On home turf, Klint Racing’s Paola Ramos dominates Superpole ahead of title contenders Herrera and Neila, second and third at the end of a hotly contested qualifying.
Superpole Highlights:
The Spanish contingent ruled the roost on this opening day of WorldWCR action at Jerez, snatching the top four positions in a nail-biting final Superpole of the 2026 season.
A race winner at Jerez in 2025, Klint Racing’s Paola Ramos immediately set the pace on Friday, placing first in practice before dominating Superpole to secure her second pole position of the season. Her fastest time, a blistering 1’50.911, also saw her set a new lap record at Jerez.
With WorldWCR glory well within her sights this weekend, defending champion Maria Herrera (Terra & Vita GRT Yamaha WorldWCR) knew what she had to do today, setting the second quickest time to assure herself of a front-row start for Saturday’s all-important race.
Beatriz Neila (Ampito Crescent Yamaha) has already secured second in the championship but is still in with a shot at the title. Making a confident start to this season finale, her third-place finish in Superpole will put her in a strong position when Race 1 gets underway tomorrow.
Saving her best for last, Natalia Rivera (Terra & Vita GRT Yamaha WorldWCR) moved up into fourth in the final stages to achieve her best qualifying result of the 2026 season by some margin.
Up against stiff competition on her rivals’ home turf this weekend, an impressive Roberta Ponziani (Klint Racing) flew the flag for Italy by qualifying a strong fifth, the first of the non-Spaniards.
Tayla Relph (Full Throttle Racing) will round out the second row tomorrow; a methodical approach saw the Australian make gradual progress throughout the 25-minute phase to position sixth.
Finishing seventh to achieve her best qualifying result of the 2026 season, Astrid Madrigal (Pons Italika Racing) will line up on row three alongside Thai rookie Muklada Sarapuech (Yamaha AD78 FIMLA by EEST NJT Racing) and Line Vieillard (FT Racing Academy), who also put in her best Superpole of the year to finish ninth.
Representing New Zealand and Colombia respectively, one event-riders Avalon Lewis (Carl Cox Motorsport) and Sara Varon (AD78 Racing Team) rounded out this first day of action P20 and P22.
How can Maria Herrera win the title in Race 1?
Herrera wins the title in Race 1 if she scores 6 points, or if she loses at most 19 points to Beatriz Neila.
P1 | Paola Ramos | Klint Racing Team | 1’50.911
“We’ve made an incredible start today, first in practice and now by taking pole. It’s a great way to start this final race weekend, which is also my home round of course. I’m really happy with the result and lap time, and I think we have race good pace too. You never know what might happen in the race though. I will try to build a gap, but it all depends on the size of the group, on the wind, many things. Let’s see how it develops.”
P2 | Maria Herrera | Terra & Vita GRT Yamaha WorldWCR | 1’51.524
“This morning I didn’t want to take too many risks as I was using the same tyre I had in the last race. We put in a new tyre for Superpole and that allowed me to push more and improve my feeling with the bike. I felt more comfortable and think we can take another step tomorrow in fact. I need to improve a few things in terms of my riding style, but overall, I’m feeling focused and calm. I was more nervous this morning but now I feel ready to race. As for my strategy tomorrow, I’ll try to follow Paola, who clearly has strong pace, and see if we can build a gap.”
P3 | Beatriz Neila| Ampito Crescent Yamaha | 1’51.677
“I feel really good with the bike after today’s practice and qualifying and am happy with the result. I’m ready to start tomorrow’s race from the front row. The strategy is to have fun, first and foremost, and do my best as always. I expect there to be a big group, but I think I’ve got good pace and am happy with everything for now. We’re ready, and if it were to rain in one of the races, even better!”
