Challenging Opening Round in Portimão for Chloe Jones and Monster Energy Crescent Yamaha

It was a difficult start for Chloe Jones at the opening round of the 2026 FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship at Portimão, Portugal last weekend, as the series got underway on the sunny Algarve.

The Monster Energy Crescent Yamaha rider was not able to find a good feeling with her #15 Yamaha R7 WorldWCR machine during Free Practice on Friday following the bike lottery allocation and one-day test earlier in the week. Jones qualified P14 on the grid but was later penalised six positions for an infringement during Superpole which set her on the back foot for the first race of the season.

Nevertheless, the rider from Daventry who collected the FIM bronze medal in 2025 persevered and in Race 1 made up nine positions in the opening laps, climbing to 11th by the end of Lap 2 and ultimately cross the line 13th place. Race 2 also proved to be challenging, despite repeated and thorough efforts from the team to remedy a brake pressure issue. Jones was unfortunately dealt a further blow for a jump start and required to complete two long-laps, finishing P14 in the final race of the weekend.

The goal for Round 2 will be to help Jones reset and re-join the WorldWCR fight with her Monster Energy Crescent Yamaha R7 at the TT Circuit Assen, taking place from 17-19 April.

Chloe Jones, Monster Energy Crescent Yamaha – Superpole: P14 / Race 1: P13 / Race 2: P14

“The weekend was tough, very tough – some technical issues and not feeling 100% comfortable on the bike resulted in two finishes that were disappointing from my point of view. Hopefully we can find a better feeling and go again for Round 2. Portimão was a new track for me, but that’s behind us now and I’m ready again for the rest of the season and looking forward to going to the Netherlands. I had a day on track at Assen directly after the race weekend on my Crescent Yamaha training bike and really enjoyed it, smiling all the way. Thanks to everyone and Monster Energy for all the support.”