Mission accomplished: Maria Herrera is the reigning and new WorldWCR world champion

With a 44-point lead, Maria Herrera needed only to score six points in the first race – even if her sole title rival, Beatriz Neila, were to win – to secure her second Women’s World Championship title. For the defending champion with Team GRT, this was a piece of cake: this year she finished on the podium in every race, with third place in the second race at the Balaton Circuit being her worst finish of 2026.

Herrera did not want to have to wait until the finish line to secure her second title, as she had done a year earlier, when she was crowned world champion with a comfortable sixth place in the final race of the season. At the start of the first race in Jerez, the defending champion was also in the mix among the top three, but under pressure from Roberta Ponziani and Yvonne Cerpa, the 30-year-old decided to play it safe and secured fifth place.

“I’m lost for words,” stammered Herrera. “I was very nervous and it got even worse on lap 2. I decided to take fewer risks and simply aimed for a finish between third and sixth place. It worked out.”

Maria Herrera’s record in the WorldWCR is exceptional. The Spaniard has racked up 18 wins and 29 podium finishes in 35 races and has won two out of three world championships. In her debut year, the 30-year-old was narrowly beaten by Ana Carrasco, but won two more races than her compatriot, who is a year her junior. In 2025 and 2026, Herrera came out on top against Beatriz Neila.

However, Herrera is not without her critics amongst her rivals due to her riding style. Her collision with Paolo Ramos in the second race at Donington Park, which caused the 19-year-old to crash, resulted in a six-second time penalty. Instead of being declared the winner, Herrera was classified second, which meant the title race was decided at the season finale in Jerez – though winning the title at her home race is even sweeter.