With a Simoncelli flag in Misano: Paola Ramos won the hearts of the fans

Paola Ramos was born in May 2007 in Tarragona, Spain; a year later, Marco Simoncelli won the 250cc World Championship and moved up to MotoGP in 2010. At the time of his fatal crash at the Sepang Circuit in 2011, Ramos was just four years old.

Nevertheless, the Italian remains the role model for the speedy Spaniard. On social media, she calls herself ‘SuperPao58’ in memory of her hero. “His riding style was so aggressive and I loved that. I watched every one of his races and was blown away,” explained Ramos.

However, the Misano World Circuit – named after Simoncelli – did not bring the 19-year-old any luck. In the first race, she crashed whilst in fourth place; she finished the second race in fifth. It was a disappointment for Ramos.

“There’s not much to say about Race 1,” the Forward rider remarked wryly. “On Sunday, a gear change didn’t go to plan, which is why I had to take a wide line and lost a few positions. I’ll chalk that up as a learning experience that will help me next year.”

However, the disappointment couldn’t stop Ramos from paying tribute to her role model. On the cool-down lap, she held aloft a huge ‘SIC58’ flag.

After four of the six rounds of the Women’s World Championship, Ramos sits third in the championship standings with two wins and four podium finishes. This is her first full season in the WorldWCR.