Ana Carrasco becomes first woman to win tarmac FIM world championship race

SPANISH racer Ana Carrasco has made history as the first woman to win an individual motorcycle race at world championship level.

The 20-year-old was pushing hard in second place of the FIM World Supersport 300 race on Sunday as the three lead riders approached the end of the 11th lap at Portugal’s Portimão Circuit.

With just metres to go, she emerged from behind leader Marc García on her Kawasaki Ninja 300. At the same time, Alfonso Coppola also overtook Garcia, pushing him to third. Carrasco crossed the line in first, with 0.053 and 0.062 leads on Yamaha riders Coppola and Garcia.

What an end!!! @AnaCarrasco_22 takes her very first #WorldSSP300 win! pic.twitter.com/G71l7nkTTu

— WorldSBK (@WorldSBK) 17 September 2017

Carrasco now sits seventh in the overall standings, with 57 points, while Coppola has risen to become series leader, on 102 points. Garcia is close on his heels in second place with 101 points, with only two rounds to go.  

Carrasco said after the race: “I have been working really hard all year to find this result and it is really important for the history as it was the first time for a woman to win a race in an FIM tarmac based championship - so this is good for all the people.

“I think it will be a change of mentality and people will think that a woman can be fighting for the championship. It was a perfect day for Kawasaki.”

Prior to this weekend, Carrasco’s best result was seventh at Assen. For all but one of the seven rounds so far, she has been within the top 12 finishers.

Carrasco began riding aged three and made her international debut in Moto3 four years ago at 16. She later moved to Moto2 before joining the World Supersport 300 series.