Beatriz Neila Keeps the Title Fight Alive with Race 2 Victory for Ampito Crescent Yamaha in a Dramatic Donington Weekend

Donington Park proved to be a rollercoaster weekend for Neila – crashed out in Race 1 before celebrating an extraordinary win in Race 2 to take the title fight to the final round of the 2026 FIM Women's Circuit Racing World Championship.

An unusually warm Friday saw Beatriz Neila and Ampito Crescent Yamaha secure a front row start for Race 1. The Spaniard arrived at the team's home round 24 points behind championship leader Maria Herrera and fully motivated to close the gap. However, Race 1 came to an early end when contact from her closest rival on the opening lap sent Neila to the ground.

Unfortunately, the clash brought to an end Neila’s potentially unbeatable record of 22 consecutive podiums in WorldWCR since Race 1 in Jerez in the series’ inaugural year of 2024 as well as a perfect points-scoring finish streak that dates back to the very first race.

On Sunday, nursing bruising to her right leg and neck, Neila started from tenth on the grid having been unable to set a time in Saturday's race. What followed was a remarkable recovery – the Ampito Crescent Yamaha rider stormed through the field to cross the finish line in second, just milliseconds behind Herrera. However, a post-race penalty handed to her rival for an incident with Paola Ramos on the last lap saw awarded Neila the victory and, with it, kept the championship battle alive for the final round.

The series now enters a three-month break before the season finale, where the title will be decided at the Circuito Ángel Nieto in Jerez, from 16-18 October.

Beatriz Neila, Ampito Crescent Yamaha – Superpole: P2 / Race 1: DNF / Race 2: P1

“I’m happy because although I was telling myself I could do it before the race started, I also had a few doubts of course. It definitely wasn’t easy from tenth on the grid, but I worked my way up and, in the end, I finished first. It was a tough 24 hours; Saturday was horrible but Sunday brought another race and another chance. Fortunately, I didn’t feel pain during the race due to the adrenaline, but my right leg was quite painful after I’ve got off the bike. The important thing is that the championship remains open until the end; it will be difficult considering the points difference, but I never give up. I want to get to Jerez in a positive frame of mind and enjoy the last round without overthinking the championship. Thank you to my team, my family, to Ampito and Manny Pinon, Crescent Yamaha, and the amazing Donington crowd on Sunday!”