When Beatriz Neila joined the Ampito Crescent Yamaha team for the inaugural WorldWCR championship in 2024, it was, in her own words, “a dream come true”.
Having the backing of the factory WorldSBK team, steered by team manager Paul Denning, has proved invaluable to 2025 WorldWCR runner-up Neila, who now takes on the championship for a third consecutive season. Paul and Beatriz give their take on this successful formula and how the WorldSBK team helps drive the WorldWCR rider’s growth.
Paul Denning: “With WorldWCR being a one-make series, Yamaha was keen for us, as the factory WorldSBK team, to have a presence. It was Pippa Laverty who proposed Beatriz actually. It was a question of us landing, very luckily, on a rider who is clearly quick and determined, but also a lovely person to have around the team.
Beatriz’s growth has been pretty significant, in terms of raw performance but particularly in terms of her maturity and ability to handle pressure. We’ve had some difficult moments, because it’s a tough transition for a rider to go from working solely with their father to letting someone else take responsibility and provide support in a wider way. But there’s a huge amount of trust now between Beatriz and her father, Carlos, and her technician, Alan Cook. The mutual respect has grown, and there’s a nice comfortable dynamic that allows her to perform. We’ve got the right people around her and the partnership between team and family is now very solid.”
For Beatriz, the factory environment made an immediate difference…
Beatriz Neila: “I joined the Ampito Crescent Yamaha team in 2024 for the inaugural edition of the WorldWCR championship and that first season was an amazing experience. For a team of this level to call me and tell me that they wanted to join forces and take on the championship – I knew it was an incredible opportunity. I immediately perceived a difference. Having a team of this size behind me, a factory team, means having high-level support, on and off the track, and that means a lot. There are so many team members and I am very well looked after. For example, the team’s Sponsorship and Marketing Manager Sarah Byles is with me for the press conferences, she supports me with marketing aspects, guest passes, the scheduling of my activities, everything. And technically speaking, my mechanic Alan Cook helps me with the bike, so the team supports me in every sense. This is always good for a new rider and was particularly useful for me coming into what was a new championship.”
Learning from the elite, Beatriz continues to develop her skills within a championship-winning team
Paul: “In terms of approach, we just try to gently feed in the influences and lessons that have taught me, and my guys, over the last 30 years. Beatriz has had the factory team crew chiefs to refer to; Andrew Pitt helped a lot in her first year. What’s been different for us is that the WorldWCR riders have a lot less experience than the guys who ride for us at factory WorldSBK level, so the support they require is quite different – a little bit of sugar, a little bit of vinegar now and again, just trying to get that balance right. It’s a step-by-step process but I’d say the most valuable thing we’ve been able to do is apply focus on what matters – the things you can control rather than what you can’t control.”
Beatriz: “Yes, it’s not just the technical support, though that is crucial of course, it’s more than that, it’s the details. And the details make the difference. I’d say my mechanic Alan, Sarah and Paul give me the most direct support, but honestly, it’s a joint effort. I really feel that the whole team is behind me. Johnny Rea helped me a lot during 2024 and 2025 while he was still a factory Yamaha rider. He gave me a lot of great advice and professional support. Technical direction too of course, like how to approach certain sections of a track or a particular corner. I’ve picked up tips about what it means to operate at a professional level. Even when it comes to things like diet, seeing what the WorldSBK guys are eating in hospitality for example, just all these different aspects that can help me as a rider. I’ve learned what works for me and definitely think I’m more professional in my behaviour and preparation now.”
A clear and composed championship mindset gives Beatriz the foundation needed to compete at the highest level.
Paul: “Beatriz has matured naturally, but also professionally. Her approach to the last round of the championship last year when she had the opportunity to win was very straightforward in that she said, “if I win it, then I want to stay in WCR and defend it, and if I don’t win it, I want to carry on and try to win it”.
Keeping a calm mindset has definitely helped her, but I’d say one thing that hasn’t changed and probably won’t change is her determination, her will to win and her bravery. That’s super impressive and even shocking at times, in that she’s willing to go beyond her own comfort level in order to perform. It’s a great story for women’s motorsport that such a feminine and educated girl has such a high level of determination to be a world champion on a motorcycle.”
Beatriz: “I’ve become more disciplined in my riding, without a doubt. I’m more serious in my approach; I’m not just going to the circuit with my bike, I’m going to work, to prepare the bike, the race, myself, everything. My training is much the same, just more training with the bike since I finished my degree in 2024. I have more time to prepare now that I don’t have to go to university every morning!
The great thing is that I don’t feel particular pressure, even though I’m part of a championship winning team. In 2024, for example, the first WorldWCR season, I achieved three or four podiums. And Paul always said to me, “don’t worry, you’re doing a good job, you need to smile, relax, have fun and more podiums will come”. So, I don’t feel pressure from the team at all, rather they all give me more motivation. I do put pressure on myself though, because I want to win, always!
When I was fighting for the 2025 title, at Magny Cours or Jerez for example, the end of the season, I felt always relaxed, having fun, I was a little bit nervous, sure, but generally a very good feeling. Since coming to this championship, I’ve learned to be calmer, not to stress, and be generally more professional. The pressure I put on myself this year is the same, no more, no less. I want to win, but I wanted that last year too of course! Of course I want to win, but if I cannot do that, then I want to learn, I want to improve.”
Looking ahead, the vision is to see Beatriz succeed in WorldWCR and continue her progression beyond the championship.
Paul: “We would love to try and help her win the WorldWCR championship and that’s where the focus is. We struggled the first round of this year in Portimão with some technical issues, but I think that was a good test of maturity. Beatriz stayed very focused and increased her performance significantly over the course of the weekend and was able to be very, very competitive in the end.
I think the experience of working with Beatriz, and now Chloe too, has opened up new thought processes and a new approach to certain aspects of the sport. The best thing about it, and I say this not to be sexist but almost quite the opposite, is that when you watch the WorldWCR races, and see the front group fighting for victory, you wouldn’t know if they are lads or girls, and that’s the biggest compliment I can pay to the racing. The riders are on it, the lap times are ridiculous, and the fighting is as tough as we’ve ever seen in any one-make series. I can say it’s been a pleasant surprise to see just how competitive and credible the championship is.
As for the future, it would be great to see Beatriz and other riders like her to perhaps go from WorldWCR to the new Sportbike class and perform well because the bikes there are a mixture of mid-size machines, quite similar weight wise to the WorldWCR bikes. I see no reason why somebody like Beatriz couldn’t be competitive there if she were to fully commit to it. In terms of skillset and raw speed, Beatriz has all the assets you’d want any young rider to have, irrespective of gender.”
