MARIA HERRERA Crushes Lap Record, Takes Pole Over BEATRIZ NEILA at Assen

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April 17, 2026

GRRL! SUMMARY:

  • MARIA HERRERA dominated Assen qualifying with a blistering 1’47.031s lap, claiming her eighth career WorldWCR pole and second consecutive in 2026, demolishing her own 2025 lap record by over half a second.
  • BEATRIZ NEILA pushed the reigning champion hard, finishing 0.281s back with a 1’47.312s—also under the previous lap record—while PAOLA RAMOS secured front row in a tight battle with TAYLA RELPH.
  • RELPH narrowly missed the front row by just 0.016s, claiming P4 ahead of championship contenders LUCIE BOUDESSEUL and SARA SANCHEZ, who rounded out row two after late-session charges.
  • ROBERTA PONZIANI heads row three in P7, with Spanish riders PAKITA RUIZ and NATALIA RIVERA separated by mere 0.032s in P8-P9, while ASTRID MADRIGAL completed the top ten.

UPCOMING:

  • WorldWCR Race 1 at TT Circuit Assen – Saturday, 12:00 Local Time (UTC+2)

LINKS TO RACER'S PROFILE PAGES:

GRRL! summary based upon reporting originally appearing on www.worldsbk.com