Ana Carrasco, a Murcia icon: new pavilion named in her honor and a goal of redemption in Supersport

2025 ended with two recognitions for Ana Carrasco, who is looking ahead to a second year of growth in Supersport.

The new sports hall "Ana Carrasco" in Cehegín with a dedicated plaque, and the award for Best Female Athlete 2024/2025 at the XLIII Sports Gala of the Region of Murcia (alongside tennis player Carlos Alcaraz, chosen as Best Male Athlete). The year just behind us closed with several accolades for Carrasco, Supersport 300 and WorldWCR world champion, a prominent female figure included in the "Murcia, Region of Women" project. After the double operation, it’s a boost of confidence heading into the new Supersport World Championship season, picking up from a debut year that was anything but simple.

A new development unveiled during a dedicated ceremony, attended by Conchita Ruiz, Minister of Social Policies, Carmen Conesa, Minister of Tourism, Culture, Youth and Sport, and Alicia del Amor, Mayor of Ana Carrasco’s hometown. The sports hall in Cehegín now bears the name of the Murcian motorcyclist, to honor her and recognize her contribution to the history of the Region of Murcia, as well as her role in promoting equality in the world of sport. The "Murcia, Region of Women" project has therefore included the young athlete in this initiative to acknowledge the work and achievements of women in the Region of Murcia across all fields, such as science, economy, and culture.

There have been 33 tributes so far across 12 municipalities, with a dedicated QR code next to each plaque linking to www.murciaregiondemujeres.es, where you can learn more about the women who have received this recognition. Carrasco was not the only honoree on this occasion: there is also a plaque dedicated to the espadrille seamstresses of Cehegín, who provided a crucial economic boost to the region from the 16th to the 20th century, and were in fact the driving force of Murcia: the boom of this industry in the 1940s–50s provided a fundamental push in the postwar period.

An award she did not expect, as Carrasco herself admitted during the Sports Gala. As mentioned, however, it represents an important vote of confidence from her region heading into the 2026 season, which she will contest again in the Supersport World Championship aboard the Honda Racing World Supersport team’s CBR600RR, with Corentin Perolari as her teammate. After the Women’s World Championship title in 2024 and her return to competition “against the men” in 2025, this second challenge will be renewed, with a clear intention to do much better after a step up that proved more complex than expected. But that’s the past—now the focus is on the future: we’ll see how Carrasco fares in the new WorldSSP season.