Are there no more Beatriz Neila Santos and Sara Sanchez? It matters little. Natalia Rivera takes care of making the music resonate again “Marcha Real” Spanish in the Women’s European Championship. The race staged on Sunday at the Cremona Circuit, scene of the second round of 2024 on a single grid with the CIV Femminile, illustrated the reasons that are leading the rider of the Trasimeno Yamaha Team to establish itself as the new team “Queen” of the European women’s series. After an apprenticeship in 2023, culminating in second place in the championship and the recognition of best rookie, the 2006 class started off full and determined as never before. Two heat played so far this season, two victories. Without making concessions to the opponents.
NATALIA RIVERA RULES JOSEPHINE BRUNO IN CREMONA
A second statement in a row, however, less obvious than expected. First of all because he had never ridden on the renovated Lombardy facility, with the race providing quite a few emotions. An unexciting start from the front of the grid invited Natalia Rivera to show off all her skills. In third position at the end of the first lap, she waited for the right moment to regain the lead during the fourth of the ten scheduled laps. Compared to Misano, this time Natalia sweated her proverbial sweats. Thanks to a fierce Josephine Bruno, who remained glued to the exhausts of R3 #2 until the end, engaging in an exciting confrontation with overtaking and counter-overtaking.
TWO OUT OF TWO AND FULL LOOT IN THE WEC
Natalia only completed the paperwork in the penultimate round. A nice overtaking in the final stretch of the track then allowed her to build and manage a reassuring lead, scoring her third career success in the WEC. She was embellished with two additional points respectively for pole position and fastest lap in the race, thus leaving Cremona with full points in command of the championship standings.
PATRICIA SOWA STILL ON THE PODIUM
While Natalia is already eyeing her potential first continental title, the competition is called upon to invent something from here on out. The only one to hold its own over the weekend was ours ‘Joy’, who finished second ahead of Patricia Sowa. More and more revelation riding a family-run Kawasaki Ninja 400, albeit almost ten seconds late at the finish line. The Pole maximized an excellent starting point, when she found herself in a position to even secure the holeshot, fending off Denise Dal Zotto’s (4th) recovery attempt to take the second podium of the season. All this with a top-3 that in fact follows that of last April in Misano.
THE SITUATION IN THE WOMEN’S CIV
The aforementioned Josephine Bruno at least consoled herself with her third victory in four races in the Women’s CIV. Having assimilated Magione’s harsh disqualification in Race 1, the Gradara Corse Kawasaki team rider dictated the law in the ranking reserved for the Italian series. Not to be outdone, guaranteeing the two additional points for pole and fastest lap. The thrills came mainly from the fight for the podium, contested by Denise Dal Zotto (MotoXRacing Yamaha), Nicole Cicillini (Prata Motorsport Yamaha) and Arianna Barale (MRT Corse Kawasaki). The first two in this order came out on top, with Barale (then 5th behind Monica Robotta) slowed down at the end by a technical problem. These results, combined with the inconsistency of other legitimate contenders for the podium, have re-projected the little girl ‘Joy’ at the top of the championship standings. Scoring respectively +6 and +14 points over the same Dal Zotto and Cicillini.
NEXT APPOINTMENTS
Whether the CIVF will now take a prolonged (debatable) “vacation”, with the fourth and penultimate round of the season scheduled only for next September 13-15 in Varano, the WEC participants will be back in action in just under a month (5-7 July) on the Brno track in the Czech Republic. Not all However. Long before then some of our standard-bearers will be busy at Misano, the weekend just coming, for the prestigious wild cards in the World Superbike circus. On the one hand Beatrice Barbera (6th in Cremona in the WEC) in the historic premiere of the FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship. On the other Josephine Bruno, Denise Dal Zotto and Arianna Barale in the FIM Yamaha R3 World Cup (details HERE). New and evocative challenges to follow with particular attention.
WOMEN’S EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP/CIV WOMEN CREMONA – RACE RESULTS:
