Maria Herrera crowned WCR queen for the second time; wild girl wins Race 1 at Jerez

Maria Herrera is still the WorldWCR champion. The Spanish rider for the Terra e Vita GRT team needed just six points in Race 1 at Jerez, the final round of the six-round 2026 season, and secured them without taking any risks, while victory went to a fired-up Paola Ramos, who fought her way back after receiving a double penalty for a jump start.

Herrera arrived in Andalusia with 226 points, compared to Beatriz Neila’s 182. Neila was her only remaining title rival. Herrera finished fifth, behind Natalia Rivera, a result that was enough to secure her second consecutive title.

Starting from the front row, Herrera stayed with the leading group in the opening laps, but under pressure from Roberta Ponziani and Yvonne Cerpa, she chose to manage her pace. The 30-year-old from Toledo dedicated her title to everyone involved in the fight against cancer, a message that drew applause from the entire Jerez paddock.

The race, run over 11 laps with 26 riders on the grid and temperatures at 25 degrees, belonged to Paola Ramos. The 19-year-old, who set the fastest lap in Superpole, as reported in Superpao 58: Paola Ramos takes pole position in SIC’s honor, got off to a flying start, but on lap three she and Poland’s Patrycja Sowa were both handed double long-lap penalties for jump starts.

After serving both penalties, Ramos found herself in second place, 3.3 seconds behind Neila. From then on, she picked up the pace, clocking a 1'50"998 with two laps to go. On the final lap, she was right on the 24-year-old Madrid rider’s tail. Neila fended off the first attack, but Ramos crossed the line first by 0.167 seconds, on the same track where she had claimed her first championship victory.

Roberta Ponziani, riding for the Klint team, took third place for a podium finish to remember. Among the other Italian riders, Giuliani finished 18th, ahead of Dal Zotto and Barale.

Herrera had finished on the podium in every 2026 race before Jerez, with her third place in Race 2 at Balaton her worst result. In WorldWCR, she has 18 wins and 29 podiums from 35 races, along with two titles in three seasons: she narrowly lost out to Ana Carrasco in the inaugural year, then beat Neila in both 2025 and 2026. Her campaign was not without controversy: at Donington Park, a move by Herrera sent Ramos crashing, earning her a six-second penalty and postponing the title decider until Jerez.

With the title secured, Race 2 remains at Jerez: Ramos will be chasing a second win, while Herrera can finally race without having to do the math.

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