The Ultimate Guide to the 2025 WorldWCR Season
- alicejukes
- Apr 5
- 4 min read
Updated: Jul 28
What is the WorldWCR?
2025 marks only the second season of the WorldWCR (World Women's Circuit Racing) Championship - the first ever all-female circuit racing world championship. It shares the paddock and 6 rounds on the calendar with the World Superbike championship and all of its junior categories - with the opening round at the Assen TT in the Netherlands from the 11-13th of April.
As the championship is still in its infancy, the calendar remains exclusively in Europe. 2025 sees additions to the calendar with races in Hungary and France, replacing the 2 Portuguese rounds that we saw in 2024 in Portimao and Estoril.
2025 will see 24 riders from 14 different nations compete for the championship on Yamaha R7 machinery - with competitors from Spain, Australia, Mexico, South Africa, Chinese Taipei and more, the WCR's 2025 entry list covers every continent except Antarctica! Few championships can claim such widespread representation on the grid, making WorldWCR a true international competition.
The Motorcycle
All riders race on identical motorcycles, with Yamaha being the designated manufacturer. This is to ensure focus on speed and strategy for the category's competitors, rather than disparities in the equipment. Following on from 2024, the YZF-R7 from Yamaha's R series, provides a high-torque 689cc engine and compact chassis for the WCR riders.
Race Weekend Schedule
The WorldWCR race weekend follows the same structure as WorldSSP, kicking off on Friday with two sessions: the first Free Practice and Superpole. Superpole serves as the qualifying session, setting the grid for Race 1. For Race 2, the top nine grid positions are determined by the fastest laps from Race 1, while the remaining spots are based on Superpole results.
Saturday begins with a ten-minute warm-up session before riders take to the track for Race 1 later in the day. The format repeats on Sunday, with a second warm-up in the morning leading up to Race 2 in the afternoon.
The Points System
The points system is the same for both Race 1 and Race 2 - with the top 15 riders scoring points. The table below shows finishing positions and their corresponding amount of points.
1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th | 13th | 14th | 15th |
25 | 20 | 16 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
2024 Recap
Heading into its inaugral season - it was hard to know what to expect. For many of the riders, this was their introduction to the international racing scene, coming in as 'unknowns' outside their country or region.
The same cannot be said for Maria Herrera and Ana Carrasco, however. It is inarguable that these two riders are some of, if not the most experienced names in womens motorcycle racing. Both have competed in MotoGP's Moto3 class and WorldSBK's WorldSSP300 class, with Carrasco taking the WorldSSP300 title in 2018 and Herrera has added experience as a MotoE rider. This made them easy favourites for the 2024 championship title - with Carrasco eventually taking it in a dramatic final race showdown against Herrera!
Only 6 different riders stood on the podium during the 2024 season. Carrasco, Herrera and Sara Sanchez were regular podium sitters, with Beatriz Neila on the podium 4 times, and Tayla Relph and Roberta Ponziani making 1 podium appearance together at the Cremona circuit in Italy.
The top 10 in the 2024 championship were as follows:
Ana Carrasco - Spain 🇪🇸
Maria Herrera - Spain 🇪🇸
Sara Sanchez - Spain 🇪🇸
Beatriz Neila - Spain 🇪🇸
Roberta Ponziani - Italy 🇮🇹
Pakita Ruiz - Spain 🇪🇸
Tayla Relph - Australia 🇦🇺
Astrid Madrigal - Mexico 🇲🇽
Ran Yochay - Israel 🇮🇱
Ornella Ongaro - France 🇫🇷
Who to watch out for in 2025
Maria Herrera enters the season as the clear title favourite. With reigning champion Ana Carrasco moving up to the WorldSSP Challenger category, one major rival is out of the picture - leaving Herrera in prime position to claim the WorldWCR crown.
However, Sara Sánchez remains a strong contender. A consistent podium finisher throughout 2024, she secured two race wins and finished just 24 points behind Herrera in the final standings. With her proven pace, she will be one to watch in the fight for the 2025 title.
Likewise, Beatriz Neila showed impressive form last season, earning four podiums: two at Jerez, along with one at Donington and Estoril. While she has the speed to challenge for the championship, improving her qualifying consistency will be key to maximizing her potential at the front of the grid. Neila renewed her contract with Ampito Crescent Yamaha, backed by the offcial Pata Maxus Yamaha team in WorldSBK, raising expectations for high performance in 2025.
Roberta Ponziani stands out as a formidable competitor. Her fifth-place finish in the championship, along with 11 top-five finishes out of 12 races, reflects an impressive streak of consistency. If Ponziani can secure regular top-three finishes in 2025, she will be a tough contender to beat.
If you're interested in a further evaluation on the 2025 riders for the WorldWCR; including their riding style, results in 2024, and who may emerge as an underdog in the 2025 campaign - keep an eye out for our 'Racing Series' category on the site!
Where to Watch the WorldWCR
Every round of the 2025 season will be streamed live and free of charge on the official WorldWCR YouTube channel. Fans from all over the globe will be able to watch the races as they unfold, and each event will also be permanently archived on the channel for future viewing.
The official regional broadcasters for 2025 have not yet been announced or published. However, the map below shows the broadcasters for 2024 - where it is assumed to be virtually the same.
For those interested you can access the 2025 provisional entry list below: