Two years after her WorldWCR debut in Misano: Herrera takes second double victory

World champion, 17 race wins and 27 podiums from 32 races - Maria Herrera is the most successful rider in the Women's Circuit Racing World Championship - WorldWCR for short - established in 2024. If the 29-year-old can be accused of any weakness at all, it is that the Spaniard allows herself to be outwitted too often on the final lap of the race. This year alone, the Spaniard missed out on victories in the second races in Portimão, Assen and Balaton Park despite leading for several laps.

But not in Misano: After her victory in the first race, Herrera also prevailed in Sunday's race against Beatriz Neila, who followed her like a shadow for 10 laps and only switched to attack mode on the penultimate lap. After several overtaking manoeuvres, Herrera crossed the finish line as the winner, 0.1 seconds ahead of her compatriot.

"I heard her the whole time and was expecting her to try it at some point - that's what happened, but I countered immediately," Herrera told SPEEDWEEK.com editor-in-chief Ivo Schützbach. "Beatriz was slightly faster in some corners, but I was better on the brakes. After that, I didn't give her any more opportunities to overtake."

It was the world champion's first double victory of the year and only her second ever. Herrera first won both races on her WorldWCR debut two years ago.

"You can celebrate every win, but this was my first double victory since Misano in my first year," confirmed Herrera. "It's not easy to win every race. I have prepared intensively both mentally and physically, but in this race I lost two kilograms. The bikes are identical and I was under a lot of pressure."

The title defence mission is going according to plan for Herrera. With two meetings to go, she leads with 181 points ahead of Beatriz Neila with 157 points. Second place would be enough for her to win her second world title.

"I'm not going to play games, I want to win more races," emphasised the world championship leader. "I don't have to win every race, but I will try. If things go like they did here in Misano, I would also be happy with a win and a second place. I will continue to work on myself and try to keep up the high level."