PREVIEW: a new campaign begins for WorldWCR as Assen hosts the 2025 season-opener
A new chapter for WorldWCR as 24 riders get set to battle it out for this year’s title, and it all kicks off at the TT Circuit Assen
A new season begins for the FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship at the TT Circuit Assen. It’s a new circuit for WorldWCR which means everything is to play for during the Pirelli Dutch Round as 24 riders look to begin their quest for glory in style at the historic ‘Cathedral of Speed’. Last season is in the history books and, with just two days of testing this season completed at Cremona, the form book heading into Assen has been ripped up. Everyone starts from scratch as Round 1 of the 2025 WorldWCR campaign begins.
2024’S CHAMPIONSHIP CONTENDERS RETURN: who will follow in Carrasco’s steps?
With last year’s Champion, Ana Carrasco (Honda Racing World Supersport), moving to WorldSSP, there will be a new Champion this season. Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Racing Team) returns for a second season as she looks to go one better than last season, having won more races than anyone else. The #6 also has experience of Assen from her WorldSSP days back in 2019 and 2021. Sara Sanchez (Terra & Vita GRT Yamaha WorldWCR Team) returns as well after third in the standings last season, aiming to add to her two wins, while Beatriz Neila (Ampito Crescent Yamaha) will look to move into the top three in the standings; Neila and Herrera topped a day each of testing at Cremona last week. Roberta Ponziani (Klint Forward Racing Team) was often close to the front group last season and she’ll be hoping a new team – lining up alongside Herrera – will give her a boost to be in the mix consistently. Tayla Relph (Full Throttle Racing) was a podium finisher in 2024 and will be hoping for more rostrums this season, while Pakita Ruiz (PR46+1 Racing Team) was often close to the rostrum; can she claim a first podium at Assen?
AIMING TO MOVE UP: hoping to build on strong 2024 showing
Mexican rider Astrid Madrigal (Pons Italika Racing FIMLA) showed glimpses of her potential throughout last season and will be hoping to build on her P8 finish, while Ornella Ongaro (511 Riders Experience) will hope to move further up the order after finishing 10th in last year’s Championship. Mallory Dobbs (Diva Racing) suffered a lot of bad luck last season but also showed her abilities on several occasions, notably with a series of top ten finishes in the second half of the season. Isis Carreno (Pons Italika Racing FIMLA), Adela Ourednickova (DafitMotoracing), Chun Mei Liu (WT Team Taiwan) and Emily Bondi (ZELOS Trasimeno) finished last year’s top 15 riders and will all be aiming to improve on their 2024 finishing position.
MORE TOP-TENS TO COME? Looking at add more consistency
Lucy Michel (TSL-Racing) finished last year in 16th place with a best of P7 coming at Donington Park in Race 2 and the German will be aiming to secure more of those results in her second campaign. It’s a similar story for Jessica Howden (Team Trasimeno), who also had a best of P7 – this time at Portimao – and ended the year with a pair of P8s at Jerez. Elsewhere, Jamie Hanks-Elliott (Hanks Racing) returns for a full campaign after competing in half of 2024. She racked up seven points in her six races and improved her position as she gained more experience, so the Brit will be aiming to continue that upward trajectory in 2025.
ROOKIES AIMING TO SHINE: a new Championship for several riders
A handful of riders are entering their first full season of WorldWCR, or only have a round of experience under their belt. France’s Lucie Boudesseul (GMT94-YAMAHA) will get her first start at Assen, as will New Zealand’s Billee Fuller (Carl Cox Motorsports), Portugal’s Madalena Simoes (FB Racing Team) and Spain’s Natalia Rivera (Terra & Vita GRT Yamaha WorldWCR Team). Chloe Jones (GR Motosport) returns for a full-time campaign after impressing with two P6 finishes at Jerez, as does Avalon Lewis (Carl Cox Motorsports) after a one-off appearance at Cremona last year, claiming P5 in Race 1. Sonya Lloyd (Team Trasimeno) also raced at Jerez last year and returns for a full-season campaign.
JOIN THE COMMUNITY! Follow WorldWCR on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook, and watch every race FREE on YouTube!
