Beatriz Neila (24) is given the carrot and the stick in the Yamaha works team

Beatriz Neila is the ray of sunshine in the paddock of the Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship – WorldWCR for short. The Spaniard never has a bad word to say about her rivals and always has a infectious smile on her face. This year, however, we also saw a different side to the Yamaha rider: When she was beaten by Maria Herrera in both races at Misano, tears rolled down her cheeks and she made no secret of her disappointment. And at Donington Park, when she crashed whilst battling for position with her compatriot in the first race, Neila gave the world champion the middle finger.

It’s clear: in her third year in the Women’s World Championship, the Madrid native has become more professional and ambitious. Paul Denning has also played a part in this; with his Crescent team, he organises Yamaha’s factory entry in the Superbike World Championship as well as Neila’s WorldWCR campaign.

“Beatriz has developed enormously, both in terms of her sheer performance and, in particular, her maturity and her ability to handle pressure,” emphasised the Englishman. “There were a few difficult moments, as it’s a tough transition for a rider to move from working exclusively with her father to receiving more comprehensive support from someone else. But there is now a great deal of trust between Beatriz, her father Carlos and her technician Alan Cook. Beatriz was able to draw on the support of the factory team’s crew chiefs; Andrew Pitt helped her a great deal in her first year. The difference for us is that the WorldWCR riders have significantly less experience than the Superbike riders. Consequently, the support required is different too – sometimes you need a carrot, sometimes a stick; it’s all about finding the right balance.”

Denning continued: “What’s unlikely to change is their determination, their will to win and their courage. That’s hugely impressive and at times even astonishing, as she’s prepared to step outside her comfort zone to deliver a top performance. It’s a great story for women’s motorsport that such a feminine and well-educated young woman is showing such strong determination to become a world motorcycling champion.”

Even though Herrera’s victory in the 2026 WorldWCR seems all but certain, the 59-year-old wants to guide Neila to the title. After that, the World Sportbike Championship could be a new challenge for the Spaniard.

“We’d very much like to support her in winning that – that’s where our focus lies,” emphasised Denning. “When you watch the WorldWCR races and see the leading group battling for victory, you couldn’t tell whether they were men or women. That’s the greatest compliment I can pay to this sport. The female riders are fully committed, the lap times are impressive, and the battles are as fierce as we’ve ever seen in any one-make cup series. As for the future, it would be great to see Beatriz and other riders of her calibre move from the WorldWCR to the new sportbike class and perform well there. The bikes in that class are a mix of mid-capacity machines, which are quite similar in weight to the WorldWCR bikes. I see no reason why someone like Beatriz couldn’t be competitive there if she focuses fully on it. When it comes to her riding skills and raw speed, Beatriz has everything you could wish for in a young talent.”