Tayla Relph takes great first steps in opening WorldWCR Test

Cremona WorldWCR Test

The FIM Women’s Track Racing World Championship testing at Cremona Circuit concluded on Friday afternoon with Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team) leading the timesheets by a large margin over her rivals .

The 2018 WorldSSP300 champion posted a single lap time of 1 minute 41 seconds of the test to finish seven-tenths clear of his rivals ahead of the Championship’s inaugural season which begins next month at Misano.

Carrasco and Roberta Ponziani (Yamaha Motoxracing WCR Team) traded positions for top spot, with the pair pushing each other closer to 1’41 before Carrasco went on to break that barrier with a performance 1’41.446, which she set in the seventh and final session of the day, while Ponziani’s 1’42.121 came in the fifth session.

Sara Sanchez (511 Terra&Vita Racing Team) was third and about half a second behind Ponziani. Times on Friday started in the 1’44 and 1’45 frames but dropped rapidly during the on-track action, with Carrasco finding over four seconds as the day progressed.

This test was the first time the riders were together at WorldWCR, but at a circuit none of them had ever been on a Yamaha R7. Predictably, a pecking order may have begun to form.

Beatriz Neila (Ampito / Pata Prometeon Yamaha) made steady progress throughout the test to finish fourth, ahead of Adela Ourednickova (DafitMotoracing) in fifth. Just a tenth separates the Spaniard, who has Captain Andrew Pitt’s Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha), working with her on Friday, and Ourednickova.

Tayla Relph (TAYCO Motorsport) was among the drivers who made the most of the final 10-minute session, moving up to sixth place with a 1’43.571.

Tayla Relph

“The test went much better than we expected from the first lesson. Ted (Collins) and I trained extremely hard in Australia, so it’s safe to say I worked my butt off to achieve these results. I’ve spent the last five months digging deep into this YZF-R7 and I think it’s really paid off.

“The top eight girls here are very fast… and drive completely differently. I had to really change my riding style to really get the most out of the track and get the most out of it, and of course, I had to learn the new style of the YZF-R7; You drive it a little like an R3, but mostly like an R7.

“We led a lot of sessions and even topped the first WorldWCR session, which was quite an exciting feeling. On the first day it rained and we finished third overall in wet conditions. So we showed strong pace in all conditions, which is another positive.

“Now we fly to France, where I will be based. Ted and I will be testing the R7 at Misano on May 29, before the opening round of the FIM Women’s Circuit World Championship on June 14.”

Relph’s late surge means Jessica Howden (Team Trasimeno) drops out of the top six and sits seventh, ahead of Mallory Dobbs (Sekhmet Motocross Team), who also climbed up the order. Running in 15th place until the final session, the American was placed eighth after clocking a 1’43.881 in the final moments of the test.

Lucy Michel (TSL-Racing) was ninth with Isis Carreno (AD78 FIM Latinoamerica of Team GP3), one of the few riders whose best performance did not come in either of the final two sessions, finishing the day in second place. 10th.

Pakita Ruiz (PS Racing Team 46+1) finished just outside the top 10 with a 1’44.147, ending day two in 11th place. She was just a tenth ahead of South Africa’s Nicole Van Aswegen (Andalaft Racing) in 12th place, whose best time of 1’44.213s was in the penultimate session.

Ran Yochay (511 Terra&Vita Racing Team) was 13th, setting his best performance in the final session, with Ornella Ongaro (Yamaha Motoxracing WCR Team) and Chun Mei Liu (WT Taiwan Racing Team) completing the top 15.

Just one-tenth stopped Astrid Madrigal (ITALIKA Racing FIMLA) from securing a top-15 spot, with the Mexican’s 1’44.986 failing to put her into the top 15 positions. However, she had a big advantage over Lena Kemmer (Bertl K. Racing Team) in 17th place, with the Austrian rider about half a second behind Madrigal.

Luna Hirano (Team Luna) came home in 18th place, two tenths behind Kemmer, with Iryna Nadieieva (MPS.RT) and Andrea Sibaja (Deza – Box 77 Racing Team) completing the top 20.

Alyssia Whitmore (Sekhmet Motocross Team), Mia Rusthen (Rusthen Racing) and Sara Varon (ITALIKA Racing FIMLA) are the final classified riders; Varon’s day ended early with the Colombian’s time – 1’48.067s – coming in the third session of the day and she did not set a time in any of the sessions after that.

The 2024 FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship will begin with the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round at the Misano – Marco Simoncelli World Circuit on June 14-16.

List of participants in WorldWCR 2024

WorldWCR 2024 Calendar

1. Pirelli round Emilia-Romagna, MWC “Marco Simoncelli” – June 14-16
2. DOC UK Prosecco Round, Donington Park – 12-14 July
3. Pirelli Portugal round, Autodromo Internacional do Algarve – August 9-11
4. Hungarian Circuit, Balaton Park Circuit* – August 23-25
5. Italian Acerbis Circuit, Cremona Circuit* – September 20-22
6. Spanish Prometeon Circuit, Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto – October 18-20
   * There are similarities