Maria Herrera topped FIM World Women’s Circuit Racing Superpole qualifying Friday afternoon at TT Circuit Assen, in The Netherlands. Riding her Terra & Vita GRT Yamaha YZF-R7 on Pirelli control tires, Herrera lapped the 2.82-mile (4.54 km) course in 1:47.031 to top the field of 26 riders and earn pole position.
Beatriz Neila was the best of the rest with a 1:47.312 on her Ampito Crescent Yamaha YZF-R7, and Paola Ramos earned the third and final spot on the front row with a lap time of 1:47.789 on her Klint Racing Yamaha YZF-R7.
American Mallory Dobbs got 15th on her YVS Sabadell Diva Racing Yamaha YZF-R7 with a time of 1:49.769.
More from a press release issued by WorldSBK:
Lap record smashed: Herrera claims Assen pole ahead of Neila in WorldWCR. Both riders were under the existing lap record at the Dutch venue as they duelled it out for pole position.
Maria Herrera (Terra & Vita GRT Yamaha WorldWCR) claimed pole position in the FIM Women’s Circuit Racing despite a late charge from Beatriz Neila (Ampito Crescent Yamaha) at the stunning TT Circuit Assen. The #6 smashed her own all-time lap record from last year as she claimed her eighth pole position in WorldWCR as she secured pole position for Race 1 at the Pirelli Dutch Round.
TWO OUT OF TWO: Herrera continues her pole streak
Herrera has made it two poles from two in 2026, following up her P1 in the Portimao Tissot Superpole session with the same result at Assen. She set a 1’47.031s to claim the best possible starting grid slot, beating 2025 runner-up Neila by almost three tenths. The #36 was able to close the gap to the reigning Champion to 0.281s after posting a 1’47.312s – both riders were under the all-time lap record set last year, which was a 1’47.613s. Paola Ramos (Klint Racing Team) secured a front row start with P3, although she was made to work hard for it as she was locked in a fierce fight with Talya Relph (Full Throttle Racing).
RELPH JUST MISSES OUT: Australian secures P4 ahead of Boudesseul and Sanchez
Australian rider Relph was forced to settle for P4 and the second row after setting a 1’47.813s, just 0.016s behind Championship leader Ramos. Lucie Boudesseul (GMT94 Yamaha) finished in fifth ahead of Sara Sanchez (Hadden Racing Team) in sixth, with the #64 fighting for the front row until the final laps of the 25-minute session.
GOING FROM ROW 3: Ponziani leads Ruiz and Rivera
Roberta Ponziani (Klint Racing Team) will go from the third row in Race 1 after the #96 claimed P7 with a 1’48.402s. She’ll be joined on the third row by Pakita Ruiz (PR46+1 Racing Team) and Natalia Rivera (Terra & Vita GRT Yamaha WorldWCR), just 0.032s separated the two Spaniards In P8 and P9. Astrid Madrigal (Pons Italika Racing FIMLA) completed the top ten.
The top six from WorldWCR Tissot Superpole, full results here:
1 Maria Herrera (Terra & Vita GRT Yamaha WorldWCR) 1’47.031s
2. Beatriz Neila (Ampito Crescent Yamaha) +0.281s
3. Paola Ramos (Klint Racing Team) +0.758s
4. Talya Relph (Full Throttle Racing) +0.782s
5. Lucie Boudesseul (GMT94 Yamaha) +1.127s
6. Sara Sanchez (Hadden Racing Team) +1.309s
Don’t miss WorldWCR Race 1 at 12:00 Local Time (UTC+2) on Saturday! Watch for FREE on the WorldWCR YouTube channel!
The post WorldWCR: Herrera Takes Pole Position at Assen appeared first on Roadracing World Magazine | Motorcycle Riding, Racing & Tech News.
