Race 2 Highlights: The WorldWCR heat turns up a notch as Beatriz Neila (Ampito Crescent Yamaha) secures her third win of the season, keeping the title fight alive and the pressure firmly on Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Racing Team), the two frontrunners still separated by just 9 points.
Spurred on by her second-place finish in Saturday’s Race 1, rookie Chloe Jones (GR Motosport) made a strong start from fifth, fighting as part of the top three for the duration of the race. Once past Herrera, Jones managed the situation well, defending second all the way to the line.
Having set the pace over the first few laps, championship leader Herrera was not quite able to make it stick today, passed by both Neila and Jones towards the mid-race point. Digging deep, Maria nevertheless pushed hard to assure herself of third place today, for another valuable 16 points.
The leading trio delivered a masterclass today, finishing more than three seconds clear of the rest of the WorldWCR field.
Caught up in traffic, Race 2 polesitter Roberta Ponziani (Klint Forward Racing Team) lost significant ground off the line. Undeterred, the Italian got into a great rhythm and was able to execute a series of bold passes to confirm fourth, in a repeat of her Race 1 performance.
Running fourth for the best part of the race, Sara Sanchez (Terra&Vita GRT Yamaha WorldWCR Team) was forced to concede one position to Ponziani in the final stages, she too repeating her Race 1 result of fifth.
Successfully navigating traffic through the first corners, Pakita Ruiz (PR46+1 Racing Team) fought as part of the leading group in the initial stages. Not quite able to match the pace of the frontrunners, the tenacious Spaniard kept her head down and brought home solid points with a sixth-place finish.
New Zealander Avalon Lewis (Carl Cox Motorsports), Team Trasimeno’s Jessica Howden and GMT94-YAMAHA rider Lucie Boudesseul all ran another intelligent race to conclude seventh, eighth and ninth respectively and bank more precious championship points in the process.
The Balaton Park round marks the strongest performance to date for both Jones and Howden, with the Brit having bagged 40 points and the South African 17 points over the course of the weekend.
A similarly consistent performance by Astrid Madrigal (Pons Italika Racing FIMLA) allowed her to repeat her Race 1 result and round out the top ten.
Championship Standings:
- Herrera continues to lead the way with two championship rounds still to run (172 points)
- Neila’s Race 2 win means that the gap to Maria remains the same as it was coming into this fourth round, with Beatriz now holding 163 points
- Ponziani moves into third position (112), just one point ahead of Sanchez (111)
- A double podium at Balaton sees fifth-placed Jones boost her points tally to 93
Key Points:
- Race 1 winner: Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Racing Team)
- Race 2 winner: Beatriz Neila (Ampito Crescent Yamaha)
- Race fastest lap: Chloe Jones (GR Motosport) – 1’53.089 (Race 2)
P1 | Beatriz Neila | Ampito Crescent Yamaha
“I’m so happy; it was an amazing race. I didn’t make the best start but after a few laps, I was able to build a little gap together with Maria and Chloe. I think I did a good job today, and also set some good times while lapping alone. The bike worked really well, and so did I! The championship is super close now, the same gap that we had when we came into this Balaton round, so we need to keep working. I will enjoy the Magny-Cours round as I like the track, which is a bit more like Donington. I want to have fun, do my best and hopefully be back doing top three interviews on French soil.”
P2 | Chloe Jones | GR Motosport
“Another amazing race! The three of us were able to break away a little early on, which was helpful as you don’t want too big of a fight. I followed Maria and Beatriz for a couple of laps to understand their strengths and weaknesses and really learned a lot again. I made a mistake into the penultimate chicane unfortunately, which cost me a shot at the win, but I’m over the moon with second and can feel that the win is coming ever closer. A great weekend overall, and I set the fastest time in Race 2 too, so I’m really pleased. I head into the summer break very happy, and am looking forward to Magny Cours, where I’ll be going all out for the win.”
P3 | Maria Herrera | Klint Forward Racing Team
“The race was difficult because at the start I didn’t feel like I had much rear grip. I was able to manage it in the end and my lap times were good, but Neila and Jones were perhaps pushing more than yesterday and with the wind on track, I didn’t quite have the speed along the straight, so they passed me. I’m happy overall anyway, as I leave with the same 9-point lead that I arrived with. We have time ahead of the next round to really prepare for the last races of the season. I like the next track, Magny Cours, and think it can be good for me in some ways, so we need to start strong when we get there.”
Race 2 Results
1. Beatriz Neila (Ampito Crescent Yamaha)
2. Chloe Jones (GR Motosport) +0.220s
3. Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Racing Team) +0.862s
4. Roberta Ponziani (Klint Forward Racing Team) +4.615s
5. Sara Sanchez (Terra & Vita GRT Yamaha WorldWCR Team) +4.997s
6. Pakita Ruiz (PR46+1 Racing Team) +10.967s
Championship Standings
1. Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Racing Team) 172 points
2. Beatriz Neila (Ampito Crescent Yamaha) 163 points
3. Roberta Ponziani (Klint Forward Racing Team) 112 points
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