Vita Racing Team) was 13^th, setting her best time in the final session, with Ornella Ongaro (Yamaha Motoxracing WCR Team) and Chun Mei Liu (WT Racing Team Taiwan) completing the top 15.

JUST MISSING OUT: the barest of margins keep Madrigal out of the top 15

Just a tenth stopped Astrid Madrigal (ITALIKA Racing FIMLA) claiming a top-15 spot, with the Mexican rider’s 1’44.986s unable to move her into the top 15 places. She did, however, have a big margin to Lena Kemmer (Bertl K. Racing Team) in 17^th, with the Austrian rider around half a second back from Madrigal. Luna Hirano (Team Luna) came home in 18^th, two tenths back from Kemmer, with Iryna Nadieieva (MPS.RT) and Andrea Sibaja (Deza - Box 77 Racing Team) completing the top 20. Alyssia Whitmore (Sekhmet Motorcycle Racing Team), Mia Rusthen (Rusthen Racing) and Sara Varon (ITALIKA Racing FIMLA) were the final classified riders; Varon’s day ended early with the Colombian rider’s time – a 1’48.067s – coming in the third session of the day and she did not set any times in any later sessions.

Next up for WorldWCR… the season opener at Misano! Watch every moment LIVE and UNINTERRUPTED using the WorldSBK VideoPass!