Beatriz Neila is baffled: her middle finger as a sticker on WhatsApp & Instagram

The riders competing in the Women’s World Championship on the circuit now have a three-month break before the showdown in mid-October at Jerez. The title race was on the verge of being decided at the penultimate round at Donington Park in mid-July, but then events took a dramatic turn.

In the first race, Neila was taken out as early as the first lap at Turn 7 by title rival Maria Herrera, who was handed a two-lap penalty for the incident but still won comfortably. Herrera thus extended her lead in the overall standings from 24 to 49 points.

In the second race, Herrera crossed the finish line first ahead of Neila and celebrated exuberantly on the cool-down lap, as she was convinced she had become world champion for the second time. We saw burn-outs, her motorbike was decked out with a golden number 1, and Maria was presented with a champions’ T-shirt. It was only in the parc fermé that she learnt what the TV viewers already knew: she had been handed a six-second penalty for her collision with Paola Ramos on the final lap (which resulted in a crash), meaning Neila was declared the winner and Herrera came second. Instead of holding an unassailable 54-point lead ahead of the final two races at Jerez, Herrera’s lead now stands at 44 points and the title race remains wide open.

Bea Neila: Crash, zero points – fine!

For Neila, the weekend in England was an emotional rollercoaster that left her feeling unwell. Naturally, the fans of the two Spanish riders were passionately debating the collisions, crashes and penalties against Herrera. To top it all off, the 24-year-old was also handed a €200 fine for giving Herrera the middle finger whilst standing at the side of the track after her crash on Saturday – live on television.

“I thought the cameras were somewhere else,” said Neila, looking back on the events with some hindsight. “Then my sister came up to me and said I’d have to pay because I’d given the finger. I crashed, got zero points and then the fine on top of that! Since then, my middle finger has been turned into a GIF and a sticker on WhatsApp and Instagram. That Saturday was a tough day; social media went absolutely wild – it was awful.”

“I’m a long way behind; it’s going to be very difficult to win the championship,” realises “Bea”, who can no longer become champion on her own merits. She intends to approach the final in her home country with that in mind. “I’m in the very fortunate position of having lots of people supporting me. After Saturday’s crash, they came up to me and told me not to worry if I lost the championship. They told me that they know me as a person, that I’m incredible and that they love me. I should relax, enjoy my sport and show the world that I can do it.”