While there was no prosecco for Beatriz Neila at the third round of the FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship at Portimão, there were plenty of positives to take from two highly competitive fourth place finishes on her #36 Ampito / Pata Prometeon Yamaha R7.
In scorching Portuguese summer heat, the Spanish 22-year-old demonstrated clear consistency across every session to fight against the main championship protagonists Maria Herrera, Ana Carrasco and Sara Sanchez once again.
Qualifying fourth on Friday gave Neila an excellent opportunity to attack Race 1 from the start and fight with the front group for the full race distance on Saturday afternoon.
A brilliant move down the hill into Turn 1 saw her take the race lead briefly, as the quartet went four-wide at the start of Lap 4, but Herrera soon retook the lead and Neila dropped to the back of the group – a Lap 10 pass on Carrasco for the last podium position didn’t quite have the staying power required to reach the podium.
An almost identical situation played out in Race 2 on the last lap, where Neila made a move for the top three and just a small mistake cost her the chance to be in the mix for a podium fight photo-finish at the chequered flag.
The WorldWCR series picks up again in Italy next month at Cremona Circuit from 20-22 September.
Beatriz Neila – SP: P4 / Race 1: P4 / Race 2: P4
“The weekend in general was good, because I think we made a great step: I was super consistent every session from Free Practice, Warm Up and qualifying fourth in Superpole. I found Race 1 yesterday easier than today, because we had a red flag and also with the humidity it felt hotter on track. I struggled more with the front and rear of the bike in the heat today even with the shorter race distance. But, I am happy we are here, we worked hard and two fourth place finishes is still a good result. I wanted a podium, but it did not happen for us this weekend. I want to thank my family, the Pata Prometeon Yamaha team and Ampito – as well as my personal sponsor Dursan that was also here supporting me in Portimão this weekend. I am looking forward to Cremona next month, see you there!”
Paul Denning – Team Principal, Ampito / Pata Prometeon Yamaha:
“Again two really strong races for Beatriz on the Ampito / Pata Prometeon Yamaha R7 here in Portimão, but no podium prosecco unfortunately! The front four women in the championship are at an incredibly high level, racing very aggressively, but in the last lap of both races – despite every effort – Beatriz wasn’t quite able to claw her way onto the podium. She is racing very well against women with a lot more World Championship experience, doing a great job, consistently getting faster every weekend and I am convinced she will be on the podium again soon.”
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